Change of Cue, Change of game???

dereklovejoy

dereklovejoy

How Can i get better?
Silver Member
Will a change of cue change my game up any. Ive hit a wall with my game and seem to be stuck, cant get over the hump so to speak. I play with a meucci right now its a bit heavier than i would like but a good cue over all, has a lepro tip on it. do different tips, shafts, etc really matter or can a good pool player really use a broom handle to shoot.

maybe im looking in the wrong place for a change. i just cant seem to get to the next level sometimes it seems like im going backwards sometimes. Im sure alot of players go thru these things and just wondering what the did to get thru them.
 
Break the wall

Make sure your fundamentals are all correct. Have a good player look you over for defects. If possible, get yourself video taped and look for defects in your stance, armswing, hand position on your cue, bridge, practice strokes, follow through after contact with the cue ball.
 
i had the same problem some time back, derek

i asked a respected pro/instructor for advice

he watched me play for a few minutes and said, "i'd recommend that you take two weeks off-- and then quit the game entirely"
 
yea i dont think i want to give up pool anytime soon. its just like sometimes i can play with the best of them and then other times im stuck on stupid or something.
 
dereklovejoy said:
yea i dont think i want to give up pool anytime soon. its just like sometimes i can play with the best of them and then other times im stuck on stupid or something.
Click to expand...

Well, if at times you can play with the best of them and other times not, then it's probably a mechanics problem. Think about it... if you can shoot lights out with your present cue "sometimes", then why can't you do it all the time? Probably because you aren't delivering the cue to the CB consistently the same way. Get someone who knows what they're doing to work with you and figure out where the inconsistency is... when you figure that out, then consider a new cue if you want one.

On cues changing your game, well, there are definitely cues that play much better than other, but a good player can pick up a bar cue and roast people pretty bad. Get the stroke and mechanics straightened out first, then get a cue you want.

Later,
Bob
 
Like what Cane said, its probably mechanics.

I see guys in my area who go through cues like water, and they play at the same speed weather they are using a Gilbert or a Schon.

The best thing you can do is work on being consistent. The more consistent you are, the better you will end up shooting.

Make sure your shooting the same way all the time too, and not hard as hell one day and slow and easy the next. Yea there will be days when shooting everything hard as hell, seems to work, and the next day it doesnt.

But finding someone who can watch the way you shoot will help too.

dave
 
I think your style of play is correlated with the stick that you play best with.

I don't know if it's how hard you hit, how much English you prefer or what, maybe other people have a theory about that. All I know for sure is since I have switched to a wood to wood stick my game has improved.

I think I'm playing as good as I ever have at any time in my life and my confidence level has really improved.

I think sometimes it can be a good thing to switch sticks, and not just from a SS to another SS but really try something different. You never know, you might just find that perfect stick (for you) that we are looking for.
 
Instructors comment

It seems to me that any instructor who would tell someone to take two weeks off, then quit playing, is not anyone who should be giving advice!
If the person who said that is trying to be funny, that's a different story. If they are a good teacher they should be happy to try and figure out what is in need of correcting and offer tangible ways to do so. If they think the pupil is that bad, I would think they see dollar signs rolling from all the lessons it will take to teach!!!
 
dereklovejoy said:
Will a change of cue change my game up any. Ive hit a wall with my game and seem to be stuck, cant get over the hump so to speak. I play with a meucci right now its a bit heavier than i would like but a good cue over all, has a lepro tip on it. do different tips, shafts, etc really matter or can a good pool player really use a broom handle to shoot.
Click to expand...
Ini general, no a new cue won't change your game. That being said, if you know your current cue is a bit heavier, then it seems this cue isn't right for you in its current condition.

Get a new cue because you want a new cue, not because you want a new game.

Fred
 
In general, I would say switching to an entirely different cue is not a good idea. If the new cue has the same playing characteristics, then it should play the same as the old cue.

