My pool cue just disappeared!

BillPorter

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Back in 1980 I had an article published in Billiards Digest about pool cues. We had interviewed players at the 1980 Rocky Mountain 9-Ball Open about their cues, how they maintained them, and their preferences regarding weight and shaft size. At the end of that article I offered the opinion that the “best” cue, for any given player, was a cue that “disappeared” during play. What I meant by that was that if a cue drew attention to itself in some way during play, it was interfering with the player’s focus on the shot and the game at hand. A good cue for you is a cue that does NOT draw attention to itself and just disappears from your mind during play.

Now, 30 years later, I am even more convinced of the validity of that opinion and offer it up, here on the AZ forum, as possibly helpful to some player out there who is considering purchasing a new cue or changing cues.

Consider cue weight for a moment. If a cue is feeling heavy to you, especially if you find that you notice its heaviness during play, the cue is simply too heavy for you and your game. Obviously the same logic can be applied if the cue feels too light. If your linen wrap has a frayed strand that you notice now and then during play, bothering you, you’ve got to get it fixed, right?

I like thicker shafts, but some of my pool playing friends, when they try a shot with one of my cues, tell me that they could never shoot with a shaft that thick. Sometimes it’s because their fingers are short or stubby, but sometimes it’s just that they are used to a thin shaft. For sure, if your shaft feels too thick, it’s too thick for you. Same for too thin.

Some players are really conscious of the balance point of a cue and some aren’t. I myself am pretty much indifference to balance point unless the cue is super butt-heavy. If you find yourself noticing that a cue is butt-heavy, you simply need a more forward balanced stick.

There have been a ton of posts about tips and it’s clearly very subjective when it comes to tip preference. But it is clear to me that if you keep thinking to yourself, “Man, this is really a HARD tip,” (feel free to substitute “SOFT” here) then you need a tip change.

I could go on a bit and talk about ferrules, joints, etc., but you get the idea. I believe the best cue for you is a cue that you can play with for several hours without ever thinking about the cue. In other words, the best cue, for you, is a cue that just disappears from your conscious mind during play.

Of course, you understand that all this is just In My Humble Opinion.:)
 
Bill,

I totally agree.

As for the ferrule you didn't get into, but suggested you could... I have a Ziricote ferrule on my cue. The reason -- It helps me line up my shot, but I never see the darker wood in my vision. I just play better. For some folks, a darker ferrule would never work, but for me, it makes such a huge difference in my game that I could never imagine playing with a white ferrule, again.

Rep for you, Bill. That was one of the best posts ever on this forum and it was such a simple concept that is so right-on!
 
Great post. I agree completely. I have a few cues, and the ones that I enjoy playing with the most are the ones that just FIT. They become part of me and I forget that they are there. Just and extension so to say.
 
That's a great way to look at it. I find that when I'm playing with a cue for several months and switch, I can't help but notice the differences between the two and wish I didn't.

I end up spending too much time thinking about those differences instead of focusing on the shot.
 
An exception

There is at least one exception to the rule that your pool cue should disappear and remain outside of your conscious awareness during play -- it's the NEW CUE phenomenon that most of us have experienced. About 12 years ago I was in Dallas and had just bought a new cue, a low-end Predator model. I played a guy who usually beat me and just "shot his nuts off" as they say. I was thinking, "Boy, now my game is reallygoing to soar!" Of course, it didn't. Often, playing with a new cue sort of "wakes us up" and we become somehow more alert and in tune with our game. Any change, not just a new cue but anything new, can help us catch a gear for a while. I suspect it is this phenomenon that leads so many of us to keep trying new cues in search of the "magic wand."
 
BillPorter said:
Back in 1980 I had an article published in Billiards Digest about pool cues. We had interviewed players at the 1980 Rocky Mountain 9-Ball Open about their cues, how they maintained them, and their preferences regarding weight and shaft size. At the end of that article I offered the opinion that the “best” cue, for any given player, was a cue that “disappeared” during play. What I meant by that was that if a cue drew attention to itself in some way during play, it was interfering with the player’s focus on the shot and the game at hand. A good cue for you is a cue that does NOT draw attention to itself and just disappears from your mind during play.

Now, 30 years later, I am even more convinced of the validity of that opinion and offer it up, here on the AZ forum, as possibly helpful to some player out there who is considering purchasing a new cue or changing cues.

Consider cue weight for a moment. If a cue is feeling heavy to you, especially if you find that you notice its heaviness during play, the cue is simply too heavy for you and your game. Obviously the same logic can be applied if the cue feels too light. If your linen wrap has a frayed strand that you notice now and then during play, bothering you, you’ve got to get it fixed, right?

I like thicker shafts, but some of my pool playing friends, when they try a shot with one of my cues, tell me that they could never shoot with a shaft that thick. Sometimes it’s because their fingers are short or stubby, but sometimes it’s just that they are used to a thin shaft. For sure, if your shaft feels too thick, it’s too thick for you. Same for too thin.

Some players are really conscious of the balance point of a cue and some aren’t. I myself am pretty much indifference to balance point unless the cue is super butt-heavy. If you find yourself noticing that a cue is butt-heavy, you simply need a more forward balanced stick.

There have been a ton of posts about tips and it’s clearly very subjective when it comes to tip preference. But it is clear to me that if you keep thinking to yourself, “Man, this is really a HARD tip,” (feel free to substitute “SOFT” here) then you need a tip change.

