First cue for complete novice.

[BaconLad]

Hello to everyone!!

I've literally just taken up the game (29,4,11) and although I've been watching it for as long as i can remember, I've never made an effort to actually play...

Is it worth me buying a cue yet?

Is a cheap off the rack cue from a sports shop going to be much different from a single piece cue in a snooker hall?

To give you an idea of the level I'm playing at, after my first 6 frames (3 on friday, 3 today) I probably converted about 50% of the easier pots, and maybe 15% of the harder ones. I felt like I had about 10% maybe 15% control of the white ball.
My highest break was 12 = red, blue, red, brown, red.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

[jaffa.johnson]

personally I think using the rack cues in rileys are a much better option than buying the cheap painted cues such, bce, rileys, cannon.

For sure having a decent cue behind you will make a difference but I suppose at this stage, its more about playing, learning and enjoying it.

I suppose a lot would be to do with money as well. If you have a spare £100-£350 then buy yourself a decent cue, if you dont then maybe wait a while before you decide.

[The Stig]

personally I think using the rack cues in rileys are a much better option than buying the cheap painted cues such, bce, rileys, cannon.

He shouldn't be buying a cheap cue or using a rack cue, firstly you will never get the same rack cue as the one you used the last time you went to a club for a game of snooker so how are you supposed to improve or get a feeling for your cue ?

The only way you will make progress in snooker is to buy a quality cue from the start, you don't have to spend a fortune on a quality cue as you can get some nice cues for around the £70 - £100 mark but obviously the more you can afford the better. If you didn't take to snooker you could always sell it at a later date.

A cue is the most important part of the game then practice after that, its like with golfers their clubs are vital to what they do and how they play. You need to form a bond with a cue so it feels like part of your body and movements, you can't do that by playing with club cues.

[jaffa.johnson]

He shouldn't be buying a cheap cue or using a rack cue, firstly you will never get the same rack cue as the one you used the last time you went to a club for a game of snooker so how are you supposed to improve or get a feeling for your cue ?

The only way you will make progress in snooker is to buy a quality cue from the start, you don't have to spend a fortune on a quality cue as you can get some nice cues for around the £70 - £100 mark but obviously the more you can afford the better. If you didn't take to snooker you could always sell it at a later date.

A cue is the most important part of the game then practice after that, its like with golfers their clubs are vital to what they do and how they play. You need to form a bond with a cue so it feels like part of your body and movements, you can't do that by playing with club cues.

Sorry, have to disagree in parts. Some of them rack cues play very well.

Yes I understand what you saying about getting the feel for the cue and yes it helps but for me, the most important factor of any sport is ability.

Ronnie would be able to pick up a rack cue and make a 147, if I used his cue, I would not.

Like I did say, there are benefits for having a good cue, if you have the money then buy one.

[philthoms]

Go to Craftsman Cues between Leeds and York, they have many new and old cues which you can try out on a full size table. They are very helpful and don't mind if you spend a long time choosing.

[Straight strike]

If I could put the clock back on, I would rather spend some money to get some proper training on the basics. Skills should come first. It's no point playing a decent cue with **** form.

[philthoms]

Trying to advance with any cue from a rack does not help. Better to play with the same cue to get some consistency of feel and balance etc. with the many shots you need to learn than to swap and change every time you play. You can always buy a more expensive cue later. Believe me playing with different cues does not help you to progress.

[Straight strike]

But he has just had his hand on the game for a few days only, isn't it too soon to have his own cue?

[nrage]

Buying an expensive cue at this stage wont make any difference. But, playing with the same cue every time will. When you're learning something new, the more variables you can remove, the better. All cues play a little differently, those differences can make the balls behave differently so those are some of the variables you can remove, when you're trying to learn the basics.

