Even though I listed Earl, I watched a match of his from MANY years ago, specifically so I could see where he gripped with a normal cue. And you're correct, with a cue as long as he's been using ( though I saw him playing earlier this year and he had a normal length cue again ), the length will dictate the grip being farther down the butt ( but, unless the cue is ridiculously longer, as with Earl, the grip point is only going to be an inch, maybe two farther down the butt, which isn't much ). And, as you said, any added weight to the cue will also change the balance dynamic. However, I wasn't referring to exceptions, but to the "norm". Some players do things TOTALLY different than 99% of every other player, such as Keith's sidearm. That doesn't make it "wrong", per se, but I think Keith would be the first to tell a young kid just learning "Don't copy my sidearm.", Or, perhaps he would... but I doubt it. Fundamentals are, to me, anyway, extremely important in this game. And where to grip the cue is one of those fundamentals. Now, that said, as we have both said and, others as well, what is most comfortable to the player is important as well. Can someone play like God on Acid with strange fundamentals? Sure... but to me, if they had correct fundamentals, they would play just that much better. And for the record, I don't view anything you've said, or Chick, or anyone else, as arguing. We are all merely discussing differing points of view based on experience, conjecture, opinion, etc, etc... which, of course, is the very nature of forums.
