Advice for cue specs?

[vucko117]

Hi All

I have a question regarding tip size and length of the cue.
.

Is there a big difference between 9.2 9.3 or 9.5 mm tip and what is the difference?
I have played with couple of cues and my current one has 9.5mm tip but I think that I would be even more comfortable with a bit smaller tip.
IS 9.2mm tip too small?

Is there a big difference between 58" and 59" cue in terms of balance,feel etc.?

I found that 58" is just a little bit short so should I go for one whole inch longer or less?

Looking forward to see what do you think about this issues.

[BoBnoGG!n]

if its a touch short, giv 59 a try before u settle for it. shouldnt b hard to hunt down sum1 who has a 59 inch cue. just ask players around.

and +2 or -2 mm most of the time is neglible.. eg, 9.2 n 9.4 wont b that different, the actual size can b altered depending on how u shape your tip. but any more than that and u can notice differene in size of tip. 9.2 is pretty small, but i play with a thin tapered 9.2 and i hit snooker fine. comes down to your cueing action more than anything. if you feel comfortable with 9.2, then thats wats good for you. =] if 58 is definitely short, then 59 would b the way to go. but u never know what u want until u try it first. cause 59 might b short too..

[vucko117]

Actually it is impossible to find someone with 59" cue as I am the only one in Serbia who is playing snooker seriously. Everyone are playing pool and if they play snooker they use some cheap rack cues which are all shorter then 57"! I am sure that 59" will be enough but I am afraid that it can be even too much maybe.

Yes I also think that 9.2 is quite small so I might try 9.3 or 9.4 as I would like only a bit smaller then 9.5.

Thanks for the advice

[Terry Davidson]

vucko:

No comment on the ferrule size as that's been answered here, but on the length I would be careful.

For players 6ft to 6ft3in a 58" cue should be of sufficient length unless they are standing a little incorrectly. Before you make the investment in a 59" cue first check that the arch of your right foot (if you are right-handed) is directly under your grip hand when in the address position, also that your grip arm forearm is hanging straight down in the address position (so effectively your grip arm elbow is right over the arch of your right foot).

In addition, when in the address position check and see that you have 10' to 12" of cue out over the 'V' of your bridge hand. Along with this see how bent your bridge arm is as ideally it should have a 10-20 degree bend in it when in the address position.

If you are close to all these 4 parameters and still feel your 58" cue is too short then go for a 59". The most common fault is having too much cue out over the 'V' of the bridge. Put a couple of light pencil marks on your cue at 10" (about 25cm) and at 12" (about 30cm) and see where you are in the address position. Also check the natural bend in the bridge arm and see that it's not too straight (I suspect it cannot be too bent as you are looking for a longer cue).

In an ideal situation, if all these 4 things are correct you should have about 1" of butt hanging out the back of your grip hand or near that. I myself am 6ft and use a 57" cue and grip right at the back and have about 11" of cue over the 'V' and my bridge arm has about a 10 degree bend in it.

Of course my coach, Nic Barrow, has recommended I try out a 58" cue as he thinks I could straighten my bridge arm a bit and should also have that ideal 1in hanging out the back of my grip hand

Hope this helps

Terry

[vucko117]

vucko:

No comment on the ferrule size as that's been answered here, but on the length I would be careful.

For players 6ft to 6ft3in a 58" cue should be of sufficient length unless they are standing a little incorrectly. Before you make the investment in a 59" cue first check that the arch of your right foot (if you are right-handed) is directly under your grip hand when in the address position, also that your grip arm forearm is hanging straight down in the address position (so effectively your grip arm elbow is right over the arch of your right foot).

In addition, when in the address position check and see that you have 10' to 12" of cue out over the 'V' of your bridge hand. Along with this see how bent your bridge arm is as ideally it should have a 10-20 degree bend in it when in the address position.

If you are close to all these 4 parameters and still feel your 58" cue is too short then go for a 59". The most common fault is having too much cue out over the 'V' of the bridge. Put a couple of light pencil marks on your cue at 10" (about 25cm) and at 12" (about 30cm) and see where you are in the address position. Also check the natural bend in the bridge arm and see that it's not too straight (I suspect it cannot be too bent as you are looking for a longer cue).

In an ideal situation, if all these 4 things are correct you should have about 1" of butt hanging out the back of your grip hand or near that. I myself am 6ft and use a 57" cue and grip right at the back and have about 11" of cue over the 'V' and my bridge arm has about a 10 degree bend in it.

Of course my coach, Nic Barrow, has recommended I try out a 58" cue as he thinks I could straighten my bridge arm a bit and should also have that ideal 1in hanging out the back of my grip hand

Hope this helps

Terry

Terry,

believe it or not Nic is my coach also,last time I visited him in February and he gave my almost the same advice as you did here So yes I am doing all those things correctly and I grip the cue at the very end so at the end of the backswing my last two fingers don't have any contact with the cue. I am 6 4' tall. I don't have that 1in hanging out the back of my grip hand and that is one of the reasons why I am thinking to buy longer cue.

Thanks Terry you were helpful as always.