Low Deflection shafts and unintentional english

C

Catamount

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
From my experience, I believe that the biggest advantage to LD shafts is not in lowering deflection (squirt) due to intentional english. Less deflection to compensate for when intentionally applying english is certainly a good thing, IMO, but, as many have pointed out, you can learn to compensate when intentionally applying english.

What about unintentional english, though? You cannot compensate for unintended english, due to the very fact that it is unintentional. If you mean to hit center ball, but accidentally apply left, or right, english, how can you compensate for that? In order to compensate, you have to know what you are doing ahead of time.

In those situations, where you intend to hit center ball, but are off either way, I believe an LD shaft can make the difference between sinking the ball, and/or getting position, or not.

If you can hit perfect center ball most every time, this may not be an issue, but for the rest of us, I'm glad there's the option of LD shafts.
 
Interesting point.

I think my most common unintentional english occurs with difficult bridging situations (jacked up over a ball, in pocket jaws, etc) in which case my aim is probably off too.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I don't get it.
LD shafts impart less English when struck off-center ?
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No, I think it's the same English, but less deflection/squirt. Many people claim that LD shafts impart more English, but really it's a function of LD users getting away with hitting further out from center with less adjustment/compensation than a normal shaft. I've got a couple of standard shafts I had tuned up in the taper that I know spin a cue ball more than any LD shaft can...an ironically I've all but abandoned spin in my game recently! :o
 
No.

When it's generally the spin induced throw that cause people to miss when 'missing' center ball , particularly in very straight in shots. The deflection on those cases are very small regardless of the type of shaft.

The real answer ?

Never try and hit dead center ball. ;)

Seriously.


Catamount said:
From my experience, I believe that the biggest advantage to LD shafts is not in lowering deflection (squirt) due to intentional english. Less deflection to compensate for when intentionally applying english is certainly a good thing, IMO, but, as many have pointed out, you can learn to compensate when intentionally applying english.

What about unintentional english, though? You cannot compensate for unintended english, due to the very fact that it is unintentional. If you mean to hit center ball, but accidentally apply left, or right, english, how can you compensate for that? In order to compensate, you have to know what you are doing ahead of time.

In those situations, where you intend to hit center ball, but are off either way, I believe an LD shaft can make the difference between sinking the ball, and/or getting position, or not.

If you can hit perfect center ball most every time, this may not be an issue, but for the rest of us, I'm glad there's the option of LD shafts.
Click to expand...
 
Most discussions about LD shafts have to do with their merits when using intentional english. One might get the impression that there are no benefits to LD if you rarely/never use english.

I rarely use intentional english, yet I find LD shafts very beneficial.
 
Catamount said:
Most discussions about LD shafts have to do with their merits when using intentional english. One might get the impression that there are no benefits to LD if you rarely/never use english.

I rarely use intentional english, yet I find LD shafts very beneficial.
Click to expand...

Their benefit is less cue ball squirt.
You have not proven at all they impart less english when english is applied UNINTENTIONALLY.
 
Catamount said:
... In those situations, where you intend to hit center ball, but are off either way, I believe an LD shaft can make the difference between sinking the ball, and/or getting position, or not. ...
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I think you're speaking, for the most part, of unintended back-hand english. That is, the cue remains fixed in your front-hand bridge, but the back hand moves a bit left or right on the stroke and directs the tip a bit right or left of where you intended to hit the CB. Then, because of squirt (CB deflection) or spin-induced throw, the shot may be missed.

A reasonable way to compensate for the squirt is to use a bridge length that is the same as the natural pivot point of your shaft. Then, just as when using back-hand english intentionally to compensate for squirt, the CB should follow its intended path to the OB rather than an off-line path resulting from squirt. [Edit: subject to the usual caveats about length and speed of shot when using BHE.]

But a low-squirt (LD) shaft may have a natural pivot point that is longer than one's preferred bridge length. In that case, using a regular-squirt shaft may work better to avoid the consequences of unintended back-hand english.
 
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Any off center hit will impart spin on the ball. But I agree that an LD shaft can be beneficial to one trying to hit center & inadvertantly hits off center.

I have seen it over time when a friend of mine, new to the game, bought a juiced, sanded down, 314 Cat. He later sold the cue. His game went down. He bought the shaft back & his game went up. He used no intentional side spin.

A samall amount of deflection can be overcome by the spin throw, swerve back or combination, hence more pocketed balls than a shaft that deflects too far.

However, what must also be cosidered is why the inadvertant off center hit may have ocurred. Was it a parallel off center alignment or was it a swoop that resulted in back hand english?

Other than intentionally buying an LD shaft for this reason, pocketing balls with unintended off center hits is just luck. That is why I chose to hit almost every shot with some form of intended side spin & CJ Wiley chose to use the Touch of Inside hit. If one thinks they can hit center cue ball 100% of the time, well... I guess I should have used the word believes instead of thinks.

JMHO.

Regards &
 
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JoeyInCali said:
Their benefit is less cue ball squirt.
You have not proven at all they impart less english when english is applied UNINTENTIONALLY.
Click to expand...

He hasn't proven that because that isn't what he is saying. What he is saying is exactly what you've said in your first sentence. There is less squirt on a cue ball UNINTENTIONALLY struck left or right of center.

Cat, I agree. It's the very reason I suggested one of my SL3s try a LD shaft last year. Even though he tries, he rarely hits center CB. With less deflection from his off center hits the cue should travel closer to his intended path. His ball pocketing has improved. Unfortunately he still refuses to think about the game strategically and hasn't become much better a player as a result. :-(
 
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