Just something to stimulate discussion
- Thread starter Sharkey
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Sharkey said:
These are obviously leading questions. I'm not sure what your point is though?
Accuracy, at least IMO, is everything so of course you want a cue that you're comfortable with. But how does the cue ensure you shoot straight? I've seen very good players shoot straight as a sum***** with a crooked house cue.
Error and deflection. You really need to define these because they can mean different things to different people. I don't mind deflection as long it is not extreme and/or sporadic.
Find me an error free cue and I will buy it
ill take a stab at it.........i think it has to do with the limited amount of time the cue (tip) is in contact with the cueball. As for the deflection part.......you need the cue to deflect because it allows the cuetip to slightly grip the cueball as it sends it on its way. If you shot with a piece of steel that was perfectly straight with no give in it.......you coudlnt put english on the cueball because it would just squirt away every time you hit it.
Makes me wonder why those snooker players play with heavy brass ferrule.Sharkey said:
Well, you have to understand what motivates people to play pool AND what people consider important. A lot of people out there love pool-cues. They love the trade of these hand-crafted instruments and honestly, the difference between the most high-tech cues out there and most hand-mades isn't much. They will both deliver the cue-ball consistently to the same place within the smallest of margins.
There are also those (like myself) who do not put a lot of weight in shot-making. I understand that success at this game is not about making one great shot after another but MINIMIZING the number of great shots you need to take. If you think cue-ball control is the most important element of one's game (which I do), you're going to go with the cue that feels best. I happen to play with a Predator but that has, in part, to do with the fact that I am not a cue-enthusiast.
With that said, I would say no. People are not going to go with what scientists determine is the most accurate cue out there. The differences are not terribly significant and individuality, to many, is far more important.
There are also those (like myself) who do not put a lot of weight in shot-making. I understand that success at this game is not about making one great shot after another but MINIMIZING the number of great shots you need to take. If you think cue-ball control is the most important element of one's game (which I do), you're going to go with the cue that feels best. I happen to play with a Predator but that has, in part, to do with the fact that I am not a cue-enthusiast.
With that said, I would say no. People are not going to go with what scientists determine is the most accurate cue out there. The differences are not terribly significant and individuality, to many, is far more important.
Sharkey said:
Shooting with a Predator or other low squirt shaft doesn't mean you don't have to compensate for a curving cue ball. There is also swerve to consider, whose effect becomes more apparent when using these kind of shafts. Normally squirt and swerve have a tendency to cancel each other out.
I shot with a Pechauer with a Predator shaft for a couple of years, and was very happy with it. I came back from my first trip to Valley Forge with an ebony Scruggs merry widow. I loved that cue, but much to my surprise I couldn't play with the darn thing. It sat in the bag for a long time because I just couldn't get used to it. Finally, I decided to figure out why, and forced myself to play with it exclusively. In the process, I found out a couple of things about my game.
- I hit most shots too hard.
- I was using more english than strictly necessary.
- A lot of misses that I attributed to squirt were actually due to sloppy mechanics when applying english.
I no longer play with a Predator shaft, but I am certain that I could go back to it after a suitable adjustment period. The question is whether I would start pocketing more balls after the adjustment period was over, and I am not sure I would. There are a few shots that I would probably have higher success with, like hitting cut shots hard with high inside. Pretty much everything else I prefer the Scruggs.
Sharkey said:
Shooting with accuracy and shooting straightest aren't mutual inclusive. Shooting firearms and arrows for example, the projectile must follow a curved path. Bowling, curved path. Baseball, curved path. Darts, curved path.
Swerve plus throw works in the opposite direction as squirt, as far as the object ball direction is concerned. The act of blending the variables can work the aim "toward the center." When people say they don't consciously compensate for squirt, throw, and swerve, I think it's safe to assume that if they make the shots consistently, then they're blending the variables subconsciously. And, with their blending, they can actually be aiming at the "ghost ball" on many shots, particularly the slow close shots and medium speed, medium to long length shots. On firm shots, a normal squirt cue has to aimed somewhere else instead of at the ghost ball if the plan is to actually make the shot. Some people might think this is fairy tale. I think it makes the most sense.
If you have a straight shooting cue, then swerve and throw have nothing to counteract it. So, the aim for many shots other than the firm shots (shoot through the break) have to be aimed somewhere else other than the ghost ball. So, the plus is that on firm shots, you can aim at the theoretically correct ghost ball or close to it with a low squirt shots. On not so firm shots, I think that all bets are off.
It's a give and take. And neither one is better than the other. People will pick the one they're most comfortable and most successful with and run with it.
Fred
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Koop said:Find me an error free cue and I will buy it
Actually, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of them right here in the good 'ol U.S.A. They are error free because they have never been, or ever will be, used to attempt a shot in their entire life of ownership. Yes, I'm talking about the high-end custom cues that are bought and NEVER see any table time (ergo, they've never made an error
).Maniac
Maniac said:Actually, there are hundreds (maybe thousands) of them right here in the good 'ol U.S.A. They are error free because they have never been, or ever will be, used to attempt a shot in their entire life of ownership. Yes, I'm talking about the high-end custom cues that are bought and NEVER see any table time (ergo, they've never made an error
Maniac
Off the subject, but I wonder how many people really think that these high end cues don't get used at all? I've been very fortunate to be in the same pool hall with some very high end cues from some of the high end collectors, and they were being used.
Mike Lambros' Dragon Cue was over the 6 figure range, and he let us shoot with that cue for as many shots as we wanted as if it was just another Lambros Cue.
Fred
Along the lines of calling a cue sporting goods, that seems to much to me like compairing it to a baseball glove or a football or a bat.
Calling it sporting goods seems to be degrading it in my opinion. I think of a cue as more then that.
Calling it sporting goods seems to be degrading it in my opinion. I think of a cue as more then that.
Jude Rosenstock said:
Excellent post, Jude. The point about cueball control to minimize difficult shots is particularly significant.
Cornerman said:
Fred,
I personally don't know of anyone with a custom cue that hasn't used it, but being a competitive high-powered rifle shooter and a member of a Sportsman's Club, I know plenty of collectors of rifles and pistols (such as commemorative editions) that will never, ever fire a shot out of these guns as it will diminish the collectors value of them. I was just assuming that those with VERY expensive custom cues (you know, the jewel-studded kind, etc.) probably will never take a shot with one, or even chalk it up for that matter. But, you know what they say about assumption......
Maniac
On the same line, I think someone on this board was talking about high end musical instruments like violins. I think he said that they need to be played to keep in shape. I have no idea if that's really true, but if it is, it might relate to wooden cues.Maniac said:Fred,
I personally don't know of anyone with a custom cue that hasn't used it, but being a competitive high-powered rifle shooter and a member of a Sportsman's Club, I know plenty of collectors of rifles and pistols (such as commemorative editions) that will never, ever fire a shot out of these guns as it will diminish the collectors value of them. I was just assuming that those with VERY expensive custom cues (you know, the jewel-studded kind, etc.) probably will never take a shot with one, or even chalk it up for that matter. But, you know what they say about assumption......
Maniac
Fred