Roger Long has been a BCA Instructor since 1993. He is the former owner of CuePort Billiards in Lakeland Florida and a regular contributer to Table Talk Newspaper here in Phoenix. His column appears here courtesy of Billiards Table Talk. Previous months columns are available here.
	One Last Look By Roger Long, BCA Certified Instructor One of the more controversial subjects in the game of pool is the question of whether a shooter should look at the cue ball last, or at the object ball last. Most of the experts seem to agree that you should alternate between looking at the cue ball and the object ball when lining up the shot, but that you should focus on the object ball just as you pull the trigger. By "experts" I mean authors of instructional books, certified instructors and accomplished players. With endorsers, such as these, one would think that there really shouldn't be a need for any further discussion on the subject, but then the question always seems to resurface time and again. Why is that? Let's take a little closer look and see if we can figure it out. First of all, the same experts who tell you to look at the object ball last are the very ones who will demonstrate that a ball can be pocketed even though the shooter turns his head to the side, or closes his eyes. Also, there are many excellent players who admit that they prefer to focus on the cue ball last, and it obviously has no adverse effect on their shooting. My personal preference is to look at the object ball last, unless I have to jack the back of the stick up, as when bridging over a rail or over another ball. My reason for focusing on the cue ball on shots where my stick is jacked up, is because I am more concerned with getting an exact hit on the cue ball than I am in where the cue ball is going. What these revelations are telling us then, are that your focal point is not as important as your alignment. If you line the shot up properly, and then hold that alignment all through the shot, you really should be able to turn your head, close your eyes, or look at either ball last, and still make the shot. That's why I like to focus on the cue ball when I have to jack up the back of my stick. Alignment is especially hard to hold on these shots, and I am hoping to increase my chances of making the shot by focusing on my nearest point of contact. So what all this really boils down to is that there is no right way, or wrong way, when it comes to which ball to look at last. As usual, you just need to be armed with the knowledge of what works best for the majority of players, but then do what works best for you.   All copyrights are owned by Roger Long. No duplication is allowed without his permission.