3 questions please

[sixofclubs]

Three questions please folks.

1) Is it a known phenomenon for a player (ok, me) to miss almost straight pots with the result being the perfectly straight cue action and shot direction that I didn't quite want..

2) The taper on my cue really annoys me - is this in the rules or can I use a cue without one?

3) Is a 9ft or 10ft table a bit pointless? I do not have the room for a full size table but would put in a three-quarter size if I felt it made sense. It seems to me that the game on a 10ft table is the same, just a little easier - not a bad way to improve perhaps - a bit like a youngster skiing on little skis? (Oh and how much room would I need? Sorry, that's four questions)...

[jim evans]

q 2 what size taper do you want broom handle size or knitting needle size lol

[Deepscrew]

a cue without taper doesn't really make sense. Explain what you don't like about your cue a bit more maybe??

Missing simple shots is just technique. Try different things yourself with set up or askance better player what he does.

Google room sizes for tables but any practice is good practice.

[sixofclubs]

Maybe this is why I'm rubbish - I can't see what the taper does...seriously, could someone explain its purpose

[jim evans]

puts the stiffness and also the flexibillity for starters

[Terry Davidson]

sixofclubs:

Determining room size is simple, since your cue is around 57" long and you have to backswing a bit (although the cushion edges are actually inside the table dimensions) just add 11ft to 12ft to the table dimensions on each side, i.e. - for a 6x12 you would need 17ft x 24ft which would leave lots of room, usually 16 x 22 is fine.

Since the butt of a cue is larger than the tip you have to have some kind of taper on the cue unless you like using a 29mm tip, which would be just a bit large I would think. Generally the cue has to taper from 29-30mm at the end of the butt down to 9.5-10mm at the ferrule, unless you play American Pool and use a 13mm tip or something.

99.9% of shots (barring kicks) are missed because the player did not deliver the cue straight along the intended line of aim. Unless you are a consistent 100-break player I can assure you that you are NOT delivering the cue straight. If you want to check this for yourself just video yourself from directly behind the butt of the cue playing a medium-paced shot and see if the butt goes sideways at all when you play the video back in either stop-action or slow motion. Believe me, not even some professionals deliver the cue absolutely straight and will compensate or else have the perfect timing to get the cue back to the exact address position after the backswing.

Terry


Terry

[sixofclubs]

Thanks Terry,

I think my post was misleading - I wanted to know what the shaved off bit at the end where you grip it is for and whether it's a legal requirement. Obviously the whole cue has to be tapered, I'm not that dense!!

I have taken a snapshot on video as you say and yes there is a bit of lateral movement. This makes me think that a cue such as the Gravity Cue would help here - what do you think?

So for a 10 ft table I need a room 22' x 17' - mmmm, still tricky...

I'm not very good at snooker but I am keen to improve. I got very good at golf which on the difficulty scale is about the same, so fingers crossed if I put the work in and get some good advice, it might happen one day!!

[Deepscrew]

I see what you mean! The sloping part of the butt.....well you can get cues that are round. Personal preference though as probably 95% of cues have the feature so it might take a while to find one.

[Terry Davidson]

Totally round butts are perfectly legal. The 'chamfor' or 'champhor' (not sure of correct spelling) sometimes called 'flat of the butt' is an old traditional thing from the 1700's when this was lawn croquet moved indoors and they used the broad end of the cue to push the balls around. Nowadays it's used so the player can grip the cue in the same position all the time by feel rather than looking at the grain. For someone who chokes up on his cue more than 4" this flat would be totally useless as he would have to look at the grain anyway.

I happen to have a Gravity Cue for sale just in case you're interested. It weight 20.7oz though and is 58" long but it hits very well. I will sell it at less than a new one costs plus I have a mini-butt for it.

You mis-read my measurements. For a 10ft table you only need 20ft x 15ft minimum, for a 12ft table it's 22 x 16 minimum.

That lateral movement you see in the cue action has to be corrected if it happens before you strike the cueball. If it happens well after you strike you should be OK

Terry

[sixofclubs]

I am definitely interested in your gravity cue Terry. Can you pm me to sort it out?

[sixofclubs]

Or failing that you can email me on jon@trojansolutions.co.uk and I'll see it this afternoon