Low deflection cues for a beginner?
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I was in the same boat. Played for a long time and quit for 12 years or so as other parts of life took over.
I did invest in an shaft and found it hurt my game more than helped. But I played quite well when I was younger and found I was still quite good in a very short time once I got back into it.
So if you don't know much about english, etc, I'd say you were a B level player when you were playing. If that's the case, I'd say it may be worth the investment. But it's your money and depends on what you're looking for.
If you're looking to play good enough to play in tourneys, have at it. If you just want to be good in league play, don't spend the money.
I did invest in an shaft and found it hurt my game more than helped. But I played quite well when I was younger and found I was still quite good in a very short time once I got back into it.
So if you don't know much about english, etc, I'd say you were a B level player when you were playing. If that's the case, I'd say it may be worth the investment. But it's your money and depends on what you're looking for.
If you're looking to play good enough to play in tourneys, have at it. If you just want to be good in league play, don't spend the money.
If you are just getting back into the game now might be the perfect time for an LD shaft. Sounds like right now you suck and are trying to get good. That is great, join the club. Instead of starting off with a normal shaft and then having to adjust at a later date when you upgrade, if you have the coin just get what you want now and start with it from square one on up. I see no reason why a crappy player can't buy themselves a nice cue if they want to devote some time to getting better. Best of luck working on your game. There isn't a single person here that couldn't get better or that doesn't want to.
Buy yourself any one of the LD shafts available (I prefer a Predator, with an UltraSkin tip) and never look back.
A word to the wise, though. Have a care and don't make a big deal about equipment changes as you move along your road to glory. It can sometimes be a distraction. :smile:
A word to the wise, though. Have a care and don't make a big deal about equipment changes as you move along your road to glory. It can sometimes be a distraction. :smile:
It really is up to you. The LD shaft may make it easier for you to compensate your aim when you use sidespin.
Just remember this, you can't buy a stroke and no matter what you choose, you're going to have to put in the work to become a good player.
You might also consider getting a few lessons with a good instructor to help you get back in stroke and fix any errors that may be developing as you get back into playing pool again.
I hope you enjoy the game and hope it brings you years of delight and pleasure.
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Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm still on the fence though. I only get to play once or twice a week. And when I do play it's only with friends. We don't have leagues or anything like that around here. I just don't like losing. And don't like being mediocre at anything. I know the stick doesn't make the player but I don't think it would hurt either. I guess I just have to decide whether it's a waste of money or not.
How much of a difference is it between using a LD shaft versus a normal shaft? Would it be something that will take me a lot of time to get used to?
I just bought a Dale Perry stick from a guy I work with. I'm really not even sure there are LD shafts available for it. I guess I should have looked into that from the beginning. lol
How much of a difference is it between using a LD shaft versus a normal shaft? Would it be something that will take me a lot of time to get used to?
I just bought a Dale Perry stick from a guy I work with. I'm really not even sure there are LD shafts available for it. I guess I should have looked into that from the beginning. lol
I'm a guy who is about a C player and I play 2 or 3 times a week, and I have to say switching to an LD shaft was like a lightbulb going on for me. I've always had trouble compensating for the deflection when using english. I tried BHE for a while, but doing that put a crook in my stroke that I've only recently started to get ironed out. Since I got my new OB Classic Pro I'm able to use spin with a lot more confidence and hit shots I just couldn't before. I think of it almost like cast cavity back irons in golf. It gives you more margin for error if you don't make perfect contact. Even though I played with a regular shaft for just a little under 2 decades it just never clicked for me. Now it is finally starting to.
Sounds like you're still on the fence about buying one.
I remember a similar question not too long ago, and I wrote out a reply. I'm gonna copy that here.
Sorry it's a bit long, but I think it will help you.
First - understand what you're really buying. The shaft reduces deflection on moderate to heavy spin shots.
This will change your line of aim on those shots. That's it.
You're buying a different line of aim.
You're not buying extra spin, perfect draw, better cueball control, more 'finesse', etc.
That stuff's all wishful thinking. The shaft is ONLY changing where you aim spin shots.
So don't buy it thinking your game will take a sudden jump.
So why is buying a different line of aim useful?
• With a normal (higher deflection) shaft, some shots look weird if you have to hit them with lots of spin.
For example you'd normally hit the left side of an object ball if you're cutting it to the right.
But if you load up with tons of inside english, you may need to aim to hit the ball full in the face
(like a straight in shot), or even aim slightly to the right side of the ball.
Even if you practice that shot for hours, aiming to hit the wrong side of the ball
will never quite look normal or natural. Your brain WANTS to aim at the left side of that ball.
With the low deflection shaft you won't need to compensate so much.
You can actually aim almost the way you would without english.
This greatly cuts down the confusion and frustration of hitting those heavy spin shots.
You can hit the ball with a little more confidence because your eyes aren't sending signals
to your brain like "WTF man this doesn't look right at all".
• Say you decide not to bother now, but later decide you want to get into it.
Why spend the next 2-5 years learning a line of aim that compensates for deflection,
then buy the LD shaft and have several years of 'incorrect' aiming lines burned into your memory?
It will just make it harder to adjust.
Speaking of adjusting, it WILL take time to get used to. The difference is big. You will definitely
miss balls you're used to making. Your game may take a nosedive temporarily while you relearn
where to aim all your spin shots. If you stick to it though, your game will go back up again.
But you have to commit to it. You will only waste time and money if you aren't willing to suffer
through a month or 2 of missed shots and unexpected cue ball paths.
If you spent a long time (like over 10 years) learning how to aim with a high deflection shaft,
the switch will take longer and many people give up because they just can't adjust.
As for which one to buy - there are a few very popular choices. I like OB2's and OB Classic Pro.
