stiffness of a cue

mirdavanfe

seasoned beginner
Silver Member
most post say that the shaft must be as rigid as possible,yet when i see bustamente break,his shaft bend on the table like rubber stick,what am i missing here???
 
mirdavanfe said:
most post say that the shaft must be as rigid as possible,yet when i see bustamente break,his shaft bend on the table like rubber stick,what am i missing here???

His stick is probably very stiff but when he strikes the cueball the tip goes down into the table on the follow through with his body rising up. So since the cue shaft is not as hard as the slate it will ride the table and bend. Usually you don't see it because you are looking at the rack and it happens so fast. Unless you are the type of breaker who uses an open bridge and follows through and pulls up on the cue I would bet you bend it too.
 
mirdavanfe said:
most post say that the shaft must be as rigid as possible,yet when i see bustamente break,his shaft bend on the table like rubber stick,what am i missing here???

you talking about a break shaft? a player will break with what he is comfortable with. and since busta ahs the best break in pool, he will break with whatever he likes.
 
As rigid as possible ? Never. Make a shaft out of titanium, which is very light and very strong material and you'll find that the shaft would be crappy for breaking and shooting.

Cues are relatively thin and any cue wood will bend, especially on break shots if you have the tendency of bending the cue. Having a stiff shaft has really nothing to do with the fact that the shaft will bend when rammed against the cloth. Actually, if you break in a way which will bend the shaft, I think a stiff shaft breaks easier than a whippy shaft. But in this break shot context it doesn't really matter.
 
UWPoolGod1 said:
His stick is probably very stiff but when he strikes the cueball the tip goes down into the table on the follow through with his body rising up. So since the cue shaft is not as hard as the slate it will ride the table and bend. Usually you don't see it because you are looking at the rack and it happens so fast. Unless you are the type of breaker who uses an open bridge and follows through and pulls up on the cue I would bet you bend it too.
i know why a cue does bend,what i don't understand is why a lot of peoples go-on about having a stiff shaft that make their cue the best
 
bruin70 said:
you talking about a break shaft? a player will break with what he is comfortable with. and since busta ahs the best break in pool, he will break with whatever he likes.
that's as helpfull as a kick in the bollox
 
mirdavanfe said:
i know why a cue does bend,what i don't understand is why a lot of peoples go-on about having a stiff shaft that make their cue the best

People have their own experiences with equipment. There are plenty of people out there who play Meucci but it doesn't fit the way I play. Now if I played with a whippy Meucci for a year I would probably be used to it at that point. If I had a cue that flopped like a noodle and would constantly make me 2 or 3 balls on the break I would use it in a heart beat over a stiff cue. I just don't have the extra cash laying around to keep buying shafts to find that one perfect on for my break. Here is a very recent example of my playing. I was breaking with a local makers plain jane custom cue that I bought off my friend for $150. Now the shaft is thin with a longer taper so the shaft bends a ton on the break. In the past year due to bad craftsmanship/strong break the ferrule and shaft itself has a hairline crack starting, but that did not bother me cause I was making balls on most of my breaks. Due to the cracks I just put my old McDermott shaft on the cue because it is a little thicker. I now break alot harder but can't make a ball on the break. And that is especially frustrating when there is a wide open table and you watch your opponent get to run it out instead. Gonna go back to the old shaft until it snaps, or I pony up the cash to try another one.
 
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