How long to adjust to Predator?

EL'nino

EL'nino

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How long should it take to adjust to playing with a Predator before you decide that that type of shaft is or isn't for you. I just started playing with a Predator a couple of days ago and I'm really finding it hard to get used to. Do most people get it in a week or a month or when?????????
 
well i've finally put my Predator Shaft on the shelf. but NOT for the reasons one might suspect.

first, i think the shaft is very well made, it seems to hit solid, and i like it. but i dont like the LePro tip, it is a little too hard for me. plus i dont think its 12.75 mm, but rather 13 mm. i have laid it next to my Pechauer and Cuetec Cues that are 13 mm and i dont see any difference.

so, until i can get this Predator Shaft turned down, and a little softer tip on it i am not going to play with it. more than likely i will keep this shaft, but there's always that chance i will send it back and get the 90% refund.

to answer your question, i would say it would take about 2-3 weeks of consistent play (1 to 2 hours a day) according to what most people say. however, i dont think i really tell much of a difference in the deflection with this Predator Shaft. i've had mine for 3 days now, and if i keep it i will probably do so simply because it looks better playing with a Lucasi butt and Predator Shaft than it does a Lucasi butt/shaft.

regards,
DCP
 
It should only take 30 minutes a day for 3 days if you are an above average player who has mastered inside and outside English (both slight and radical). If you haven't mastered these, then you shouldn't be using them, and the type of shaft you have shouldn't matter much. JMO.

Set up a 45 degree cut shot with the object ball a foot from the pocket, and the cue ball 2 feet from the object ball. You will be aiming the center of the cue ball at the edge of the object ball. Now shoot 15 with heavy outside English, 15 with heavy inside English, 15 with slight outside English, 15 with slight inside English. Do this for 3 days and I can't see why you couldn't play with a broomstick.

I have 2 Predator shafts, and even they play slightly different from each other. In general you will find that with outside English the squirt, curve and throw seem to cancel each other as long as you shoot fairly firm (and thus your aim will be about the same as if you were not using English). If you shoot very soft with outside, you will have A LOT more throw and you should aim for a fuller hit to adjust. With inside English you will always need to adjust by aiming for a fuller hit. Just a little fuller if you are hitting it with slight inside (with both soft and firm hits); and a LOT fuller if you are cueing toward the inside edge of the ball (again with both soft and firm). All of these guidelines are for players that set up with the cue parallel to the line of travel of the cue ball, NOT for players that use backhand English.

You will find that with radical inside English you must allow for a LOT of deflection, even with the Predator. I am always amazed that players with stiff (high deflection) cues can adjust - but they can. However, I have always felt that the less deflection you have to adjust for, the higher your percentage of makes will be - and every little advantage helps. JMO.
 
EL'nino said:
How long should it take to adjust to playing with a Predator before you decide that that type of shaft is or isn't for you. I just started playing with a Predator a couple of days ago and I'm really finding it hard to get used to. Do most people get it in a week or a month or when?????????
Click to expand...

It takes a few weeks to adjust to any big change in shafts. It's like getting a whole new cue. You get used to one thing and something else feels strange.

I was a huge Predator skeptic. I bought a Josswest with a third shaft the player had made up - a Predator. I tried it and played well with it right away -in fact, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. It felt funny at first, but I got used to it in two or three weeks. After a couple of months, a standard shaft feels funny.

I think the Predator shaft feels strange because of the balance. First of all, it reduces the weight of your cue by about 1/2 ounce. Most of that weight reduction is in the front (tip end) of the shaft. You can really feel the difference on soft shots. The other thing is they are a stiff shaft. If you were playing with a soft shaft, there will be a huge difference. The hit also sounds different.

If you're like me, your confidence in the Predator will grow to the point where you prefer it over a standard shaft. This is especially true on shots where a lot of speed and/or a lot of spin are necessary.

Chris
 
TATE said:
If you were playing with a soft shaft, there will be a huge difference.
Click to expand...

Absolutely right, Chris. If you're used to a soft/whippy shaft, the adjustment is not an easy one. If you're used to a stiff shaft, though, I suspect Williebetmore is right, the adjustment can be made quickly.
 
I immediately took to the shaft when I first tried it 5 years ago. I even gambled a decent sized game on my way home from the place I bought it. I lost but it was NOT because of the new shaft :( I was a low C player then, so I didn't know too much. I did know about deflection and compensating for it. I just noticed I made the balls much better than before when using english.

One thing I notice now is that for full or almost full hits on the object ball, there is hardly any deflection with the predator. I can aim almost as if using center ball. But a shot the same distance and speed but with a half ball hit or less will deflect much more and I have to then make quite a bit of aim adjustment.

Try the following shot. This is the one I always use when testing a cue for deflection. Shoot it with your cue until you've mastered it then try it with the predator until you have mastered it once again.

Copy the following code and paste it into the RSB Table to see the shots (click OK if any security stuff pops up when pasting the code):

START(
%AI6K8%PX2T8%UK0M0%VW6T2%WQ5C9%XC5I0%YD3E0%ZI2K1%[D1I5%\I5K7
%]q8T0%^R4C8%eD0a0
)END


The following shot is the one that is a full hit that can get you in trouble. I have shot this many times and followed the cue ball right into the pocket because I was expecting the predator to deflect slightly but it did not at all. The cue ball is supposed to go two rails and out.

START(
%AF3Z9%P^4U6%UG5Z8%V]7U9%WD6[2%XF8Z9%YD1Z4%ZE7[3%[J1V6%\C4Y8
%eC6`8
)END

I have just switched to the Z shaft about a week ago incidentally from a regular predator shaft. I notice it deflects just slightly less than the regular predator shaft. I could play with it right away with no problems. So if you already play with a predator, the Z should be an easy change for you (based on my experience of course).
 
