Tony Mathews wrote...
> This question was asked by a few posters in the past. I once heard a
> generality uttered that shafts with high squirt draw the ball better than
> shafts with low squirt. I don't think that this is true.

Interesting. I have a practice shot that uses maximum straight draw, and I've found it to be easier with my original Schon shaft that with my 314 shaft. I've been assuming that the difference was due to the Schon shaft being stiffer, or that the tip on the Schon shaft is a little softer. Perhaps the squirt thing has something to do with it. Or I could just be a crackpot.

frank howe wondered...
> What are the advantages for the lefties? The statement got me thinking
> and I couldn't think of any.

I really doubt that this is what Ron meant, but lefties are generally right brain dominant, which for a pool player would seem to make lefties more likely to be FPs. And of course everyone knows that FPs always have the advantage. :-)

Bob Johnson wrote:
(Blah)
> Has anyone else noticed this, or tried it?
> Do you know anyone who simply lines up, takes aim,
> adjusts, and fires with no practice strokes at all?

I was taught that practice strokes are evil. You're supposed to be
aligned correctly when you first bend over the shot. Practice strokes
can often convince you that you're lined up correctly when you're not.
Another bad thing about them is that if your practice strokes reveal
some flaw in your alignment most people are likely to simply adjust
their grip, arm angle, etc. when what they should be doing is standing
up, stepping completely out of the shot, and starting over.

My position has softened over the years, however, as I now feel that
practice strokes are helpful in getting a proper feel for the speed of
the shot-to-be. I usually take one practice stroke without even
looking at my stick then fire away, trusting that my alignment is good.