Want to test your stroke? Get a longer cue.

DAVE_M

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well it's no surprise that playing with a Javelin is the new hotness, but how many of you have actually played with a 64", 62", 60", or even a 59" cue?

I picked up a 30" shaft, identical to my 29" shaft except for length. I've been playing well with it, but without a doubt, there is a difference in my stroke. I'm 6'4" and have the wing span of a Boeing 747, so I didn't think it would bother me. I have a pretty good stroke, it's something I take pride in, but this shaft is testing me.

I set up identical shots, for a cut into the corner with low outside for 2 rails shape and low inside draw for 3 rail shape. I could execute both shots adequately with the 30" shaft, but with the 29" shaft it felt like I could juice the cue ball like Larry Nevel. My bridge length hasn't changed, anymore than normal changes throughout the game. I don't get it... :o
 
When I play with the extension between shaft, I feel like I can get more action on the cue ball with less effort. My stroke and my bridge are longer in some shots too. I like it for long shots than my regular lengh cue, but overall I dont feel is much of a significant difference.
 
I shoot with a 31" shaft and love it. It took a bit of getting used to but it is my norm now. I haven't touched a shorter cue in over a year now.
 
With the 30" shaft, my cue is 59". With the extension and 30" shaft, my cue is 65".
I played really well with the extension and 30" shaft in my matches last week, but I'm struggling without it.
 
It might have to do with how people are built.

They have the age-old argument about the ideal break cue weight and one theory has to do with
fast-twitch muscles vs. slow-twitch and so on.

It's a balancing act -
the heavier the cue, the more force it puts into the cue ball.
But the heavier it is, the more effort it takes to put a good swing into it.
Eventually the effort becomes too much and you slow down your swing.

So you're trying for the heaviest weight you can get that doesn't slow down
your swing substantially. That's the sweet spot.
It's possible also that a heavier cue works great for the first hour (vs. your lighter cue)
but worse for the 2nd hour (vs. your lighter cue) as fatigue sets in.

I think the extension craze is tied to the weight thing... some people can generate
good force without a lot of strain (shane and earl) and so their cues weren't at the
maximum weight they could handle. Well, earl's was always heavy.

So now with the extension they're coming closer to that sweet spot, weight-wise.
And it just makes sense to balance that weight into an extension and give
yourself the added benefit of reach.

Some people out there are going to get an extension and get no benefit
because they were already close to their sweet spot in terms of weight.
In fact a few might benefit from shortening the cue.
 
If you're a feel player that's no surprise...

DAVE_M said:
Well it's no surprise that playing with a Javelin is the new hotness, but how many of you have actually played with a 64", 62", 60", or even a 59" cue?

I picked up a 30" shaft, identical to my 29" shaft except for length. I've been playing well with it, but without a doubt, there is a difference in my stroke. I'm 6'4" and have the wing span of a Boeing 747, so I didn't think it would bother me. I have a pretty good stroke, it's something I take pride in, but this shaft is testing me.

I set up identical shots, for a cut into the corner with low outside for 2 rails shape and low inside draw for 3 rail shape. I could execute both shots adequately with the 30" shaft, but with the 29" shaft it felt like I could juice the cue ball like Larry Nevel. My bridge length hasn't changed, anymore than normal changes throughout the game. I don't get it... :o
Click to expand...

A longer shaft has a much different deflection curve than a standard length shaft. If you're a feel player, you'll just have to adjust to it.

If you use BHE, you have to find the longer shafts pivot point.

Jaden
 
Jaden said:
A longer shaft has a much different deflection curve than a standard length shaft. If you're a feel player, you'll just have to adjust to it.

If you use BHE, you have to find the longer shafts pivot point.

Jaden
Click to expand...

Making the ball isn't my problem. It's getting the same spin action. The shafts play almost identical, but I have a truer stroke with the 29" shaft.

For example. I can draw the back with much more speed with the 29" shaft. I can effectively draw the same with the 30", but it seems like more work.
 
No difference for me in stroke power. I can draw the cue ball full table with or without the extension.

i use the balance rite extension so basically its the same shaft.


But shots are straighter now, i think it's placebo effect... hahahha
 
My first cue longer than 58" was a 31" Jacoby butt I had him custom build for me to use with a 29" Predator shaft. At 60" total, a lot of people asked me how the cue felt balance-wise. I told them that it felt the same as my shorter cues...only an ounce or so heavier. I was no longer gripping my cue with my little and ring fingers curled around the bumper...and that's where all the benefit of the cue came into play...at least for me. I prefer the 60" cues on tables that are 8' or larger...but I still use 58" cues on the bar boxes.

FWIW...I now have several 60" cues that are of 30"/30" split....and I literally cannot tell the difference in balance from them as opposed to the one with the 31" butt/29" shaft. I balanced them and wrote down the stats one day, but it wasn't a big enough differential to make a fuss over...so I discarded the results.

I don't find that I shoot pool any better or worse with the longer cue as opposed to the standard 58" cues. I like not having to grasp the cue around the bumper...and the added couple of inches is good when playing on the larger tables when a little bit of stretch is required to reach certain shots.

