best cue length in terms of playability

[mchpddl1]

I have been playing cues with different lengths, from 58 down to 53 inches Long. when i play with 58 inches long cues, the butt end is around 5 inches sticking out of my grip.

I feel that 58 inches long cues give the best playability in terms of power, range of shots etc, no matter who made it or whatever wood materials used.

Anyone feels that?

[hunter101]

I personally always use a cue that's slightly longer than my grip on the normal stroke. As you said it gives you options for shots. There's nothing like lining up a shot but to only be holding the end of the cue with the webbing of your hand. I know most people have mini butts and what not nowadays. But i find it far easier to just have an extra few inches on the cue. Also i read somewhere that it's ideal to have 12 inches of cue between your bridge and the white ball. I only have about 5-6 inches gap between. But my cue action is terrible, so i have to work on that before i go onto the next stage

[1blonde]

There is no answer to your question, as it is based on an individuals technique, body size and preferance.

As a general (not absolute) rule.

If you place your bridge on the edge of the D and cue up as if you going to hit the brown that should be the right ammount of space for the bridge. Now while in the shot position loosen your grip and straighten your forearm and try make it vertical or nearly so as your tip touches the brown. keep your back arm vertical in the address position....now notice how much cue is there left and mark it with tape on the butt.

About a few inches left is ok and means you can move up and down the cue on shots slightly. If you are right at the end then the cue is too short for you (unless you like holding it at the end). Its not about how tall you are it is about the length or span of your arms/reach and also your technique.
Some people are actually aided by having a shorter cue as it makes them more compact (John Higgins). Some like the cue a little longer to aid them getting through the white a little more (Stephen Lee) and some people like holding the cue at the end.

A proper coach will help with this by correcting technique first and they will know what size of cue will suit you best as they should be able to do something like I have mentioned above to put you in the correct position, stance, locking points etc.,
Some might even use some tape to aid you as a guide on your grip if moving up the cue (short shots) or down the cue (long shots).

A common fault on a lot of players learning the game is having too long a bridge, which stops a player getting thro the white properly before these bad habbits develop see a proper coach-just a few hours (recorded) on the basics (the most important aspect) will help you tremendously and get you more consistant.

If you are a beginner or want to begin to improve - look like a player then a good coach will try and 'put' you in the right position if he can to give you an idea of the correct stance etc., This can feel awkward at first as if you are flalling into the table but becomes more natural with practice. Developing other things like how to look at the shot, pick and play the correct shot, how to walk into the shot, get down etc., all take time and practice to become natural and you never stop learning this game.

A common fault for a lot of players is having too tight or to slack a grip and this is something that actually causes the most problems. This is more difficult to address because developing timing with the grip takes hours of practice (so I am told) although some players are more natural at this aspect than others and this is the hardest part to correct for a coach.
If you do have problems with the grip then I suggest -
(look for a coach using that springy cue thing- gravity cue) as this cue aid will go a long way towards helping solve this type of problem I think.

I think working harder on the basics is the most important aspect of snooker because the rest will follow/ and you will improve and learn to enjoy your game more quicker if you get the basics right first.

Hope this helps.

[jim evans]

wow 1blond

[cain29]

There is no answer to your question, as it is based on an individuals technique, body size and preferance.

As a general (not absolute) rule.

If you place your bridge on the edge of the D and cue up as if you going to hit the brown that should be the right ammount of space for the bridge. Now while in the shot position loosen your grip and straighten your forearm and try make it vertical or nearly so as your tip touches the brown. keep your back arm vertical in the address position....now notice how much cue is there left and mark it with tape on the butt.

About a few inches left is ok and means you can move up and down the cue on shots slightly. If you are right at the end then the cue is too short for you (unless you like holding it at the end). Its not about how tall you are it is about the length or span of your arms/reach and also your technique.
Some people are actually aided by having a shorter cue as it makes them more compact (John Higgins). Some like the cue a little longer to aid them getting through the white a little more (Stephen Lee) and some people like holding the cue at the end.

