Size

[Carpy2009]

Hi all, it has been a while since i was last here lol, I am looking to get back into my snooker after a long break, I am in need of a new cue and am seeking some advice. What size (length) cue do people rcommend? A little bit of info about me, from the floor to my shoulder is 143cm (56.5inch), and from the tip of my middle finger to my armpit (arm strecthed out to the side) is 63cm (25 inch), I understand your cue length also has to do with how you position your arm when playing, ie the amount of elbow bend and distance you bridge, but a rough guide would help me a lot, last time I bought an ADR 147 cue that is 58 inch long, but it feels a bit awkward some times.
cheers Carpy

[vmax]

In what way awkward ?

[Carpy2009]

Hi Vmax, I find I am gripping the cue about 6 inches from the end. When I get down to take a shot, I always seem to be adjusting my hand position every time I start my feathers, if I hold the cue as I would do on auto pilot, I find my hand is about 2 inches from the end, but when I get down to play in this position the distance from my bridge to the cue ball is big (around 14 inches), when I hold the cue further up I have a distance of around 9 inches to the cue ball, but the cue then feels wrong, not sure if that is balance or just the weight behind my hand, hope that makes sense lol

[Cue crafty]

Hey Carpy, welcome back, with those dimensions a 57" might suit better. I recommend a Thai brand cue and think you will notice a nice difference in feel etc custom cues on FB are making some great cues currently. You can see some quality custom cues here too but no 57" in 3/4 currently.

https://cuegalleryreds.co.uk/

[vmax]

Hi Vmax, I find I am gripping the cue about 6 inches from the end. When I get down to take a shot, I always seem to be adjusting my hand position every time I start my feathers, if I hold the cue as I would do on auto pilot, I find my hand is about 2 inches from the end, but when I get down to play in this position the distance from my bridge to the cue ball is big (around 14 inches), when I hold the cue further up I have a distance of around 9 inches to the cue ball, but the cue then feels wrong, not sure if that is balance or just the weight behind my hand, hope that makes sense lol

Straight bridge arm or bent ?

At your height it's easy to get a straight bridge arm, no need for a bend in it, the more cue in your eyeline the better it is for getting the cue on the line of aim.

Grip arm forearm behind vertical to the floor at address ? infront of vertical ? or vertical ?

Best to be a bit behind the vertical as this means the upper arm won't drop before the strike as long as you hit from the elbow joint.

Bridge to cue ball length is a personal thing. You find that most shorter players have a long bridge to cue ball while taller players don't. This is purely down to length of cue in relation to ones height, what's recomended is a cue length that's within an inch of the distance from the floor to the tip of your shoulder, something that you qualify for already.
Measure twelve inches from the tip of the shaft and draw a pencil mark where the cue will sit on your bridge, then find the point on the butt where you cue arm will naturally fall a bit behind the vertical at address and place a piece of masking tape around the butt where your first finger will be, hold the cue there and see how it feels.

Don't be afrid to have a longer bridge to cue ball, both Luca Brecel and Bob Milkins do and it hasn't held them back, also take a look at Joe O'Connor, a very short mans and his cue from the floor comes up to his chin, he also holds the cue further up the butt and has about six inches behind his grip hand and his cue arm is way behind the vertical at address.