i dont understand the hype about ld shafts

about 4 years ago i traded a meucci gambler even for a brand new predator blak with a 314 shaft.

it was my 1st cue with a ld shaft. i played with it for a year and after going through about 4 different brands of tips i got to where i played decent with it. i just never could play great with it so i gave it to my gf and bought me a custom.

well she bought me a mcdermott with a g core shaft for christmas. i played with it for a month or 2 and went back to my custom because i just did not like the shaft.

tue nite i pull the mcdermott out of the closet and take it to apa league. big mistake.... i played lousy. i missed easy shots, im talkin easy shots i can make off handed with any cue with a standard maple shaft.i lost 3-1 against a 4 that i shut out 4-0 last time i played him. the only reason i won 1 rack was because he scratched on the 8 lol.

last night i pull my 8 year old viking out of the closet and take it to my bcapl format league. i shot great with it.

i won 3 of my 5 matches. had 1 break and run" only broke 2 times". had an 8 ball runout after my opponent scratched on the break.

cues with ld shafts just dont do it for me. after making 2 honest efforts to play with ld shafts with lousy results i guess the old saying " if it aint broke , dont fix it " applies in my case.


To make it simple to understand. You have to aim at a different spot when using left or right English with a LD shaft vs a regular maple shaft.
 
To make it simple to understand. You have to aim at a different spot when using left or right English with a LD shaft vs a regular maple shaft.

a hell of a lot of good that does for the wannabe's that don't know how to adjust in the first place.. $300 to erase what limited knowledge they did happen to acquire??.. maybe we can hook them on tips next...... then next thing you know it's $20/month chalk habit.. AND YET THEY ARE STILL BANGERS!!!

it's just another f'kin hustle and it's never been anything else..

the people who put in the hours required to play this game well... play this game well

and the people who don't... DON'T!!!

it really is that simple...

have a nice day:D
 
<snip for brevity>

cues with ld shafts just dont do it for me. after making 2 honest efforts to play with ld shafts with lousy results i guess the old saying " if it aint broke , dont fix it " applies in my case.

lorider:

I think you summed it up yourself in your last couple of sentences. Any shaft is going to require compensation because of cue ball squirt when moving off of the vertical axis with left or right.

To me, it is all the same, for instance: compensate a 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 inches? Why make a problem when you don't have a problem?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=damFwtQ2zmc :D

Use the Viking or a low deflection or whatever suits you best. Pick one and get down to the nitty gritty... (imo)

Hit 'em straight...

~Razor
 
I mean if you a C player, it doesn't really matter. You probably don't need a LD shaft for improvement anyway. Whatever shaft your player comes with, will be fine for league play.
 
Hey lorider, saw your reply... sounds like you play higher level than the stats show, so that's good.
Sorry to hear about your troubles. It sounds like you settled on a stick that lets you perform your best
and that's what it's all about ultimately. LD might let some other dude perform his best, but if it's holding
you back, then definitely no reason to force yourself to stick with one. You gave 'em a shot.
 
a hell of a lot of good that does for the wannabe's that don't know how to adjust in the first place.. $300 to erase what limited knowledge they did happen to acquire??.. maybe we can hook them on tips next...... then next thing you know it's $20/month chalk habit.. AND YET THEY ARE STILL BANGERS!!!

it's just another f'kin hustle and it's never been anything else..

the people who put in the hours required to play this game well... play this game well

and the people who don't... DON'T!!!

it really is that simple...

have a nice day:D



All I know is I wish I would've started playing with an LD shaft when I first started playing. I would be a better player today if I would've. I tried to make the switch to an LD shaft. I gave it 3 months but I didn't play as good.


