This has been a really fun thread.
I was able to bank in the frozen OB from the second diamond, but I'll need to practice some more if I want to make it from 2.5 diamonds up the rail.
Anyway, I wanted to share my thoughts on the cue tip to CBall contact debate.
First, please understand where I'm coming from. Shooting very high frame rate videos opens up a whole new world of possibilities, and a deep new appreciation for VERY small increments of time.
For example, once, while filming a hummingbird, I chose to use a 1/40,000th of a second shutter speed, hoping to capture a photo that "stops" the hummingbird's wings at their apex. After looking through thousands of frames, I was disappointed to discover that even 1/40,000th wasn't fast enough to really "freeze" the wings in a photo. There was always a little bit of blur in each frame. This bothered me.
I did some research, and learned that they can flap their wings at up to 100 "beats" per second. That means the tip of the wing is at the apex 100 times in one second (in other words, 100 "round trips" per second). I also learned that their wings do not simply go up and down, but more like in a figure-eight path. Going back through the video confirmed this. It totally redefined my understanding of how a hummingbird hovers.
Here's my point. Saying that the cue tip only contacts the cue ball for a tiny fraction of a second is already pretty much indisputably true. But what if you could extend that contact time by only 20%? Yes, it would still be a tiny fraction of a second, just a little less tiny.
Would that make a difference? Nobody can say for sure yet. The technology is available to help us refine our understanding, but it's VERY expensive, and nobody has done it yet (with these ultra-fast cameras). I know that Dr. Dave has studied this extensively, both through his slow motion video, and theoretical physics study.
But there are cameras today that can shoot 1 MILLION frames per second. Think about that. 1 MILLION pictures, in only one second. (See link below).
I'm not implying that the cue tip stays in contact with the cue ball for more than even 1/1000th of a second. Based on my own videos, I can say it is absolutely no more than 2/1000ths, and most likely less than 1/1000th.
I'm proposing the idea that if the contact time with a tight grip is 0.00005, but with a loose grip is 0.00006, then we could say that a loose grip (or softer tip, or clenching your left toes, or whatever) does in fact increase contact time by 20%.
Will that make a difference in the resultant spin? It's almost inconceivable, right? But it's already almost inconceivable that the contact time would be so short!
How about the shock wave (or compression wave) that travels down the cue shaft, down the butt, and back to the tip? Doesn't that seem inconceivable? Yes, but it happens at near the speed of sound (761 mph), and some folks out there that are starting to turn in some really interesting research that I feel is on the verge of revealing new concepts like this, that we just don't understand yet.
Until we see video at 100,000 frames per second (or higher), we'll never be 100% sure.
So...
While I generally agree that follow-through, grip pressure, and tip hardness don't affect CB spin in a significant way, I'm not quite ready to say I'm 100% sure about the details.
There is a section of my brain that is reserved for remote possibilities like this. It loves to keep me up at night, and invades my dreams with possible explanations/theories.
I hope I live long enough to see these 1,000,000 frame-per-second cameras become more affordable, and help us all understand our world in new ways.
I also love the statement that "Every player creates his own reality." I totally agree, and understand that the same concept can be applied to many other facets of life, such as driving a car, or throwing a football.
Sometimes the pieces of that reality are false, but sometimes there is an explanation that makes sense (even if the player isn't aware of that explanation).
Okay, enough of my little spiel. Please continue these discussions. We are all learning a lot here, and it is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
-Blake
Here are the related links:
1-million frame per second camera, showing bullets disintegrating at impact:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfDoQwIAaXg
Sound wave propagation in pool cues:
http://dbkcues.ru/articles-2/investigation-in-some-wave-properties-of-a-billiards-cue/?lang=en