Does a 'good' hit actually matter or is it all hype?

[zpele]

I can tell the hit of a cue and the difference from one cue to another. I have also tried many, many cues from production to high end customs.

That being said I cannot tell what a 'good' hit feels like. I know what a solid hit feels like and what a soft hit feels like. I can tell when a cue is forward balanced or rear balanced but I cannot for the life of me see a difference in play because of it. I'm at the point where I can draw table length with basically any type of tip hardness (as long as it's shaped and chalked correctly) but I really don't have a preference. I have always used soft tips because I feel they give more spin at the expense of speed (and lord knows I hit hard enough).

I've always used a McDermott with an OB pro shaft because I have never felt the need to change it. I have no problem running racks with it and the only reason I would get another cue would be because it is nicer looking.

I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

 

[HelloBaby-]

For me, "good" hit means the cue ball go where you think it goes. to put it in another way, you can realize the shot as you visualize it.
Being capable of draw full table is good, but being able of draw 5 inches whenever you want to is far better.
It's not the matter of how much spin you can put in the cue ball but how you control it.
From soft to hard scale with cue ball reaction.For example, if I visualize that I will draw the cue ball 5 inches and I end up overdraw it. I may consider a harder shaft or tip, and vice versa.
The best equipment is the one that allow you to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, in the way you want to . Of course we can also adjust to the cue, but it's never as good.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Nope. It's all hype. That's why there are world champs that play with everythibg from a $15 cue to a high end custom cue.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Read this article about Dennis Orcullo. He is looking for a stick with a "hit" in the story. He is probably rated #1 in the world at the moment. He seems to think "hit" means a WHOLE lot...at least to HIM.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7...-espn-magazine

 

[336Robin]

It is not hype but its personal

I can tell the hit of a cue and the difference from one cue to another. I have also tried many, many cues from production to high end customs.

That being said I cannot tell what a 'good' hit feels like. I know what a solid hit feels like and what a soft hit feels like. I can tell when a cue is forward balanced or rear balanced but I cannot for the life of me see a difference in play because of it. I'm at the point where I can draw table length with basically any type of tip hardness (as long as it's shaped and chalked correctly) but I really don't have a preference. I have always used soft tips because I feel they give more spin at the expense of speed (and lord knows I hit hard enough).

I've always used a McDermott with an OB pro shaft because I have never felt the need to change it. I have no problem running racks with it and the only reason I would get another cue would be because it is nicer looking.

I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

A good hit is something that is personal. If your cue speaks to you and you communicate the information processed from the feel of the hit and it makes you to not over hit shots that matters.

I have played with very expensive cues that hit like they had break tips on them but they have a 5yr waiting list for them.

I have played with cues that hit so soft that you had little feel for what you are doing and I have found its easy to over hit balls because of it.

I think the hit....should be somewhere in the middle. It should telegraph the vibrations to your stroking arm and give you some idea of what you are going to get when you hit the cueball so hard.

To illustrate that I had a very soft hitting cue that had a capped ferrule that I changed to an uncapped ferrule. The cue still hit soft but it gave you a better idea of when you were hitting the balls too hard. I play better position with that cue now.

 

[boogeyman]

Nope. It's all hype. That's why there are world champs that play with everythibg from a $15 cue to a high end custom cue.

I agree with iusedtoberich.
I believe the "hit" is all in the mind.
The "hit" is basically being in stroke. If you're in stroke everything will feel just fine.

A stick doesn't give you the "hit" (it's a misnomer) but the feel of playing well.
Doesn't matter what stick one plays with in this case.

 

[The Renfro]

Different woods have different harmonics and as such will transmit the feel of the hit differently along with different construction methods and different connectors... Many people will say there is no difference and I would likely classify them as stone handed or possibly they have not found their hit yet and are still B payers or under... I do not mean that as a disparagement BTW just that their level of experience and the amount of time they have spent may not be adequate to have found the hit that resonates within them or maybe pure luck has kept them from finding the hit that makes their loins ring when they strike the ball 100% pure...

