Understanding Cue Ball Deflection | Billiard / Pool

[danwilliams10]

left english right english wtf shut the fuck up and hit the ball

[gradoman2]

While I don't doubt the merits of a Predator shaft as I've tried one myself. One can clearly see in the second example that the cue ball and object ball are not in a straight line when using stock shafts and hence wild results. When he hits the Predator the balls are perfectly straight. This is not a fair demonstration.

[Guitarded4life1]

Advertisement or not, the only thing wrong about this video is that he seems to exaggerate the deflection. Other than that, he is correct. Deflection happens. It's physics. Predator cues greatly reduce deflection. The majority of pros use them. It's not just used by more pros than any other cue. More than half of the pros use them. Using one makes you more precise. It's like a rifled gun barrel vs. a non-rifled gun barrel.

[ikawpipa]

this is nothing!!! ... i can draw the object ball.

[supermetalhead999]

When he hits with "his 314 shity shaft" he doesn't use nowhere near "two tips" left or right. LOL.

[ash57873]

I dont know if this is meant to be a joke + he is just taking the piss?! because how can you suck that bad i mean cmon.

[oskeexy]

It's because his cue action is fucking terrible.

[TheSandycrazy]

dis guy is learnin at da same tym teaching..lol

[vaderraider666]

This guy is a idiot I'm only 20 but I have 15 years of playing time and the reason people miss when using English is because sometimes your trying to set yourself up for a big shot and take the shot for granted causing a miss.shooting any shot the English will take effect AFTER it makes contact with something not including the air in front of the cue ball.

[chevykicksass505]

When using left or right spin the cueball will always deflect or "squirt" in a different direction. Then you have to consider the "throw" of the object ball due to the effects of the english you just applied. Example, if you use left hand english on the cue ball, the ball it hits will be "thrown" to the right causing you to miss the pocket. The point of a low deflection shaft is to minimize deflection so that you really only have to worry about compensating for "throw".

[chevykicksass505]

@Tingfact - Go pick up a one piece house cue, aim straight into a pocket using left or right english and watch yourself miss. You sir, are retarded. And yes this video is way too dramatic.

[DaireLyne]

I have used the Meucci Black dot shaft and have seen the shaft used in a laser demonstration titled Meucci Myth destroyer. I have tried exactly what has been shown in the video and it is for certain.

[tingfact]

Absolute bullcrap. First if you believe this you will never be able to play billiards.

Another is his use of a carom cue ball. NOT-NOT to be used in pocket billiards.

This guy is so full of himself.

(Fifty years experience teaching, writing books, and coaching top players in this exquisite sport.)

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS DEFLECTION--PERIOD!!!

[Natesdeskyou]

:28 I disagree... the cue ball ALWAYS goes EXACTLY where you aim it!

[Natesdeskyou]

he's sweating in his shirt, LOL... at start of video.. center of shirt on belly and under his man boobs.

[johnrhys1992]

My cue without chalk doesnt even do that :S

[AlphaEckoNiner9ner]

Dude, u trying to play-down the skills of English players' cue control to sell your American 'Cheat-pole' to the 'too-darn-lazy-to-master-the-g­ame' wannabes?

Try chalking ur tip, or if u go on a diet, you'd be able to bend low enough to compensate your line of shot with your desired sidespin.

DON'T BASTARDIZE THE GAME.

[newbass28]

bullcrap... you just have a crap stroke.

[Approbare88]

disgusting stroke and a horrible lesson

[smbudd07]

what a turd..

[BartjeOstend]

Why is it always that predator fans comes with stuff like this ?? Someone gave me a 1200€ Predator 3,14 about 10 yr ago and I go fishing with it while I play with a very cheap Cuetec made in China. I think that the predator logo is too expensive, and dont dare to say no it isnt or I will come with my Cuetec and will return to Belgium with your predator, cellphone, money, proud .. maybe more :p

[Vapor80]

@BartjeOstend Predator still has way less deflection than any other shaft in the world. I'd only compare Mezz shafts and MAYBE the meucci black dot shaft. That's why they're expensive, if you play with a cuetec you need to compensate too much, its annoying and can cause more misses than if you had a low deflection shaft. Come on now.