What I love about LD shafts is when you need to use a tip of inside English. It's so easy it's a joke. Almost like cheating. Maybe the move is to have a playing cue with a maple shaft and a LD cue just for inside English shots.
 
a hell of a lot of good that does for the wannabe's that don't know how to adjust in the first place.. $300 to erase what limited knowledge they did happen to acquire??.. maybe we can hook them on tips next...... then next thing you know it's $20/month chalk habit.. AND YET THEY ARE STILL BANGERS!!!

it's just another f'kin hustle and it's never been anything else..

the people who put in the hours required to play this game well... play this game well

and the people who don't... DON'T!!!

it really is that simple...

have a nice day:D

its the bangers fault that they never pay attention to what they are doing so that they can adjust in the first place. Just the same as how some talk a ton about these great lessons they are fixing to get and then gripe that they never learned anything, when on the real they just never bothered to apply it much less practice. They are looking for the fix me pill and it doesn't exist. As for ld shafts being plywood.....its been around long before laminate technology, tho as far as i know custom makers are the only ones that make solid ld shafts. SNOOKER CUES ARE LD, lol.


I don't even think its a hustle to begin with. Especially for a large manufacturer, it is a much more cost effective process to splice wood to relieve its stresses and such over just turning down wood and waiting to see if its going to stay straight or not. You get much less waste, more consistent product, and faster turn around. Its just smart business and manufacturing technique.

This is making a market affordable for all the people who just wont put the money into a custom cue.....and we all know this is a huge chunk of the people who play the game.

Sort of like donny was mentioning.....smaller increments are better with a LD shaft. You don't need three tips bla bla bla of english, usually one tip is PLENTY. Like the shot where you cut the 8 ball off the short rail from a straight in CB...you know the trick shot...my personal player that i built is LD and solid wood 12mm....i use a tip and a quarter....and for me a tip of english is 3mm from center so thats just 4mm and change from the center of the ball.....very little compared to typical pro taper shafts. Thats the beauty of it, smaller margins, more precision.

-Greyghost
 
Shafts dont make the player.;)
LD shafts have alot more to offer as far as the shot line is concerned.
Also with power shots where your stroke may suffer the ld shaft wants to help you.;)

You guys that think their gimmicks have know clue.REALLY.:p
 
All I know is I wish I would've started playing with an LD shaft when I first started playing. I would be a better player today if I would've. I tried to make the switch to an LD shaft. I gave it 3 months but I didn't play as good.


What I love about LD shafts is when you need to use a tip of inside English. It's so easy it's a joke. Almost like cheating. Maybe the move is to have a playing cue with a maple shaft and a LD cue just for inside English shots.

I'm telling the ref :p. Johnnyt
 
Any shaft is going to require compensation because of cue ball squirt when moving off of the vertical axis with left or right.

To me, it is all the same, for instance: compensate a 1/2 inch or 1 1/2 inches? Why make a problem when you don't have a problem?
Unfortunately for those that are used to regular shafts, it's not the same. Less cue ball squirt means less of a range you have to adjust over. Adjusting for squirt within 1 inch of the true object ball target is easier than adjusting for it within a 3 inch range. Actually, since the adjustment is really in degrees, it's a question of whether it's easier to adjust within a 2 degree range or a 3 degree range. With an LD shaft, you can hit further off center on the cue ball while aiming straight at the OB target and still make the shot.

Really, the only thing that I think is harder to adjust for with an LD shaft is swerve because there is less squirt to offset it. Using backhand english techniques might be less natural because the pivot point is further back, but very few experienced players actually set up straight and then pivot anyways.

Overall, LD shafts almost certainly make the game easier if you are starting from a clean slate. It's the players that have been playing without them for a long time that might have trouble making the switch.
 
I use an LD shaft right now. Can't say its better... just different.

When I was playing 10 to 20 hours a day I could put the CB six inches out of the corner pocket, pocket a hanging ball in the opposite corner and draw the CB straight back very near its original position nearly all the time. (nine footer)

Not offering this as proof of anything just saying stroke is stroke.
 
I use an LD shaft right now. Can't say its better... just different.

When I was playing 10 to 20 hours a day I could put the CB six inches out of the corner pocket, pocket a hanging ball in the opposite corner and draw the CB straight back very near its original position nearly all the time. (nine footer)

Not offering this as proof of anything just saying stroke is stroke.
Maximum draw is the result of striking the cue ball as far below center with as level a cue as possible without miscuing, so the LD properties of a shaft don't really make a difference. For people that think their LD shaft draws better, it's usually because of the smaller tip or shape of the tip giving them more of an offset on the cue ball.
 
