It may be me and probably is. I just feel that with all the hype of LD shafts and various tips. That they have just messed my game up. I am a 7 in the APA and a BB in the BCA. I dont want to give up on LD shafts and better tips unless I know they are the issue. I hear there is an adjustment in going back to performance shafts and tips. I dont knowingly adjust for squirt. I have heard that could be an issue. I mainly play on 7ft tables. I play lots of outside english. I have set up a straight shot from various distances. I play lots of left or right english. I am pretty consistent in making the object ball with the cue ball stopping and just spinning. This is with an LD shaft or not. I do wonder if my issue is more with the tip. I have played with a Le Pro most of my life and have always liked it. However again with the hype of different tips I have changed to a Kamui medium. I just think soft and super soft go against the science of pool. Feel is one thing but I have heard what would be best for accuracy is a hard tip. So CONFUSED by everything.
Helpful or harmful
- Thread starter jburkm002
- Start date
By all means ignore the hype. LD shafts, especially laminated ones, are not for everybody. I've yet to find a laminated shaft that's worth a damn to me. I have cue maker-designed low deflection shafts and like them a lot, they are not laminated. If you play well with them or at least are willing to put up with not playing well with them until you get used to them, give 'em a shot. If not, don't worry about it.
If they help you they are helpful.
If they hurt you they are harmful.
I play fine with either.
I would suggest you take what you now have & pick what you like best & play with it.
If you're not playing with an ax handle, don't blame the equipment.
Now if you detect that your tip (the most important part of a cue IMO) is either too hard or too soft for your liking then change it.
I have been playing with a soft tip for 47 years & I have my reasons. It's the spin to speed ratio when shooting with english.
I would suggest that you don't shoot with just outside english. It will become a crutch. Use both outside & inside for different reasons & english will be a tool & not a crutch.
Good Luck & Best Wishes,
If they hurt you they are harmful.
I play fine with either.
I would suggest you take what you now have & pick what you like best & play with it.
If you're not playing with an ax handle, don't blame the equipment.
Now if you detect that your tip (the most important part of a cue IMO) is either too hard or too soft for your liking then change it.
I have been playing with a soft tip for 47 years & I have my reasons. It's the spin to speed ratio when shooting with english.
I would suggest that you don't shoot with just outside english. It will become a crutch. Use both outside & inside for different reasons & english will be a tool & not a crutch.
Good Luck & Best Wishes,
It sounds like there is a lot of guessing going on here. I suggest you video tape your self (or have someone else do it) and see what's happening. How are you lining up on your shot, How you are stroking, and how you are following through (or not following through) can have a lot more effect on your game then objects like the tip.
Tips, shafts, weights, and equipment can have an effect on your game. I'm not saying they don't but from my limited experience more often then not it's the player and not the equipment.
Once you've identified and fixed any stroke problems (or ruled them out) then comes the equipment fun. Choose 3 or 4 shots and video tape 10 reps with your current setup. Swap out 1 thing at a time and do another set of reps. Is there a real difference? Maybe yes and maybe no.
The best way to figure this kind of stuff out is the boring way. One thing at a time.
Tips, shafts, weights, and equipment can have an effect on your game. I'm not saying they don't but from my limited experience more often then not it's the player and not the equipment.
Once you've identified and fixed any stroke problems (or ruled them out) then comes the equipment fun. Choose 3 or 4 shots and video tape 10 reps with your current setup. Swap out 1 thing at a time and do another set of reps. Is there a real difference? Maybe yes and maybe no.
The best way to figure this kind of stuff out is the boring way. One thing at a time.
I agree. Johnnyt
By your description, it sounds like you play some type of english on every shot. Assuming that is true, you've learned consciously or subconsciously to adjust for deflection, squirt, etc.. Perhaps better said, your ingrained experience is based upon a certain amount of squirt, deflection, etc. occurring when you strike the CB. It only stands to reason that when you started using a LD shaft, where the squirt/deflection were sure to be different than what you were accustomed to, it had to affect your shot making. How could it not?
Seems like you have a choice between "relearning" the amount of squirt/deflection with this LD shaft or going back to your previous shaft. It really does seem that simple to me.
You described yourself as mostly playing on 7 foot tables and using "lots" of outside english. Frankly, I'm not sure why you frequently need lots of outside english to play on a 7 ft table. I'm not sure why you frequently need to use "lots" of english on any table, seems like you're inviting a substantial amount of unneeded variance into your game. Regardless, it's your game to enjoy as you wish and if your belief is spinning the ball around the table is to your best advantage and most enjoyable, then by all means, have a happy. I think that the person who typically plays this style is not well served by a LD shaft period.
Seems like you have a choice between "relearning" the amount of squirt/deflection with this LD shaft or going back to your previous shaft. It really does seem that simple to me.
You described yourself as mostly playing on 7 foot tables and using "lots" of outside english. Frankly, I'm not sure why you frequently need lots of outside english to play on a 7 ft table. I'm not sure why you frequently need to use "lots" of english on any table, seems like you're inviting a substantial amount of unneeded variance into your game. Regardless, it's your game to enjoy as you wish and if your belief is spinning the ball around the table is to your best advantage and most enjoyable, then by all means, have a happy. I think that the person who typically plays this style is not well served by a LD shaft period.
002,
I switched to LD shafts after 46 years & have been playing fine with them for the last 15 months.
How are you applying english? By that, I mean are you playing freely & allowing your subconscious to do the work or are you a calculating type of player &/or are you using Back Hand English?
If you are using BHE with the same bridge length as your older shaft, that may be the problem. LD shafts generally require a longer pivot point.
If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.
Best Wishes,
Rick
I switched to LD shafts after 46 years & have been playing fine with them for the last 15 months.
How are you applying english? By that, I mean are you playing freely & allowing your subconscious to do the work or are you a calculating type of player &/or are you using Back Hand English?
If you are using BHE with the same bridge length as your older shaft, that may be the problem. LD shafts generally require a longer pivot point.
If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.
Best Wishes,
Rick
I did identify an issue with my stroke. My back hand was coming into my body causing a swerve in my stroke. Pays to pre drills. I am 45 and think I may have been playing english wrong all my life. I am an ok player. However after watching some good players and especially their inside english I was how did they do that. I would later try and try with no sucess. Then I tried what I think is called parallel english. Where you move your tip and backhand to to be straight with the english. What a difference it made. Think I may have just used backhand before. Still getting use to the stroke. Place a ball on the side rail about the third diamond. Place the cue about one diamond away from the side rail and one diamond in from the head rail. Now try high right. Now see how close you can get to the bottom rail center diamond. I often came close to scratching in the bottom opposite pocket with my backhand english. Parallel english I can come inside the center diamond. Hope that all make sense.