I continue to explore new methods for aiming and new equipment to tweak my mediocre game.
Recently I started using an OB Classic Pro shaft for my Mike Bender cue. I was told that the cue would be a stiffer hitting cue and it is what I have been wanting to move toward for some time now. I did not want to give up the low cue ball squirt characteristics of the OB2 shaft that I play with and I was also told that the squirt characteristics were similar to the OB 2 shaft.
I immediately started playing with the shaft full time and was actually gambling with it within 8 hours of using it. I played one particularly tough match, where I lost 6 games in a row, playing a 6 ahead set for 200. I knew that the table was tough and giving up the eight ball, you can't hang the 7, 8 or 9 up in the hole four times in a row and win. So I bellied up to the table and forced myself to play again. I knew it wasn't the cue and that I was a bit intimidated by the table. The results were much better. I got even and my opponent quit.
I'm glad he did in one respect. It took him about 30 minutes to win his set and it took me four hours to win mine.
Anyway back to the OB Classic Pro. It has a small diameter ferrule and the shaft is a laminated shaft with all of the benefits of a normal OB shaft, including the low squirt characteristics. The ferrule is VERY SHORT, I mean VERY,VERY short. lol.
What I immediately noticed was how stiff the shaft was. Some others in the pool room hit with it and remarked how much stiffer the shaft was than the OB2 and I had to agree, it was different.
Now some of this that I'm going to write now might seem bizarre but I am honest in my perspectives about what I see and feel. This may or may not be what other people surmise but when I use the OB Classic Pro, I noticed that I was making far more bank shots than I normally do. I didn't notice any reduction in consistency in making traditional shots but I felt confident shooting straight in shots and also was confident in getting shape. The biggest surprise was how the shaft was affecting my banking which isn't the worst in the world. I simply believe I am more consistent with banking than I was before.
Kilby the cue maker from Oregon made some comments in another thread where I asked about conical tapers & pro tapers becuase of my experience with the OB Classic Pro although I didn't mention my shaft in that thread.
Some of what he posted that kind of makes sense to me on a playing level:
"A full explanation would cause massive yawning, but here is the short version. Energy is stored and released when cue hits ball; the more a cue flexes the higher percentage of the released energy is absorbed in the cue, not in the ball; the stiffer the cue, the more energy is transferred to the ball. Therefore, a stiffer cue (European taper) ALWAYS produces higher ball energy, whether it be spin or velocity. (That was the short answer!) "
Part 2: "The second part of the question is accuracy. The more energy transferred to the ball the better. Side-spin causes centripetal force to try to bring the cueball back on line from the squirt generated by the off-center hit. The greater the energy in the ball, the greater the centripetal force, the quicker the ball comes back to the intended line. Therefore, the stiffer cue is more accurate. (short answer somewhat extended.) "
Part 3. "the only time a cueball is NOT initially deflected from its intended line is when it is hit exactly at 6 or 12 o'clock. any contact laterally pushes the cueball in the opposite direction, however slight. The degree of centripetal force imparted to the ball determine how quickly it returns to the intended line. To demonstrate rather grossly, put your cuetip against the cueball at 3 o'clock and simply push on the ball -- it goes to the left and doesn't come back on line, deflected but no centripetal force generated. With a good stroke and at normal speed, it MAY return to its intended line if sufficient centripetal force is generated. The flex in the cue shaft is energy absorbed by the cue and released after the ball is away, hence "wasted" energy. Physics, just physics.... "
There were some other excellent posts with differing opinions shared and I appreciate all of the posts by everyone. You can see that thread by clicking here.
Please feel free to share your perspective about the OB Classic Pro, pro tapers and conical tapers. Anyone ever heard of a Komori taper?
Not to get off of the subject... but I'm using the OB Classic Pro full-time and will be playing with it in the U.S. OPen One Pocket Championship. I know it's right around the corner but I feel comfortable with it and will use it unless I have a complete change of heart between now and next month. :thumbup:
I love this journey and continue to learn a lot from others in this forum. Thanks for all of your posts and perspectives even when they don't agree with mine.
