New Cue Syndrome -- Real or Imagined

If you fallow the above advice call the old pool player first , the cue builder will tell you of course you need a new cue or shaft ! ha ha
 
When in doubt, look to Yogi, not Yoda that was a fictional character.

Yogi Berra’s quotes have a message so thank goodness for Yogi-isms.

One of his Yogi-isms seems apropos for getting a new cue, especially
if you are playing in a slump. Remember what Yogi said about hitting.

“I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up I change bats.”
 
Imagined.

The biggest example of this is almost the entirety of the degenerate level players switching to CF shafts in the past 5 years. None of them play any better for it.

Edit: I may have interpreted the question wrong. But you get what I mean.
 
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Thank you to all who have participated in this thread and offered their thoughtful opinions.

One of the final thing I want to say on this topic is: over the last 50 years I have been blessed to play with a wide variety of cues, having had some very esteemed cue makers construct cues to my specs. And a couple of cues have just randomly landed in my mitts. Some have been marvelous, elevating my play the second I took my first stroke with them (I have written about a couple of them here). Others, I have struggled with over many years.

So after 50 years what I know is this: sometimes, it is just NCS, as many here have described.

But sometimes... something else is happening. The balance of the cue is just so; its length, it's wrap or lack of, affecting your grip adjustment; the amount of deflection from the tip, ferule and shaft; and most often, for me, the balance of the cue that just lands it in the "sweet spot" when you get into shooting position.

There is no doubt in my mind that the stoutness of the cue and its "hit" also come into play, but for my money: sometimes a particular cue enables you to set up "just so" and as a bonus gives you a dead on hit and spin.

Lou Figueroa
 
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lfigueroa said:
Thank you to all that have participated in this thread and offered their thoughtful opinions.

One of the final thing I want to say on this topic is: over the last 50 years I have been blessed to play with a wide variety of cues, having had some very esteemed cue makers construct cues to my specs. And a couple of cues have just randomly landed in my mitts. Some have been marvelous, elevating my play the second I took my first stroke with them (I have written about a couple of them here). Others, I have struggled with over many years.

So after 50 years what I know is this: sometimes, it is just NCS, as many here have described.

But sometimes... something else is happening. The balance of the cue is just so; its length, it's wrap or lack of, affecting your grip adjustment; the amount of deflection from the tip, ferule and shaft; and most often, for me, the balance of the cue that just lands it in the "sweet spot" when you get into shooting position.

There is no doubt in my mind that the stoutness of the cue and its "hit" also come into play, but for my money: sometimes a particular cue enables you to set up "just so" and as a bonus gives you dead on hit and spin.

Lou Figueroa
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😎👍
 
I think it’s real in the sense that maybe…

A new cue has a good tip, especially if it’s from a reputable Cuemaker.

A new cue is clean, so a player can get the shaft through the hands.

A new cue is new, so a player will pay a little more attention when he first gets it.

A new cue is new, so a player has to do everything he can to make sure he didn’t waste his money.

That said, when I bought my Schuler Cue, I won a tournament that weekend with it and placed awfully high in another one the following week. Schuler has been the natural fit to me since day one. Have I had other cues that played really well immediately the first time they were in my hands,? Yes… Tascarella, Jim Buss, RAT, Tucker, Jack Madden… Andy Gilbert. I won with all of them, and they all felt great. But I always go back to the Schuler. I also have several cues that the first time I shot with them, I knew immediately that they weren’t going to be the long term partner.
 
seven times world champion snooker legend Stephen Hendry played (almost) his entire career with a £40 cue he bought as a teenager

Alex Higgins, when they first met, said
‘That thing,’ he laughs, ‘is only good for holdin’ up fuckin’ tomatoes!’
 
lfigueroa said:
I was talking to Gail tonight over dinner about playing with my newest cue and told her I was playing exceptionally well with it and with a high degree of overall consistency.

I tried to describe the hit, feel, and... confidence I got from playing with it. Then I told her about "New Cue Syndrome" and how all pool players were familiar with the experience of playing better (most often for just a short while) with a new cue and that it all might just be a case of Festinger's cognitive dissonance.

So what say you? All in yer head or sometimes maybe real?

Lou Figueroa
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When I was a kid I swore I could run faster with a new pair of P.F. Flyers.
 