I can play with a stiff cue that has a crisp/rigid hit but it won't give me the feedback I look for in a cue... Where that really matters is in practice.. If I am playing with a big pinned flat faced cue that has a long taper I usually get a soft feel and when I am hitting shots the differences in feel can be feedback for me to understand what minor changes in attack angle or grip pressure are doing to the contact...

We only get between 1ms and 3ms of contact so you cannot react to the hit you have to plan for the hit... If the cue I am using has the right feel for me I have an understanding from the hours of feedback I have experienced that I can apply... For me I woud say I may be slightly stone handed because the stiffer hitting cues do not give me discernable differences in feel when hitting shots where the softer hitting cues do.....

Chris

 

[nobcitypool]

I won't name the makers out of respect, but I had two cues I owned for a short period. Both cue makers are known for making excellent playing cues. One was rather butt heavy that I didn't care for. The other's shaft was so stiff, the hit and sound drove me nuts.

Could I play with either one of them? Absolutely. Could I have gotten used to them over time to where it likely wouldn't have affected my play? Most likely. Did I keep either one of them? Absolutely not. There are a huge variety of choices out there, seems to me you should find something that feels right to you.

 

[GaryB]

I don't know exactly what other peoples criteria for hit may be but I do know that when I use a traditional shaft from my cue maker I feel a "sweetness" that is missing in other cues and shafts. I have hit with many of his cues and I find that they give me a uniform satisfying hit. I find other cues that feel good but are missing that special "sweetness." Some other friends agree with me and some don't. But I know where my money is going.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Wherever you play with you get used to. Sure, you may even develop a personal preference. Sure, you can hear the difference in sound when the ball is struck. You may even be tuned enough to your cue to feel the vibration in your back hand change from stick to stick. But none of that means one cue can inherently make shots that another cue cannot. We have clear proof of this.

Guys like Bugs who borrowed a cue every time they played. Guys like Shannon and Rodney who played with multi-thousand dollar cues, guys like Efren who played with a $15 cue, guys like Earl who played with cuetec cues in the 90s when they were nowhere near the quality tgey are today.

All these cues have a different hit. Yet all these cues made balls in a way that's the best that can ever be made. So how can there be a "magic hit"? All of these cues must have had this elusive "magic hit".

 

[The Renfro]

Wherever you play with you get used to. Sure, you may even develop a personal preference. Sure, you can hear the difference in sound when the ball is struck. You may even be tuned enough to your cue to feel the vibration in your back hand change from stick to stick. But none of that means one cue can inherently make shots that another cue cannot. We have clear proof of this.

Guys like Bugs who borrowed a cue every time they played. Guys like Shannon and Rodney who played with multi-thousand dollar cues, guys like Efren who played with a $15 cue, guys like Earl who played with cuetec cues in the 90s when they were nowhere near the quality tgey are today.

All these cues have a different hit. Yet all these cues made balls in a way that's the best that can ever be made. So how can there be a "magic hit"? All of these cues must have had this elusive "magic hit".

Maybe you will be the one that talks Orcollo into the fact it's just in his head......

 

[pwd72s]

I can tell the hit of a cue and the difference from one cue to another. I have also tried many, many cues from production to high end customs.


I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

If it's in your head, doesn't that affect your game?

 

[iusedtoberich]

Maybe you will be the one that talks Orcollo into the fact it's just in his head......

I bet Orcullo will suddenly fall in love with any cue manufacturer with a money tree in the factory and sponser him for a million a year. I'd also bet he will play the exact same.

 

[victorl]

If a cue hits they way you expect it to hit, then that's all that really matters.
How does the saying go again....
"One man's sweet hitting cue is another man's tomato stake".

 

[The Renfro]

If it's in your head, doesn't that affect your game?

Oh c'mon... It's only in your head until you convince yourself otherwise... Whether it was real or not.... Now we have fallen down the rabbit hole....
Physics and harmonics would still agree with one side over the other but who's reality is real? I asked Woody Woodworth once if he could change the hit of his cues and he said I can but I won't... IF you want a different hit buy someone elses cue.....

I will offer this tho... From a performance standpoint of the cue ALL BY ITSELF... The front end of the shaft may be all that matters and feel means didley... But I believe to be in tune with your tools they should provide the proper feedback/feel for you... Without the feedback that suits you, you and your cue will underperform you and a cue that resonates with you.... Granted I don't club the ball but I have seen tons that do.....

