Cue length

[BadMadWicked]

Hi all,

I've got a question about cue length. At the moment I have a couple of cues that are standard 57/58 inch long. I'm not the tallest guy (5,5), but I was wondering whether using a shorter cue could improve my cue action? Are there any experienced or coaching type people out there that can comment about cue length?

On the plus side having a longer cue helps to reach stretch shots, but when cueing normally I hold the cue with about 4 inches left to the end. I'm wondering whether holding the cue at the end where it grooves in is better for cueing.

Any advice appreciated

Thanks
BMW

[Terry Davidson]

For someone 5ft5in I think a 57" cue with 2-3in hanging out the back of the grip hand is the right way to go. I would even say you may be a candidate for a 56" cue so your grip hand is nearer the end of the butt.

If you are a youngster (I don't think so but anyway) and still have some growing to do then stick with a 57" cue as 58" isn't really needed until a player gets over 6ft in height. I'm 5ft11-3/4" and use a 57" cue gripping it just near the end of the butt

Terry

[Bigmeek]

Terry How much does the length of your arms play in deciding cue length? I'm exact same height as you and have just moved up to a 58" cue as I feel this will help me get through the ball more. I have a tendancy not to get through the ball very well. Most noticeable at the break off shot when I collide with the blue.

[nrage]

Terry How much does the length of your arms play in deciding cue length? I'm exact same height as you and have just moved up to a 58" cue as I feel this will help me get through the ball more. I have a tendancy not to get through the ball very well. Most noticeable at the break off shot when I collide with the blue.

On average your arm span will be close to your height, this link seems to indicate that in adults arm span is generally up to 5 cm longer:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_th...t_and_arm_span

[Theguywithaplan]

I'm the exact same height as Terry and use a 58.5. But I have short legs and monkey arms

In answer to the original question, I think that it's fine to keep it as it is. The groove is not really going to help your cueing, but you should still hold the cue the same way round on every shot.

[Izzyfcuk]

I used to think that having a longer cue would allow me to get thru more but have since changed my perspective

After trial and error there's a few things that restricted me and since correction im able to follow thru 4 -6 inch

1. Down on the shot, pulling the cue to my chest instead of the other way round
2. Gripping the cue too early during delivery
3. Cue arm inside the vertical
4. Wrist inside the vertical (Gripping too tightly from the start)
5. Standing squarely limits my follow through as opposed to slightly "side on"

Now my cue arm and wrist is right smack on the vertical, not outside or side.

Im 171cm and i now use a 56 in cue with a balance of 4 in hanging out at the back. Heck i tried to used a 54 in and still plays well and get the follow thru.

[throtts]

Getting thru the cue ball well comes from timing, also, you can get thru a cue ball well using an 48 inch cue..

Fwiw, the Mrs said I have always had a big stick..

[Terry Davidson]

As has been said, the length of cue you use has nothing to do with getting through the cueball better or worse.

If you are addressing the cueball correctly with the forearm hanging vertical to the floor then the amount of follow through is determined solely by the distance between the front of the grip hand and the point on the chest where it hit at the end of delivery. Without dropping the elbow this is usually around 5in in most players.

Now some people who use a longer cue will have the forearm behind the vertical and thus will get more follow through however they have a a tendency to have the tip rising as they hit the cueball 'scooping' and lose some accuracy by doing that.

Or, some people will insist they need a longer cue when really the problem is they have around 15" between their 'V' of the bridge and the back of the cueball. This distance should be a maximum of 12" and that is in people 6ft and over.

Terry

[vmax4steve]

Consideration should be given to how tall a player is, how long a players arms are, whether a player likes to have a straight bridge arm and how long a players backswing is when playing power shots. Remember that a player doesn't have to hold the cue right at the very end of the butt all the time, so a cue can be as long or as short as to where it is gripped, therefore a longer cue can be made shorter but a short cue cannot be made longer. I saw an example of this when watching Mark thingy (the irish lad, can't think of his name right now) in the WSC this year. In one frame he needed his minbutt to pot game ball, screwed it in, got the shot, and then cleared the rest of the balls with his minbutt still attached but holding the cue where he would normally.
Now I wouldn't advocate that everyone needs a cue six inches longer than normal, but one or two inches would be O.K. and would prove to be useful for long pots where more cue over the bridge is natural as all players subconciously do this.

[BadMadWicked]

Thanks for the info guys - I'm well tempted to try a shorter cue. As Terry suggests about 56' would be ideal. I could order a new cue customised to 56' inch but that will take a few weeks. Does anyone have a decent cue for sale that is around 56' long?

[amashun]

i'm around your height but i'm using 54" cue. what you can do is that buy a really cheap cue and shorten it to whatever size you prefer then play it for a while to see whether it will suit you or not before moving onto expensive cues.

[BadMadWicked]

Good tip amashun - thanks :-)

[smoothcueing]

My height is 167cm and I'm using JP Ultimate 57". I'm trying to have an ideal bridge whilst playing which is 10" - 12" from the "V". But by doing that I have to hold my cue forward and leave around 15cm from the butt. I was thinking of chopping my cue to shorten it, so I could hold it more to the back, but I'm worried if it would feel different and if I don't like the feeling, it'll make it harder to sell because it's too short.
Any idea on what I should do?

[sootyvrs]

You can usually know if a cue is too long for you when you hold the butt more than 2-3 inches from the end during a normal shot.

The further away you hold the butt from the end the closer you get to the balance point of the cue which in turn can make the cue feel butt heavy which can cause the shaft end to lift during power shots.

There are times when you can get away with holding the butt away from the end is when you have a cue with a balance point of around 17"+

I personally would ensure that the cue length is correct by shortening the shaft which is usually OK when shortened within reason (1-2 inches max) otherwise I would purchase a shorter cue.

As mentioned earlier if you are a junior then perhaps you will be OK with the compromise and grow into the cue.

[poolqjunkie]

Everyone is different but I would say without watching you play and assuming your body build is about average in terms of proportion if you hold your cue next to youself it should not be taller than your chin or below your armpit. I think somewhere around the shoulder is about average. This is just a guildline without knowing anything else about the person such as arm length, stance, bridge length...

Everyone is different due to not just body type but also the way they hold and deliver their cues. Some hold their cues a bit behind vertical at the address position, some use a very short or very long bridge, some players lift their cues up a bit on the backswing, some players drop their elbows by a lot on the follow through...

When a player stands more sideway he tends to prefer a longer cue than someone who is more square to the table becasue the distance between his grip and his bridge becomes longer with a more sideway stance.

In most cases, I would say 56.5"-58" is fine.