| Is there a big difference between "low deflection" and maple shafts? I have found that with the low deflection shaft I am able to pocket balls better. In other words, I get away with some mistakes. I miss the shot and it still goes in the pocket. One time while I was practicing at my local pool hall I decided to check how much damage a missed shot cost me. Was I losing game because of a missed shot or was it because of missed position? In twelve racks I missed nine shots. I ran three racks. In six of the nine missed shots, I would have run the rack had I not missed. My conclusion was that had I not missed those shots I would have run nine racks. DEFINITION OF A MISSED SHOT..A shot you know you can make you watch it jaw in the pocket and stay on the table. Based upon this article you would think I now shoot with a low deflection shaft. I do not, I use a maple shaft. The reason is because my ultimate cue does not come with a low defection shaft but it still shoots great so I won't change. My cue maker is from the Philippines. At a tournament in Auckland New Zealand he handed me a cue and asked me to try it out. I have been using that cue ever since. He told me the secret is in the joint and in the selection of the maple shaft. I had him make me twenty more cues sort of like this one and I now have three left. I know that a good cue maker can be the difference between winning and losing. Don't listen to the guy who says a good player can play with any kind of cue. Your equipment means everything. Make sure you have the tip on your cue that works for your kind of game. My game is to play position so I focus on Cue Ball Speed. My cue tip needs to be a medium so I can feel the amount of spin I put on the cue ball. The maple shaft does not allow you to get away with a bad shot, but it does give you a better feel for how much spin you are using, thus your position play improves with a good maple shaft. There are four dynamics a pool player must master in this game and a good cue will help you. You need; Shot making, Mastery of the four strokes, Cue Ball Speed and you need to Master self. If you have not mastered those four stages it does not matter what kind of shaft you have. No one has really found the ultimate secret to cue making. It may have something to do with our spiritual nature. I shot with my students cue and it was the worse cue I ever shot with. She told me that when she picked it up she fell in love with it and just had to have it. Then she ran four racks and out on me. What works for one does not always work for another. |
| "Low deflection vs maple shafts" |
| Aiming can play tricks on you. Your eyes see the shot and then your brain begins to process how to shoot the shot. The mind calls upon past experiences with this particular shot and then issues instructions to the shooting arm. If you have built up strong Myelin in your brain you will have confidence and thus, deliver a smooth stroke. What happens when you have confidence, deliver a smooth stroke and you miss the shot and miss position by a large margin? What happens when you make the shot and completely miss position on your intended target zone? Your mind loses confidence and then cannot see the shot anymore. Your eye sees the shot and tells your brain where to aim but the brain simply will not cooperate because something is wrong. Has this ever happened to you? You are so far off you have no idea of what to do. You are afraid to come to the table. I played a match where nothing worked at all. I missed shots, I missed position and blew safeties. When I leaned over for a shot I had no confidence in making it. I actually thought I was going to miss every shot I faced and I was sure I would not deliver the right speed. What happened to me? How could someone who won a tournament the day before suddenly be so bad? |
| I knew I was aiming properly. I knew what stroke to use, yet I knew it was not going to work. I am lined up perfectly, my feet in the right place, my right leg locked in line and yet my mind would not allow me to feel any confidence what so ever. In desperation I made a dramatic discovery. Something was wrong so I put down my cue and picked up a house cue. When I lined up I suddenly knew I was going to make the shot and deliver the correct speed. I ran the rack just as I thought I would. It was as if I never went into that mini slump. I was back in stroke once I put my cue down. So I examined my cue carefully and discovered the cause. My tip had been damp from leaving it in a case on my motorcycle the night before. With this damp tip I lost all feel for the shots. Once that happened my mind simply quit on me and wanted no part of what I was doing. My mind knew I was going to mess up so it would not allow me to see the shot at all. |
| You don't aim with your eyes. You aim with your mind. |