I purchased and played with different types of ivory joint cues and cue makers before I settled on what I liked the most.
It took me several years but eventually you figure out, or just stumble upon, a winning combination and so stick with it.

Once I knew what seemed to work best for me, thereafter, all of my custom pool cue orders used the very same specs.
Could I play as well with a cue heavier, or lighter? Yup, but I’d not play as well as and I’d definitely miss more shots.

Over time, would I improve my level of play. Sure, to some degree but I’d always be held back because of the tactile feel &
balance of my cues that I’ve become attuned to after all these years. If you know what you like, you should stick with it.

Let’s face reality. Most players know what they like and don’t like but usually only when it’s a dramatic difference from
their cue. It’s the more subtle differences that they don’t get to sensually experience that can distinguish different cues.

To do that takes a lot of time, exposure to a large variety of cues, and at least a cursory understanding of pool cue anatomy. And the challenge is even greater when the majority of players can’t tell you about their cue you just tried.

It was a lot easier decades ago when there were more pool halls and I lived in various big cities, besides NYC. There was a larger variety of cues I’d encounter. The owners knew about their cue besides what tip they decided to install.

There is no formula for getting a custom cue built other than what the cue maker has in mind to build your cue, unlike
being fitted for golf clubs or assigning what’s the best tension to your tennis racket based on how hard you hit the ball.

So the more information you can provide the cue maker, the more likely it is you’ll figure out what you like the most. It
may change over time but this is your pool cue, not a cue maker’s. Order it the way you want or wait until you know.
 
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lfigueroa said:
I was talking to Gail tonight over dinner about playing with my newest cue and told her I was playing exceptionally well with it and with a high degree of overall consistency.

I tried to describe the hit, feel, and... confidence I got from playing with it. Then I told her about "New Cue Syndrome" and how all pool players were familiar with the experience of playing better (most often for just a short while) with a new cue and that it all might just be a case of Festinger's cognitive dissonance.

So what say you? All in yer head or sometimes maybe real?

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
Pics?? Whatcha get??
 
George the Greek said:
I've had the same playing and break cue for at least 35 years and both are straight as a die. They both work good enough for my talent and just had a new tip put on both and a ferrule on my break shaft. I got a new case for X-mas and retired the old one that was falling apart after 40+ years. The most important part for me is the right tip that does what I want it to do.
Click to expand...
If a new cue could fix what's broke in my stroke, I'd buy 10 of em!!!
 
m00sebumps said:
I had a bit of the opposite experience when i got a new shaft. I had been playing with a 314-3 for a long time and loved it. One of my friends has a Jacoby Black V4 and I really liked the way it hit when he let me try it out. I had been wanting to give a carbon shaft a try so I ordered myself one. The new cue syndrome was there for about a week then my game took a sharp dive similar to the drop of a continental shelf in the ocean. I ended up just putting it back in my bag for almost a year and even tried to sell it for a while. Long story short, I ended up taking about a 6 month break from pool because I had to address my drinking. I'm 8 months sober now and when I decided to get back into league I just started over with the Jacoby after having a new tip installed. I'm playing fine with it now, to be honest the decline was likely a combination of my alcoholism and some really difficult family stuff in my home life for a while. I really got off the rails here but I think our brains have a much longer lasting impact on our game than any piece of equipment.
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Congrats on 8 months!!
Stay strong. 449.
 
lfigueroa said:
But sometimes... something else is happening. The balance of the cue is just so; its length, it's wrap or lack of, affecting your grip adjustment; the amount of deflection from the tip, ferule and shaft; and most often, for me, the balance of the cue that just lands it in the "sweet spot" when you get into shooting position.

There is no doubt in my mind that the stoutness of the cue and its "hit" also come into play, but for my money: sometimes a particular cue enables you to set up "just so" and as a bonus gives you a dead on hit and spin.
Click to expand...
Now with the above in mind. Imagine how well you could strike the ball if you stuck with the same equipment for several years if not decades and became truly dialed in to it's characteristics..

The harsh reality is, swapping equipment does nothing but reset the clock in terms of gaining proficiency.

The highlighted portion above is all I need to know. The only thing that should be effecting your grip placement is your bridge hand.
 
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