[BartjeOstend]

@Vapor80 Dont believe too much the commercials, they can brainwash youuuuuu :p

[BartjeOstend]

@Vapor80 I saw a lot of people playing with predator, and, espacely under an audience, they want to put english on that cueball, just to impress and believe me, I saw a lot of misscues with predator from people like this. You dont need a lot of english in perfect pool, you need position, that means a potable object ball and a logical angle to get your next position. forget predator and send your money to me from now on ;)

[arpeemac]

the "high-deflection" shots were completely stupid and absolutely exaggerated. it was like a beginner learning how to play pool; or shooting pool while dancing. =))

im from manila, and for years i've always used 1-piece maple shafts from local cue makers here. in my opinion, deflection is a matter of:

1. what kind of tip you're using

2. what kind of chalk you're using and how you chalk your tip

3. how loose/tight your bridging hand is

4. how you stroke your shooting line

[ikawpipa]

can i draw the object ball using the 314 shaft ?

[MrJAClark]

that was the longest Predator commercial ever

[danceoutnow]

ummm....yea, the more english you use, the more throw will occur and you must adjust the stroke slightly whenever you apply any type of spin. This sounds more like a plug for predator shafts, because the best in the world can sink a ball with a Viking, with a house cue, with a nine iron (or putter), or even a broom handle. Work on your aim adjustment for your cue, not what shaft you use

[Itazura960]

This guy is retarded. I was interested at first, but it was long and boring and then it all became about shafts? wtf.

[themanitasdeplomo]

What a farce!

[afkdude]

waste of youtube space, and from the crap thats on this site, thats saying somthing.

[phongvo9989]

If you use fractional aiming technique, you can easily image how many percent you have to hit the aiming, then aim and image ghost ball. Then

1/ just find out the point where you wanna put english on the cue ball

2/ other point on the ghost ball that the same exactly where you aim the point of the cue ball

3/ your eyes and cue stick

>> if 3 things above on the same line, there is no more deflection. everyshots will have FIRE IN THE HOLE.

Remember, practice makes perfect.

[itsyourz]

this guys fat and has stains on his shirt

[kenshinbattousai374]

Lol dude. That's throw, not squirt.

[teliaz]

I agree on most of these comments bellow. This guy is trying hard to make other pool cues look bad.

One more thing other than different amount of english applied in "high deflection cue" , is the cue tip.

If both non-predator cues have a bad shaped cue tip, maybe a very flat one this strokes are actually not that hard to accomplish.

Search "Pool Cue Tip Curvature"

[Iamtoookool]

ok I have played pool for a long time and i have to say I have played with predator and it feels great but you can still make all these shot with any cue. So your a joke to the game and its said that you are selling yourself as a trainer or a player. Wannabe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tph23]

Obviously this is a PREDATOR ADVERTISEMENT. Look at the username.

[MrCucoloris]

fuck a predator. my cue's got soul and you got the 7.

[Kobesification]

Is this an ad for predator? If not your a joke..

[themanitasdeplomo]

What a fraud...

[SirNoobs]

Back hand english, guys. It's one of the best ways to apply to sidespin if you guys practice it!

Also if you can achieve position without using sidespin: don't use it, it'll just complicate things. :P

[JamaicanGingerCake]

Nonsense. I could play every single shot you just played (the good shots and the miss shots) with just one cue. A club cue at that.

[junglizt93]

. .. they do the same exercise with a machine. There is some deflection with a 314 shaft, but not near as much as other shafts. .. also depends on the weight of the shot. With less weight, the cue ball will actually swerve back towards the target line (given enough distance).

15 years with a 314 shaft. .. and his stroke is not that far off each time, it's the shaft of the cue bending to absorb the force from contact. Different for each of those cues.

.

[bassamalnaji2010]

I have been playing pool for 35 years, i have yet to see a pool player playing with pivot style. I agree with some of the comments posted, you must keep cue parallel to ob path then there will be no deflection what so ever, as far as swerve, if cue is not level you will have swerve. I have been playing with $15.00 cue for almost 30 years and won few tournaments , i aim before i go down, if shot needed English i will go down with English in mind and automatically my stick is parallel

[FXBilliards]

@bassamalnaji2010 - that $15 cue of yours, when adjusted for inflation would cost $240. Ironically about the same cost as a Predator 314 shaft. Congrats on your wins. I also have a clue that I bought over 30 years that is still in great condition and has a ton of Ws under it's belt. I wish I could say that I only payed $15 for it, but I can't.

