Practice Shaft vs Play Shaft

VVP

Registered
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play? I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would practice with my playing shaft.

I don't have such a thing as a practicing shaft.
 

Hits 'em Hard

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play? I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.

Is there a single sport where somebodies practice equipment is different than their competition equipment? No. They use devices to cause extra strain/effort, but the core objects are the same. Tiger doesn’t practice with a different set of clubs. Formula1 doesn’t have practice cars with different mods. Footballs are the same for practice and competition for the NFL, NCAA, and so on. Stop over thinking shit. You put a ball in the hole in practice the same way you do in competition.
 

LHP5

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Honestly feel this could only hurt you in the long run. All shafts will play differently. You’d practice and get used to its characteristics only to switch come game time? Why?
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Maybe I am stupid by why would you practice with something other then the Cue you play with? Even two shafts the same diameter, same Tip, same Weight play a little different. Because each piece of wood it different. Wood is not a man made product like a STEEL ROD.
 

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play? I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.

Be similar to bowling with a 12 lb practice ball, and using a 14 lb+ in play, makes no sense, unless it may be your break cue shaft.
 
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HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For anybody NEW to pool, I would never suggest using a shaft less than 12.5mm.

There is too much margin for stroke error with thinner shafts.
 

MitchAlsup

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play?

Yes, over time you will develop muscle memory on the cue you use most often.
In a moment when you HAVE to MAKE a shot, that muscle memory better work.

I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.

If you are just banging balls casually, you will not notice anything between the two shafts. But when you end up having to make a difficult shot and get position that requires both speed and spin control, the two shafts are going to want different speeds and different strokes--not by much, but by enough to matter.
 

VVP

Registered
For anybody NEW to pool, I would never suggest using a shaft less than 12.5mm.

There is too much margin for stroke error with thinner shafts.

Understood, but I believe the thinner shaft could help increase your accuracy if your stroke needs working on, right?

In trap shooting you practice with a full choke because it has a tighter pattern and shoot in competition with a more open choke which gives you a bigger pattern. Similar logic I think can work in pool.
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Doesn’t Sound Helpful......

OMG.....Yes......it can and will throw you off with results imparted, as well as allowance for aim and
adjustment plus the weight difference and flex on the shafts, in addition to.....enuf already. You do
not practice with orig. maple shafts and play with CF or LD equivalents, right? Well, if you really do
aspire for a consistent game, then make sure your equipment is too......the same. Ever hear a sports
coach tell his squad “Practice the way you play and play the way you practice.” In sports, that translates
into go hard and practice on the fundamentals. Don’t take anything casually or for granted. Concentrate
on what is before you now, not later. And by all means, work on eliminating flaws to improve and excel.

Don’t be changing the shafts unless necessary, i.e., damage of scuffing, and try replacing the shaft, if you
must, with another shaft of similar specifications. Otherwise just use an entirely different cue but don’t tinker.
Having stated IMO, I’ll also concede that the truly strong players are likely not as much affected when doing this.
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play? I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.

To answer your question....yes.

That said, to the ones that said to practice what you play with, that statement is not 100% necessarily true. I'll tell you why I say this.

In league and tournaments I use one cue only, a 60" Larry Vigus cue with a solid maple non-LD shaft, and Triangle tip. Through experimentation I have found that a certain one of my 29" Pure-X maple shafts (Kamui Black soft tip) on a Willie Speed 30" butt plays so close to the Vigus cue that I use it on my home table for practicing. If you blindfolded me and asked me to identify which cue I was playing with, I estimate that my guess percentage would run close to 50/50. About the only real difference between the two is the 1" difference in length. Same weight, same balance point, same tip diameter, and same feedback on the hit. I would feel completely comfortable taking this practice cue and using it on league nights

So....why not a cue for practicing if it has the same characteristics as your main playing cue? It prolongs the life of the tip on my main player, and I avoid the hassle of digging it out of my case and putting it together every day. My practice cue sits and stays right in the cut-out of my billiard chair ready for immediate use.

I learned a long, long time ago....never say never.

That said, I do not think it is wise to practice with an 11.5mm tip and then play with a 12.75mm tip. Too much variance in the way those two shafts would play IMHO.

Maniac
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Understood, but I believe the thinner shaft could help increase your accuracy if your stroke needs working on, right?

In trap shooting you practice with a full choke because it has a tighter pattern and shoot in competition with a more open choke which gives you a bigger pattern. Similar logic I think can work in pool.

If you can't stroke straight, it doesn't matter what shaft you are using.

In trap shooting, you are shooting at moving targets.

When you play pool, are the balls moving?
 

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don’t know of any reason for this to be true.

pj
chgo

It doesn't surprise me that you don't know.

He said he was "fairly new".

I think beginners usually have an easier time hitting the center of the cue ball with a fatter shaft than they do with a shaft the width of a pencil. They tend to miscue less, also.
 
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Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
I don’t know of any reason for this to be true.

pj
chgo

I'm about to go to bed for the night, but I'll be popping some popcorn first thing in the morning. :thumbup:

Personally, and in my experiences, I never shot any worse with a thinner shaft what with my wobbly stroke and all. After all, whether the diameter of the shaft is thick or thin, only a miniscule part of the tip actually makes contact with the cue ball anyways.

That said, there are usually good points offered from both sides whenever this debate arises.

Maniac
 

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Can practicing with an 11.5 mm shaft and playing 12.75 mm shaft hurt your play? I understand that the smaller diameter shaft can introduce more spin in your shots and maybe mess up your “muscle memory.” I have both dimensions in Predator shafts but I am fairly new at pool so would appreciate any comments.

I can play my normal speed with any cue after a rack or two with it.

Having said that, I've witnessed several pros just grab a cue from a stranger and play very well after just one or two balls.

IMO, after you reach a certain level you should be able to adapt to any cue just like you should be able to adapt to any table or environment.

I've always thought outside the box though.

In the end, IMO your better off to stay with one cue and learn to let it become a part of you but, it never hurts to be talented enough to play with anything on demand.

Jeff
 

Bavafongoul

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I understand what Maniac posted because as some already know, I have a 6x12 case.
It holds six cues with ivory joints that all weigh about the same and so are all the shafts.

This isn’t a coincidence and my objective has been to have all my cues closely match.
It allows me to pretty much just take out any cue to use, or switch to, with total comfort.

I do have a couple of favorites but all my cues get played with because these things aren’t
art as some might prefer to think. If I was buying collectible cars, it’s not just as a keepsake.

Heck no, those cars are going to get driven, maybe not a lot, but make no bones about it. I
will put miles on them. Well, to my way of thinking, why bother owning a pool cue unless you
intend to play with it. Some folks derive satisfaction from owning rare or expensive pool cues.
They enjoy having something that others don’t have and more importantly, would love to have.

That’s cool but if I own a special gun, I am shooting it. If it’s a car, it’s driven and pool cues are
going to be chalked and used no matter whom the cue-maker might be. Otherwise, I’ll settle
for a poster size enlargement of the cue & hang it on the wall if all I am going to do is look at it.
 
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