Can playing with a 11.75 shaft make you better?

Very interesting topic. I have been experimenting with this myself. I have found that on alot of shots, the smaller tip does make it easier to get shape. It's on the long shots that the forgiveness factor starts to come into play. The thing is, I'm not convinced the long shots are harder due to the smaller tip. I think alot of it has to do with me thinking to much on the long shots. It is in my head that the smaller tip maybe less forgiving and therefore my confidence is lowered.
 
offaxis said:
this is a good question one of the guys on my team says he warms up with an 11.75 then switches to a standard shaft...he claims you have to be more accurate with the thinner shaft and its less forgiving i was going to ask this same question....
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I agree with this.

I bought a 30" Z2 shaft for my 28.5" Bob Frey 4-point butt... and it took a fair amount of shooting with it before I eliminated unwanted english.

Now I can switch back and forth between the Z2 shaft cue and a standard shaft cue (at 12.4 mm) and not have any problems with unwanted side spin of the cue ball.
 
whammo57 said:
If you think it makes you shoot better .... then it does.

If it made everyone shoot better, then all sticks would be made that way.

Kim
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I do believe this is the bottom line for advanced players. Once you get to a certain level, if your head is right, if your concentration is crisp, your focus is devoted to what you are doing, you're going to play well.

If the feel of the cue diameter / taper / tip make you feel comfortable, if you need a custom cue to make you feel comfortable, then it aids all the other things and it works.

It's just another placebo in this complicated mind game we play.

I think some players justify their reasoning for things based on some game physics or cross reference to some great player who uses similar equipment, but in the end, it's how you feel, no matter what you believe the reason.

For beginners, there is so much experimenting that has to go on in their pool future, that this is probably just a grain of sand on the beach of learning.
 
My experience contradicts what I believed was possible previously. I would have pretty much bet my case $$ that the results of this would have been reversed, but I tried this shot for about 20 mins, and just couldn't get my conventional shaft to match what I could do with the 314-2. I just got a Z2 last night (on a predator SP butt), and I dont feel like I can spin the ball as well as I could with the 314-2 - but I may just need a bit of time to adjust.

For example, with my stock scruggs shaft (12.5mm, lepro medium) on scruggs butt, I could do this:

CueTable Help



But with a 314-2 (stock size, lepro medium) on the same butt I could do this:

CueTable Help

 
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I tried the 11.75 shaft and couldn't get comfortable with it. I went back to the 12.75 and hitting them good again. Both shafts were LD by Tiger. It definitely takes some getting use to shooting with.
 
Its just a preference. There are world champions that use thick shafts and others that use thin shafts. Use whatever fits your hands the best.
 
Agree, I think it's just preference. There is a difference in deflection between the diameters of the common LD shafts, and there could further be a difference in deflection amongst all of the various OEM shafts of various diameters.

I currently play with a Z2, but used to play with standard Schon shafts anywhere from 12.1 - 12.6, and am actually thinking about moving up to a 314-2 again, which I experimented with before. When I was trying out the 314-2 for a week or so, I didn't notice any difference in the amount of spin I was able to apply or how straight it shot, although there was a more confident feeling when using the thicker shaft on long, straight in shots. But just a feeling, my make percentage didn't really change. The thing I couldn't get used to then was the deflection, I was so accustomed to the Z2 that switching to even the 314-2 was messing me up. It may again, but I've been committing myself to hit closer to center ball and eliminate some of the fancy spin so I may find this time around that the deflection differences are minimal for 90%+ of shots.

Scott
 
My first ever low deflection shaft was a Z from predator, and I played well with it. It took selling that cue and switching to a 314 for me to realize that my still developing stroke had gotten sloppy because it takes so little effort to move the cue ball with such a small tip. I actually became a much better player with the 314 because I had to focus on my stroke and speed with the larger tip. On the other hand I have no idea how it would work for a GOOD player to switch to a smaller diameter shaft ;-)
 
3andstop said:
I do believe this is the bottom line for advanced players. Once you get to a certain level, if your head is right, if your concentration is crisp, your focus is devoted to what you are doing, you're going to play well.

If the feel of the cue diameter / taper / tip make you feel comfortable, if you need a custom cue to make you feel comfortable, then it aids all the other things and it works.

It's just another placebo in this complicated mind game we play.

I think some players justify their reasoning for things based on some game physics or cross reference to some great player who uses similar equipment, but in the end, it's how you feel, no matter what you believe the reason.

For beginners, there is so much experimenting that has to go on in their pool future, that this is probably just a grain of sand on the beach of learning.
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This has to be the best advice ever written… After over $5,000 spent on equipment, this is so true. It’s all in your mind, I’ll buy a new cue and just because I think it’s better I’ll shoot better until the placebo wears off and I buy something else and it happens again not realizing months and hours on the table have just made me a better player and over time I would have gotten there with my 1st $180 McDermott..lol Yet I’m reading comments waiting for my new Revo 11.8 which is my 3rd Revo (previously 12.4 and 12.9) to come in the mail that I bought at 4am the week before after I couldn’t sleep because I was so pissed off after getting my ass handed to me earlier that night…lol So here we go, the Saga continues 😂
 
BreakEm187 said:
This has to be the best advice ever written… After over $5,000 spent on equipment, this is so true. It’s all in your mind, I’ll buy a new cue and just because I think it’s better I’ll shoot better until the placebo wears off and I buy something else and it happens again not realizing months and hours on the table have just made me a better player and over time I would have gotten there with my 1st $180 McDermott..lol Yet I’m reading comments waiting for my new Revo 11.8 which is my 3rd Revo (previously 12.4 and 12.9) to come in the mail that I bought at 4am the week before after I couldn’t sleep because I was so pissed off after getting my ass handed to me earlier that night…lol So here we go, the Saga continues 😂
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Saga as in finding a thread last posted on 13yrs ago?? ;)
 
3andstop said:
I do believe this is the bottom line for advanced players. Once you get to a certain level, if your head is right, if your concentration is crisp, your focus is devoted to what you are doing, you're going to play well.

