Taper width ?????

[ianjones89]

I find cues like the wands in the first Harry Potter movie - the cue picks the player not the other way around! Each one is so individual that it makes it near impossible for the same cue to be used as efficiently by two separate players.

For example you could buy 2 'identical' £35.00 cues from Argos and I'd be willing to bet that even they would feel different to one another.

As for the correct bridge distance from the cue ball, again it depends on several things, How good the player is (ability to keep cue straight over longer distances), the type of shot/desired cueball effects, size of the cue according to the player and the player's general technique.

No two players have idebtical techniques no matter how alike they appear. It is all personal.

Hope this helps.

[tornado taylor]

For people of normal height (say 5ft6in to 6ft2in) I teach the 'V' of the bridge should be somewhere between 9" to 12" hi terry. How does it differ for someone like me at 6'5? Or what do you recommend for taller people. Cheers.

[nrage]

For people of normal height (say 5ft6in to 6ft2in) I teach the 'V' of the bridge should be somewhere between 9" to 12" hi terry. How does it differ for someone like me at 6'5? Or what do you recommend for taller people. Cheers.

IMO it should be the same for tall as it is for short, because the reasons for the recommended distance are the same for tall and short players.

The reason not to have a longer bridge than 12" is that the longer you go, the more movement in the grip hand affects where the tip strikes the white. Try this experiment; lie your cue on the table and place a piece of chalk at the tip end and the butt end. Hold the cue at 12 inches from the tip and move the butt 1 inch to the left (or right) so that the cue pivots where you're holding it. Note how far the tip moves (to the opposite side). Do the same again, but hold the cue at 9 inches. Note the distance the tip moves is less. The shorter the bridge the less it moves, the longer the bridge the more it moves. So, any movement you have will be amplified by a longer bridge.

The reason not to have a shorter bridge than 9" is that the shorter you go, the faster you have to accelerate the cue to reach a good speed. With a longer bridge you could accelerate more gradually and achieve the same speed, over the longer bridge distance. Accelerating too quickly is likely to introduce inaccuracy, so a gradual acceleration is better for control and therefore preferred.

So, none of that changes whether you're tall or short, it's the same for people of any height. The recommended distances of 9 - 12 inches allow for a balance between accuracy and distance for gradual acceleration. Each player will be slightly different, but not because of their height. Rather, if someone is more accurate with a long bridge and gradual acceleration then they will favour 12", another player may be more accurate with a short bridge and quicker acceleration.

But, it may be that the "back hand english" video link I posted is more important than either of these and finding the correct pivot point for your individual cue will make you more accurate.

[tornado taylor]

Thanks for the reply nrage. I was of the opinion that it should be the same and I agree with what your saying but was interested to hear terry's take on it if he had one for taller people.