Introducing a new kid to the game - Cue suggestion

[MurrayNevada]

Going to be introducing a teen grandchild to the game. Will be playing on an 8'x4' Olhausen table in my home. I have available a Predator Roadline with 12.4 Revo White Vault shaft and a Lucasi Custom with a 12.75 low deflection shaft. Both are 19 ounces. Not looking for my post to start a carbon fiber vs maple shaft war but which would be best for a new player beginning the game, and why?

 

[VarmintKong]

Whichever cue grabs his eye? Kids love style over substance, but both sound like quality options... so let him/her choose what they like. Kids like choices.

 

[7stud]

How about buying one of the $100 Players cues that everyone recommends for a first cue purchase, then giving it to your grandchild. That way he/she can't damage either of your cues. If that isn't a choice you want to consider, then let your grandchild use the cue with the carbon fiber shaft because it won't ding like a maple shaft. Your grandchild will still be able to ding the butt, though. Before using a nice cue, a pool player first needs to learn how to handle an inexpensive cue.

 

[ideologist]

Start him at 12.75, can work his way to thinner shafts if he is consistently pocketing balls and trying out positional shots.

 

[terpdad]

I think the fatter shaft makes sense.

 

[Black-Balled]

How about not spending a penny on the matter until he shows some interest in it?

 

[MurrayNevada]

The pennies have long been spent as I already have this equipment. I am old and he is young and the cues will all be his. If carbon fiber is the thing of the future, and I'm not saying it is, would it be better to initially learn to play with it instead of learning with wood only to relearn with carbon fiber at a later date?

 

[easy-e]

How about not spending a penny on the matter until he shows some interest in it?

Scrooge!!!

 

[kollegedave]

The pennies have long been spent as I already have this equipment. I am old and he is young and the cues will all be his. If carbon fiber is the thing of the future, and I'm not saying it is, would it be better to initially learn to play with it instead of learning with wood only to relearn with carbon fiber at a later date?

In my mind the question is not so much carbon fiber v. wood, but low-deflection vs. regular maple. I was a regular maple guy for years. Recently, I switched to the Cuetec Cynergy. I really enjoy the new shaft. I tried the switch once before and struggled with the Z shafts. All of this is to say, I think it makes sense to start a kid on low deflection, if possible. The other advantage to LD over custom cues, is that if you ever need a new shaft, all you have to do is order it, and it will be at your door in 4 days. With cue makers, you have to track them down and then wait forever.

I would respectfully suggest that starting him with some kind of LD shaft is smart.

kollegedave

 

[philly]

Going to be introducing a teen grandchild to the game. Will be playing on an 8'x4' Olhausen table in my home. I have available a Predator Roadline with 12.4 Revo White Vault shaft and a Lucasi Custom with a 12.75 low deflection shaft. Both are 19 ounces. Not looking for my post to start a carbon fiber vs maple shaft war but which would be best for a new player beginning the game, and why?

Give the child the one you like the most and tell the child that you like it the most of the two.
The gesture might mean something for the newbie.

 

[Black-Balled]

Scrooge!!!

I'm foookin tight!

 

[Kid Dynomite]

I like the jacoby black shaft as a great compromise on deflection!

Radial pin

Wood to wood joint

15 ounce butt

butt Extention (in case he is tall) 8 inch and 6 inch

Cored

Wrapless

Ebony or cocobolo

Best of luck

Kd








Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

 

[mfinkelstein3]

For the Cathedral High School Billiard Club, kids have to earn a cue stick through improved performance and passing a skill test. Once the have developed their basic form and a reliable cueing process, they are eligible to try and pass the test to get a cue stick.

Once they have developed this reliable approach and stroke, earning a cue stick is relatively easy.

The logic here is that the shooting process is more important than the stick for kids learning the game. Once these kids earn their stick, they have already developed a good process.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Tell the kid, it is not arrow, it is ther I ndian & skill that makes you good at most things in life.

 

[JC]

Not a good idea to get a new player of any age started thinking the cue has anything at all to do with how to play pool.

I would give him the one with a good tip and explain why that's what matters and teach him to chalk it correctly.

Later if he still likes the game and you are in the pine he can shoot with your cues.

 

[7stud]

Later if he still likes the game and you are in the pine he can shoot with your cues.

I would go with ebony!

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

We started in 50’s on tables that were like junk, cues were junk.

It was at Boys Club, all we knew was we were having fun first, game was 8 ball, winner got to play next kid who was in line.

 

[couldnthinkof01]

If I could only pick one of the two I would give him the revo. That is what the young people all gravitate towards and he will want one eventually. Plus it's tough to ding.
Or just let him pick. He may be more inclined to enjoy the one he had a choice in choosing.

 

[couldnthinkof01]

The pennies have long been spent as I already have this equipment. I am old and he is young and the cues will all be his. If carbon fiber is the thing of the future, and I'm not saying it is, would it be better to initially learn to play with it instead of learning with wood only to relearn with carbon fiber at a later date?

It's all the same. Even going from one brand or size of carbon fiber to another will require adjustments.

 

[hang-the-9]

Going to be introducing a teen grandchild to the game. Will be playing on an 8'x4' Olhausen table in my home. I have available a Predator Roadline with 12.4 Revo White Vault shaft and a Lucasi Custom with a 12.75 low deflection shaft. Both are 19 ounces. Not looking for my post to start a carbon fiber vs maple shaft war but which would be best for a new player beginning the game, and why?

Does not matter what anyone starts with, the main part is not swapping around. There is no need to start with an LD shaft or a standard shaft, once you learn to play with either it's all the same, just need to stick with that type of shaft.

If you start learning with an LD shaft, you will naturally aim closer to the normal aiming line with side spin, if you start with a standard shaft you will do the same but will need to learn to adjust for the spin deflection. Either is just as good as the other, with the catch that what is uses should match how the player actually aims or how they like to aim. A player shooting with an old shaft that deflects a ton does not automatically play worse than someone using an LD shaft, as long as they know how to play with the shaft they are using.

A well-rounded pool education needs to have knowledge of how all types of cues and shafts react to the hit and the differences between them and how to adjust for them. Knowing how the cue construction affects the hit and balance, how the shaft and tip affect the shot and feel, etc... What the player starts with does not matter at all.

In my opinion, new players will learn a lot faster with an LD shaft than a normal one, the shot line will be straighter for all types of shots, and especially with the Revo that is forgiving on slight off center hits. Just keep in mind the above sentence that they still need to know why the shaft does what it does and how other shafts would affect aiming.