Length Does Matter ;)

[trevs1]

You've actually been there j6, used a 61 inch cue to great effect but went back to a 57. I on the other hand went up to a 62 and stayed there. I think it may actually be 61 & 1/2 now due to a ferrule problem.

My cue was specifically made for me by a bloke called David Hart who advertised in Cue World magazine in the 80's. It's dimensions were 62 inches long, one piece, ash shaft with plain ebony butt, 19 oz's, 10mm brass ferrule and the taper and balance on it is relative to its length.
I had it split to 3/4 and the length is now about a ferrule shorter than it was, put a maple and walnut inlay into the butt myself, and it's now 20 oz's but it doesn't feel any different.

The main problem that taller players face is actually getting down into a stance that gives them enough shaft to look along to sight the shot in the same way that a shorter player can with a standard length cue.

The taller you are, the longer your arms, the lower you have to get, the more you have to bend your bridge arm to enable a decent length of stroke without your cue arm being forward of the vertical at address. Because you also need enough length of cue over your thumb to sight there is a great tendency to push the cue forward while holding it right at the very end at all times, which means the cue's balance is a little forward as well.

The taller player will tend to have his cue action right on the edge of dropping the shoulder into the shot to enable enough cue over his thumb for good sighting. An awful lot of practise will give good enough technique to develop a cue action to play this way, but timing will be crucial and exact, something the social player doesn't have the time and probably the inclination to work at.

An extra three inches on the cue means more cue to sight along, the bridge arm can therefore be pushed out a little straighter allowing the cue arm to stay vertical at address or even a little behind vertical and the cue doesn't have to be held right on the end so it's natural balance can be felt and utilised.

To take a perfect example of what I have described above, have a look at Mark Williams and see how his action is right on the edge of going wrong. He was a fantastic player at his peak, but now as he says so himself he doesn't put in the practise he used to, therefore his timing is now a bit hit and miss and he tends to drop his shoulder into the shot before the strike far too often. If he had a cue just two inches longer he could have that elbow position just a little behind the vertical and find it easier to time the shot so that the shoulder doesn't come into action before the strike.
For the taller social player who obviously doesn't practise hard it's a win win scenario as everything will naturally fall into place without having to think about it at all.

That's all I have to say on this subject, you may disagree but frankly I don't care, I have my own mind and give my own opinions, this one just happens to be shared by Neil Maxman on his snooker pro tips videos on youtube and I haven't found any of his videos to give bad advice. Top coach in my opinion.

For a number of seasons, it seemed Mark was winning everything and was extremely difficult to beat. The fact that he was playing this well at that time was likely to have had little to nothing to do with his cue and technique, but more to do with other aspects of what makes sports people great at differing stages of their careers, such as having targets to aim at, desire and confidence. There is likely to be a very different kind of feeling when you become the target, lose a little desire, and the confidence diminishes.

The statement from Mark himself about how he "doesn't put in the practise" may have some relevance, but, it's not as though he has no experience to call on, or, that he is not playing an adequate amount to keep himself in good solid shape technically. He is still a professional player and to a fair extent, his life will revolve around when he has tournaments due and when he needs / wants to practise. The drop off in success happens to many, if not all, no matter whether their technique was textbook or not. The reasons for this can be debated for years, with many having their own views as to why this occurs. All we know is it does occur.

At his peak, Mark's cue was barely 57" long, which strictly speaking, was arguably too short for someone of his height. However, he has always played with this length, and has adapted to it as he grew up. Yes, this might have been part of why we see the bridge arm bend more and the grip forearm being forward of 90 degrees to the floor at address, but that's nothing new and it's how he has been for years and years. For all we know, he may have adopted the same setup even with a longer cue. Any suggestion that his success and winning may be due to the fact that he was practising more and therefore able to keep that setup working better is to do him a massive injustice. There were far far more powerful things happening that made Mark the winner he was (and still ocassionally is) at that time. Any changes in how he delivers the cue is far more likely to be caused by confidence and the other psychological issues that affect so many sports people. The idea that a simple techinical tweak could offer a route back to more correct cueing, and therefore more success, would be very much oversimplifying what is going on there in total.

[Leo]

I must admit do enjoy reading Trevor's posts as they actually make a lot of sense.

[trevs1]

I must admit do enjoy reading Trevor's posts as they actually make a lot of sense.