[ben91mr2]

pay no attention to this video it is not instructional nor helpful just a disguised predator cue ad

[beccullity]

WHAT CUE ON EARTH MISSES LIKE THAT WHEN U PUT SIDE ENGLISH ON THE BALL??? THE ONLY TIME THIS SHIT HAPPENS IS WHEN THERES NO CHALK ON THE CUE...

IVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 25 YEARS, AND THIS VIDEO IS SUCH A CROCK OF SHIT... PLEASE DONT BELIEVE THIS CRAP

[weav1e]

this video put simply: buy a predator 3-14 cue shaft

i dislike this video cause it is basically telling you that your cue suits all opinions, what about the old timers (sorry) they grew up with traditional cues, with out all this advanced non-sense to complicate things

some people want to learn to understand how ti use 'English' or 'side spin' in their game, not how much better your SUPER CUE is

pool is a simple game, a game that should be kept simple

thumbs down for me

[bassamalnaji2010]

2- If you shoot above shot by aiming at center of ob, and then you bend your rear hand to put English (BHE) and shoot, you will have deflection, all cues, the way to avoid that is to make the bridge long depending on cue, mark the cue and you will find a sweet spot where there is no deflection, like Dr from Colorado

[bassamalnaji2010]

1- two ways to aim at an object ball, take a straight shot  place cue at spot and ob at other spot, with shaft two tips to right and your tip is aimed two tips to right of ob, aim using cue ball & ob, if you shoot this way there should be no deflection what so ever, ensure when you shoot do not have long stoke, just pull cue 1/2 inch and follow through # 2 next post

[rrj4]

are you applying parallel english to these shots?

[BloodyFingerz]

Best cue i've ever held.. Predator is well worth the money, Im getting back into the game and getting the p2 series with a z2 shaft:) Thank You Predator!!

[youragayrod]

Don't deflection test using any BHE. Your making it confusing and inaccurate... and put a 2nd gen z up there. It'll make your "predator ad" look better.

[youragayrod]

Don't deflection test using any BHE. Your making it confusing and inaccurate... and put a 2nd gen z up there. It'll make your predator ad look better.

[th30wn4g3]

so i really need to say this. FAKE AND GAY.

[omega666ification]

@th30wn4g3 i believe u are right it may just be fake i have a scorpion cue with the regular shaft and i have never gotten such poor english shots. pretty sure he is just advertising for predator trying to say that predator is better besides all u need to know is how to compensate for the deflection and it won't be an issue when playing the shot

[jimbojimjs]

What the hells is this? That guy clearly steer the cue ball WAYYYY off on the side with the 'high deflection' shaft...and even then, his stroke isn't smooth with the pred. shaft......too funny

[joeygonzo]

CENTER English ?

That ( high deflection ) shaft has a weight insert inside the ferrule. It's a trick shaft. Sorry. No regular shaft has that kind of squirt.

[bboyAmber]

Did u try on posion shalf? isit a high or low deflection?

[bboyAmber]

Did u try on posion shalf? isit a high or low deflection?

[bboyAmber]

Did u try on posion shalf? isit a high or low deflection?

[bboyAmber]

Hi, have you tried posion shalf? 

[GetMeThere1]

Funny to see how many people are saying this is bullshit. It's not--and you can test it yourself to see (to see that most cues produce a lot of squirt). There are straightforward (but counter-intuitive) physical reasons squirt happens. The amount of squirt is DRASTICALLY affected by the amount of mass in the last 6 inches or so of the cue. Predator simply hollows out the last fraction of the shaft, and makes that portion much lighter. Still, an experienced player instinctively modifies fr squirt

[beccullity]

@GetMeThere1 ...??????? wtf?

[GetMeThere1]

@beccullity : I would attempt to reply, if only you gave anything to reply to. Perhaps you're not aware of the reality of the phenomenon of "squirt." I recommend having a look at videos by DrDave and/or FargoBilliards.

[Allanbruun]

Wauw, this was utter crap.... what a fool!!!