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iusedtoberich said:
I have just switched to the Z shaft about a week ago incidentally from a regular predator shaft. I notice it deflects just slightly less than the regular predator shaft. I could play with it right away with no problems. So if you already play with a predator, the Z should be an easy change for you (based on my experience of course).
Click to expand...

How does the Z feel in your bridge hand? Does it feel like a 314, or is it thinner? The pictures make them look like they have a pretty severe taper and I've never liked that on my bridge hand.

Chris
 
I'll just add my thoughts. Anyone can play and adjust to Predator shaft relatively quickly.

But to use it effectively, you must stroke straight. If you use any kind of backhand english to compensate for deflection or you are even slightly twisting your cue, then the shaft isn't for you because you will miss almost every longer distance shot. Only parallel english method works. Either learn that type of stroke, or choose something else.

Also, if you like to apply extreme english with 2 tips off center, get rid of this bad habit quickly. Your shaft will produce low deflection only if you use like 1/2 to 1 tip off center hit which is more than enough to provide plenty of spin. And even then there is some deflection on longer shots, but still less then standard shafts.

The shaft will actually demand more of your stroke, it will not "fix" anything. So, to answer original question...if you have proper stroke, you will adjust to Predator shaft in a few hours maybe. Adjustment from Predator to standard shaft might take little longer, but it is also nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps...
 
It took me 1 week to adjust. But its worth the wait. I played for 1 to 2 hrs everyday. It goes well with a soft tip like a pressed elk master.
 
predator said:
But to use it effectively, you must stroke straight. If you use any kind of backhand english to compensate for deflection or you are even slightly twisting your cue, then the shaft isn't for you because you will miss almost every longer distance shot. Only parallel english method works. Either learn that type of stroke, or choose something else.


The shaft will actually demand more of your stroke, it will not "fix" anything.
Click to expand...


Predator...what you said is the real key. BACKHAND ENGLISH DOES NOT WORK AND YOU WILL MISS EVERYTHING! Since that's come up before and many don't even know what backhand is or how to apply it, then it doesn't make any difference. I don't ever remember seeing someone's game taking a big leap forward as a result of a Predator, but I've seen them go backwards.
For a few, there may have been a slight improvement in consistency, but that's not something that can really be measured because consistency can go up and down like a yo-yo for just about everyone except the top pros.
 
EL'nino said:
How long should it take to adjust to playing with a Predator before you decide that that type of shaft is or isn't for you. I just started playing with a Predator a couple of days ago and I'm really finding it hard to get used to. Do most people get it in a week or a month or when?????????
Click to expand...
hey glenn,
how have you been?
i can't believe you got a predator shaft
you might recall that i played with one on my josey for a long time now
i like it alot and when i got my dayton it was a big adjustment back
to a regular shaft- not better or worse just different same with the
black boar - again totally different. i find that its the inside english
that i like to use alot that is the true test of when you finally
understand a peticular shaft. how long it takes is an individual thing.
just don't turn it into firewood to soon ha ha ha
see ya at d/line-a couple of tourneys coming up soon
your pal
barry
 
TATE said:
How does the Z feel in your bridge hand? Does it feel like a 314, or is it thinner? The pictures make them look like they have a pretty severe taper and I've never liked that on my bridge hand.

Chris
Click to expand...

The Z shaft just feels like a thinner shaft with a Pro-Taper to me. I can't play well with a billiard type taper, for the same reason you mentioned, but this shaft doesn't feel like that at all. It just feels like a thin normal taper. It doesn't interfere with a long stroke like a billiard taper might. I think the pictures make the taper look much stronger than it acutally is. I have a pair of calipers and I can measure its diameter along many points if anyone is interested.
 
:
Barry Doc said:
hey glenn,
how have you been?
i can't believe you got a predator shaft
you might recall that i played with one on my josey for a long time now
i like it alot and when i got my dayton it was a big adjustment back
to a regular shaft- not better or worse just different same with the
black boar - again totally different. i find that its the inside english
that i like to use alot that is the true test of when you finally
understand a peticular shaft. how long it takes is an individual thing.
just don't turn it into firewood to soon ha ha ha
see ya at d/line-a couple of tourneys coming up soon
your pal
barry
Click to expand...
I knew you couldn't get througt that post without a firewood crack....can't a guy snap a few cues in half without getting a reputation?
 
iusedtoberich said:
The Z shaft just feels like a thinner shaft with a Pro-Taper to me. I can't play well with a billiard type taper, for the same reason you mentioned, but this shaft doesn't feel like that at all. It just feels like a thin normal taper. It doesn't interfere with a long stroke like a billiard taper might. I think the pictures make the taper look much stronger than it acutally is. I have a pair of calipers and I can measure its diameter along many points if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...

I would definitely be interested especially if you can post it in millimeters. That would be most helpful. Could you compare it to the 314?

Thanks,

Chris
 
Predator shaft dimension comparison

TATE said:
I would definitely be interested especially if you can post it in millimeters. That would be most helpful. Could you compare it to the 314?

Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...

OK. I finally got around to it. I compared and graphed 4 shafts. A partial (no joint) 314 I bought a year ago and haven't used yet, a Z shaft I got 3 weeks ago, a Break Shaft I got 3 weeks ago, and my playing 314 shaft that was used for maybe 2 or 3 years. The attachment shows the data in inches on the left and millimeters on the right. The graph is in millimeters. All data for length from tip is in inches. My diameters are right on, but my lengths could be off by as much as 1/8 inch at each point.

Also of interest, all 4 of these shafts weigh 3.6 or 3.7 oz.

Nick

*Clarification: The 314 silver ring shaft is the one that has been used for a few years. The 314 on the left of the data is the brand new partial.
 

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