Ok, getting used to a new shaft.

T

TheBasics

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Howdy All;

We've got a thread on adapting to a New Tip. Fine. Now, hows about adapting to a new shaft.
In particular, a Maple LD shaft with a conical taper?

New cue came with the 13 mm LD shafts and Triangle tips. I'm more used to 12.75mm tapered
with Dawg's Duds on. I like(?), the way it hits but OB's aren't going where I intend them to.
Went and shot a few games a week ago with one of my regular (pre-new cue), cues and did well.
Today, Like the kid that gets the ice cream cone ... goes to eat it and smacks himself in the forehead
with it.

Lookin' for some help here.

hank
 
The answer will be ... keep playing with it, there is no secret formula to learning to play with anything.
You shoot a shot, you miss, see how you miss and aim the other way.

I don't think you can judge a shaft till someone spends a solid week or playing a few hours a day with it, at least. I mean how long did it take you to learn to play with the shaft you are using? A new shaft is no different. You can like the hit feel immediately, how to aim with it, that depends on how long you can train yourself to aim the way you should aim not the way you want to aim based on your old shaft.
 
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I find it helps to set up some standard shots you shoot with English and see what happens
this way you’ll get a feel for how much or how little deflection there is and how you have to adjust your aim
As you repeat the shots your brain will come to understand where you need to aim and you won’t have to think of it after repetition
Just like with your old shaft
 
It will take some time. Keep addressing the ball the same way, put a good stroke on it, and if you
miss no big deal. Your brain will put it together
if you keep giving it the same look in time.
 
I changed from maple LD to CF back in April. The first month was pretty frustrating but by the end of the first month most of my shots were back to feeling natural. Over the next few months, I found that some shots were much easier and more consistent with the new shaft. Now after four months, I still have a couple of shots that give me fits.

So to give you a time frame, it will take a few months. In my case, 15 or so years of LD and 40+ years of maple are hard to put behind you.


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Scratch85 said:
I changed from maple LD to CF back in April. The first month was pretty frustrating but by the end of the first month most of my shots were back to feeling natural. Over the next few months, I found that some shots were much easier and more consistent with the new shaft. Now after four months, I still have a couple of shots that give me fits.

So to give you a time frame, it will take a few months. In my case, 15 or so years of LD and 40+ years of maple are hard to put behind you.


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Click to expand...
Scratch85, Howdy;

Yea, 61 years of playin' on an off with the wooden shafts. Still wooden. Far and away they were what you'd expect to find
on any cue. These 2 new ones are far stiffer then usual but I reckon I'll eventually get used to them. Only get a coupla hours
a week so it'll take some time.

Any others with something, glad to hear it, for those that have mentioned something Thanks.

hank
 
TheBasics said:
Scratch85, Howdy;

Yea, 61 years of playin' on an off with the wooden shafts. Still wooden. Far and away they were what you'd expect to find
on any cue. These 2 new ones are far stiffer then usual but I reckon I'll eventually get used to them. Only get a coupla hours
a week so it'll take some time.

Any others with something, glad to hear it, for those that have mentioned something Thanks.

hank
Click to expand...
Progressive practise is the way to go. Set up a standard shot with english. Make sure you're quite close to the object ball. As you start making it, increase the distance but keep the angle the same, and notice how much/little you need to compensate.

Even a single shot like this (I recommend starting with inside, as most people think it's tougher, though it's not), will give you lots of data on how the shaft reacts. If you insist on perfection in pocketing, as well as speed on every attempt, you will learn a great deal about your shaft. If you are sloppy, the learning potential is very limited. I do recommend sticking to a single shot/angle at first, because it's easier to learn that way.

Generally, when I'm rusty or adapting to a new cue, I like to play for center table position in practise. Practising on landing on the precise center spot of the table, for a multitude of shots, once I've mastered the first one. I like to leave a marker of some sort, a chalk mark or a very small piece of paper, to ensure that I'm not accepting sloppy position as "good enough"
 
Straightpool_99 said:
Progressive practise is the way to go. Set up a standard shot with english. Make sure you're quite close to the object ball. As you start making it, increase the distance but keep the angle the same, and notice how much/little you need to compensate.

Even a single shot like this (I recommend starting with inside, as most people think it's tougher, though it's not), will give you lots of data on how the shaft reacts. If you insist on perfection in pocketing, as well as speed on every attempt, you will learn a great deal about your shaft. If you are sloppy, the learning potential is very limited. I do recommend sticking to a single shot/angle at first, because it's easier to learn that way.

Generally, when I'm rusty or adapting to a new cue, I like to play for center table position in practise. Practising on landing on the precise center spot of the table, for a multitude of shots, once I've mastered the first one. I like to leave a marker of some sort, a chalk mark or a very small piece of paper, to ensure that I'm not accepting sloppy position as "good enough"
Click to expand...
Straightpool_99, Howdy;

Thanks for the good advise. Didn't have a chance to check it out till yesterday and,
well, it's a work in progress at this point. Whole lot of gettin' used to. tip, shaft, just
getting back on the tables again. Had a few hours yesterday so a minor impression
was put into the memories. A few more days and I'll be attempting to make another
dent in the gray matter. chuckle.

Thank you for the share of wisdom.

hank
 
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