Some arrows may be a bit stiffer on one part of the shaft as opposed to the rest of the shaft. That part, if you know where it is, should be up. If a good quality shaft is used then this will likely not be a problem.

Tell your buddy that the spine is the overall stiffness of the shaft and not a spine like a backbone where it would just be stiff in a small part of the overall diameter. Like I said, good quality shafts will have a uniform spine (stiffness)in the overall length and diameter of the shaft.