Sincerely,
JoeyA
Recently I started using an OB Classic Pro shaft for my Mike Bender cue. I was told that the cue would be a stiffer hitting cue and it is what I have been wanting to move toward for some time now. I did not want to give up the low cue ball squirt characteristics of the OB2 shaft that I play with and I was also told that the squirt characteristics were similar to the OB 2 shaft.
I immediately started playing with the shaft full time and was actually gambling with it within 8 hours of using it. I played one particularly tough match, where I lost 6 games in a row, playing a 6 ahead set for 200. I knew that the table was tough and giving up the eight ball, you can't hang the 7, 8 or 9 up in the hole four times in a row and win. So I bellied up to the table and forced myself to play again. I knew it wasn't the cue and that I was a bit intimidated by the table. The results were much better. I got even and my opponent quit.
I'm glad he did in one respect. It took him about 30 minutes to win his set and it took me four hours to win mine. Anyway back to the OB Classic Pro. It has a small diameter ferrule and the shaft is a laminated shaft with all of the benefits of a normal OB shaft, including the low squirt characteristics. The ferrule is VERY SHORT, I mean VERY,VERY short. lol.
What I immediately noticed was how stiff the shaft was. Some others in the pool room hit with it and remarked how much stiffer the shaft was than the OB2 and I had to agree, it was different.
Now some of this that I'm going to write now might seem bizarre but I am honest in my perspectives about what I see and feel. This may or may not be what other people surmise but when I use the OB Classic Pro, I noticed that I was making far more bank shots than I normally do. I didn't notice any reduction in consistency in making traditional shots but I felt confident shooting straight in shots and also was confident in getting shape. The biggest surprise was how the shaft was affecting my banking which isn't the worst in the world. I simply believe I am more consistent with banking than I was before.
Kilby the cue maker from Oregon made some comments in another thread where I asked about conical tapers & pro tapers becuase of my experience with the OB Classic Pro although I didn't mention my shaft in that thread.
Some of what he posted that kind of makes sense to me on a playing level:
"A full explanation would cause massive yawning, but here is the short version. Energy is stored and released when cue hits ball; the more a cue flexes the higher percentage of the released energy is absorbed in the cue, not in the ball; the stiffer the cue, the more energy is transferred to the ball. Therefore, a stiffer cue (European taper) ALWAYS produces higher ball energy, whether it be spin or velocity. (That was the short answer!) "
Part 2: "The second part of the question is accuracy. The more energy transferred to the ball the better. Side-spin causes centripetal force to try to bring the cueball back on line from the squirt generated by the off-center hit. The greater the energy in the ball, the greater the centripetal force, the quicker the ball comes back to the intended line. Therefore, the stiffer cue is more accurate. (short answer somewhat extended.) "
Part 3. "the only time a cueball is NOT initially deflected from its intended line is when it is hit exactly at 6 or 12 o'clock. any contact laterally pushes the cueball in the opposite direction, however slight. The degree of centripetal force imparted to the ball determine how quickly it returns to the intended line. To demonstrate rather grossly, put your cuetip against the cueball at 3 o'clock and simply push on the ball -- it goes to the left and doesn't come back on line, deflected but no centripetal force generated. With a good stroke and at normal speed, it MAY return to its intended line if sufficient centripetal force is generated. The flex in the cue shaft is energy absorbed by the cue and released after the ball is away, hence "wasted" energy. Physics, just physics.... "
There were some other excellent posts with differing opinions shared and I appreciate all of the posts by everyone. You can see that thread by clicking here.
Please feel free to share your perspective about the OB Classic Pro, pro tapers and conical tapers. Anyone ever heard of a Komori taper?
Not to get off of the subject... but I'm using the OB Classic Pro full-time and will be playing with it in the U.S. OPen One Pocket Championship. I know it's right around the corner but I feel comfortable with it and will use it unless I have a complete change of heart between now and next month. :thumbup:
I love this journey and continue to learn a lot from others in this forum. Thanks for all of your posts and perspectives even when they don't agree with mine.
Sincerely,
JoeyA
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