Perplexities of a 'Tomfool'

[Sidd]

Hello everyone.

I'm back here after a long long time. I hope everyone is putting up well and playing this lovely game. I've been terribly very busy lately and haven't been playing a lot. Work and all that.

I have to be quick as I'm heading to deliver a training. Just want to ask some advice.

I recently got in to a city level tournament that my club is hosting and started a bit of practice. Got a walk over in round one and am facing a top player of my club in round two now. Our head to head is in his favour. So this is a serious match for me.

However I measured my cue again and found out its 57.5 inches and got to k ow the reason why I wasn't playing ok daily my elbow problem is creeping in again and I'm sure of it with all this time of trial and error. My medium and long pots are zero due to this. Anyone I know someone who has a 59 inches cue. I got it yesterday and tried it. A break of 29 and a break of 31 on day one in the third and fourth frame. Not bad and I feel so comfortable with a 59 as I don't have to worry about the elbow shoulder etc.

Yes my height makes me use 59 and I feel comfortable in my stance now.

The question is .... My Britannia one piece is so nice with decorative veneers and shiny as good as new. This 59 cue is an Andrew Ramsay (ADR 147) however it has been very roughly used. A dent under the ferrule. Marks near the joint and I found a piece of card in the joint someone said it has been put there to make the chevrons straight as the joint tightens early. No issues with that but should I go for this cue?

Got a new tip on yesterday. Have two days to practice as my match is on sat.

Any and every help is welcome. Advise please...

I shall come back again with details later. Need to rush.

Cheers mates !

[Ramon]

to be honest, I do'nt know what kind of advice you are looking for Sidd !!! ,,, thr re diff opinions about this matter, even here on this forum !! For example, I belive a cue between 57 an 58 inches, would be good enough for any player !! The idea you can play better with a longer cue is just sumthing in ur mind !! Vmax do belive that a longer cue can indeed lead to improvements in your game (cue action). and so on ,,, other members with different opinions !! the main thing is, what works for you !! just cus you had a bad day an as a result a poor game, does'nt mean your cue does'nt suit your game !! I mean what kind of diff we re talking about ??? Just 1 inch ?? That would be 2.5 / 3 cm !!!!
Lol !!!!
Are u telling me You can'nt adjust 2 cm by benting ur bridge hand for about 2 cm , put ur body a bit more forward and get closer to the CB ???
Fair enough ,, in that case , i wish you goodluk !!

[jono*]

Why don't you just get a custom made in 59 if you want a 59 inch cue that's also nice and new

[vmax4steve]

Take your Brittania cue to the same bloke who extended your old cue to 60 inches and ask him to do the same.

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

You might have a technique which demands a longer cue (like vmax) and therefore you will player better. The beat-up 59" cue you tried plays well even with the dent near the ferrule and the rough shape it's in, so why not use it if you like it and think you play better with it. That alone will give you more confidence.

In the meantime do as vmax suggests and lengthen your own cue.

[brookst]

I would agree with Terry's advice, if you feel you play better with the beat up cue use that while you get your old cue lengthened. Thats if you like your old cue in all other respects. If not that i would probably say you should consider getting another cue at your preferred length rather than buying the beat up cue as your long term cue. The aim should be getting a cue that suits you for the long term.

[Sidd]

My match fixture changed. They want to end round two till Friday and so I played it yesterday. The fool that I am, I played it with this new 59 inch cue thinking it would do me good. But during the match I realised another thing- it is too heavy for my liking. Anyway I lost my match 2-0 even though the other player wasn't playing that well but well I screwed up again

Now that I am out of the tournament I can concentrate on getting this cue business sorted out.

First of all- I am returning the beat up cue. Then I might need to lengthen this cue but Terry the problem is that the guy who lengthened my last cue has not much work as that cue was 3/4 so he extended the cue from the joint area and as it was black it was easy.

This Britannia that I m using is one piece and has very decorative snakewood and other pieces near the butt end. I don't think he will be able to lengthen it with ease without ruining the design etc....

I was thinking maybe I should keep this cue and play with it and in the meanwhile put it on sale and once it is sold I should get a 59 ?