Predator Z2 is fine also. Predator and OB aren't the only makers of LD shafts, but they are by far
the most popular (and they've been doing it a long time so they worked out some of the 'kinks').
I remember a similar question not too long ago, and I wrote out a reply. I'm gonna copy that here.
Sorry it's a bit long, but I think it will help you.
First - understand what you're really buying. The shaft reduces deflection on moderate to heavy spin shots.
This will change your line of aim on those shots. That's it.
You're buying a different line of aim.
You're not buying extra spin, perfect draw, better cueball control, more 'finesse', etc.
That stuff's all wishful thinking. The shaft is ONLY changing where you aim spin shots.
So don't buy it thinking your game will take a sudden jump.
So why is buying a different line of aim useful?
• With a normal (higher deflection) shaft, some shots look weird if you have to hit them with lots of spin.
For example you'd normally hit the left side of an object ball if you're cutting it to the right.
But if you load up with tons of inside english, you may need to aim to hit the ball full in the face
(like a straight in shot), or even aim slightly to the right side of the ball.
Even if you practice that shot for hours, aiming to hit the wrong side of the ball
will never quite look normal or natural. Your brain WANTS to aim at the left side of that ball.
With the low deflection shaft you won't need to compensate so much.
You can actually aim almost the way you would without english.
This greatly cuts down the confusion and frustration of hitting those heavy spin shots.
You can hit the ball with a little more confidence because your eyes aren't sending signals
to your brain like "WTF man this doesn't look right at all".
• Say you decide not to bother now, but later decide you want to get into it.
Why spend the next 2-5 years learning a line of aim that compensates for deflection,
then buy the LD shaft and have several years of 'incorrect' aiming lines burned into your memory?
It will just make it harder to adjust.
Speaking of adjusting, it WILL take time to get used to. The difference is big. You will definitely
miss balls you're used to making. Your game may take a nosedive temporarily while you relearn
where to aim all your spin shots. If you stick to it though, your game will go back up again.
But you have to commit to it. You will only waste time and money if you aren't willing to suffer
through a month or 2 of missed shots and unexpected cue ball paths.
If you spent a long time (like over 10 years) learning how to aim with a high deflection shaft,
the switch will take longer and many people give up because they just can't adjust.
As for which one to buy - there are a few very popular choices. I like OB2's and OB Classic Pro.
Predator Z2 is fine also. Predator and OB aren't the only makers of LD shafts, but they are by far
the most popular (and they've been doing it a long time so they worked out some of the 'kinks').
when I started playing pool after snooker I started with thin LD shaft(Predator Z) and stick to LD shafts after that, tried pretty much all of them. Still play with LD shaft as I cannot make a ball with regular shaft, so if you start with LD you might have to stick with it
I started playing with a Z shaft when I started playing pool seriously. If I had to start all over again, I wish I hadn't. The Z shaft hid a flaw in my stroke (I have a tendency to hit left of center ball) that I didn't correct for years because I was using an LD shaft.
My recommendation is to make sure that you don't develop stroke flaws. Don't buy an LD shaft to mask a flaw. If you buy an LD shaft, make sure you are still always practicing to deliver the cue exactly where you want it to.
Happy Shooting:smile:
My recommendation is to make sure that you don't develop stroke flaws. Don't buy an LD shaft to mask a flaw. If you buy an LD shaft, make sure you are still always practicing to deliver the cue exactly where you want it to.
Happy Shooting:smile:
If you're still learning to use english, no, don't buy a ld shaft. Stick with a standard shaft until you've grooved your stroke, then try one. I hated them until I got an non-laminated ld shaft from my cue maker. They don't work miracles and they are definitely not for everybody.
An LD shaft can be beneficial even if you don't use english unintentionally, but LD shafts also have disadvantages for different people depending on their history, bridge length, stroke, and methods they use for adjusting their aim when applying english intentionally. For lots of info and advice on this topic, see:
low-squirt (AKA low cue-ball deflection, AKA LD) shafts
advantages of using an LD shaft
disadvantages of using an LD shaft
I hope the info helps,
Dave
You are assuming he is going to hit each shot at 100 miles/hr with rolling CB and with close to level cue in your explanation. At slow speed the swerve eats squirt and depending on elevation of course swerve might take over, and if CB is stun or near stun english induced throw takes over if angle is 30 degrees or less.
One can argue if i stun most shots then HD is good since aim is almost at pocket area, if roll all my shots hard the LD is better so you aim at pocket area?
IMO one should have LD cue for one pocket and HD for 9 or 10 ball; but must master both cues to be good at pool
Yes, I definitely assume people are not elevating, shooting softly, intentionally letting the cue ball swerve and
maximizing CIT. Why on earth would you do that??
That adds random and difficult-to-control variables,
NO shot is easier shooting the cue ball on a curved line rather than a straight one.
Common sense, come on man!
I'm guessing you may have grown up and figured out how much the CB will swerve with
thousands of hours of experience. Good! But that doesn't mean it's desirable.
You just learned how to deal with the problem.
You seem to be arguing that there are cases where a high deflection cue can be aimed
almost on a 'normal' shotline, without compensating for spin.
So you're saying... IF you shoot with elevation, and swerve the cueball,
and roll at unsafe slower speeds, and rely on just the right amount of
collision induced throw... you can make a HD shaft aim like a LD shaft?
I say, skip all that hassle and go straight to the LD shaft.
And, apologies, I strongly disagree also on the two stick advice.
I've always liked that you were so logical about how important fundamentals are,
and you should apply that same logic to cues: it's about consistency.
You build consistency by sticking to the same cue constantly, not by switching
because you think there's some tiny 1% advantage in each shaft.
Here's shane in the us open 9b.
Here he is in the us open 1p.
Same cue.
Here's dennis in the us open 10b.
Here he is in us open 1p.
Same cue.