Maximum draw is the result of striking the cue ball as far below center with as level a cue as possible without miscuing, so the LD properties of a shaft don't really make a difference. For people that think their LD shaft draws better, it's usually because of the smaller tip or shape of the tip giving them more of an offset on the cue ball.

Could be I am just trying to say either you got stroke or you got no stoke. LD or not does not make the difference.
 
LD shafts do offer an advantage to some people. It can be easier to adjust for less squirt when using sidespin. However, one still needs to compensate for squirt, swerve, and throw appropriately and differently for each shot based on shot speed, shot distance, cue elevation, and conditionis. For more info, see:

- advantages of LD shafts
- disadvantages of LD shafts
- compensating aim for squirt, swerve, and throw

Enjoy,
Dave

Here we go again with all of this "science" mumbo jumbo! I thought that it had been made crystal clear that the list of things that do not belong in pool include the following: facts, technology, scientific method, objectivity...well, maybe the latter, if it involves women...
 
Here we go again with all of this "science" mumbo jumbo! I thought that it had been made crystal clear that the list of things that do not belong in pool include the following: facts, technology, scientific method, objectivity...well, maybe the latter, if it involves women...

Shouldn't you at least read the given information before you say "here we go again" ?
 
its the bangers fault that they never pay attention to what they are doing so that they can adjust in the first place. Just the same as how some talk a ton about these great lessons they are fixing to get and then gripe that they never learned anything, when on the real they just never bothered to apply it much less practice. They are looking for the fix me pill and it doesn't exist. As for ld shafts being plywood.....its been around long before laminate technology, tho as far as i know custom makers are the only ones that make solid ld shafts. SNOOKER CUES ARE LD, lol.


I don't even think its a hustle to begin with. Especially for a large manufacturer, it is a much more cost effective process to splice wood to relieve its stresses and such over just turning down wood and waiting to see if its going to stay straight or not. You get much less waste, more consistent product, and faster turn around. Its just smart business and manufacturing technique.

This is making a market affordable for all the people who just wont put the money into a custom cue.....and we all know this is a huge chunk of the people who play the game.

Sort of like donny was mentioning.....smaller increments are better with a LD shaft. You don't need three tips bla bla bla of english, usually one tip is PLENTY. Like the shot where you cut the 8 ball off the short rail from a straight in CB...you know the trick shot...my personal player that i built is LD and solid wood 12mm....i use a tip and a quarter....and for me a tip of english is 3mm from center so thats just 4mm and change from the center of the ball.....very little compared to typical pro taper shafts. Thats the beauty of it, smaller margins, more precision.

-Greyghost

Nice post ghost :)
 
Could be I am just trying to say either you got stroke or you got no stoke. LD or not does not make the difference.
I agree with that. LD just has to do with aiming when you're using english. I've seen great players with both LD and regular shafts. LD shafts are just a slight equipment advantage that is available for anyone who chooses to pay for it.

As a comparison, consider modern golf clubs. They are way more forgiving and hit longer than they used to. A pro-level golfer using clubs from the 60s would still destroy most amateurs with new clubs, but the pros would be at a disadvantage if they didn't take advantage of the newer technology when they are competing with their peers.
 
I agree with that. LD just has to do with aiming when you're using english. I've seen great players with both LD and regular shafts. LD shafts are just a slight equipment advantage that is available for anyone who chooses to pay for it.

As a comparison, consider modern golf clubs. They are way more forgiving and hit longer than they used to. A pro-level golfer using clubs from the 60s would still destroy most amateurs with new clubs, but the pros would be at a disadvantage if they didn't take advantage of the newer technology when they are competing with their peers.

Very well said Matt


Tiger Woods beats me with junior clubs from WalMart.

But Phil Mickelson would destroy Tiger if Tiger had to use those same clubs.


It is the Indian and not the arrow.
BUT!!!!!
Any Indian will perform better with better equipment.
There's just no way around it.


Royce
 
Very well said Matt


Tiger Woods beats me with junior clubs from WalMart.

But Phil Mickelson would destroy Tiger if Tiger had to use those same clubs.


It is the Indian and not the arrow.
BUT!!!!!
Any Indian will perform better with better equipment.
There's just no way around it.


Royce
I agree :thumbup:
I might add that people sometimes seem to have unrealistic expectations to new equipment...
 
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