13MM shaft or bigger is it better

Steve Stough

Steve Stough

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
After measuring all 5 of my shafts with 3 different cues I just realized I do not have a standard 13mm or a little bigger shaft, if I invest with a new 13mm or bigger what would change (deflection/accuracy/less spin/) no change at all?

Everything I have is 12.8mm down to a 12.47mm, and what taper would accomadate a 13mm.
 
Pocketing, Yes bigger is better, If your bridge hand can accomodate the size confortably, Just like a Bigger wider bat is better for baseball or softball, you have a better chance at a clean hit. Whitch can make up for a minute amount of flaw in your stroke. English wise, to me there isnt much differance, but the magic number seems to be around 12.75mm for spin and pocketing alike. I'll go down to 12.5mm but nothing any smaller..

The taper, SPINE, well with a big tip, with spine, your looking at a supper stiff hit. the shaft really isnt going to want to flex much, Id suggest a 15" Pro taper. Unless ofcourse you like a stiff hit..


SPINDOKTOR


Steve Stough said:
After measuring all 5 of my shafts with 3 different cues I just realized I do not have a standard 13mm or a little bigger shaft, if I invest with a new 13mm or bigger what would change (deflection/accuracy/less spin/) no change at all?

Everything I have is 12.8mm down to a 12.47mm, and what taper would accomadate a 13mm.
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Klopek, I am looking for more ball pocketing accuracy, straighter stroke and better cue ball control

Spindoktor, I love the reply, good tip on the length of the taper
 
Steve Stough said:
Klopek, I am looking for more ball pocketing accuracy, straighter stroke and better cue ball control
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Use dead center CB aim. That will get you: more ball pocketing; straighter stroke; and better CB control.

As far as tip size, I have noticed I shoot better with the smaller tip (McDermott i3) shaft, than with the regular shaft with larger tip.
....And I honestly don't know why. Maybe it is the reduced CB deflection, that most people are claiming with the smaller tip.
 
Steve Stough said:
... if I invest with a new 13mm or bigger what would change (deflection/accuracy/less spin/) no change at all?...
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If you are concerned about squirt, a larger diameter shaft will generally cause more. More significantly, if you change the diameter of the shafts in either direction (or the style of construction), the squirt is likely to change and if you use side spin in your game, it will take a while for you to adjust. Some players find 13mm unacceptably large and others won't play with anything smaller. As far as the accuracy goes, if the stick isn't crooked, I think the rest is up to you. The most accurate pocketers in the world use tips down around 10mm. The half-millimeter change that you are considering isn't really much of a change at all.
 
Here's the scenerio or dilema of my thread, when's the last time you have seen a guy 6 foot 4 play real sporty, anybody on the pro tour or anybody in your local pool room, maybe it's me, but I have been playing for 22 years & I feel like I do not have a straight stroke, especialy with dead straight in long shots, I do turn my wrist alot and I feel like I have more of a foward stroke and especaily when jacked up, there are nites I can put on a good game when some cash and put some fear in guys, I hear guys say "he didn't miss a ball on me, the very next nite, I play the same guy and guess what shows up,,, a guy who cant run three balls, out of shape, totally mind blowing--I have been doing this for 22 years, some people say get a longer shaft, yeah I have tried it-but I do not stick with it...what next 13mm, instructor, Klopek, I put 10 hours a week on my home brunskwick and 10 hours or some competion & gamble-I do appreciate the info
 
Steve Stough said:
Here's the scenerio or dilema of my thread, when's the last time you have seen a guy 6 foot 4 play real sporty, anybody on the pro tour or anybody in your local pool room, maybe it's me, but I have been playing for 22 years & I feel like I do not have a straight stroke, especialy with dead straight in long shots, I do turn my wrist alot and I feel like I have more of a foward stroke and especaily when jacked up, there are nites I can put on a good game when some cash and put some fear in guys, I hear guys say "he didn't miss a ball on me, the very next nite, I play the same guy and guess what shows up,,, a guy who cant run three balls, out of shape, totally mind blowing--I have been doing this for 22 years, some people say get a longer shaft, yeah I have tried it-but I do not stick with it...what next 13mm, instructor, Klopek, I put 10 hours a week on my home brunskwick and 10 hours or some competion & gamble-I do appreciate the info
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6 foot 4 explains a lot. 13mm tip will not be the solution. Getting a good stroke trainer will.

I have found that tall players have a difficult time pocketing balls consistently, and more often than not, it is their mechanics.
A longer cue and deeper/wider stance will get you closer to the table, and help level out the cue. A level cue will allow more consistent shooting.

Or have the table raised up. So, it isn't so low for you.

Their are drills for get your stroke straight.

I have heard a lot of good things about Scott Lee. Maybe give him a try. I hear he has helped a lot of players with their stroke mechanics, and then some.
 
Steve, Im not as big a guy as you are..Im 6'-1 but I have had the same troubles with my stroke.....

