What Is A Taper?
You're probably wondering does the taper of a cue shaft really make a difference in the cue's performance? Well, yes it does. The way that a pool cue tapers offers different play capabilities for different players. The most important aspect of a shaft is the amount of cueball deflection.
There are three popular types of pool cue taper that every player should know about. These three types will help you to up your game in ways you never thought possible.
Standard Taper
The majority of cue sticks have a shaft that is at its thinnest near to the ferrule. It then begin to thicken, widening ever so slightly until it reaches its maximum width at anywhere from a foot away from the joint, to at the joint itself.
This sort of taper makes it easy for the cue to pass through the fingers while also providing enough mass and weight for a stable stroke. Some people prefer this kind of taper as it can help them to shorten and end their stroke before a follow through becomes too drawn out and challenging.
To put it simply, this cue enlarges in the player's fingers thanks to the tapering getting wider and wider until it comes to its resting place inside your bridge hand. This sort of taper helps those with long backstrokes be able to follow through accurately.
Ideally, your backstroke and follow through past the ball should be roughly the same length for most shots. The gradual taper described here can help shorten those unnecessarily long follow through movements that are a characteristic of a lunging stroke.
Pro Taper
A pro taper is a standard feature on the majority of cheaper pool cues, maintains an even thickness for around the first twelve inches of a cue's length.
Don't let the name fool you, just because it's known as a "pro" taper it isn't really the choice of many professionals. It's relatively simple to use, simply pushing the cue through the fingers of your bridge hand will give you good enough results.
It's easier to turn a cue that's one width along a foot of its length while keeping it completely straight. If you think cheaper might not be better, in this instance, you may be right.
Double Taper
These shafts start off narrow a few inches behind the tip, then widen, before narrowing again and making the shaft the thinnest near its middle.
Professional players often prepare to use double tapers, as they have the skilled required for the most demanding shots. A light and thin shaft is perfect for delicate moves through the stroke. The actual weight of the shaft is changed.
The additional work that is needed for a second taper during the manufacturing process will usually raise the price of a cue. That doesn't mean that this shaft is unusable for novices, if they choose to spend the extra money to buy one.
There are a lot of taper choices out there, so when possible, you should try as many different shafts as you can. See what feels good for you, what performs in a way that you are comfortable with, and what give you the confidence to take shots.