Would a solid maple shaft be a better gauge for a straight stroke/accurate tip placement when practicing a center ball hit instead of a low deflection shaft?
Hypothetical shaft question
- Thread starter Charles Hartfield
- Start date
Why would it?? My answer is no. Unless your cue deflects like all get out it shouldn't make any difference.
You will still see spin transfer on the object ball if you hit it poorly. It may go in, but the cueball will tell you what you need to know.
An empty beer bottle makes a pretty good "gauge".
If you are hitting the cueball dead center there should be no difference in accuracy, only in feel-
-dj
Note: Bottle not can.........
No, you an use a rod of anything for that, glass, metal, etc.. Material won't change your ability to hit a point on the ball with it.
Since you ask which is the "better gauge", I assume you mean which gives the best feedback (not which "hits straighter").
Unintuitively, higher squirt might be a less visible indicator of an offcenter hit (because lower squirt cues don't "autocorrect" as much).
pj
chgo
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
You are correct when you say best feedback. I realize a perfectly center hit will be the same with both shafts. I also realize the low deflection shaft will hit a little straighter than the solid maple on hits off vertical center. What I’m wondering is if a slightly off center hit to the left or right would produce slightly more deflection from the solid maple shaft and in turn the object ball would enter the pocket to the left or right of center. I like to practice long, straight in stop shots to see how straight I am cueing. I shoot with a low deflection 11.75mm wood shaft. I was wondering if I would getting better feedback from a 13mm solid maple shaft to gauge the straightness/cue tip placement of my stroke.
DeeDeeCues
Well-known member
Great for hypothetical high runs, tho...
The answer is a little counterintuitive.
If the shaft's pivot point is right at your bridge, then an off-angle miss-hit will be matched by an equal-opposite amount of squirt, "hiding" the miss-hit. That's backhand english, and it works better the closer your shaft's pivot point is to your bridge.
The lower squirt shaft's pivot point is farther from your bridge, so the smaller amount of squirt won't offset the CB's off-angle direction as well, and you'll be able to see the error more clearly.
So the lower squirt shaft is probably a better stroke "tell".
pj
chgo
I’ve yet to miss a ball with my hypothetical shaft
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
Thanks for explaining.
I love it, people around me not so much