This is for all you coaches on here

[jb134]

racking brain then SB ?

I am the laughing policeman hahahahahahaha hahahahaha hahahahahahaha hahahahaha!

[Terry Davidson]

Doctor:

I believe there's one more factor than comes into play with cue weight and that is the natural length of backswing a player uses. I also agree (for the pros at least) the newer and faster cloths do mean a lighter cue can be used.

For a club player who generally will have slower cloths when starting out perhaps a heavier cue will help a bit, but I'm talking maybe 18.5 to 19oz but as that player gets better and graduates to the better tables in a club and starts to play in competitions wherfe the tables are usually a bit faster I don't think anything over 18oz is required.

Amongst the pros, the only player I can think of with a shorter backswing than most is Graham Dott and he might benefit from a slightly heavier cue but even he will draw the cue back further when faced with a power shot. Ronnie, Selby, Maguire, Higgins, Murphy and a host of the other top players all use a longer backswing and to my mind could do with something around 17.5oz to give them better feel for the shot. Higgins is a good case as he uses a long backswing on most shots yet he gets decent power and I don't think anyone can argue he gets excellent control too

Terry

[The Doctor]

Not SB either good one JB.
Try RM.
Terry i agree a players natural backswing can have an influence on the type of cue they prefer as will the cue speed of that player.
It all comes down to players preference at the end of the day.
I would recommend a weight between 17-18oz myself. and a tip size between 9-10mm. Outside of these measurements and in my opinion you start to have the cue making big influences on the amount the ball will deviate(throw), especially on fast clothes.
A player should be looking to get as little variants as possible in their game but i firmly believe a cue and its spec can have a big bearing on a players game too.
I have seen players use a cue with good spec but one that throws load with side and the players being restricted because of this, then after changing cues, the same player has a far greater range of shots and consistency in playing them.

[Inverted-spin]

I don't really play much snooker as I love playing English Billiards. A few years ago I changed from a 16.5oz to a 19.5oz cue and I have never found any difficulty with feel or touch shots, or even close cannons. However, I rarely play on the superfine snooker cloths and as they are so fast and responsive I'm sure that any reasonable weight would suffice.