I could go on a bit and talk about ferrules, joints, etc., but you get the idea. I believe the best cue for you is a cue that you can play with for several hours without ever thinking about the cue. In other words, the best cue, for you, is a cue that just disappears from your conscious mind during play.

Of course, you understand that all this is just In My Humble Opinion.:)
Click to expand...

Excellent post and I have expressed the same things a few times on here.

+1 as our poker friends would say!!!
 
Spot On

Agree very much with your view on "the Stick in hand.." . Obviously the focus is on your game. Key thought for putting the ball in the hole. Great post.:yeah::yes:
 
“It’s a great feeling, boy, it’s a real great feeling when you’re right and you KNOW you’re right. It’s like all of a sudden I got oil in my arm. The pool cue is a part of me… you don’t have to look, you just KNOW. You make shots that nobody’s ever made before.”
 
BillPorter said:
Back in 1980 I had an article published in Billiards Digest about pool cues. We had interviewed players at the 1980 Rocky Mountain 9-Ball Open about their cues, how they maintained them, and their preferences regarding weight and shaft size. At the end of that article I offered the opinion that the “best” cue, for any given player, was a cue that “disappeared” during play. What I meant by that was that if a cue drew attention to itself in some way during play, it was interfering with the player’s focus on the shot and the game at hand. A good cue for you is a cue that does NOT draw attention to itself and just disppears from your mind during play.

Now, 30 years later, I am even more convinced of the validity of that opinion and offer it up, here on the AZ forum, as possibly helpful to some player out there who is considering purchasing a new cue or changing cues.

Consider cue weight for a moment. If a cue is feeling heavy to you, especially if you find that you notice its heaviness during play, the cue is simply too heavy for you and your game. Obviously the same logic can be applied if the cue feels too light. If your linen wrap has a frayed strand that you notice now and then during play, bothering you, you’ve got to get it fixed, right?

I like thicker shafts, but some of my pool playing friends, when they try a shot with one of my cues, tell me that they could never shoot with a shaft that thick. Sometimes it’s because their fingers are short or stubby, but sometimes it’s just that they are used to a thin shaft. For sure, if your shaft feels too thick, it’s too thick for you. Same for too thin.

Some players are really conscious of the balance point of a cue and some aren’t. I myself am pretty much indifference to balance point unless the cue is super butt-heavy. If you find yourself noticing that a cue is butt-heavy, you simply need a more forward balanced stick.

There have been a ton of posts about tips and it’s clearly very subjective when it comes to tip preference. But it is clear to me that if you keep thinking to yourself, “Man, this is really a HARD tip,” (feel free to substitute “SOFT” here) then you need a tip change.

I could go on a bit and talk about ferrules, joints, etc., but you get the idea. I believe the best cue for you is a cue that you can play with for several hours without ever thinking about the cue. In other words, the best cue, for you, is a cue that just disappears from your conscious mind during play.

Of course, you understand that all this is just In My Humble Opinion.:)
Click to expand...

And I agree most whole heartedly with your "...Humble Opinion." - rep to you Sir for a simple basic concept put forth in a simple basic manner...

Jackson:thumbup:
 
At the risk of sounding a bit too philosophical for a science guy--it's not just that the cue must disappear, but the player needs to too.

A quote from Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel:

"...The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconscious is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art..."

The modern idea of "flow" is related:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

I think every experienced player has had times when play is effortless, time stands still, and making balls and getting shape just magically seem to happen. Flow.

And then there's what an old road guy said to me once a long time ago, "If you're thinking about missing, you most likely will."
 
Good post. This is what I have summed up as "comfort level", the most important factor of any cue.
 
It's funny because I never thought of this before but I recently had a cue made for me and this is exactly what I created. It is wrapless for no feel difference in the hand and the same thickness throughout the handle so there is no difference in feel no matter where I hold it. Additionally the cue is slightly forward weighted and falls towards the table no matter where in the grip I hold it. Basically, it disappears when I hold it!!!
 
awesome post

great post......I agree completely

besides the ones that really did disappear lol (never to re-appear).....my cue is never on my mind when I'm shooting but I never thought about it like you said and that was a great point.


Some are always worried about their tip especially......always scuffing/scraping/tapping.......Its like a Nervous Tick IMOP (you will rarely see me mess with the tip on my cue...when its right its right PERIOD)

-Grey Ghost
 
Great post Bill. I have felt the same for many years. I decided to retire my old cue years ago, its a classic. It fit me well then. I quit playing for years and when I started again I made changes based on what I know works for me.

My current cue (almost 20 years old) fit well, shaft size, taper, weight etc. The wrap was to slick so I changed it to leather. The texture is right or not. The weight was a tad heavy. I made it lighter and played with it for a couple of weeks. Each time I played I evaluated the weight. Some days it felt ok but most times it still felt heavy. I lightened it again and played another two weeks. Then some days it felt a little light, some days a little heavy but most days just right. I knew I had the weight correct.

After some trial and error on tips I went back to my old fave. Now I compress those tips the same height. When I change tips it is a minor change so they feel the same.

I think your post is right on. Every player (especially the ones looking for the magic arrow) should evaluate their cue and know what they like and don't like. It sure beats randomly searching for the golden egg. Then when they buy a new cue, custom made they can order the disappearing cue. Nothing wrong with changing your current cue either, save some money.

I wrote a post about this same thing a short while back but I never used you concept. My concept was know the specs you like. The other thread disappeared and this one has few views. I suspect their over in the for sale section looking at pretty veneers. You can lead a horse to water but ---:grin:

Rod
 
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