Hard hit vs soft hit

[alstl]

I hear a lot of people describe the hit of a cue as either hard of soft.

Explain exactly what those terms mean to you.

 

[PROG8R]

To me one is hard (I can tell by the feel and sound),
The other is soft (same applies here).

Clack 2 pool balls together, (HARD)
Clack 2 tennis balls together, (soft).

Dont know how else to explain it. Sorry.

 

[Jeff]

I think you can replace the word "hard" with "stiff" in a lot of cases.

The taper of the shaft can have a lot to do with this as can the makeup of the shaft. Laminated shafts tend to be stiff, or hard.

I was playing yesterday with my Tiger cue with the x-shaft. During the practice, I picked up a friends low end McDermott and hit a few balls. It felt like the shaft was made out of Balsa wood compared to the x-shaft.

Consequently, someone who is used to playing with that type of shaft like on the McDermott and picked up an x-shaft would think it hit like a brick.

 

[TheBook]

To me a hard hit is one that has vibration that can be considered on the high side going thru the cue and stinging your hand. It also has a sound in the higher frequency level like a ping.

A soft hit is more in the base range. Has a solid or almost dead feel and makes more of a thud or plunk sound.

All of these can be due to the tip, wrap, type of wood and joint. Changing a ferrule or tip can make a difference.

 

[klockdoc]

I think the "hard" or "soft" hit terminology is related to the feeling that reports back to you through the cue stick when you strike the object ball.

A "hard" hit would be a stiffer report, versus a mushy report from a "soft" hit. JMO