Does anyone use shoot with a shorter cue?

L

LHP5

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So after league today I was shooting around with my break cue just to see if I could. My break cue is the mezz pb II that is around 54 inches. Seriously, aiming seemed to be a lot easier and I could actually run the table regardless of the very hard tip. I have a samsara on top of the phenolic ferrule so it made a really high pitch but I liked it.

Does anyone else notice sometimes that your thumb catches your leg or somehow the back end of the cue obstructs your stroke? I'm 5'7'' so I am not that tall or short, but I have always used 58 inch cues.

Anyone use a shorter cue at like 55 or so inches? Any advantages or disadvantages that you could think of would be appreciated.
 
LHP5 said:
So after league today I was shooting around with my break cue just to see if I could. My break cue is the mezz pb II that is around 54 inches. Seriously, aiming seemed to be a lot easier and I could actually run the table regardless of the very hard tip. I have a samsara on top of the phenolic ferrule so it made a really high pitch but I liked it.

Does anyone else notice sometimes that your thumb catches your leg or somehow the back end of the cue obstructs your stroke? I'm 5'7'' so I am not that tall or short, but I have always used 58 inch cues.

Anyone use a shorter cue at like 55 or so inches? Any advantages or disadvantages that you could think of would be appreciated.
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I'm the same height as you and I use a 58 inch cue. I use a short closed bridge of about 8-10 inches, so a longer cue would stick out too far in the back or make me have a longer bridge.

I find the pivot point on whatever shaft I'm using and work backwards to adjust my cueing hand. I don't like a cue that makes me bridge out farther than whatever my natural stroke length is for normal shots.
 
My usual player is about an inch short, so maybe 56" or something? I find it a little easier to jump with(i suck at jumping). The drawback can be the cue slipping out of your hand on the backstroke, especially on a 9' when you're reaching more. Also like it for breaking.

Edit: guess it's like 57-58" and 15oz
 
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Dont ask me why

My main player has several shafts... and I don't have a issue making my self shafts.

One of the shafts has been shorted by 1.5 inches , and I am 6.2 .

The shafts dia is 12.25 and its like the cue comes alive.


.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I'm the same height as you and I use a 58 inch cue. I use a short closed bridge of about 8-10 inches, so a longer cue would stick out too far in the back or make me have a longer bridge.

I find the pivot point on whatever shaft I'm using and work backwards to adjust my cueing hand. I don't like a cue that makes me bridge out farther than whatever my natural stroke length is for normal shots.
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Yeah not really sure where my natural stroke is for my current cue. All I know is people have always said I hold cues up a little higher than what is deemed normal. I guess I choke up on the cue.
 
A lot of older pre 70's cues were 57". Then 58" became standard.

A prominent cue maker once told me that players should use the shortest cue they could be comfortable with when I asked him to make me a 60" 30/30 split. I responded "that's an opinion". Been playing with a 60" for almost 30 years. It's all what you like.
 
mortuarymike-nv said:
My main player has several shafts... and I don't have a issue making my self shafts.

One of the shafts has been shorted by 1.5 inches , and I am 6.2 .

The shafts dia is 12.25 and its like the cue comes alive.


.
Click to expand...


I am sorry Mike. I didn't know you had a short shaft.....


Remember it's about the stroke, not the length of the shaft.



:grin:
.
 
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My JOSS is 58. I am 5'7" like the OP.

I do have 57, 58, 59, and 60 inch cues. The 60 inchers can feel a bit awkward. Like walking through a restaurant carrying a fishing pole. But shooting with them is just fine. I tend to adjust well within reason, though I do always shoot better with my JOSS.


In other words, my game sucks just as bad regardless.


.
 
I started playing when 57" was the norm. It feels much better than the 58" that
most are now to me. Jimmy Reid played with a 57", or 571/2 " and said your
size should determine the length. If I get a cue made I get it 58" even though
I would rather have it shorter because when I get mad at it for missing it's easier
to sell. I once played a little with a 56 1/2 and really liked it but I would never get
one that way because of what I stated above. I know I could get a shorter shaft
but reminds me of a cue I had years ago. I had this guy that said he new what
he was doing replace the ferrule. It was a Willie Hoppe with that black and white
ferrule. he sawed off about 2".
jack
 
jackpot said:
I know I could get a shorter shaft
but reminds me of a cue I had years ago. I had this guy that said he new what
he was doing replace the ferrule. It was a Willie Hoppe with that black and white
ferrule. he sawed off about 2".
jack
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OMG!

The horror!

Did they ever find his body?

I think in some states, perhaps Texas, that would be justifiable homicide.


.
 
Shaft

Chopdoc said:
I am sorry Mike. I didn't know you had a short shaft.....


Remember it's about the stroke, not the length of the shaft.



:grin:
.
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LOL I seen pics of you of on your Harley , at least I don't have to wear hi heels to drink a tall glass of beer LOL.
 
Jimmy Reid played with a short cue. He had some sort of formula for determining a person's ideal cue length.

If you try googling it, you can find pieces of it.
 
Seriously guys...try a shorter cue. Really does help with accuracy. Just my opinion of course. Thinking I'll be buying a mezz shaft to put on my pbII just to see.
 
LHP5 said:
Seriously guys...try a shorter cue. Really does help with accuracy. Just my opinion of course. Thinking I'll be buying a mezz shaft to put on my pbII just to see.
Click to expand...

There could be other reasons you're not considering. It could be you're playing better because the short cue is stiffer and it affords you better control over each shot.

I don't know if you're aware of it, but billiard cues are shorter and stiffer than pool cues. They have to hold up to the collision with a larger, heavier cue ball. Break cues tend to run stiff as well. Most of us don't use the back of the cue anyway. There's nothing wrong with playing holding the very butt of the cue.

if you're playing good with this the way it is, why not just change out the tip for a playing tip and use something else for breaking?
 
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