Anyway need a lot more information than what you provided. Specs for cue and what you are having difficulty with basically...

What are the specifications of your cue?

Accurate weight of cue weighed on an accurate scale? (The marked weight of many cues is incorrect.)

Type of shaft? (Normal, Predator)

Taper pro or euro?

Size of shaft at tip? (11mm, 12mm, 13mm)

Brand of tip?

Hardness of tip?

Radius of tip? (Nickel, dime, quarter)

What you are having difficulty with...

How long have you been playing seriously? (years)

Do you have problems making certain shots? (Which shots)

What game(s) do you play? (8-ball, 9-ball, etc.)

Explain what typically happens when you lose a game...
 
Cue weight up or down effects game. I seem to be going lighter in my Cue preference, as I am Trying to Control the Cue Ball more post Shot....
 
Accurate weight of cue weighed on an accurate scale? (The marked weight of many cues is incorrect.) Meucci 19 oz i believe dont have a scale on hand.

Type of shaft? (Normal, Predator) Normal

Taper pro or euro? Pro Taper

Size of shaft at tip? (11mm, 12mm, 13mm) 13mm

Brand of tip? Was using lepro, but just switched to H2

Hardness of tip? Medium

Radius of tip? (Nickel, dime, quarter) I guess i have no idea what this means.

What you are having difficulty with... Position play would have to be my biggest downfall. I can make really hard shots and mostly cause i just leave myself bad all the time.

How long have you been playing seriously? (years) since i didnt know what the radius of my tip was i guess not very long. I play once a week in a tourney, and on a apa team. i picked up a pool stick about 5 years ago. seriously playing i dont know if what i do would even be concidered serious.

Do you have problems making certain shots? (Which shots) cant pick a certain kind of shot. can handle them about the same, or miss them about as often whichever way you want to look at it.

What game(s) do you play? (8-ball, 9-ball, etc.) I play 8 ball apa and 9 ball tourneys.

Explain what typically happens when you lose a game... besides chucking my cue across the pool hall, swearing, crying and everything else?
 
I would say I don't see anything wrong with the cue you are currently using.

I would suggest using a nickel shaped tip with your 13mm shaft. You can get nickel tip shaping tools at billiards supply stores or online. A nickel shape is when you hold a nickel up to the side of the tip and the curve on the nickel matches the curve on the tip.

A differently curved tip will play differently. So if you were to get a new cue or a new tip which had a different curve (radius), it might play differently and cause your game to worsen.

It is good to always use the same brand and hardness of tip as well as radius (shape of tip).

Always playing with the same exact cue will go a long way to helping you become more consistent.

So far as improving your position play, get Dr. Dave's DVD at the following link.
(But you must practice every shot in the video. Diagram them, practice them, and understand them.)
http://www.engr.colostate.edu/~dga/pool/dvd_description.html

After understanding the above, ask youself where the cue ball will be going after each shot. Learn hot to get the cue ball to go where you want using the above.

Then speed control practice. Practice shooting just the cue ball 1/2 diamond, 1 diamond, 2. 3, etc. The to far rail and stop. Then to far rail and 1 diamond back. Etc. then to far rail an back to near rail (lag shot). Then plus 1 daimond, 2, 3, etc. All the way up to 3 rails.

Then break all 15 balls and practice shooting them so the balls roll just up to the pocket, but do not drop. This will teach you how slowly you can shoot shots (depending on if full ball hit or cut) and make the pocket - how slow you can shoot some shots and make the pocket. This helps if you don't want the cue ball to travel very far after the hit.

Then just practice this stuff daily. Also throw 3 balls on the table, mark their positions with chalk or stickers, then run them in leaving good position for each next shot. Do this again and again until you get it down, then try another. You can do a lot with the 30 and 90 degree rules shown on Dr. Dave's DVD along with follow, stop, and draw. I rarely use english myself.

Ask questions here about specific problems you are having. Over a period of years, your game will improve dramatically with the excellent advice given here.
 
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