Player height vs cue length vs right technique

[Sidd]

I found this very interesting given that these days I am trying to buy a new cue that fits my needs. I am 6 feet 1 inch tall and my arm length is 2 feet (24 inches) from wrist to shoulder excluding the hand. When down in address I have 11 inches form V to tip and in order to keep my cueing arm vertical I have to take my grip to the very edge/end of butt even to a point where my last finger goes off the butt and I dont like it. This sure confirms that I need a bigger cue... but how much longer exactly? my current cue is 57 1/2.

I have also noticed last night that my tip is not as close to CB I mean strangely I have it about 1 inch away from CB when in the balls. So last night I tried to take it close to the white however I could not do so by getting my grip back on the butt (it is already at the last edge and I do not have more cue behind it) and so I had to slide my bridge arm further near the CB and that meant that my cue from V to tip came at roughly 8 inches or something. But by doing so my potting accuracy improved greatly. This meant that in order to keep the tip nearest to CB and still maintain 10-11 inches from V to tip, I need more cue...

I think all this clearly signifies the fact that my cue is short for me... I need to get a longer cue... but how long is the question? 58, I dont think so for what good would be just adding half an inch... 59 or 60 ????????

the full size cue comes at 58 and that does not seem to solve my problem (just half an inch more than my current cue) so I will have to have a custom cue made to 59 or 60 and that being the case, I think 60 inches would do me best...!

Last but not the least, I really do struggle with long pots irrespective of power... i personally think that because of having a shorter cue I am dropping my elbow severely on long shots...

Looking forward to opinions / suggestions

[cyberheater]

Can you not add a mini butt to your existing cue and work it out from there?

When you see someone like John Higgins. In his normal address position, he has a good couple of inches sticking out behind his grip hand. If you need something like a 59 or 60 inch cue just to get your full hand on the end of the cue then to have a few inches sticking out you'd need a 62 or even a 63 inch cue.

I'm 6ft 5inches. I play with a 59 inch cue but the distance between the V on my bridge hand and the cue ball is quite short.

[itsnoteasy]

Having your tip one inch from the cue ball may not help , your elbow will be dropping before you hit the white, and your timing will be wrong,so it might be nothing to do with the cue, it could just be the address position . I don't understand how moving the cue closer to the white gives you a shorter bridge, you have the same set up but all of you is an inch nearer, don't just slide the bridge hand and cue forward, this will make you reach for the shot and make you unbalanced, move your feet as well. It could take some time to get the new position right.

[Sidd]

Can you not add a mini butt to your existing cue and work it out from there?

When you see someone like John Higgins. In his normal address position, he has a good couple of inches sticking out behind his grip hand. If you need something like a 59 or 60 inch cue just to get your full hand on the end of the cue then to have a few inches sticking out you'd need a 62 or even a 63 inch cue.

I'm 6ft 5inches. I play with a 59 inch cue but the distance between the V on my bridge hand and the cue ball is quite short.

I dont know mate. i am still considering options and opinions. I still think its technique rather than length but still cant be sure.

[Sidd]

Having your tip one inch from the cue ball may not help , your elbow will be dropping before you hit the white, and your timing will be wrong,so it might be nothing to do with the cue, it could just be the address position . I don't understand how moving the cue closer to the white gives you a shorter bridge, you have the same set up but all of you is an inch nearer, don't just slide the bridge hand and cue forward, this will make you reach for the shot and make you unbalanced, move your feet as well. It could take some time to get the new position right.

Hey man I hope you get a villain's thumb soon

I think you are right. Rather than cursing the cue, which is short no doubt, perhaps I could correct my technique and get closer to the CB in the address position. Perhaps I need to get closer to the CB but putting my foot ahead and closer to the table and maybe this is exactly what is making me drop my elbow rather than the cue length and if you are right then I do not need to change my cue but rather readjust my technique:

what if I:

1. move in to the shot closer and have my tip as close to the cb as possible in address
2. bend my bridge arm a bit in order to maintain 11 inches after v to tip and keeping my cueing arm in vertical on the edge of the butt

if that is the case, then my current cue i.e. 57 1/2 should do nicely without changing it... what do you think ???

[mythman69]

I dont know mate. i am still considering options and opinions. I still think its technique rather than length but still cant be sure.

Does anyone at the club where you play have a longer cue you could try out to see if it feels better?

[itsnoteasy]

Sidd, try putting the white on the blue spot , lay the cue on the table with the tip close to the white, place your right foot(if right handed) on line and grip the cue with hand near hip of right leg , bend down into stance, and see what feels comfortable, I think everyone near enough says have a slight bend in your bridge arm nowadays , if you are the right distance from everything and your back arm is straight you are ok with this cue. If this is wrong someone will correct it, as it's technical advice so I'm just saying how I would check it.
This bit of info could be way off so take it with much salt, but I wouldn't be too obsessed with being 11inches away exactly, I think bridge length is a personal thing to each player, it's what is comfortable to you, within a certain range of course.

[vmax4steve]

There is no right and proper place to hold a cue that applies to everyone. We are all different in stature and body dimensions and finding the correct way to play is an individual thing.
However, if you are tall and use a standard length cue you will be limited as to how you can sight the line of aim, your stance, your head position, your bridge arm, your cue arm elbow position etc.