If the feel of the cue diameter / taper / tip make you feel comfortable, if you need a custom cue to make you feel comfortable, then it aids all the other things and it works.

It's just another placebo in this complicated mind game we play.

I think some players justify their reasoning for things based on some game physics or cross reference to some great player who uses similar equipment, but in the end, it's how you feel, no matter what you believe the reason.

For beginners, there is so much experimenting that has to go on in their pool future, that this is probably just a grain of sand on the beach of learning.
Click to expand...
This has to be the best advice ever written… After over $5,000 spent on equipment, this is so true. It’s all in your mind, I’ll buy a new cue and just because I think it’s better I’ll shoot better until the placebo wears off and I buy something else and it happens again not realizing months and hours on the table have just made me a better player and over time I would have gotten there with my 1st $180 McDermott..lol Yet I’m reading comments waiting for my new Revo 11.8 which is my 3rd Revo (previously 12.4 and 12.9) to come in the mail that I bought at 4am the week before after I couldn’t sleep because I was so pissed off after getting my ass handed to me earlier that night…lol So here we go, the Saga continues
garczar said:
Saga as in finding a thread last posted on 13yrs ago?? ;)
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“CONTINUES”…lol
 
BreakEm187 said:
This has to be the best advice ever written… After over $5,000 spent on equipment, this is so true. It’s all in your mind, I’ll buy a new cue and just because I think it’s better I’ll shoot better until the placebo wears off and I buy something else and it happens again not realizing months and hours on the table have just made me a better player and over time I would have gotten there with my 1st $180 McDermott..lol Yet I’m reading comments waiting for my new Revo 11.8 which is my 3rd Revo (previously 12.4 and 12.9) to come in the mail that I bought at 4am the week before after I couldn’t sleep because I was so pissed off after getting my ass handed to me earlier that night…lol So here we go, the Saga continues

“CONTINUES”…lol
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Just messin with ya. I am kinda curious how people find these old threads.
 
Learn how to play with a normal cue first. You will naturally progress to:

House cue
Budget cue
Custom cue
Professional cue; Mezz, Predator or Cuetec
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
🤣 I need to get me one of them professional cues
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You should.

I am an advanced player who played since I was 16. Quit for 10 years. My custom cues have been collecting dust and I wanted a fresh start.

Bought a complete Mezz set. Mezz shooter and break cue with case and accessories.

It has taken my game to another level. Carbon and LD is superior.

There is no surprise that custom cue owners at my pool room, I know its blasphemy, to put a carbon shaft on their Prewitts, Herceks, Tasc and my buddy just put one on his Manzino. They have converted. LOL

They shoot like shit initially but once they learned how to play with it then they are running racks.

Now its not for everyone as the older guys who are not so advanced are going to get unwanted english. Unwanted english happens a lot with these cues so you better be dead on nuts when striking the cue ball. If you can play pool then a carbon shaft is what you should be playing with. If you're a casual and not so good then don't waste your money. LOL
 
shooter_Hans said:
You should.

I am an advanced player who played since I was 16. Quit for 10 years. My custom cues have been collecting dust and I wanted a fresh start.

Bought a complete Mezz set. Mezz shooter and break cue with case and accessories.

It has taken my game to another level. Carbon and LD is superior.

There is no surprise that custom cue owners at my pool room, I know its blasphemy, to put a carbon shaft on their Prewitts, Herceks, Tasc and my buddy just put one on his Manzino. They have converted. LOL
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Inspirational
 
BreakEm187 said:
This has to be the best advice ever written… After over $5,000 spent on equipment, this is so true. It’s all in your mind, I’ll buy a new cue and just because I think it’s better I’ll shoot better until the placebo wears off and I buy something else and it happens again not realizing months and hours on the table have just made me a better player and over time I would have gotten there with my 1st $180 McDermott..lol Yet I’m reading comments waiting for my new Revo 11.8 which is my 3rd Revo (previously 12.4 and 12.9) to come in the mail that I bought at 4am the week before after I couldn’t sleep because I was so pissed off after getting my ass handed to me earlier that night…lol So here we go, the Saga continues

“CONTINUES”…lol
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Nobody should be spending 5k on equipment unless they are custom cues to collect.

About 1.5k you can get a complete Mezz rig and be good to go.

Also not everyone can play with carbon shafts. It's for more advance players. Bar player/APA guy wouldn't do well with them.
 
shooter_Hans said:
Nobody should be spending 5k on equipment unless they are custom cues to collect.

About 1.5k you can get a complete Mezz rig and be good to go.

Also not everyone can play with carbon shafts. It's for more advance players. Bar player/APA guy wouldn't do well with them.
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Do explain why carbon is only for advanced players please. I thought the only difference with carbon was less squirt.
 
I used to play with a 12mm long pro taper turned down maple shaft on my mcdermott cues (matching shaft). I have now settled on 12.5mm long pro taper maple original shafts with my two custom playing cues (both have a matching 13mm shaft also as both came with two shafts). My break maple shaft is 13mm. Both custom cue makers recommended not turning down below 12.5mm and even trying to stay closer to 13mm for shaft rigidness and averaging out the precision needed to hit the shot as intended but I like the 12.5mm size the best for my eye, stroke feel and bridge.
 
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