small cue question

[Jim Magee]

Hi all, i get that players tend to use a smaller cue for English pool than the standard 58" snooker cue. Appreciate it's also down to personal preference, but i'm thinking of going for something super-short (53.5 inches), as i'm not massively tall (5 ft 8) and like to hold the cue at the very end. Does that sound too crazy?

[DeanH]

I generally see pool players with shorter cues (55-56) purely because of transporting the thing to away-matches

I am also around 5-8 and use 57" pool cue and play very well (even though I say so myself - league , interleague standard in the past), I am not a "end of butt" player so not entirely sure a really short cue will help or hinder but I will say, it wont resell easily
Looking forward to other comments

[Greg M]

I'd recommend going to a snooker supply shop and trying out different cue lengths to see what you think is most comfortable for you and your game. Try out some shorter cues at your local shop to see if they feel right for you and decide then. I'm 5'6" myself and I also hold the cue at the very back, with my palm resting on the badge, and have found that 57" is the perfect length for me. I also tried tying an elastic band in incremental inches up the cue to see how I'd get on with 56", 55", etc. and found they were all a tad too short. It's surprising how a cue can feel too long or too short with an inch added or taken away, respectively. I find 58" too long for my pool tastes.

[Gomaomine]

Sounds fine if you are comfortable with it.

I use anything between 54-55. I've also used 53 before but these days its 54-55. Got a rack full of them haha

[Jim Magee]

Gomaomine thanks for that. I ended up giving it to a friend. I found it a bit too short to be honest. The gap between my bridging hand and the tip felt too short...