I still have a thing for English cues- there is a nice cue maker in Lahore city in Pakistan who is really famous among the local guys. I can go to him and get myself a custom cue but I don't know if a Pakistani cue would be a good idea- given the quality of wood (the ash won't be that good) maybe not but I won't ever be sure.

There is another guy who sells genuine Thai Master cues maybe he can get me a custom cue of Master.

I don't know but I still think I need a 59 and not a 57 1/2 !

[vmax4steve]

to be honest, I do'nt know what kind of advice you are looking for Sidd !!! ,,, thr re diff opinions about this matter, even here on this forum !! For example, I belive a cue between 57 an 58 inches, would be good enough for any player !! The idea you can play better with a longer cue is just sumthing in ur mind !! Vmax do belive that a longer cue can indeed lead to improvements in your game (cue action). and so on ,,, other members with different opinions !! the main thing is, what works for you !! just cus

It's all about how tall you are and how long your arms are Ramon. The difficulty is in getting into a relaxed stance with a backswing that isn't restricted by the length of your cue. Having the cue vertical or slightly behind the vertical at address with enough cue over your thumb for good sighting; the more cue you can see on the line of aim the better, take three inches off and it gets harder.

I would say to all you players who are under six feet tall to have a go at playing snooker by holding your cue about three inches below where you usually hold it and see how you get on.

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

I'm not a fan of longer cues unless the player is an ex-basketball player and 7ft tall. As j6 says there are a lot of tall pros and they all use cues at 58" or under in most cases but they have learned to cue. In the end I don't think a 59" cue for you would make any difference but learning how to cue well would make all the difference.

The most likely thing that happened when you borrowed that 59" beat up cue is you would likely concentrate more with a different cue and that was the reason you seemed to play better with it.

The other thing is Sidd, you just cannot expect to play any better if you don't get a lot of practice and you seem to be at a stage in your life where there is not much time for snooker. If you cannot get practice you are going to have to settle with the skill level you have now or even expect to lose some of that.

[j6uk]

murphy, day, robertson, ebdon, walden, and good to see david grace coming through too. all these top players are big lads, none of them use a cue over 59, an most play with standard length. i dont think any pro on the tour uses a cue over 59
dont look to the cue for answers but learn how to use the cue, its the best thing for you

[Leo]

You play with a cue you're most comfortable with, you don't get players saying to Jimmy White in the 90's that you shouldn't be playing with a 20+ ounce cue, others don't so you shouldn't, we are all built differently we all play differently, we mainly all sight differently, so saying to a player you need or don't need a 59" cue is totally misleading. My mate is as tall as me yet I'm a size 10 and he's a size 8 1/2 but I don't tell him he's wearing the wrong shoes.

no different to these players who watch Nic barrow play snooker on YouTube and then try and copy his technique or the way he plays, it just don't work like that IMHO.

[vmax4steve]

murphy, day, robertson, ebdon, walden, and good to see david grace coming through too. all these top players are big lads, none of them use a cue over 59, an most play with standard length. i dont think any pro on the tour uses a cue over 59
dont look to the cue for answers but learn how to use the cue, its the best thing for you

These blokes probably still use the cues they grew up with, although they have now outgrown them and a longer cue would suit them better, they have been able to put in 8 hours snooker a day for ten years plus to get their game and their timing honed around their cues.
We do not have that time or that dedication as we have other things to do, like earn a living, and other interests as well besides snooker.

Three inches extra is sod all on the length of a cue, only the width of your fist, and it can put the cue on or behind the vertical at address without needing to adjust ones stance or put in any practise at all, it's simply all correct when you get down, the same as it is for a bloke of five seven using a 57 inch cue, no p1ssing about with technique required, no worries about dropping the shoulder into the stroke, no sighting issues etc etc.

This argument goes on and on, but you only have to go back to Sidds opening post on the thread he started 'length does matter' when he got his old cue lengthened to 60 inches and all the issues he had with his technique disappeared in one fell swoop and he knew from then on that any future problems would be all to do with his mindset. Yes he's a tomfool to have green eyes over a shiny new cue with snakewood trimmings, and I told him so at the time, but he was also a tomfool to listen to others, but it's easy enough to remedy, and no need for 8 hours of practise a day with something you have no faith in.

