System for Aiming With Sidespin (SAWS)

What is the System for Aiming With Sidespin (SAWS)?

System for Aiming With Sidespin (SAWS) is a full-length instructional video by Dr. Dave that covers a simple and methodical system to find accurate lines of aim for sidespin shots of any distance, speed, and amount of spin.. It is based on using combinations of Back Hand English (BHE) and Front-Hand English (FHE), and it can be applied to any cue, bridge length, and shooting style. It also has simple built-in adjustments for compensating for top/bottom spin and table conditions. A detailed table of contents of SAWS along with a video overview can be found at DrDaveBilliards.com/saws, and here is an overview video:

Here is the SAWS BHE/FHE calibration handout.

For examples of how SAWS is used, see the following videos and articles:

Background information on important related topics can be found here:

Do you actually use SAWS? If so, why?

I use SAWS on every shot with sidespin. The best thing about SAWS is it doesn’t require any feel/judgement/intuition (for all squirt/swerve/throw effects) that otherwise takes countless hours of trial-and-error practice and successful experience to develop. It gives me confidence since I don’t need to think about or judge CB deflection (the net effect of squirt and swerve, which vary with shot distance and speed). And SAWS is very effective. I make more shots than I would otherwise if I were using just feel and intuition. I just do the BHE/FHE pivots and I get the right line of aim. For more info, see the videos and question answers here:

Even if you never use SAWS, the calibration procedure will teach you a lot about how to aim when using sidespin.

Before implementing SAWS into my game, I used to spend too much time trying to make small aim adjustments based on experience-based judgement while down on the shot (taking into consideration squirt, swerve, and throw effects all at once). Now, I don’t have to judge or think about anything. I just pivot and shoot.

What should you move and not move during the BHE and FHE pivots?

As demonstrated in the SAWS instructional video, it is best to move your whole upper body with the BHE pivot to keep the stroke/body relationship mostly the same. During the FHE pivot, by nature, everything should stay still except for the front hand and arm.

What should you look at during the SAWS aiming and shooting process?

You should generally follow the eye pattern “best practices” used by most top players. When using sidespin, players who aim intuitively typically look at where they want the CB to go (with focus at the OB) during the final stroke, realizing that the cue and stroke are pointing slightly offline to send the CB in the desired direction.

When using SAWS, you first look at where you want the CB to go with a careful center-ball aim. Then you look at the tip contact point on the CB as you do the BHE/FHE pivots to ensure you are accurate with the pivots and the desired tip contact point. Then it is recommended you shift your focus back toward the OB but along the new direction of the cue. This will help ensure a straight stroke. You look where the cue is pointing, realizing that the CB will deflect to the desired target identified during the careful center-ball aim.

The SAWS BHE/FHE system sounds too complicated. And doesn’t the pivot affect your stance alignment?

Obviously, the best way to aim and align, taking everything into consideration, is to do so naturally (without having to think) as a result of countless hours of smart practice and successful experience. However, most pool players (me included) don’t have perfect intuition for everything yet and can benefit from a methodical approach. But I do all of my thinking before a shot. I first adjust my aim for throw (CIT or SIT), if necessary, while “aiming while standing.” I also observe the shot distance and think about the shot speed while I am standing. This tells me the BHE/FHE percentages that will be required (based on my SAWS calibration system). I have my calibration table memorized, so no thinking is required here (just rote recall). Now, without any more thinking or judgement required, I get down into my stance with a center-ball alignment (which is very easy to visualize), with my vision center over this line (before, during, and after getting down). Once down, and after I’ve verified my center-ball alignment and aim, I do the pre-decided BHE/FHE pivots (if the shot requires sidespin), take a practice stroke, and then and I shoot (all with no thinking whatsoever). The pivots do not bother or affect me one bit.

Isn’t it difficult remembering and recalling the SAWS BHE/FHE numbers?

No. The numbers have the trends shown in the example table at the bottom of the SAWS calibration procedure document. The numbers in the top of the 1st column are usually the same as the numbers in the bottom of the 2nd column, and the numbers in the top of the 2nd column are usually the same as the numbers in the bottom of the 3rd column. Also, you only need to remember the BHE numbers (since the FHE number must always add to give 100%). So to remember my entire table, I just need to remember 30, 40, 60, 80, 90. All the other numbers are obvious from these. With a little practice, the BHE/FHE numbers for any shot speed and distance can be recalled very quickly with no effort, even under the stress of an important match.

Why don’t pro players use the SAWS BHE/FHE system?

Top players with lots of experience don’t need techniques like this. They instinctively know how to align the cue to compensate for squirt, swerve, and throw, and they come down into the stance with the cue already in the correct direction for shots of various distances, angles, amounts and types of spin, and speeds. However, for those who do not already have perfect intuition for aiming with sidespin, the SAWS BHE/FHE techniques can be useful and effective. And over time, if you pay attention to how you aim the cue for different types of shots (using SAWS), you will eventually build you own pro-like intuition.

How does SAWS compare to the system Jeremy Jones describes in his video?

The method JJ describes is the same as the 2nd version of the “Intuitive Method” in this video:

It requires judgement and feel to know how to pivot based on shot speed and distance and on the amount and type of spin being used. I agree that it sounds simple, but it is not as simple as it sounds if you want to be effective over a wide range of shot types. As proved later in the video, pure FHE alone is not effective over a wide range of shots. JJ aims effectively because he intuitively knows how much to adjust his aim properly (with a variable pivot) based on countless hours of smart practice and successful experience.

If I use an LD shaft, will I need to use more FHE than BHE, and wouldn’t it be better to just use a higher deflection shaft with pure BHE?

Obviously, if there were one bridge length that worked with BHE alone for a wide range of shots, that would be the best approach, and this is one of the alternative methods covered on SAWS; however, as demonstrated on SAWS, this doesn’t work very well over a wide range of shots.

With a lower-CB-deflection shaft, or with a shorter bridge length, the percentage of FHE vs. BHE does increase; so for people who prefer to use BHE alone, a higher-CB-deflection shaft and/or a longer bridge length could give better results over a chosen range of shot speeds and distances.

However, there are advantages to using an LD shaft because with less aim adjustment (e.g., a small FHE pivot vs. a large BHE pivot), there is less chance for making errors (especially if a person’s BHE pivot is sloppy, with bridge shift or distortion, which might be more of a problem with some closed-bridges).

How do you adjust your aim for draw and follow shots when using SAWS?

Small corrections need to be made for draw vs. follow shots. With a draw shot, because the CB slides over a longer distance, swerve is delayed and the effective CB deflection is greater. This requires more squirt compensation, so more BHE (and less FHE) will be required, especially on longer shots with medium to fast speeds and shorter shots at slow to medium speeds. With a follow shot, swerve happens sooner, so the effective CB deflection is less. This requires less squirt compensation, so more FHE (and less BHE) will be required, especially on softer shots. For draw or follow, the recommended average amount of BHE/FHE adjustment required is 10%.

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