butt diameter sweet spot, and for loose grip- ?

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
so for a long time I thought that using a thinner butt diameter would make it easier for me to have a loose grip, and control it
I had kind of an epiphany recently, and am now thinking a thicker butt might actually encourage using a looser grip- but to a point
and maybe at a certain dimension, I would have trouble getting my hand around it, and the bigger-butt benefits would be lost
I feel like I'm talking a bit about dating here. butt seriously, anybody got any thoughts on the subject?🍑🍑
 
I will be curious to hear from others but I have found thicker butts to feel better and more natural in my hand. Hopefully it also contributes to a properly loose grip.

I think a grippier wrap might be a bigger factor than butt dimension. If you don't worry about slipping, then your brain will not try to secure it and clench.

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so for a long time I thought that using a thinner butt diameter would make it easier for me to have a loose grip, and control it
I had kind of an epiphany recently, and am now thinking a thicker butt might actually encourage using a looser grip- but to a point
and maybe at a certain dimension, I would have trouble getting my hand around it, and the bigger-butt benefits would be lost
I feel like I'm talking a bit about dating here. butt seriously, anybody got any thoughts on the subject?🍑🍑

I have large hands and likewise prefer larger diameter butts. 1.30 or thereabouts feels best to me. 1.25 feels too small. You can find other threads over the years with an incredible range of opinions.

(I don’t think it makes any difference in my play FWIW)
 
I think a grippier wrap might be a bigger factor than butt dimension. If you don't worry about slipping, then your brain will not try to secure it and clench.

was thinking about this when I posted. I like it wrapless, but definitely grippy-

I should add that my hand size is apparently on the small side of average
but I think what matters more is proportion- ? not one size fits all, is my guess..

some will say it's just a matter of preference, and they're right-
but I also think using a bigger butt might make a functional difference, not sure how to quantify it tho
and as is often the case, it likely wouldn't make much measurable difference- butt trying to learn

thanks for the replies so far-
 
so for a long time I thought that using a thinner butt diameter would make it easier for me to have a loose grip, and control it
I had kind of an epiphany recently, and am now thinking a thicker butt might actually encourage using a looser grip- but to a point
and maybe at a certain dimension, I would have trouble getting my hand around it, and the bigger-butt benefits would be lost
I feel like I'm talking a bit about dating here. butt seriously, anybody got any thoughts on the subject?🍑🍑
Cheap experiment might be to get some of the grips carom players use. They provide both grip and extra diameter. Can put them on both thin and thick butts to get a range.
 
Cheap experiment might be to get some of the grips carom players use. They provide both grip and extra diameter. Can put them on both thin and thick butts to get a range.

been messing around with a thick butt over the past week, I kinda like it!
 
so for a long time I thought that using a thinner butt diameter would make it easier for me to have a loose grip, and control it
I had kind of an epiphany recently, and am now thinking a thicker butt might actually encourage using a looser grip...
The kind of wrap is far more important than the diameter of the butt for having a loose grip. If your wrap tends to slip at all, get rid of it. Rayon is the absolute worst, but for me in dry weather both linen and (worn) leather have been too slippery.

Even with a loose grip there should be no daylight between the stick and your grip hand. Contact all the way around is the key.
 
The kind of wrap is far more important than the diameter of the butt for having a loose grip. If your wrap tends to slip at all, get rid of it. Rayon is the absolute worst, but for me in dry weather both linen and (worn) leather have been too slippery.

Even with a loose grip there should be no daylight between the stick and your grip hand. Contact all the way around is the key.

agree about the wrap. no daylight tho between stick and grip hand, tho? with a little grip from all the different parts of our hand combined, isn't that good enough? tho from a consistency standpoint, I could see where having a repeatable grip would be advantageous. but also I could see where repeatable in that scenario could be disadvantageous, as being able to (even if only slightly) customize grip to the shot seems useful.
 
agree about the wrap. no daylight tho between stick and grip hand, tho? with a little grip from all the different parts of our hand combined, isn't that good enough? tho from a consistency standpoint, I could see where having a repeatable grip would be advantageous. but also I could see where repeatable in that scenario could be disadvantageous, as being able to (even if only slightly) customize grip to the shot seems useful.
Most people who have daylight change the grip somewhere during the stroke. That's bad. Close your hand gently, and then the shape of the gripping part doesn't change during the shot. Keep it simple.
 
I have not read any replies
you should be able to have a loose grip regardless of grip size
 
I like to put a bicycle handgrip on all my cues, the ones with the finger grooves. One size fits all , if the butt is too thick cut a slice in the grip and superglue it on, if too loose cut a slice and remove some of the grip and superglue it on It really helps me with Masse ' shots as well. .
 
for having a loose grip.
I prefer relaxed to loose. My first lessons referred to holding a baby bird. So secure but no pressure.
Barry Stark on the grip part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The Grip part 4
"Good luck with your practice." Is how he signed off. I never considered my grip broken but was aware it could be improved. His calling the ring finger the trigger really rings a big bell for me. I am so much happier with the results I can achieve following his coaching. Well combined that with Stephen Hendry's looking at the cue ball as it is struck and I am at my very best. 🤷‍♂️
 
I have (3) cues at the moment (1) is a Sneaky Pete built by David Tice, it is 32.21 mm in diameter, no wrap (2) a McDermott G229 with linen wrap 32.38mm in diameter (3) my latest cue Becue Natural Born Naked 30.65 in diameter with no wrap, for ME it doesn't matter if the cue has a wrap or not, I am leaning more to no wrap because humidity doesn't affect the play, I don't have big hands and found the difference between the cues so minimal that it really didn't make a difference, that's my 2 cents, hope it helps.
 
A certain part on the heel of my hand is the last thing that touches the cue before the cue hits the ball. I use this spot as an aiming tool for cue control. Just my way.
 
I prefer relaxed to loose. My first lessons referred to holding a baby bird. So secure but no pressure.
Barry Stark on the grip part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The Grip part 4
"Good luck with your practice." Is how he signed off. I never considered my grip broken but was aware it could be improved. His calling the ring finger the trigger really rings a big bell for me. I am so much happier with the results I can achieve following his coaching. Well combined that with Stephen Hendry's looking at the cue ball as it is struck and I am at my very best. 🤷‍♂️
I need to work on the grip.
 
I need to work on the grip.
Barry Stark's tutorials on the grip have so much that in locating and reviewing them for the links, I refreshed and revitalized mine. Letting them run in the background while I am doing my morning fitness is reminding me of any back slide I might be experiencing.
I enjoy watching the coverage of all the top snooker players and looking for variations in the grip. I don't see much variation from the recipe that Barry prescribes. He does caution that changes won't come easily but the reward is worth the investment.
 
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