I would suggest getting yourself a cue and so long as it is straight and a comfortable length for you, you'll be fine. If you have a bit of money to spend and you're fairly sure you're going to be interested in snooker for a while then getting a slightly nicer cue is a good idea. If you can find a cue which is not varnished/laquered that would be ideal .. most 'cheap' cues are likely to be varnished, because it's easier to mass produce that way (less curing time etc), and they tend to last longer with rough treatment.

I have recently bought my first 'nice' cue and the difference in feel is amazing, it glides on my bridge effortlessly which gives me much greater control/feel over the cue action. This difference is primarily the lack of varnish, as a varnished cue will tend to stick a bit and cause a jerkier cue action. Of course, there are other reasons I love my new cue, but most of them as aesthetic and/or will make no difference to a beginner.

[The Stig]

Sorry, have to disagree in parts. Some of them rack cues play very well.

But the point has to be that you will never pick up the same cue each week off the rack in a club, it will be a different feel everytime you go for a game plus the tip will feel different and a lot of clubs just stick cheap, hard tips on so they last longer which normally makes you miss-cue. A lot of club cues have that cheap laquer on which gets sticky when your hands get sweaty.

Like someone said above, buy a fairly cheap cue for now that has no lacquer on and make sure it isn't too light and i'd go for a 10mm tip if i was a beginner, 9mm or less you have to be a lot more accurate in your striking.

Just enjoy it to start off with, don't put any pressure on yourself to knock in any type of breaks because that will come if you have some natural ability within you. Just work on your stance, cueing action and have some fun doing some practice routines like trying to pot the blue into the middle and follow the white into the same pocket with centre top spin, then try and screw the white back into the opposite pocket as the blue with centre screw back. Line ups are a good practice routine for moving the ball around.

[damienlch]

hi baconlad, if you feel that you are sufficiently interested to play this game for any length of time, then i'd suggest that you invest in a personal cue. need not be an expensive cue, just a sensible one with regular dimensions.

also, you can do a bit of homework searching through this forum on where best to do your purchase, loads of good information here. you'll find that there are a few companies or names that keep cropping up time and again.

do "test drive" the cues before buying wherever possible. simply choose the one you feel most comfortable with, regardless of aesthetics. or if you don't know which one you feel most comfortable with, go for the prettier one... lol.

you will probably understand more about your own cue preferences as you improve in your game... you might stick to one cue only but now that you have chanced upon this forum, that becomes quite unlikely...

good luck and have fun playing snooker...

[BaconLad]

Wow, thanks for all the advice and comments, it looks like there's an awful alot for me to think about and consider...

If you would all be so kind, there's a couple of other things I'd like to know...
Just how much difference does the brand of the cue tip make? Does brand of chalk make any difference?

[The Stig]

For tips go for either elkmaster or blue diamond, the elkmaster is slightly softer than a blue diamond. Tips are down to personal preferences, as for chalk then green triangle will be fine.

You have to consider what size tip you want to play with before you come to choosing a tip, i'd go for a cue with a 10mm tip especially if your just starting off, you need to be a lot more accurate when you strike the ball with smaller size tips so thats not idea for a beginner.

Go to a shop that has a snooker table where you can try out a few cues as you can't beat the feel of a cue in your hand when buying, Craftsman cues in Leeds have a table in the shop for you to try a cue.

[Straight strike]

Cue tips are very personal things, some prefer harder while some prefer softer. But you wont be too wrong to start with Blue Diamond or Elkmaster. There is not much of a difference for chalk. Basically there are two types of chalk, one is in blue and the other is in green. I prefer green to blue.

[damienlch]

...Just how much difference does the brand of the cue tip make? Does brand of chalk make any difference?

it's a matter of trial and error in finding the type or brand of tip you're most comfortable with... all about personal preference... no right or wrong here.

i've experimented with many brands before kind of settling down on one, although having said that, i'm still game to try out any new brands, just to see if it improves my game... it's easier to change tips than cues.

as for chalks... well, they're just chalks... they've yet to invent one that doesn't spoil my trousers...