That's kind Leo, are you ok.?..Or are you after a discount cue.?..ha

[Terry Davidson]

That's kind Leo, are you ok.?..Or are you after a discount cue.?..ha

Well, I enjoy reading your posts too...now how about a discount cue (or two even)

[vmax4steve]

For a number of seasons, it seemed Mark was winning everything and was extremely difficult to beat. The fact that he was playing this well at that time was likely to have had little to nothing to do with his cue and technique, but more to do with other aspects of what makes sports people great at differing stages of their careers, such as having targets to aim at, desire and confidence. There is likely to be a very different kind of feeling when you become the target, lose a little desire, and the confidence diminishes.

The statement from Mark himself about how he "doesn't put in the practise" may have some relevance, but, it's not as though he has no experience to call on, or, that he is not playing an adequate amount to keep himself in good solid shape technically. He is still a professional player and to a fair extent, his life will revolve around when he has tournaments due and when he needs / wants to practise. The drop off in success happens to many, if not all, no matter whether their technique was textbook or not. The reasons for this can be debated for years, with many having their own views as to why this occurs. All we know is it does occur.

At his peak, Mark's cue was barely 57" long, which strictly speaking, was arguably too short for someone of his height. However, he has always played with this length, and has adapted to it as he grew up. Yes, this might have been part of why we see the bridge arm bend more and the grip forearm being forward of 90 degrees to the floor at address, but that's nothing new and it's how he has been for years and years. For all we know, he may have adopted the same setup even with a longer cue. Any suggestion that his success and winning may be due to the fact that he was practising more and therefore able to keep that setup working better is to do him a massive injustice. There were far far more powerful things happening that made Mark the winner he was (and still ocassionally is) at that time. Any changes in how he delivers the cue is far more likely to be caused by confidence and the other psychological issues that affect so many sports people. The idea that a simple techinical tweak could offer a route back to more correct cueing, and therefore more success, would be very much oversimplifying what is going on there in total.

You could very well be right Trevor, but then again so could I as the reason he pushes the cue forward enough in his bridge could be to sight the shot better, which of course brings his elbow in front of the vertical.
He has a chicken wing elbow position, so if he drops the shoulder before the tip contacts the cue ball it's about 90% certain that his cue will not go through straight, unlike another tall player like Selby who has his elbow straight on the line of aim.

Did not Mark try out one of those low deflection cues last season ? I believe he did, so he himself thinks he has a problem delivering the cue in a straight line at times and sought to find a cure for it.

Why don't you offer to knock up a 60 inch cue for him to try out, would be great advertising for you if it worked out.

[trevs1]

I'm not sure that the use of the cue for sighting purposes is what made Mark develop the setup he has and don't really want to get into that. I'd say it's safe to bet we would have differing opinions about it, so it's perhaps better left at that.

To presume he tried an Acuerate cue because he felt he was not cueing straight is nothing more than assumption. The fact that Mark tried an Acuerate cue could potentially be for a number of reasons. It may be something he was trying due to his friendship with Hendry, who had gone that route well before Mark ever did. I know Mark had / has a tremendous amount of respect for Hendry, (as anyone would for one of the greatest the game has ever seen), so it may well be that his choice to try it was inspired by that as much as anything else. Quite honestly I wouldn't know, and don't particularly care. I'd never given it a moments thought, any more than I do for what other players are using. It's of no consequence to me.

As for the long cue thing.....

To be honest, I couldn't see Mark having the slightest interest in trying a cue of that kind of length. It's been some time since I've seen or spoken to him and I have not the faintest clue now what cue he uses, the specs of it, or who built it. The only time I have ever spoken to him about cues is when he's had issues with one. Any other time we have met / been in the same place, we have spoken about other stuff, mainly not relating to snooker at all. If Mark needed anything doing and came to me, I'd be more than happy to listen and would do what I could for him, just as I would with any other Welsh players I've known for years. I'd not be interested in any advertising for myself in such circumstances, it's not my style and frankly I don't feel the need to do it.

[Inoffthered]

Well, I enjoy reading your posts too...now how about a discount cue (or two even)

x2! Haha .

[Sidd]

Can anyone tell me Mark's exact height and the exact length of his cue ??????????

[j6uk]

marks 6' an i believe his jp cue is 58

[Sidd]

marks 6' an i believe his jp cue is 58

Thanks ... This is reassuring !