A proper coach will help with this by correcting technique first and they will know what size of cue will suit you best as they should be able to do something like I have mentioned above to put you in the correct position, stance, locking points etc.,
Some might even use some tape to aid you as a guide on your grip if moving up the cue (short shots) or down the cue (long shots).

A common fault on a lot of players learning the game is having too long a bridge, which stops a player getting thro the white properly before these bad habbits develop see a proper coach-just a few hours (recorded) on the basics (the most important aspect) will help you tremendously and get you more consistant.

If you are a beginner or want to begin to improve - look like a player then a good coach will try and 'put' you in the right position if he can to give you an idea of the correct stance etc., This can feel awkward at first as if you are flalling into the table but becomes more natural with practice. Developing other things like how to look at the shot, pick and play the correct shot, how to walk into the shot, get down etc., all take time and practice to become natural and you never stop learning this game.

A common fault for a lot of players is having too tight or to slack a grip and this is something that actually causes the most problems. This is more difficult to address because developing timing with the grip takes hours of practice (so I am told) although some players are more natural at this aspect than others and this is the hardest part to correct for a coach.
If you do have problems with the grip then I suggest -
(look for a coach using that springy cue thing- gravity cue) as this cue aid will go a long way towards helping solve this type of problem I think.

I think working harder on the basics is the most important aspect of snooker because the rest will follow/ and you will improve and learn to enjoy your game more quicker if you get the basics right first.

Hope this helps.

Great post, Great advice, from start to finish.

[Terry Davidson]

Have to agree with 1blond. Lately I've found with most of my students (even the very good ones) and myself, the grip is SO important and most players are tightening the grip way too early in the delivery.

The 360 training cue (I have no financial interest) is the absolute best training aid I've found for giving the player instant feedback that the grip is being tightened too early as the cue will break just before the cueball and the tip will go right over the cueball (in a power shot).

Terry

[nrage]

Great post by 1blonde. I just have a couple of minor things to add..

If you are right at the end then the cue is too short for you (unless you like holding it at the end)

If you do like to be at the end of the cue, then make sure you have a mini-butt. These give you the ~6 inches extra cue you need, when you need it. The only slight downside is that they will change the cue balance, mind you moving the grip hand, lengthening the bridge all do the same, to a lesser degree. So, they all effect consistency of feeling using the cue.

A common fault on a lot of players learning the game is having too long a bridge, which stops a player
getting thro the white properly ...

A long bridge also tends to decrease accuracy, because grip hand movement has more effect on tip position with a long bridge. This can be seen by setting up a long bridge, then move the grip hand 1cm and notice how far the tip moves (in the opposite direction). Try the same thing with a shorter grip and you'll see the tip move less. So any unintentional grip hand movement will have more effect with a long bridge, than a short bridge.

Another minor point.. It's not the long bridge itself which stops the player getting thru the white, it's the fact that when someone has a long bridge they're typically also forward of vertical on the grip arm/hand at address position (cue tip next to white). You can only push the cue forward until your hand hits your chest/body, the further you are forward of vertical the shorter the distance you can push, therefore the shorter the push distance and shorter the amount you get through the white.

It follows then, that you can setup backward of vertical to get further through the white, and this is true. However doing this will affect your timing and other cue stroke dynamics (timing of unwanted movement vs tip striking the ball etc) so it may just as likely be detrimental. It's something to try tho, and if there is a benefit you could make it your default setup for long pots and practice this until it becomes a natural part of your game.

If you do have problems with the grip then I suggest -
(look for a coach using that springy cue thing- gravity cue) as this cue aid will go a long way towards helping solve this type of problem I think.

I tried Terry's and then bought one for myself. It was immediately helpful to me. Knowing the cue can and will break/bend causes you to unconsciously treat it with more care, which means you unconsciously/immediately loosen the grip. Enough practice with the cue should (I haven't done this yet, so I cannot speak from personal experience here) cement those good habits into your 'normal'/'natural' game and result in you doing the same with any cue.

[CueAntW147]

Only saw this clip the other day so while we're on the subject
lets see what Mr Parris has to say

http://youtu.be/hvgwbpAOpcA

[1blonde]

Who am I to argue with the great cue maker that is John Parris but I have to say that video example he shows here is absolute bollocks.

