Deflection ? Can someone explain
- Thread starter Tim-n-NM
- Start date
crocs said:
Deflection is something that occurs when side-spin is used. By hitting the side of the cue-ball, there is a deviation from the line created by the cuestick. The cue-ball is "deflecting" off the the cue-stick. On a normal, centerball hit, the path of the cue-ball is identical to the line created by the cue-stick. When left side-spin is used, the cue-ball will deviate slightly to the right depending on how much spin is used and how hard the cue-ball is struck.
For years, cue-makers have argued that their cues have hits that would minimize deflection. Predator, Meucci and several other companies have produced high-tech shafts that supposedly do just that. In the end, deflection is something that is inherent in using english. How much deflection will occur is debatable but will always remain unavoidable.
Jude M. Rosenstock
Deflection can be a useful thing in a break cue. There is a point along any cue such that if you place your bridge hand there, and then pivot the cue about your bridge (intentionally or unintentionally), the cueball will still take off straight ahead, as if you had hit it centerball. In other words, the deflection (also called squirt) will just about exactly cancel the change in the direction of the cue.
A cue that exhibits high deflection will have this point relatively close to the tip, say 10"-15" from it, allowing you to bridge on or near it. For those of us that can't hit hard and straight at the same time, at least not consistently, this sort of cue can help with the accuracy of our break shots.
A low squirt cue (pivot point 30" or more) is considered desirable for general play, however, simply because it reduces one more variable that you have to compensate for. There are players though that having learned to adjust for it automatically after years of play, find an extremely low squirt cue to be problematical.
This is my first post here...I hope you don't think it should be my last
Jim
A cue that exhibits high deflection will have this point relatively close to the tip, say 10"-15" from it, allowing you to bridge on or near it. For those of us that can't hit hard and straight at the same time, at least not consistently, this sort of cue can help with the accuracy of our break shots.
A low squirt cue (pivot point 30" or more) is considered desirable for general play, however, simply because it reduces one more variable that you have to compensate for. There are players though that having learned to adjust for it automatically after years of play, find an extremely low squirt cue to be problematical.
This is my first post here...I hope you don't think it should be my last
Jim
As others said, it depends.crocs said:
It's better to call it "squirt," a term coined by Jack Leavitt, because there are lots of kinds of deflection, and the reaction of the cue ball on the stick during contact which causes squirt is not accurately described with the word "deflection." If you have a technical background, there is a paper on www.sfbilliards.com by Ron Shepard that goes into deep detail about what is currently understood about squirt.
It is very important that you use a stick with the amount of squirt you're used to. It is the most difficult property of a stick to adjust to.