MODERN TECHNOLOGY vs OLD SCHOOL

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bbb

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i hope i get alot of responces on this one
in the "old days" there were no "low deflection shafts"
now there are
if a newbie was starting out to learn pool
that had no prior experience with shafts
what would you tell them to get
keep the shaft that came with your cue
or
buy a predator or ob shaft (btw any preferences or other shafts i didnt mention))

second what would you tell someone like me who is having a second honeymoon with sincere effort to get good enough to compete again
who started playing 45 years ago and is willing to go thru an "adjustment period if neccessary"(i cant beleive im that old:eek:)
 
Good topic. I would like to see others thoughts on this.

I choose to to advise beginning players to stick with the shaft that came with their cue.

The skill to adjust to a shafts squirt, must be learned. Because once learned it can be transferred to other cue setups.

As far as advice for a mature player (not old) getting back into the game, I have the same recommandation. Stick with a plain wood shaft it has served players well for hundreds of years.

I guess you see I am not much for new-fangled shafts, even though I own several :)
 
Play with a Tim Scruggs 4 pointer with original maple shafts, and Ivory Ferrules.

Fairly old school.
 
bbb said:
i hope i get alot of responces on this one
in the "old days" there were no "low deflection shafts"
now there are
if a newbie was starting out to learn pool
that had no prior experience with shafts
what would you tell them to get
keep the shaft that came with your cue
or
buy a predator or ob shaft (btw any preferences or other shafts i didnt mention))

second what would you tell someone like me who is having a second honeymoon with sincere effort to get good enough to compete again
who started playing 45 years ago and is willing to go thru an "adjustment period if necessary"(i cant believe im that old:eek:)
Click to expand...
Actually, in the old days low-squirt (deflection is what the cue ball does) shafts were available and were obtained by using a small-diameter tip and ferrule. I got one by taking off the ferrule and gluing the tip directly to the shaft wood.

I think the newbie should try different cues while working with side spin and figure out what will work best for them. If the student finds that something like back-hand english works well for them, they will probably prefer a high-squirt shaft. If they find it's easier to put on sidespin with less aiming adjustment then they may want a low-squirt shaft.
 
bbb,

i feel with you and can truly understand your serious thoughts about this *theme*. I made a break for 10 years- and when i came back there were suddelny those things, other guys have usualy as a floor in their houses :grin-square:

I m with Tony and Bob on this; you have to test it for yourself. But furthermore i must say, that there is just too much trouble about it. The most guys just haveing problems (if it s a problem...think not^^), because they have not the necessary fundamentals and they re not giving themselves enough time to handle THEIR material-no matter if it s a regular maple-shaft or a laminated, or another ld-shaft.
You have to practice with both a lot to get fit. Each of them has deflection! Some got less and some got a bit more. But you don t have to make too much trouble about it.
If you ve (hopefully) choosen a shaft for yourself, stay with it. You just have to feel comfortable with it. Each shot can be done with each shaft. I talked to so many guys about shafts, and finally i tested myself with 7 different shafts for about 2 weeks (because im seriously interested).

I still like the *Hit* of the old growth regular maple shafts. That was what i missing a bit- with some shafts like the Predators or OB shafts it is a bit easier to put some action on the ball- i then gave an OB a chance and played for about half a year with it. Great shaft. but i missed the hit. The Tiger Products were also nice. Butnow i m back to regular maple shafts. How i said, i like the nice hit and sound (totally subjective). And furthermore a really good cuemaker can do many things with a shaft (taper etc) which allows him to *tune* it a bit for his customer.

Test some- and stay with it. That s it. Andfor absolute beginners i personally recommed a cue with the shaft it comes with-that s it. The rest will come later, if he knows what he want and is serious enough, if he want s to play pool for a long long time :)

lg
Ingo
 
bbb said:
i hope i get alot of responces on this one
in the "old days" there were no "low deflection shafts"
now there are
if a newbie was starting out to learn pool
that had no prior experience with shafts
what would you tell them to get
keep the shaft that came with your cue
or
buy a predator or ob shaft (btw any preferences or other shafts i didnt mention))

second what would you tell someone like me who is having a second honeymoon with sincere effort to get good enough to compete again
who started playing 45 years ago and is willing to go thru an "adjustment period if neccessary"(i cant beleive im that old:eek:)
Click to expand...