The guy at the table (if you can call it that) is not in the right shape for starters, he looks worse than I do on the shot - Also he has too much bridge space. If you are fitting or mesuring a person for a cue then I think ideally you should try to get it inch perfect as an inch even half an inch wrong in a cue size is a lot if you get it wrong.

Measuring a guy with poor technique for a cue is like putting my mum in Lewis Hamiltons formula 1 car. She would struggle round the track as she can drive her car a little but it is not moulded to her shape and she does not have the skill to drive it properly.

Give her a few lesson from a (qualified driver) and she might do better - same with snooker

example bridge -(12 inch may be too long) - no comments here boys- I am talking about the bridge - but if you are fitting a person for a cue then ideally he/she should have his tip right up to the white ball in the address postion and the arm slightly before vertical -so that you can remain on a vertical plain as the cue drives (accelerates thro the white) - (not inches away from it as he is in this video) I think in doing it this way he would be past vertical when striking thro the white ball (therfore he would not actually strike thro the white properly as he is not in the right position, nor is he holding the cue correctly) to get through the white when finishing the shot.

Some people prefer do prefer a longer bridge than others as the technique they employ (longer pull back and pause) encourges this and it is true not everyone feels comfy with a shotened bridge but nrage is quite right about the length of bridge, if you can get more compact it will make you more consistant as unwanted (lateral) movement in the bridge hand is more readily transfered with a longer bridge (think unwanted side/english)-(hope that makes sense?)

Also getting more compact does not always mean that you need a longer cue though/sometimes its the opposite - Higgins has a long pullback and pause and he does not hold at the end of the cue yet his cue is around 55-56 which is rather short. So fitting a cue is more based around a players good solid technique rather than anything else.

Get that right first and take proper advice from a proper coach before considering changing cue/length etc I say


My advice - see any reputable coach and ask him to mark your cue up after he has probably shown you the basics of what I mention, or perhaps something simular to what I have said in my earlier post- then get him to put you in the right shape/stance/locking ponts/bridge/grip etc etc. Then (ASK) his/her opinion- on the cue length/size weight etc., in person.

I also do not agree with John Parris on the point he makes in this video-that generally there is one size fits all because although 58 suits the vast majority the ideal size of cue for a serious player is another thing altogether. A simple coaching lesson costing 30 pounds might save you hundreds of pounds on changing cue later on down the line because it is either too short or too long, so it is well worth doing before you go spending serious money on a cue.

Also kids grow so the type of cue that fits a young player with ambitions of turning pro might become too short as the years progress and a good (regular) coach would spot this as this occurs and advise accordingly.

I have to say I quite agree with most advice given on here from experienced and knowledgable snooker enthusiasts like nrage and the daper Mr Davidson, coach Gavin, Cuedoctor, Hotpot ADR147, magicman, Geofflarge, Trevs1, pooljunkie cueant147 and other more experienced people on this forum to name but a few, as they are almost always spot on with their advice, so I have to say please forgive me for not agreeing with this little bit of advice from John Parris on this occasion, I mean no offence, but I think he is completely wrong.

[CueAntW147]

Who am I to argue with the great cue maker that is John Parris but I have to say that video example he shows here is absolute bollocks.

I have to say I quite agree with most advice given on here from experienced and knowledgable snooker enthusiasts like nrage and the daper Mr Davidson, coach Gavin, Cuedoctor, Hotpot ADR147, magicman, Geofflarge, Trevs1, pooljunkie cueant147 and other more experienced people on this forum to name but a few, as they are almost always spot on with their advice, so I have to say please forgive me for not agreeing with this little bit of advice from John Parris on this occasion, I mean no offence, but I think he is completely wrong.

Had to laugh at this especially the first part why don't you be more clear about what you mean.........lol

Thanks for including me in the last part but you've given good advice yourself in this thread and many other threads for that matter, always look forward to reading your posts & love the humour as well........keep up the good work...;-)

[rongreen]

That video from mr parris was poor as has been said.
I agree the advice given on the forum is very informative and worth reading, well done all concerned, great post 1blonde.