How important is the cue for beginner-novice level?

Texas Carom Club said:
cant get higher quality than a 100 dollar players sneaky pete that has a lepro tip, which comes standard!
Click to expand...

Players, Action, Schmelke, etc. Lots of good options for beginners.

To the OP - the new players that keep swapping cues/shafts/etc. - marketing and want versus need. Someone tells them they need something different so they go buy it ;)
 
Chili Palmer said:
Players, Action, Schmelke, etc. Lots of good options for beginners.

To the OP - the new players that keep swapping cues/shafts/etc. - marketing and want versus need. Someone tells them they need something different so they go buy it ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, it is essential that you become accustomed to playing with the same cue — if nothing else it eliminates one variable for poor play : -)

Find a cue that you like and stick with it. In time you’ll want to experiment and try different sticks and if you’re like most pool players you will cycle through a goodly number of cues until you settle down with your “keeper.” But that will most probably be years down the road.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Yes, it is essential that you become accustomed to playing with the same cue — if nothing else it eliminates one variable for poor play : -)

Find a cue that you like and stick with it. In time you’ll want to experiment and try different sticks and if you’re like most pool players you will cycle through a goodly number of cues until you settle down with your “keeper.” But that will most probably be years down the road.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

LOL, years or decades, I shot with the same Huebler from the mid 90's until 2018. The only thing I changed was the weight, still playing with Hueblers but I like a lighter cue these days.
 
Okay ……I’ll put it to you in the most analogous and true fashion.

As a beginner, the cue is the least important element in learning the game
unless it isn’t straight or has a horrible tip otherwise any cue will suffice.

The same is true in golf clubs, whether the set was your dad’s, uncle, or
garage sale acquisition. You can use the clubs to learn how to play golf.

The most important thing when you start out is to master the fundamentals
before you ever start personalizing your stroke. In baseball, it’s called a swing.

As a beginning novice player in baseball, any bat is fine as long as it’s not too
heavy. The brand doesn’t matter because all missed swings sound exactly alike.

Now there comes a point where the player gets to try other brands like at a golf
demo day or a friend’s equipment at the batting cage. You get to compare brands.

Along the way, you gradually refine your tastes and inquisitive players ask questions
when they try a cue that feels different. Their likes & dislikes become more specific & distinct.

Long before they reach that stage, most players go through a metamorphosis of sorts, They
make the transition from newbie to novice to beginner to emerging intermediate and “Wham”.

That’s when the cue they use starts to become important. If you can’t run a 1/2 dozen balls
from a scattered rack on a table, don’t worry about your cue. Any decent house cue is fine.

So whatever cue you start with, stop thinking about a break cue or your next cue. Instead, just
concentrate on developing a solid stroke, learn the fundamentals of position and cue ball control.
 
Bavafongoul said:
The same is true in golf clubs, whether the set was your dad’s, uncle, or
garage sale acquisition. You can use the clubs to learn how to play golf.
Click to expand...
Agree with this post except for this. I am 5’5”. I tried a set when learning that belonged to a 6’1” player. Too long for me. (I never did get along with the game of golf, BTW.)

Doesn’t really apply to cues unless talking about a cue that’s significantly different from 58”, either shorter or much more likely longer, with a commensurately different balance point.

I’m willing to listen why very long golf clubs are immaterial to someone of my stature.
 
I think buying a good (not expensive) cue sends a message to yourself that you take the game at least somewhat seriously. And as others have mentioned, trying out LD shafts before your sidespin game is developed is important. I'm currently shooting my Viking with the V Pro solid maple shaft, while I'm waiting for my carbon shaft to get a tip, and I think learning to work with lower deflection was easier and I can manage with the traditional shaft. If nothing else it's made me try to maximize using speed, follow and draw and dial back the sidespin, so I am emphasizing different techniques.
 
dquarasr said:
Agree with this post except for this. I am 5’5”. I tried a set when learning that belonged to a 6’1” player. Too long for me. (I never did get along with the game of golf, BTW.)

Doesn’t really apply to cues unless talking about a cue that’s significantly different from 58”, either shorter or much more likely longer, with a commensurately different balance point.

I’m willing to listen why very long golf clubs are immaterial to someone of my stature.
Click to expand...
My point was that things like the weight of a cue, size of the shaft, who made it, etc. is less important
than the cue being straight for a person starting out. You wouldn’t expect they’d buy a cue that was too
or long but I guess that’s possible. Usually when you pick up a golf club, you can tell if it’s too long but
choking down on the grip works. That’s when you go get fitted ot else buy another set of clubs at a
retail store. Lots of people are probably playing golf right now with clubs they acquired years ago before
every major golf outlet was offering custom fitting services. Not everyone is suited for standard loft & lie
but that’s what the general public was buying at sporting good stores. Custom fitted clubs help you play
better golf and know what? Playing pool with a cue that you really like usually yields the very same results.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The most important characteristic for a new, learning player is how much squirt or cue ball deflection the cue has. When you start to play with sidespin, this comes into play. If you try to change cues after learning the squirt compensation for one cue, it will be hard unless the cue has about the same amount of squirt. Some players adapt quickly and some just can't adapt to a large change.

I recommend that beginners start with an LD (low deflection or squirt) cue. It's easier to learn sidespin if there is less compensation.

There are low-squirt, well built cues available for under $100, or at least there were before all the global shortages. (I see the one I was recommending is now over $100 and still out of stock.)
Click to expand...
Nailed it--- a "normal well manufactured" cue with a LD shaft is the way. And thx god this is nowadays available for 300 bucks and below (roundabout).
To start with regular shafts- and then start years later with LD is a pain in the ass and can be a nightmare :-)
 
My fairly uniformed opinion would to be to spend the cash on one of the higher end carbon shafts. Mezz ignite, Predator Revo, wtc.

Unless your current cue has a weird pin, you can get one to dirt your butt.

This will alleviate having to re-learn aiming and such if you use a wood or higher deflection shaft and then transition to the top end stuff later.

If it were me, if the Viking isn’t a radial joint, I’d sell it and get something with a radial and get a high end carbon shaft in radial.

The logic behind it is radial is one of the most popular. So if you decide to get a new butt, you can just keep using the same shaft.

You can get used Revo’s for under $400. And plenty of radial cues (if yours isn’t) fairly cheap. You can be well under $1k and basically everything you learn will transfer seamlessly if you decide to go buy a $3000 butt or cue later.
 
Well if you play on a bar box it doesn’t much matter. Just don’t buy a Walmart cue. Playing on big table you’ll need something a little bit better. I’d just go with a low level Meucci or Joss from the start. Resale value is always good when you decide to move to something more pretty. With a joss or Meucci, it’s easy to buy replacement shafts in case you want one.
 
kleinm3351f said:
I've always been under the assumption that unless you are solidly intermediate, heading towards advanced, particularly with cue ball control in every situation, the cue is much less important than the main physical aspects of play.
Click to expand...
The cue is pretty much irrelevant at most (actually all) levels of the game. However, I think that having your own cue is an important part of the journey of a pool player. "The most important thing about having your own cue is having your own cue" rings true - however, try telling that to players who grew up with no money or means get it, sleeping in pool rooms so they could play for free at sunrise.
 
Go down to the pool hall and hit with cues from eighteen to twenty ounces. Then try all of the carbon fiber shafts you can. Always ask what tip is on the shaft.

Buy enough cue now and if you quit playing or move up the cue will be easy to sell. As has already been said, low deflection is easier to learn with than higher deflection and playing with one cue all the time is easier than making adjustments you don't really understand.

Hu
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top