Touch of Dead Center (Dr Dave?)

[Philthepockets]

I almost never hit center ball (along the vertical axis)
I will strike just above or below and adjust speed to get what I need.
Now here’s my thinking and correct me if I am wrong (what on AZ???:grin
With a dead center strike it feels like you are absorbing the whole mass of the CB, the CB does not rotate like it would with top or bottom. The rotation absorbs some of the energy and the CB gives way more easily to the cue.
Correct?

 

[bdorman]

The differences are so minor I doubt it's going to have any practical effect, i.e. conserving energy for the 100s of shots you'll need to take during a match?

High, low or center the CB still weighs the same amount -- so actually I think the opposite is true: a high or low hit is going to require more effort to move the CB the same amount as center ball. Low is always going to require more energy since you're losing energy to cloth friction from the git-go. High loses energy to cue stick vibration that ends up "in the air" rather than in the CB (would you rather be punched directly in the nose, or take a glancing blow?). CB center transmits the most energy from the cue to the CB.

As I mentioned earlier, the physical effects are near-insignificant. I think it comes down to conserving mental energy: if you're more confident hitting high/low your strokes will be confident and the game will seem to require less energy. But it's mental energy, not physical.

 

[CreeDo]

Think dorman has it right. When you hit further away from center you are hitting a section of the ball, a "slice" of it with less mass. Dr. Dave's testing found a practical application for this knowledge.

normally hitting lower equals better draw, assuming you don't miscue. but for power draw shots at a distance, you actually get better results hitting a little closer to the center, because you're pushing a more massive part of the ball around. sort of like how you'd have better results pushing someone on the back, on a swing set, rather than just pushing, say, the heel of their shoe.

really though it's all academic. if you feel inclined to use more center ball in your game, you don't need some obscure physics-based excuse to do so. and if you would rather not use much of it, that's fine too.


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[Luther Blissett]

EDIT: Realised I might be wrong and decided to delete my post before I get quoted. :]

 

[duckie]

CTE Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[randyg]

What if "center ball" was defined as the Vertical or Horizontal Line? The we could hit center ball up or down.

Hitting a dead center cue ball is hard to do.

randyg

 

[Slasher]

so if the cue speed is the same when striking DC or above/below is the CB speed the same or will the friction from the cloth on a ball with rotation slow it down?

 

[bdorman]

so if the cue speed is the same when striking DC or above/below is the CB speed the same or will the friction from the cloth on a ball with rotation slow it down?

CB speed is determined by three factors; cue speed is only one of them. The factors are cue speed, "centerness" of hit and roll-induced friction.

The amount of energy transferred from the cue to the CB depends on cue speed and where the cue hits the CB (you can't look at cue speed only). Center ball hit transfers the most energy. High or Low hits result in energy lost to the vibration of the cue. Again, the analogy of being hit in the face with a punch: a direct punch -- mid-face -- will transfer more "fist energy" to your face than a punch that glances off your chin or forehead. The speed of the approaching fist doesn't change; just the location of the transfer of energy from the fist to your face.

Friction from the cloth (and the surrounding air) will eventually rob the CB of all its motion (energy) and bring it to a stop. This is more apparent in a draw shot since the CB is actually rotating in the opposite direction of its forward motion. For Centerball and High hits the difference in friction is probably so minimal that we can't tell the difference.