Chris

 

[pdcue]

I can tell the hit of a cue and the difference from one cue to another. I have also tried many, many cues from production to high end customs.

That being said I cannot tell what a 'good' hit feels like. I know what a solid hit feels like and what a soft hit feels like. I can tell when a cue is forward balanced or rear balanced but I cannot for the life of me see a difference in play because of it. I'm at the point where I can draw table length with basically any type of tip hardness (as long as it's shaped and chalked correctly) but I really don't have a preference. I have always used soft tips because I feel they give more spin at the expense of speed (and lord knows I hit hard enough).

I've always used a McDermott with an OB pro shaft because I have never felt the need to change it. I have no problem running racks with it and the only reason I would get another cue would be because it is nicer looking.

I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

Yes it matters.
No, it is not "all in your head".
Yes - you will play better(at least I do).

It is subjective and varies from person to person - I very well may hate the hit you love.

FWIW - 'solid hit' and 'good hit' are related but not the same thing.

Dale

 

[DAVE_M]

I had three cues on the table.

McDermott D1
Summit Sneaky
Leon Sly Sneaky

The McDermott had a soft hit, the Summit hit a little stiffer, and the SLY hit like a tank. Multiple people hit with them and said the same thing. It must all be in our heads?

 

[dr_dave]

I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

First of all, if one thinks the "hit" matters, than it will matter.

Also, the answer depends on what you really mean by "hit" and "matter." For example, with a similar stroke and off-center hit, a heavy non-LD cue with a hard tip will create very different CB motion (speed and direction) than a light LD cue with a soft tip. The "hits" will also feel and sound very different.

For much more info on this topic, see the cue "feel," "hit," "feedback," and "playability" resource page.

Enjoy,
Dave

 

[hang-the-9]

I can tell the hit of a cue and the difference from one cue to another. I have also tried many, many cues from production to high end customs.

That being said I cannot tell what a 'good' hit feels like. I know what a solid hit feels like and what a soft hit feels like. I can tell when a cue is forward balanced or rear balanced but I cannot for the life of me see a difference in play because of it. I'm at the point where I can draw table length with basically any type of tip hardness (as long as it's shaped and chalked correctly) but I really don't have a preference. I have always used soft tips because I feel they give more spin at the expense of speed (and lord knows I hit hard enough).

I've always used a McDermott with an OB pro shaft because I have never felt the need to change it. I have no problem running racks with it and the only reason I would get another cue would be because it is nicer looking.

I have a question that many people will probably scoff at- does hit of a cue really matter? Does it actually affect your game or is it all in our head?

Since everything you do is "in your head", yes a cue you like, even if it's pretty, will in some small way change how you play. Maybe a big way, it may inspire you to practice more, maybe finally work on changing your stoke or aiming method and your game could shoot up.

Since I like using examples :grin-square: , I went into a new room to play a tournament in, never played there before. The tables there were setup extrememly well, pockets all cut right, good tight size, level, great speed. I ran two racks from the first shot I took there. I almost never run two racks, I probably have run more than one not more than several times a year (granted I only play 1-2 times a week for a few hours each time), but because I really ejoyed playing on the equipment I was in a good mood, relaxed, having fun, and ran two racks.

Funny part was that they had calcutta and the guys I was practacing with bid on my due to the fact I ran two racks on them LOL. I ended up winning two and losing two in the tournament but my son who was 13 at the time came in 7th, just one out of the calcutta money, I bought him in the calcutta hehe. He won $70 and I almost got $120 or something if he just won one more match.

 

[zpele]

First of all, if one thinks the "hit" matters, than it will matter.

Also, the answer depends on what you really mean by "hit" and "matter." For example, with a similar stroke and off-center hit, a heavy non-LD cue with a hard tip will create very different CB motion (speed and direction) than a light LD cue with a soft tip. The "hits" will also feel and sound very different.

For much more info on this topic, see the cue "feel," "hit," "feedback," and "playability" resource page.

Enjoy,
Dave

Thank you this is exactly what I was looking for.