Since there are no magic wands in pool, play with the shaft that you are comfortable with. Like the one that comes with your cue.

I'm 70 and still learning about this game.

Might see you in a couple of months.

Merry Christmas
randyg
 
standard or LD shaft

I don't think I'd recommend that a beginner start with a low deflection shaft. They don't really have the skill set to fully understand the effects of deflection and squirt. Plus, a good LD shaft can be expensive. If they lose interest in the sport, the money was ill spent.

If you are an advanced player looking to get back into the game, I would use a standard shaft to bet back to a highly competent level and then decide if an LD shaft will benefit your game.

Deflection occurs in both standard and LD shafts. You're simply learning to adjust for a different level of deflection.
 
This is a tough one. Picking a shaft is truely a personal experience. I played the first half of my pool career with maple shafts. After the Predator shaft came out, I tried it, loved it and never looked back.

I always wanted a shaft that gave me a firm hit without the downside of substantial cb deflection. Low deflection shafts gave me what I was looking for.

If you like a firm hitting cue but aren't thrilled with the cb squirt that goes along with it, I suggest that you try a low deflection shaft.

I call those shafts 'spoilers' because I've tried to switch back on occasion and I can't. The difference in deflection is enormous to me. I don't even know how I could have played with the other shafts.

But that's just me.
 
bbb said:
i hope i get alot of responces on this one
in the "old days" there were no "low deflection shafts"
now there are
if a newbie was starting out to learn pool
that had no prior experience with shafts
what would you tell them to get
keep the shaft that came with your cue
or
buy a predator or ob shaft (btw any preferences or other shafts i didnt mention))

second what would you tell someone like me who is having a second honeymoon with sincere effort to get good enough to compete again
who started playing 45 years ago and is willing to go thru an "adjustment period if neccessary"(i cant beleive im that old:eek:)
Click to expand...

I would recommend a new player or one coming back to the game to play with a the shaft that came with their cue and focus on developing the proper fundamentals including good pre-shot routines and stroke mechanics. As you might expect, I would also suggest to them that a session or multiple sessions with a qualified instructor may shorten the time it takes to develop these skills.
 
If I had it to do over again, I'd start out like I did, with a standard maple shaft...you learn the basics better and can do a little more with the cue ball. Once you're competent (running a table more than once in a row), then definitely try an LD and see what you think. I can see how an LD shaft would have benefits for a player as they really start to take off...I see it all the time, young bangers get an LD shaft and start to really get handy. Not for everyone, but it definitely helps a lot of folks if they pick them up at the right time. LD shafts aren't going away any time soon, there's tons to choose from in lots of different configurations, so you really don't have to sweat laying standard shafts down...and this from a guy who plays with standard shafts and ivory ferrules--and has only just started trying layered tips! :D
 
Just for the record, a solid maple shaft can be LD. This is what I prefer and have always played with.

Truthfully, I didn't have a clue about deflection, I just knew certain shafts were like cheating because they were so accurate with englsh.
 
LD shafts?

Tony_in_MD said:
Good topic. I would like to see others thoughts on this.

I choose to to advise beginning players to stick with the shaft that came with their cue.

The skill to adjust to a shafts squirt, must be learned. Because once learned it can be transferred to other cue setups.

As far as advice for a mature player (not old) getting back into the game, I have the same recommandation. Stick with a plain wood shaft it has served players well for hundreds of years.

I guess you see I am not much for new-fangled shafts, even though I own several :)
Click to expand...

I agree. But I've played (pretty well) with a variety shafts. I think I adjust to various shafts as I play with them. Went from flexible shafts to stiffer shafts in the last decade, and to original Pred 314 shafts around 2004. Had several Pechauers with 314 shafts and loved them. Been playing with a 1987 Joss with 314s (and Moori M & Kamui H) for three years now, but picked up a Pech SP for a friend and loved it (with the original shaft). So I got one for myself, with an Emerald tip and the diameter reduced to 12.8. Taper is about the same as the 314. I can barely tell the difference and love both my current players.
Donny l
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl
 
Just getting my bearings back from a decade off the table. Looking forward to trying a LD shaft someday but want to get back to where I was performing in the 90's first.

Baby just woke up....to be continued.
 
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