Cue Tip Contact Myth-Busting Truths in Super Slow Motion

NOTE - See my follow-up videos that clearly show that a softer tip does not get more spin:

Dr. Dave busts many common myths concerning what happens when a cue tip hits a cue ball. Everything is supported by super-slow-motion high-speed-camera footage.

Contents:
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Myth 1 – Tip Contact Time
0:48 - Myth 2 – Control During Contact
2:07 - Myth 3 – Tip Hardness Effects
3:16 - Myth 4 – Shot Speed Effects
4:23 - Myth 5 – Miscues
5:42 - Myth 6 – Sliding Contact
6:29 - Wrap Up
6:45 - ---- clip montage

CORRECTION:
- at 4m21s, I meant to "no noticeable effect" (not "noticeable effect").

Cue/Tip Info:
- Fury HT with unknown "hard" leather tip
- house cue with Elkmaster "soft" tip
- Players break cue with Bakelite "phenolic" tip

Supporting Resources:

High-Speed-Video Camera Info:
Chronos 2.1 running at 24,046 FPS

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[DrDaveBilliards]

*NOTE* - See my follow-up videos that clearly show that a softer tip does not get more spin:

*Contents:*
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Myth 1 – Tip Contact Time
0:48 - Myth 2 – Control During Contact
2:07 - Myth 3 – Tip Hardness Effects
3:16 - Myth 4 – Shot Speed Effects
4:23 - Myth 5 – Miscues
5:42 - Myth 6 – Sliding Contact
6:29 - Wrap Up
6:45 - ---- clip montage

*CORRECTION:*
- at 4m21s, I meant to "no noticeable effect" (not "noticeable effect").

*NOTE:*

*Cue/Tip Info:*
- Fury HT with unknown "hard" leather tip
- house cue with Elkmaster "soft" tip
- Players break cue with Bakelite "phenolic" tip

*Supporting Resources:*

*High-Speed-Video Camera Info:*
Chronos 2.1 running at 24, 046 FPS

*Subscribe to Dr. Dave's YouTube Channel:*

[craigmartin]

I’m sorry but more than a 40 percent increase in duration of contact is a significant difference. Sure the amount of time is really small but it’s completely relative

[lemonskynet]

Thank you very much. I had several hours of arguments in my life and words simply couldn't convince people. I can just send them the link to this video now and call it a day, use the time to actually play pool. Thank you Dr. Dave!

[fabbricatopersonareale]

This videos is kinda proof that sometimes more graphs and information is not the answer

[jur]

have been playing this afternoon. good to see these images.

[Intothelight]

This is a great video. It put me to sleep better and quicker than YouTube sleep music.

[eddiegoodman]

Very similar idea in tennis. People think they have control over what they do with the ball at contact. Truth is, the ball is already gone. Nice video!

[larryvietvet]

Fantastic information, had no idea the contact time was so short. My inquisitive mind started wondering how long a baseball bat and ball stay in contact. Researched and found it's in the same range.

[jamesdavis]

Dr. Dave, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, but I think at least one of your conclusions is wrong. If a soft tip stays in contact with the cue ball up to 50% longer that HAS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! While I don't experiment with different tips much, I have gone to a softer tip because that was what I had available to me.

I immediately noticed more "action" on my draw, follow, and left and right english. It was quite noticeable in fact, and actually caused me some issues with making shots and getting position as the cue ball had more action. Also, a friend of mine, who had used my cue with a harder tip, mentioned that he was getting more spin with my cue. I had not told him I had changed tips.

I firmly believe, and your own evidence suggest this, that a softer tip imparts more spin. It would be different if the difference was only say 3-5%, but you are mentioning up to a 50% difference. It is hard to believe that additional contact time does not make a difference on spin.

[tysongonsorowski]

Another great informative video, I've gained great pool knowledge from watching your videos and always encourage my pool buddies to watch them too.

[sawmillsam]

Dr Dave, it's too bad you were not available to me when I was 10 years old and first picked up a cue.
I could have been a world beater! I am 69 years young now!

[victors]

Beautiful video but with wrong conclusion. 1, 9ms shouldn’t be considered long or short time. It is what it is. That’s the time of the contact that we have in this game. And it is wrong to compare that time with the time that a football players leg touches the ball, or the golf stick touches the golf ball, calling it long or short.
What matters - is the fact that there is 25%difference between 1, 9 and 1, 5 on your picture. And that explains a lot.

The fact, that you can do screw backs in this game itself means that your tip moves the ball. Otherwise the cueball would always jump, because the vector of force is directed from the point of contact through the center of the cue ball, that is to the ceiling. And longer the contact you have, more accurate the shot and stronger the screw back you will get.

I don’t to write a lot, no one will read anyway.
But i don’t think that someone will be able to repeat what is done here with a break cue.
But if in next 100 years someone reproduces it, then i would suggest him to take a steel cue with a steel tip and try again. With a steel tip you will have almost 100% of difference in a time of contact in comparison even with a break cue. Instead of 0, 8 Ms you will have 0, 00008 Ms. Feel the difference!

[shortydancer]

Dr Dave, as an engineer, I think you need to add units to your table. You’re stating 1.9 thousandths of a second, but the table should also have this unit.

[johnshaw]

I'll need to watch some more of these. Precision is a key to good play and you can definitely feel the difference in how you hit the ball. As a player of many years, the hardness of the tip does make a difference. But I can play with almost any fairly straight cue with a good tip, you just have to make adjustments to compensate as best you can. The tip is just the tip of what's involved. ;)

[NoShtSherlock]

If the cue ball literally only is in contact for that microsecond, then wouldn’t say, the whole practice of “staying down on the ball through the shot” be completely irrelevant to accuracy. Or that a straight follow through is essential for accuracy. Literally, both of those things have 0 impact on where the ball goes

[robertnoonan]

Venom begs to differ he says his bending the cue into the table is what gives his extra draw power plus his body english. You should super slow motion him.

[luloffadam]

I imagine that a ball that is in contact with a tip for half the time, hard vs soft tip, would have a large difference in the amount of spin imparted onto the ball. I would like to see some numbers on what the difference in RPMs is between soft and hard tips.

[the-selfish-meme]

Myth 1 - it is called lag time...1ms is a lot. Check out golf physics and the 1000s rpm of spin imparted in far less. Myth 3 - right it varies - yes that makes a huge difference. 2ms is a 100 percent increase on 1 ms. Double the lag-time is huge!
I don't expect people to have looked into this, so a chump video will be all the evidence the averagely physics-educated person will need to be convinced. If you do not know the physics of translational energy vs rotational energy then a visual might be enough for you.

[geeman]

great stuff, can settle lots of conflicts.

[apostyle]

Awesome work, beautiful footage, I will explain with bases to my friends why a miscue is a foul o double contact