I would like to eventually try a cue that is at least 4" longer just to see what it feels like...and I very well may invest in one of the extensions (Balance Rite) that go between the butt and shaft that is becoming a small rage within the industry...as it would fit a multitude of my playing cues.

Maniac
 
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Maniac said:
My first cue longer than 58" was a 31" Jacoby butt I had him custom build for me to use with a 29" Predator shaft. At 60" total, a lot of people asked me how the cue felt balance-wise. I told them that it felt the same as my shorter cues...only an ounce or so heavier. I was no longer gripping my cue with my little and ring fingers curled around the bumper...and that's where all the benefit of the cue came into play...at least for me. I prefer the 60" cues on tables that are 8' or larger...but I still use 58" cues on the bar boxes.

FWIW...I now have several 60" cues that are of 30"/30" split....and I literally cannot tell the difference in balance from them as opposed to the one with the 31" butt/29" shaft. I balanced them and wrote down the stats one day, but it wasn't a big enough differential to make a fuss over...so I discarded the results.

I don't find that I shoot pool any better or worse with the longer cue as opposed to the standard 58" cues. I like not having to grasp the cue around the bumper...and the added couple of inches is good when playing on the larger tables when a little bit of stretch is required to reach certain shots.

I would like to eventually try a cue that is at least 4" longer just to see what it feels like...and I very well may invest in one of the extensions (Balance Rite) that go between the butt and shaft that is becoming a small rage within the industry...as it would fit a multitude of my playing cues.

Maniac
Click to expand...

I appreciate the input. I definitely think I'll stick with the 29" shaft for the barboxes. It's hard to let my stroke out on a Diamond BB :frown:
 
DAVE_M said:
Well it's no surprise that playing with a Javelin is the new hotness, but how many of you have actually played with a 64", 62", 60", or even a 59" cue?

I picked up a 30" shaft, identical to my 29" shaft except for length. I've been playing well with it, but without a doubt, there is a difference in my stroke. I'm 6'4" and have the wing span of a Boeing 747, so I didn't think it would bother me. I have a pretty good stroke, it's something I take pride in, but this shaft is testing me.

I set up identical shots, for a cut into the corner with low outside for 2 rails shape and low inside draw for 3 rail shape. I could execute both shots adequately with the 30" shaft, but with the 29" shaft it felt like I could juice the cue ball like Larry Nevel. My bridge length hasn't changed, anymore than normal changes throughout the game. I don't get it... :o
Click to expand...

I think it matters where the extra length is. That is to say playing with a longer shaft IS NOT the same as playing with a longer butt (get your mind out of the gutter) :)

The added weight at the back of the cue is different to added weight at the front...this is the whole idea behind LD shafts as weight is taken from the front of the shaft. To me, adding weight to the back of a cue might help someone's stroke a very small amount, but I think it might negatively effect their touch a very small amount.

To players like Earl and Shane, I think they will get used to a stick that they want to get used to, and then bury us all.

Just my 0.02

kollegedave
 
itsfroze said:
So just how does playing with a longer cue test your stroke at all, as the title says ???
Click to expand...

Have you ever played with a longer cue? It will test your stroke. If you haven't, then you might want to do as the title says.

Earl's javelin is the teacher.
 
DAVE_M said:
Same tips, Tiger Sniper. Could be a bad tip?



Go troll somewhere else.
Click to expand...

I"m not trolling I asked a simple question, if you can't explain what you meant
or choose not to that's fine.

But don't call me a troll if you can't explain what you yourself wrote.

I'll ask the same question again, how does a longer cue test your stroke ???
 
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itsfroze said:
I"m not trolling I asked a simple question, if you can't explain what you meant
or choose not to that's fine.

But don't call me a troll if you can't explain what you yourself wrote.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

Explain why you asked the question and I'll give you an answer.
 
DAVE_M said:
:rolleyes:

Explain why you asked the question and I'll give you an answer.
Click to expand...

I asked the question because I don't think that using a longer cue does test
someones stroke at all, and thought since you implied that it does, somehow
test ones stroke I thought I would ask you how it does that ?


If you didn't really mean that it tests your stroke as the title says just say that.
Like I said it was a simple question, no need to be calling someone a troll
just because apparently for some reason you didn't like the question.
 
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itsfroze said:
I asked the question because I don't think that using a longer cue does test
someones stroke at all, and thought since you implied that it does, somehow
test ones stroke I thought I would ask you how it does that ?


If you didn't really mean that it tests your stroke as the title says just say that.
Like I said it was a simple question, no need to be calling someone a troll
just because apparently for some reason you didn't like the question.
Click to expand...

Fair enough.

It's my opinion that a longer cue will test your stroke, if all you've ever played with was short cues. Why? Because, you aren't used to it. I've let about 10 people hit with my cue, they all hit the CB in the wrong spot they were aiming for, because their stroke isn't as straight as they thought. I'm kind of pissing in the wind here, because from what I can tell, most members of Az can play fairly well and it would be a useless experiment.
 
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