I think that LD shafts are something your brain just sort of adapts to. About a year ago I had been shooting with a 30 year-old Joss shaft and took the plunge for a new Predator 314-2. I almost shipped it back after playing with it once but after giving it another chance,my game has elevated tremendously. The LD shafts are better, no doubt in my mind. But your brain has to adapt a little bit. they're more predictable, more consistent, etc. They're definitely good for the game and I won't be going back.
My theory on Deflection
- Thread starter nineballsafety8
- Start date
Back in the early '60s, I shot only with house cues, then I bought a sneaky Pete that had a 12mm tip and it felt better in my closed bridge. I didn't like that as I stroked, the diameter increased/taper creating a small drag, so I sanded the first 18" down to the same 12mm or less.
I had an aiming method of determining the contact point on the OB that would send it to the pocket/target and with a center ball hit on the CB, I would determine the distance between the contact point and the center of the OB, then I would double that distance to the outside of the OB and aim for that point. Much later, On BD and AZ Main Forums they called it Double the Distance (DD).
I noticed that I could aim closer to those aim points (DD) on and off of the OB when I applied English than with a house cue - I liked that. If a little sanding was good, then more would be better...so I sanded it down to 11mm and aimed even closer to the DD aim point than with a house cue.
Back then I didn't know the word squirt and never applied the word deflection as a component of squirt, but I observed them without those names.
When the Predator 314 came out, I bought one and liked it, then later the Z2 came out and I liked it better - what I shoot with now....no more sanding down standard shafts.
Back in the 80's I saw Ernesto Dominguez shooting with a Tad that had about an 11mm, perhaps he saw the value of less squirt. Oscar shot with the same diameter shaft on his cue. Years later, he noticed that I was shooting with a Z2 and asked if he could hit a few balls with it. He was making balls and said that he didn't have to adjust his aim to compensate - the Z2 was close to his 11mm shaft.
I had an aiming method of determining the contact point on the OB that would send it to the pocket/target and with a center ball hit on the CB, I would determine the distance between the contact point and the center of the OB, then I would double that distance to the outside of the OB and aim for that point. Much later, On BD and AZ Main Forums they called it Double the Distance (DD).
I noticed that I could aim closer to those aim points (DD) on and off of the OB when I applied English than with a house cue - I liked that. If a little sanding was good, then more would be better...so I sanded it down to 11mm and aimed even closer to the DD aim point than with a house cue.
Back then I didn't know the word squirt and never applied the word deflection as a component of squirt, but I observed them without those names.
When the Predator 314 came out, I bought one and liked it, then later the Z2 came out and I liked it better - what I shoot with now....no more sanding down standard shafts.
Back in the 80's I saw Ernesto Dominguez shooting with a Tad that had about an 11mm, perhaps he saw the value of less squirt. Oscar shot with the same diameter shaft on his cue. Years later, he noticed that I was shooting with a Z2 and asked if he could hit a few balls with it. He was making balls and said that he didn't have to adjust his aim to compensate - the Z2 was close to his 11mm shaft.
As you are probably aware, the vast majority of drivers are *terrible*. I mean just awful. Basically they are the equivalent of the worst bangers you see drunk in the bar. Most drivers have no clue whatsoever how to control their car in a emergency type situation, basically a lack of traction situation. For this large majority, performance is radically improved when braking in many low grip situations. The anti lock brake computer really is quite a bit better than the average driver. However, for highly skilled drivers, antilock brakes are a handicap. Mainly because you can't really do the things you might wish to do in certain "performance" situations. As such, I'm not sure the analogy is an accurate one. While I agree completely with your line of thinking, I think the big difference is that you *can't* do the same things with LD shafts and regular shafts. I mean, you can get the same results, but you can't, for example, take a LD shaft and *make* it squirt more. It just doesn't happen, and vice versa. Also, I hate to say it, but for the majority of low level pool players, a LD shaft will more than likely help, because their tip may be delivered to the cue with much less accuracy than an advanced player. As such, there will be lots of times they meant to hit center, but hit way left or right of center and squirting the CB way off line unintentionally. They often will have no idea why they missed. Anyway, those are my thoughts.
KMRUNOUT
You have good points. But as i said a while back, LD is for advance players; those that really know why they miss.
LD is for any player except those who close their mind to the advantages. A player does not need to know why he missed to get immediate benefit from an LD shaft.
I certainly highly recommend the LD shaft (low squirt CB) for all players, but my point is, a low level player will not appreciate a LD shaft as an advance player would. But in the long run, once a low level player reaches an A level, he or she will know what a LD and HD shaft differences are.