Inches Either Way

[SouthPaw]

the actual answers are given above ... I will reply to the joke only ...

its not the size (length) dude... its always how you do it applies here too yeah

My friend always says "it is not the size of the wand but the magic in it that counts".

I believe people with small packages endorse that theory, luckily I've a big cue and I know how to use it! =p

[mythman69]

I believe people with small packages endorse that theory, luckily I've a big cue and I know how to use it! =p

Me too.

[Sidd]

Neil Maxman explains it very well,

Thanks for sharing this.. This is very interesting for taller players like myself... very good !

[SouthPaw]

I believe people with small packages endorse that theory, luckily I've a big cue and I know how to use it! =p

Me too.

Haha... we should start a group on here, called "The lothario long sticks"

[sydneygeorge]

It's all about being able to sight along the line of aim, which of course your cue is part of if you're sighting correctly. When close in to the shot you want to make, ie a couple of feet in and around the black and pink spots, then the line of aim is shorter than when the shot is further away.
Putting the cue on the line of aim and seeing and checking that it is in fact on the line of aim has everything to do the the length of cue sticking out over the thumb of your bridge hand in relation to your head position/eyes.

For example, when using the rest the whole of the cue can be seen to enable it to be put on the line of aim, making rest shots very easy to sight, yet when the cue ball is frozen to a cushion only a small length of cue can stick out over the thumb of the bridge hand. This is what makes cueing off the cushion more difficult, the eyes cannot be as certain that the cue is on the line of aim because the eyes don't have enough cue in sight, same as when bridging over another ball to address the cue ball.

It's important also to have a cue long enough to allow you to be comfortable in your stance with your bridge arm as straight as you want it to be and your cue arm at the very least vertical in relation to the floor when at the address position. For the cue arm to be forward of vertical means that the shoulder will come into the shot before the cue ball is struck which will take the cue off line.
Behind the vertical is OK but forward of the vertical is not.

Therefore when playing long shots you will need more cue over your thumb to be able to sight the line of aim without taking your cue arm forward of the vertical at the address position.

All the best players have cues that are long enough for this and in fact move their grip hand along the butt depending on how far away or close the object ball is. The only top pro I've ever seen that had his cue arm forward of the vertical was Willie Thorne, a tall man with a standard length cue who somehow got away with it, but only in practise, and that speaks volumes. There is not a single top pro today that cues like this, Mark Williams is very close and at times does and that's why he is so inconsistant. To have a cue action like his means that it's very easy for it to go wrong and his timing has to be spot on at all times.

Length of arm span is what determines this more than anything else. I'm six foot two and have a cue of 62 inches which when touching the floor comes up to an inch below my chin. I only hold my cue right at the end when playing long shots, and seeing as the width of my grip hand is about 3 & 1/2 inches that equates to 58 & 1/2 inches of cue beyond my forefinger, straight bridge arm, and cue arm a little behind the vertical at the address position.

I know I said that putting the cue on the line of aim for rest shots is easy, and it is, but for those of you who struggle with the rest, then it's purely your delivery of the cue that is failing.

Great post Vmax, thank you for sharing.