[j6uk]

These blokes probably still use the cues they grew up with
probabally not
although they have now outgrown them and a longer cue would suit them better
remember three of them are world champions
, they have been able to put in 8 hours snooker a day for ten years plus to get their game and their timing honed around their cues.
its timing, an a longer cue has nothing to do with it
We do not have that time or that dedication as we have other things to do, like earn a living, and other interests as well besides snooker.
yes to be good at snooker takes some dedication, again a longer cue wont help

Three inches extra is sod all on the length of a cue,
you put a tips worth of length on my or anyones cue who can play a bit an theyll know about it
only the width of your fist
thats massive
, and it can put the cue on or behind the vertical at address without needing to adjust ones stance or put in any practise at all, it's simply all correct when you get down
really, says who?
, the same as it is for a bloke of five seven using a 57 inch cue, no p1ssing about with technique required, no worries about dropping the shoulder into the stroke, no sighting issues etc etc.
well no technique is a none starter in this game so long cue sunglasses knock yourself out man

This argument goes on and on,
there no argument, good players dont use massive cues
but you only have to go back to Sidds opening post on the thread he started 'length does matter' when he got his old cue lengthened to 60 inches and all the issues he had with his technique disappeared in one fell swoop and he knew from then on that any future problems would be all to do with his mindset. Yes he's a tomfool to have green eyes over a shiny new cue with snakewood trimmings, and I told him so at the time, but he was also a tomfool to listen to others, but it's easy enough to remedy, and no need for 8 hours of practise a day with something you have no faith in .

stop throwing your cue arm at shots with bad technique an learn how to use a cue, its the first port of call
http://www.thesnookerforum.co.uk/boa...s/54112-cueing

[jrc750]

...Three inches extra is sod all on the length of a cue...

Are you for real ?? 1/2" is massive to most people, 3" is ridiculous !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ramon]

It's all about how tall you are and how long your arms are Ramon. The difficulty is in getting into a relaxed stance with a backswing that isn't restricted by the length of your cue. Having the cue vertical or slightly behind the vertical at address with enough cue over your thumb for good sighting; the more cue you can see on the line of aim the better, take three inches off and it gets harder.

I would say to all you players who are under six feet tall to have a go at playing snooker by holding your cue about three inches below where you usually hold it and see how you get on.

well, I knew we gonna get this !! as I said thr re always diff of opinion between players !!
Vmax,, belive it or not , I love the way u look at this game and agree with u on many things u said on this forum an also learned sumthing !! as for this matter, gonna give u only my opinion !!
the reason that sum players belive they need a longer cue is most of the time cus of 2 things :
1- they're thinking you'll get more CB response by more following thrw!! which is absolutely not true ( u see sumtimes the cue following the CB after striking but that's just cus of well striking the cb ) !!!! Once the Cue tip makes contact with CB, not even a second later the CB IS GONE!! and that's not only my opinion ,but also a matter of science!!
You'll get more CB respons with less effort an less power, if you can increase the time that Cue tip remains in contact with CB,,, the longer the Cue tip remains in contact with CB, the more response you get. in other words, the better acceleration , the more respons with less effort and better result!! It's about ,how you striking the CB , NOT, how long u following the CB with ur cue !!

2-those players do'nt stay behind the CB after striking!! you have to stay behind the CB with your cue, which is one of the terms of good striking an good acceleration ( an all of this has t do with ur TIMING , AS J6 already mentioned ).
This is exactly the same story as players who belive they need a heavier cue to get more CB response!! which is not true either!!
of crs , sum players use a 18 an sum of them 17.8 an sum of them 18.4 OZ cue and so on an on ......!! I do'nt deny that the cue has to suits your game, as I mentioned in my previous post : it's about what works for you!!
But if sum player walking around with a poor technique, sumone who can'nt time his cue action good enought , and he think, I buy a cue (2 CM or 1 OZ heavier), and then suddenly I can play better,,then, he is dreaming!! It's all in his mind!!

To buy a heavier cue or a longer cue to be more comfortable is ONE THING. (talking about a player here who can make any break also with a shorter cue but he has long arms , as u said in ur post ).
To buy a heavier cue or a longer cue to suddenly become a better player, is ANOTHER STORY!!! fantasy story !!

anyway, it's just the way i see it !!