And now, - A word from our sponsor!!!.... It could have warned us about being a commercial. Poor people that thinks he knows what he is talking about.

Shame on you!!!!!!



[nowheretorun86]

If you know how to aim, how to stroke, how to feel your cue, squirting is not a problem, I always use the original shaft (my cue is a custom,with 2s, 1 made of bird's eyes maple for new cloth table,for better control and spin, 1 made of hard rock maple,for old and slow cloth,for more power, I don't want to change anything of it) when you familiar with your cue, you'r master at table

[nowheretorun86]

2 diff kinds of stroke clearly, the 314-2 help you, but not that difference, we are not foolish (as you)

[nowheretorun86]

bullshit!

[lakunas23]

Fact: you have to apply more side on the cueball for the same spin to take with a regular shaft, then a pro shaft such as this. Thatswhy he is hitting the cueball more on the side and applying a slight offstroke to show the same ammount of work with a cheap shaft. And if this was mearly a cheap trick to sell Predator cues, why do pros use them as much?

[hjones1]

Moi, je parle Francais.

[snaredrumr01]

start your day off with two tips of english!

[Daminatovideo]

I dont think his stroke his horrible and IMO above average. I think he started with conventional shaft at a early age and his brain automatically compensates when he spins balls, by steering his follow through out of the way of the cue. Then he does is less with when he knows he has a predator shaft. True a pro will know how to make these shots with any cue and they will make adjustments in aim and stroke to compensate for deflection and squirt. in order to do so...

[runoutman]

his "high deflection" cue is a brunswick centennial I'm sure it squirts like a motherfucker. anyway you've got action tubby

[bearsafetyus]

his stroke is horrible and squirly. he also moves his stroke to the side at the last moment before contact with the " high deflection" shaft. I love my predator but you're a...

[pollymatication]

Fraudulent

[Irakli1981]

this movie sucks I am pro and i can assure thet I can make any kind of spin with anu kind of shaft, all I need is normal tip and chalk

[MichaelMichelleCC]

so true

[HS22181]

This is a sad excuse of an advertisement. Does he really think that he is fooling us? As others have pointed out here he manipulates each shot to exaggerate the bad results and he does compensate and shoots harder with his Ron Popeil shaft hit the object ball.

[tonykartyz125]

The fact that a great player using a bar cuecan beat a bad or average player using the best cue is not relevant.If you are really serious about pool and you invest 2000 hours playing/practicing with a lower deflecting shaft.Your brain will have more accurate feed back to eliminate mistakes.

[lob3h]

The technique I find working for me best is to actually aim center ball and move my arm to the right if I want to apply left spin and move my arm to the left to apply right spin. For longer shots I use a little bit of both parallel and "backhand" english and probably some adjustment. And I don't use predator shaft. So, I guess what I am trying to say is it all comes down to practice. As they say shoot one shot 1000 times and you'll know how to shoot it when it comes up in a game of pool.

[lob3h]

This is an amateur video, and I have no idea what this guy is trying to do. I am an amateur player, but I can tell the difference between "parallel english", used in this video when shooting with high deflection shaft and conventional shaft, and a combination of parallel english and backhand english, used when shooting with the predator shaft. So to get to the point, no matter which shaft u use if you use only parallel english you will get more deflection, than if you use a combination of both.

[pollymatication]

I didn't wanna watch an advert.. what utter shit

[GABOON1973]

i agree with most...the deflection or squirt is exaggerated...doesnt matter wht kind of shaft you use, if your use to it you know how to adjust..i use a predator z2 shaft..it doesnt deflect as much as most other shafts but these differences are very small....bottom line practice with the shaft you are using and you will shoot just as good as anyone else with a different shaft....

[mackhaio5]

agreed but you have to love them predator after you get good though, i personally like the mezz wd700 with a medium tip. but i shoot just as well with any standard cue with hard tip just i cant be as aggressive with english.

[pigdisposal]

i cant even get half that amount of squirt, never seen that before.

[liebspeck]

I think the new FAT shaft'd be just right for him...

[patrickpicache108]

This is just an adverisement for Predator.A pool player knows when their is deflection because they are using SPIN not telling us Predator cues are are awesome blah blah blah...and besides Efren became pro with a "high deflection"shaft.and Predator is way overpriced in my opinion...

