Facial Guide Points

Facial Guide PointsBy Richard Kranicki, InsidePOOL ColumnistMy first Pool Prayers column of 2003 introduced a new term called - The Facial Guide Points. The Facial Guide Points are specific points on your face that will align directly over the imaginary aim line. The Facial Guide Points are just that - guides. I started with the straight head in the basic Nose Center Alignment. I showed the Nose Center Line, the Center Jaw, and the Center of the Two Upper Top Teeth as possible Guide Point choices for that particular alignment. Besides aiding your alignment over the imaginary aim line and helping with aiming your shots, The Facial Guide Points will be of great assistance when stroking the cue stick, also.
However, not everyone uses the Nose Center Alignment, because of all the various physical differences and individual postural preferences. Therefore, the Facial Guide Points that work well for the Nose Center Alignment will not be as effective for the other types of alignments. For example, even though the Jaw Center works excellently for the Nose Center Alignment, it will not be as helpful for someone who has his or her head slightly turned or angled. Remember, because a higher level of playing requires consistency, having the slightest turn, or angle is still not considered centered or straight. Therefore, only straight is straight and centered is centered. Before we continue, let me give you some practical advice. It will definitely pay most of you to get qualified assistance. Build a solid foundation with the help of someone who knows what you need to improve. The obvious advantage is that you will be saving frustration and cutting down the time it takes to progress. This translates into reaching consistency faster, which means more wins for you sooner. If anything, the proper guidance will help you avoid trying the unnecessary and/or the wrong things. In fact, the instructional columns in this magazine are an endless treasure chest of gems. Imagine all the years of invaluable billiard knowledge and experience made available on its printed pages. We will begin finding your particular Facial Guide Points in the next column. Therefore, you will have time to find a few items that will make your findings a lot easier to see. You will need a sufficiently sized mirror that will allow you to see your whole face. Also, get at least a six-inch piece of thin string, a couple strips of tape, a pool ball, a cue stick and, if possible, the help of an objective friend. It will be best if you can find a table that is the same height above the floor as a pool table. You will be striving to duplicate the same shooting conditions with the pool tables that you play on. In addition, you will need to be able to adjust the angle of the mirror, so that you will be able to see your whole face, the pool ball, the reflected pool ball, and your cue stick without moving your head. As you will see in the following columns, the Facial Guide Points can be a valuable tool for consistency when playing pool, billiards, snooker, and even bumper pool. They will definitely be worth the little time it takes to learn them. Also, please be aware that after you become familiar with your various available Facial Guide Points, there will probably be a tendency for you to continue experimenting with the slightly different head angles. Therefore, settle into a slightly different but more comfortable head and body position over the shot. The next columns will help you select your own individual Facial Guide Points according to your own particular style of shooting. Then you will position yourself in front of the mirror as you normally would when playing. Set yourself so that you will be able to duplicate your normal feet, body, and head positions. In the next column, I will help you find your personal Guide Points!

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Inside Pool Magazine publishes billiard news. Definitive Synergy creates pool and billiard management software.