Pool is simply still in its dark ages when it comes to knowledge in all parts of the game. We look for secrets to rediscover. What about getting off our duffs and killing something instead of waiting for it to die, like a buzzard?
We need the science to greatly be expanded in our sport. If it ever does, I will change my position and know experience comes after understanding the science. The experience guys are not knocking the science guys. We want to know the science. How about more open minded discussions that include psychological perception instead of geometrically analyzing everything for instance?
Were not adding any new information although I'm impressed with the collected works of several posters in this forum...for the most part. :wink: Anyways, is it possible there is some new information out there? If there is, maybe it's not mystical or magical. Maybe it's even old news we haven't heard yet. Why not look into it?
Best,
Mike
When you involve the performance of an individual player, it becomes much, much harder for pure science to be applied. We could think of the areas, though, where sound thinking might be of benefit, if we look at what is done in other sports:
- What physical training/workout regimen should be done to improve pool play, and why?
- What psychological issues are the dominant ones in slowing improvement, and how should they be treated?
- What methods of play are most effective to implement, and why? (For example, look at pro golfers' "pre-shot" routines and course management skills.)
- What tools can we use to develop visualization at the table - to learn to better "see" the best runs, or best safeties, etc.
Another area science can be useful is not in adding new stuff, but in debunking old stuff that turn out to be myths of little value and no grounding in reality.
I can try a few observations on equipment that I
think are grounded in reality, but they may be controversial anyway...
- The best butt for you is one you are familiar with and like to play with. "Technological" improvements in cue design exist, but they are all related to the shaft and tip, not the butt. There may be changes in the butt (e.g. grips) that improve some individuals' play because of comfort, or better fit, etc. but there are no fundamental improvements that apply to many players. There's no reason the wooden handle from a plumber's helper is not perfectly satisfactory as a butt, including a "break butt". Yes, the measured vibrations will vary depending on construction, but they have no effect on anything approaching proper play (well-hit shots).
- Laminated shafts are useful only in helping a shaft stay straight longer under more conditions. They make no other significant improvement in the playing performance of the shaft over a traditional one-piece turned shaft.
Any other purported benefits, like consistency in any orientation, are so insignificant as to be irrelevant.
- "Low deflection" shafts do reduce cue ball squirt. This has been written up by folks here, so I won't repeat. Note you can get low deflection by drilling a hole down from the ferrule in any shaft you like. It's the reduced weight that makes the bulk of the difference. Also note they could work much better, since they reduce deflection by some percentage (0-30%?) but by no means eliminate it or even remove the bulk of it.
- Cue weight, inside the normal range of 17-24 oz, is irrelevant from the view of physics and kinesiology, so just pick what you like and stick with it. Changing the cue weight in the course of play may not be advised, I'm not sure.
Reasoning: the muscles used are large enough to not care about any 1 oz difference in weight, and the impact of the ball isn't sensitive to a small change in cue weight. But you can certainly feel a change in weight, and it may take a good number of strokes to adjust your timing to the new weight, so it seems likely that changing playing cue weight by an ounce or more during play is an iffy proposition.
- How clean the balls makes a noticeable difference in play, especially cut shots. For consistency's sake, we should clean the balls before a night's play. Once cleaned, they are fine for that night.
One thing I'd like to see that I am not aware of is whether brushing the table before play yields a significant improvement in consistency, when no visible bumps or deviations in ball travel are seen. I suspect that some video footage would show that balls can be thrown off by enough angular difference by microscopic wobbles / path changes that brushing is worthwhile for long shots, but I cannot prove it. (I'm thinking mainly of pool hall tables - I hope people with tables at home don't let them get that dirty!)