[lagregss]

your opinion sucks

[fergamis]

ROFL! Love the comments...Best part of the vid is at the end when he sinks the two, he didn't put himself on a shot lol...Douche FTW!

[mastercrap]

what the hell is he trying to do

[farlex80]

I can't believe how much he've exhaggerated the deflection in the first shots ,cause that is almost impossible unless you never played pool before

[nathanrh]

Notice how when he uses the "high deflection" shaft, his stroke is horribly off center, and the tip hits the felt 3-4 inches off to the side. However when he uses the 314, he strokes through the ball, and the tip touches the felt properly.

These strokes are not the same. He's hitting the ball differently to trick you. It's total bullshit.

Even low deflection shafts still squirt. They do help, but you'll still have to compensate regardless.

Dont listen to a word this guy says.

[s1llyvi3tb0i]

seriosly, this vid is complete bullsh*t lol

i agree with ur comment, it does help but u dont get that much deflection unless ur super beginner, or u cant shoot straight haha

[JadeTomZ]

@nathanrh absolutly correct.

and the proof is obvious.

everyone of us here has played pool and made tese exact shots using cheap bar cues.

i never in my life missed the ball like this no matter the cue and the shot would be impossible if this guy was beinghonest.

but since we all use the english and have made these type of shots he is obviousl pure BULLSHIT. 

[LeonFleisherFan]

@nathanrh Two things: I agree the strokes used are different - they even SOUND different, as if the shots with the "normal" shaft were hit gripping the cue hard (which makes matters worse), whereas the ones with the "low-deflection" shaft with a looser grip (which reduces the mass at impact, so the deflection is the cue's only, without addition of sideways weight from the arm etc.). Having said that, shafts DO DIFFER in terms of deflection! They all have some, really a matter of getting used to.

[unvmygame]

No one who plays well applies english by paralleling over like Mr. Drill Instructor. NO ONE. Everyone pivots.

This guy doesn't even stroke straight. F-Predators...gimmick shit

[nathanrh]

This video is borderline propaganda. Horrible.

[DiluteMeDown]

okaaaayyy we get it

"ive actually missed the 1 ball ALL TOGETHER"

well done point made...

[ermaduk]

predator are good cues, no doubt. but they don't need some fat fuck trying to trick ppl with cheap attempts.

[huntr1111]

watching Ralf Souquet take 8 minutes to shoot one ball would be less painful to watch than watching this video!

[BrianMichaelEvans]

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Well put.

[devindrabhagwandin]

try aiming properly with the normal shafts... stop trying to trick people into buying predator shafts.

[iRePzSKuLLgANG]

wow, i wonder how pro's made shots with english before predator cues came out!!!! dumb video, if you know how to play pool you can easily compensate for cue ball deflection, and once you get good you don't even think about it anymore....a predator would mess me up more then it would help me

[alexhoffman25]

seriously who gives a dam about his predator cue. i dont have $200 for a cue, thats why im watching you tube videos to learn how to play better, not have a magical cue.

[silens28]

You missed.

[Hr9C0]

LOL

[CaptainGinger1989]

no this video should be called which cue is better really all hes doing is talking up his predator...this video is annoying

[captthunderpnts]

Meucci black dot shafts don't really have a solid shot. At least to me, they are very similar in play to the stock shaft. Expect quite a bit of wobbling.

With the 314, be sure to get yourself a nice tip for it, Moori or Sniper. It will definitely take some time to get used to the small ferrule and overall taper of the 314, but it will provide a better feeling game for you over a little time.

[b16a2smith]

i have a meucci gambler w/black dot shaft and just ordered the 314-2 shaft, whats the main differences in these shafts, im looking for the stiffer hit, out of the predator shaft of course.

[stevesp101]

and shoot in hard. if the object ball goes into the pocket and the cue is spinning, then you've got the point. but again, this only works if you shoot hard. so the predator shaft is useful for softer shots if you dont want to have to compensate.