I suggest, a 12.8-12.75 MM Tip with some spine, the Spine will help your stroke a little, This is the main reason I now use the Tiger "X" Shaft, whitch improved my stroke straightness.. Its simular to the Pred Z shaft but slightly thicker... Perfect for Big Guy's... This isnt the only Shaft that I have found that helps, actualy, Lucasi with a 13mm shaft, feels pretty good, not as good as the "X" Shaft, but not bad.. Some Lucasi cues even have a thicker butt, and this helps too..I wasnt aware of this untill recently when a freind ask me to test hit his cue, the diameter of the butt was noticeably thicker compared to the one I have, (its actualy my sons, i use it for banks)

I know, I went through what your going through and its terrible, there are Solutions, but i cant say what works for me will work for you.. I even tried 60"-65" cue lengths..lol.. I now use a Fury RP-9 with the Tiger "X" Shaft, and Im playing better than ever


HTH

SPINDOKTOR






Steve Stough said:
Here's the scenerio or dilema of my thread, when's the last time you have seen a guy 6 foot 4 play real sporty, anybody on the pro tour or anybody in your local pool room, maybe it's me, but I have been playing for 22 years & I feel like I do not have a straight stroke, especialy with dead straight in long shots, I do turn my wrist alot and I feel like I have more of a foward stroke and especaily when jacked up, there are nites I can put on a good game when some cash and put some fear in guys, I hear guys say "he didn't miss a ball on me, the very next nite, I play the same guy and guess what shows up,,, a guy who cant run three balls, out of shape, totally mind blowing--I have been doing this for 22 years, some people say get a longer shaft, yeah I have tried it-but I do not stick with it...what next 13mm, instructor, Klopek, I put 10 hours a week on my home brunskwick and 10 hours or some competion & gamble-I do appreciate the info
Click to expand...
 
Klopek said:
Okay, but still, how is a thicker shaft going to straighten your stroke?. If you visit a qualified instructor, they can help you make adjustments that will improve your stroke.

It could be a tiny adjustment that will make an immediate improvement. I received some instruction and went from side saddle cueing to dead center alignment in about 10 minutes. I immediately started potting more of those long straight in shots. You have the added challenge of height which complicates things. If you want to spend money that will really help your game, that's the direction I would go.:)

No one likes to hear "get professional help", but it's usually the best course of action.
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i just switched from a 12.6 ish mm tip to a 13 mm (ok 12.9) and i've noticed it is a lot easier to pocket some shots with. i have to shoot a few shots different but they deffinetly pocket easier. i think some of that may be that since i don't whip the cb around as much i've also been planning and playing shaper better. i keep the patterns more simple and get on the right angle more
 
13mm is the most I will go far......I refuse to go lower than 12.75mm......12.75 is my preference.......anything smaller jsut feels like a noodle in my big hand
 
your mechanics

It sounds like the problem has several solutions, which you think has more to do with the width of your tip and shaft. You may need to consider the weather when you're shooting, and if humidity is a factor. The other thing is the tables you play on, and whether the cushions are different. You might be getting out of line more often on a certain table and keep getting shots that are low percentage shots. Another thing is how much sleep you're getting, whether you're drinking or not, and your diet. The aiming process is physiological, so there are lots of factors that can affect your ability to aim from one night to another. Another thing is the tip you play with. If you maintain it well, and it holds chalk well every time you shoot, and you're not constantly changing the brand, then that eliminates that, but it makes a difference. If you're a tall person with long arms, you may tend to fluctuate too frequently the distance between your head and bridge hand, and you're throwing off your muscle memory. If you're practicing differently from how you compete, you're confusing your muscles that way too. I noticed some tall players choke up too much with their heads too far forward, instead of lowering their heads and stepping further back from where they set their bridge hand. If you watch Shane Van Boening's long stroke, you'll notice he doesn't lean too far forward over the cue and crowd it, but he still gets low, so it's long and free rather than shorter. The shorter strokes I think cause people with long arms to jab stroke rather than use any fluidity and real follow through. When short stroking and crowding over the shot, I noticed some players twist that wrist more too. I watched Tony Crosby do that a few times when he got nervous in a challenge match. Study Scott Frost's stroke and Shane's and the way Mike Davis shoots. Try that Joe Tucker stroke trainer also with some drills. Think about those things before you start messing with your shaft, because a new one can slightly alter what your subconscious has been conditioned to follow when you're aiming, and set you back at least a month.
 
13mm shafts

i do like a bigger shaft for shooting pool to me when you shoot with a good shaft you get good results from it i would recommend the cuetec vortex playing shaft it is 13mm shaft like the one allison fisher uses :)

thanks
 
Klopek said:
Okay, but still, how is a thicker shaft going to straighten your stroke?. If you visit a qualified instructor, they can help you make adjustments that will improve your stroke.

It could be a tiny adjustment that will make an immediate improvement.

No one likes to hear "get professional help", but it's usually the best course of action.
Click to expand...

I just realized a few days ago that I had made an adjustment in my bridge and had been doing it for some time. Haven't played with my original setup yet, but expect some improvement. I've learned over the years
{45+} that the smallest change can wreck havoc with my game. It's so important to do the same thing every time, and sometimes that's what seperates people like me from the pros.
 
Steve Stough:
... I am looking for more ball pocketing accuracy, straighter stroke and better cue ball control

Klopek:
None of these things has anything to do with shaft diameter.
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Klopek is right, Steve (and so are others who are saying the same thing). A different size shaft won't make it easier to pocket balls - that happens when your fundamental skills improve through practice (and maybe some instruction). Also, a bigger tip won't help correct slight offcenter hits; this is another common myth.

You can't buy improvement; you have to pursue it with focused practice (and maybe some instruction).

pj
chgo
 
Thanks for all of the replies and info regarding bumping up to a 13mm shaft, for right now I am going to practice the best I can with a level cue, head and bridge distance and try my best to work on recognizing muscle memory, it's gotta work, each and everyone of us live by our results at the table, and nobody forget's when the play there best, but we seem to remember when we play our worse...keep on strokin
 
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