Watch this video of Bill Werbeniuk making his record equalling 142 in the '79 WSC. Notice that he has quite a long cue, comes up to about his chin, a long bridge distance to the cue ball where his cue arm elbow is right on 90 degrees to the vertical. You can see this the best when he is on the final brown.
There are times during this break when his cue arm elbow goes in front of the vertical, but as his head position is not very upright, sighting through his eyebrows, he needs that long bridge length to sight the line of aim and when at distance pushes the cue even further forward of his thumb.
This does make him drop his elbow just before the strike on some shots, but on others he manages to keep his elbow up by really restricting his follow through.
Now Bill could have started very young and sighted this way from the start eventually outgrowing the style he developed when his height outgrew the length of cue he was used to when younger and shorter. Getting a cue a couple of inches longer when fully grown would have meant that the elbow of his cue arm could have stayed at 90 degrees for all the shots he wished to play with that long bridge that was essential for his sighting method.
He was undoubtedly a great player but never won a tournament on the pro tour. It's these little things in technique, that some players are right on the edge of, that fail at vital times in matches when the pressure is on. One can either go the way that Steve Davis did and cultivate a technique for the taller man that can overcome the shortcomings of playing with a short cue or one can play with a cue that suits your height and enables you to have the same options as those shorter players who fit the cues they are using.

[Sidd]

Itsnoteasy; I will do the check up tonight.

Steve; it is true that he really has quite some cue after his V and he does not drop the elbow for completing his shot that much. When i personally have to try not to drop the elbow I have to do it on purpose by keeping in mind while making the shot not to let it drop and that too disturbs accuracy.

The problem is that when I make my stance in address on baulk brown spot my V intersects exactly at the bottom of the D automatically... i think it is in the balls when that changes unconsciously.

My cue, when held upright on the floor, barely reaches my chest and I still have a good three inches yet to my shoulder.

[vmax4steve]

The problem is that when I make my stance in address on baulk brown spot my V intersects exactly at the bottom of the D automatically... i think it is in the balls when that changes unconsciously.

When in the balls it is usual to shorten the bridge length as there is a shorter line of aim to sight along. It is usual to subconsciously lengthen the bridge for distance shots (cue length permitting of course) as the line of aim is longer.
If you are lengthening your bridge when in the balls I would say that you need a longer bridge length for sighting, probably due to your head position, and you therefore push the cue further forward subconsciously which as you know will put your cue arm forward of vertical at the address position, bringing the shoulder into the shot.

My cue, when held upright on the floor, barely reaches my chest and I still have a good three inches yet to my shoulder.

A longer cue is a must for you Sidd unless you want to spend years more mucking about with your cue action, and as a recreational player with a young family you do not have the time to commit to such an endeavor.
Longer cue automatically means longer bridge over your thumb for sighting without pushing your cue arm forward of the vertical, and no coaching required to alter your cue action as it is already set up for a longer cue.

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[Sidd]

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Totally agreed with the text in Blue Steve... As for the text in red, it needs more elaboration for me to get it. Please elaborate your point given that it explains the shoulder play- one of my biggest enemies... Thanks

[vmax4steve]

Totally agreed with the text in Blue Steve... As for the text in red, it needs more elaboration for me to get it. Please elaborate your point given that it explains the shoulder play- one of my biggest enemies... Thanks

You like a straight bridge arm and and a long bridge in order to sight the line of aim and therefore you might be subconsciously pushing out your bridge arm and your cue when in the balls for better sighting which brings your cue arm forward of vertical at the address position which in turn makes you bring your shoulder into the shot before the cue ball is struck.
You could probably put a stop to this with hard practise, but as you already know, and to some cost, implementing new things into your cue action is a road hard travelled already and the simpler solution is a longer cue.

If your budget doesn't stretch to a hand made english cue, this is no time to be snobbish about owning, playing with and possibly being more successful with something chinese.
You have to ask yourself what you want from snooker, looking good or playing the game to a higher standard.
If you get a cheaper chinese cue that is long enough for you to stop tinkering with your cue action and you go on to make your dream century, no one will be looking at the badge on your cue.

[GeordieDS]

I don't think the cue is your problem as i went through the same thing so had my cue extended and my game went from bad to worse , Find a good coach and work hard is my advice.

Good luck !

[Sidd]

You like a straight bridge arm and and a long bridge in order to sight the line of aim and therefore you might be subconsciously pushing out your bridge arm and your cue when in the balls for better sighting which brings your cue arm forward of vertical at the address position which in turn makes you bring your shoulder into the shot before the cue ball is struck.
You could probably put a stop to this with hard practise, but as you already know, and to some cost, implementing new things into your cue action is a road hard travelled already and the simpler solution is a longer cue.

If your budget doesn't stretch to a hand made english cue, this is no time to be snobbish about owning, playing with and possibly being more successful with something chinese.
You have to ask yourself what you want from snooker, looking good or playing the game to a higher standard.
If you get a cheaper chinese cue that is long enough for you to stop tinkering with your cue action and you go on to make your dream century, no one will be looking at the badge on your cue.

Agreed. But I wont go for a Chinese cue... Let me think more, maybe there is an option hidden somewhere... maybe machine made... maybe Thailand made Master cue... maybe maybe maybe

[Sidd]

I don't think the cue is your problem as i went through the same thing so had my cue extended and my game went from bad to worse , Find a good coach and work hard is my advice.

Good luck !

Hey thanks. But you see now that this is in my mind, I have to get it sorted out because I personally think this might be one of the biggest things for me. You see I have been playing since 13 or 15 years on and off now. I have always played with standard cues that are small for me. So without having tried this out, I would never know if this would help me improve or not. Better try and fail than anything on.

Let us see !