[stevesp101]

its hard to explain in a youtube comment, but basically, there's a point on all cue shafts called the pivot point. when you bridge from that spot (on my cue its about 10 inches or so, i don't know about all cues though, and i'm pretty sure it's much further back on predator cues) and you apply english by pivoting the cue ball, not a horizontal shift, it reduces deflection, but only when you hit the ball very hard. to find the pivot point, set up a straight in shot apply max english,

[stevesp101]

this video is correct that the predator eliminates deflection almost entirely, and to everyone who has been commenting, yes, the cue ball really does squirt that much when you hit it with english. but this video doesn't mention the pivot point of the cue at all, which is also important for english. all of the english in this video used a horizontal shift, which exaggerates deflection. on most cues, you can eliminate deflection as much as a predator using the pivot point principle.

[Rudy727]

you know i never understood that pivot point principle.... i mean i hear all time but am not sure wat it is....

[poolshooter2007]

Deflection depends on where your bridge is, some cues works well with short bridge, some with long or very long bridge. I used the 314 shaft if i bridge it short it deflects, and if i bridge too long it deflects, so still same as any other shaft

and need to get used too. Sorry.

[explodivine]

gosh damn this guy is fucking annoying hes right but does he need to repeat him self 500 times? im using a high deflection shaft blah blah

[jtmoney606]

i just got a predator 1st series 314 shaft on my viking and really like it it's just taking a little to get used to but overall happy!!!

[captthunderpnts]

I can agree on the Predator 314 and Z shafts helping to alleviate cue ball deflection, but at the same time, your demonstration wasn't exactly convincing to a player with a good eye. Right off, I noticed that the man in the video "chicken winged" upon contact, which greatly exaggerated deflection.

[b16a2smith]

good eye

[dlzhdan]

This is ridiculous. Sure, Predator does make good cues but the guy in the vid MISSES balls completely with a normal cue? Hilarious. And he's a pro? So it seems 314 shafts make champions overnight.

[predatorfan314]

I have shot this drill a million times at billiard shows and let other people shoot it with their own cues just to see it for them selves. Most shaft that are not high performance will completely miss the cue ball. The difference between one of our shafts and most,deflection wise is the width of two pieces of chalk.

[beatzzz01]

100% Agreed...Most of the people commenting barely know the technology behind a predator cue..They really think all cues were once a piece of maple just tapered down to the shooters preference, they couldn't be more WRONG! The 314-Z2 predator shafts are nothing short of advaced billiard technology

[JeremeK]

@dlzhdan He wasn't trying to hit or pocket the ball; he was showing what happens when you use cues other than a Predator using English while aiming where you need to aim. In other words, he shows you the effects of cue ball deflection.

[beatzzz01]

@dlzhdan For your info, this same shot was done by WILLIE THE ROBOT and essentially had the same results...Just like golf clubs and tennis rackets, billiard and pool equipment too have advanced, tested in the most modern facilities under hundreds of conditions...I've been shooting with predator cues for the better part of 7 years now...I've literally gone from a shooter with a big mouth to an absolute NIGHTMARE on the table! I love my predator cues!

[interzone4]

@beatzzz01 where is the link for that video where the robot does it then

[BartjeOstend]

@dlzhdan Completly agree

[cks119]

First, this is obviously an ad for predator shafts, so the title is misleading. Second, I think the amount of deflection is exaggerated, you can alter that with the angle and pitch that the cue comes into the cue ball (which would be visible if we could see the back of the cue). And third, you can learn to play top pool with ANY cue, your arm naturally compensates (with practice) for deflection and throw. After all, Efren Reyes played most of his career with a $10 cue.

[s1llyvi3tb0i]

i do agree with you, he did not shoot straight up to the ball using the "high deflection" cue shaft. That is just too obvious, it does help having good shaft, but it doesnt make that huge of difference

[loopycaleb]

My predator shaft came unspliced.. :(

[theflake90]

great video

[jlowellb]

how much does one cost? you should buy me one then i could be a predatorfan too.

good video. 5 stars

later

john

[9ballprodigy]

nice video. although an important factor in controlling the amount of deflection is also the speed you hit cue ball at, the results were so drastically different, you'd have to attribute the better results to the shaft. i too use a 314-2 and i instantly noticed a jump in my game. and around a quarter to a third to pros also admit to using 314/314-2 so i guess that says something... good job.

[califoolio]

what about mcdermott

[dragster598]

pedators are the best

[nrbii]

Congratulations! This video is very useful. Nice work.