Changing cue weight with age

[Ssonerai]

Seems i went the other direction.

30 yrs ago when actually had something of a stroke, often slip-stroke, my preference was a 57" stick about 17 - 17.5 oz.
Since getting back into pool 6 or 8 yrs ago, started with 58" x 17 oz, still no stroke, gradually progressed to around 59 - 60" @ 19 - 19.5 which compensates a little (more stability) for what i can't finesse anymore.

I'd like to trust a good bit of is lack of practice, but can't dedicate the time to find out for a couple years, yet. I was struck over the last year that there are things i had almost given up, that i can actually still do and mean more to me than top pool proficiency for now, & a few things to accomplish around the property, so been concentrating on those, while the body holds out.

smt

 

[Chili Palmer]

Seems i went the other direction.

30 yrs ago when actually had something of a stroke, often slip-stroke, my preference was a 57" stick about 17 - 17.5 oz.
Since getting back into pool 6 or 8 yrs ago, started with 58" x 17 oz, still no stroke, gradually progressed to around 59 - 60" @ 19 - 19.5 which compensates a little (more stability) for what i can't finesse anymore.

I'd like to trust a good bit of is lack of practice, but can't dedicate the time to find out for a couple years, yet. I was struck over the last year that there are things i had almost given up, that i can actually still do and mean more to me than top pool proficiency for now, & a few things to accomplish around the property, so been concentrating on those, while the body holds out.

smt

That makes sense, when I was younger I had "accidental" slip-stroke, meaning - I held the cue too loose and a few times it literally slide out of my stroke hand onto the table. When I got back into pool after all those years and went to a lighter cue I found I can control the slip-stroke much better now.

 

[VIProfessor]

Started at 20oz

Played my peak with 19oz

Went lighter recently, about 18.5oz.

Joints demanded it. Sorry, brother.

I hear you bro! The good thing is to be playing, and to enjoy it.

Will you be in Vegas this year? About to pull the trigger as soon as I do my follow-up on the retina detachment surgery I had last month. Of course, the detachment and tears were the result of...you guessed it! Aging!

 

[DynoDan]

I pulled the bolt on my back-up cue so it would match the weight of my main one. It threw the balance forward, and now I prefer it for straight pool. Weight was always a concern re: the style of game, but had not before considered balance as relevant thus.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I would almost think the opposite to be true to keep you in aligned stroke and reduce shakes.

Yes, I would agree. As we age, the fine twitch nerves / muscles in the cueing arm at least for me become more unreliable and more of a hindrance. A slightly heavier cue seems to suit me to give me a better chance of being able to deliver the cue straight back and straight through.

 

[Fatboy]

Has anyone here changed to a lighter cue as their age creeps up? I have a friend and fellow AZ'er who is a STRONG player both in tournaments who at around age 80 has changed from a 19 to 18 oz cue. What are you thoughts on cue weight as we age? Thanks In Advance

I’ve used different weights based on how I played with a specific weight.

On new fast equipment it’s not necessary to use a 21 oz cue to move the ball around. In fact it’s too much cue. I’ve taken out some old cure and they are too much cue.

It’s a equipment thing not a age thing.

edit: I’ve played for about 40 years

 

[9ball5032]

Just changed my P3 from 18.9 to 18.6. Tried it last night.

Now I've got the nuts.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

At 72 I had a 19 oz. made because the equipment was faster but mostly due to started playing One Pocket. I am 78 now.

John Davis made the full splice blank. Royce from OB Cues made an OB Classic shaft. Alex Brick put it all together. All 3 died within a year. No one will make a cue for me now. It is perfect for me.

 

[MitchAlsup]

Has anyone here changed to a lighter cue as their age creeps up?

I keep thinking my 18 oz cue keeps feeling a bit on the heavy side.
Since I already have the weight bolt out, I would need to remove material to make it happen.

I am 68 going on 19.........

 

[Bavafongoul]

In early 2000’s, I discovered that pool cues weighing mid-18 ozs were just the best version for me.
Maybe it was the cue I tried also had a different joint that what I was using, i.e., 5/16 piloted steel.

My favorite playing cue was a Runde Schon weighing over 20 ozs. and my backup was a Palmer.
Since that time, all the cues I have acquired, and there’s been a few, weigh the same mid-18 ozs.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

My Cue is balanced very well at 19.0 OZ, when I handle and shoot with it feel like feather.

Balance is a big deal, if front, or back heavy.

 

[Fatboy]

My Cue is balanced very well at 19.0 OZ, when I handle and shoot with it feel like feather.

Balance is a big deal, if front, or back heavy.

Balance is more important than weight IMO. Cue has to have the transfer of weight at the right time to play “good” for me. Has to go through the ball right. My cue is 19.1oz. Has been past 10 years now, I doubt I change cues ever again. Not playing much anyways.

 

[Bavafongoul]

The best cue makers know the significance of the shaft weight to the butt weight.
18% tends to be the lowest acceptable ratio & 23-24% the maximum weight ratio.

Personally, I found that 22-23%, presuming the joint is flat faced, has the best ratio.
The cue makers I’ve used felt the same way about the cue shaft weight’s importance.

 

[Geosnookery]

Reminds me that I need to weigh my cue. I've had people ask and I honestly have zero clue how heavy it is.

I’ve used my current Snooker cue for 14 years. I’ve never weighed it. I just know it feels right. If I try another cue for some reason, I’m more aware of the tip than the weight or anything else.

At age 67 I have no physical limitations on the sports equipment I use. I don’t chose my hockey stick, baseball bat, bicycle on any criteria that would be different than if I was 37.

 

[Johnny Rosato]

The lowest weight I could find for my Rick Howard was .5 oz aluminum until I ordered a few
Tomahawk ferrules from Kelly Peterson of MVP cues.
I noticed he had some short nylon butt screws in black and in white. I bought a few. It states that the nylon butt screw
and the nylon screw that holds the bumper on weighs .07 oz.
I too have gone lighter and I wanted some way to secure my bumper without risk of losing it. My Rick Howard butt now weighs 15.3 and total cue is 18.9 @ 18.5" balance point.
PS - I have not tried the ferrules yet butt will soon. Kelly is GREAT to deal with.
$3.25 ea or 10 for $30, regardless of color.
Contact thru MVP Cues on this forum, he is great to deal with, and get a couple Tomahawk ferrules just in case...
Here's the link, hope this helps someone ~

MVP Custom Cues

www.mvpcues.com

 

[Gunn_Slinger]

Reminds me that I need to weigh my cue. I've had people ask and I honestly have zero clue how heavy it is.

If you're playing good, I would say don't weight it ! lol. The mind plays tricks on you.

 

[The_JV]

I’ve used my current Snooker cue for 14 years. I’ve never weighed it. I just know it feels right. If I try another cue for some reason, I’m more aware of the tip than the weight or anything else.

Exactly... I won't pretend to have a handle on the effects of cue weight vs player phyiscal limitation. However, I've never paid attention to the weight of my player. I recently switched players, and didn't know what I was coming from or what I'm hitting now. In fact, at the moment I'm playing with my old falcon jump/break with my very first LD shaft because my usual stuff is being worked on. I have zero idea that weighs either.

I know they are all different weights. I can feel that. Doesn't make a lick of difference in my game. I'd have to assume they may be within a couple of ounces of one another.

 

[Ssonerai]

as soon as I do my follow-up on the retina detachment surgery I had last month. Of course, the detachment and tears were the result of...you guessed it! Aging!

Best of luck!
I've posted in past: retina surgery actually got me back into pool - when i couldn't do anything else. Talk about torture, but it kept me engaged. Then 6 months -a year later, after all the fluid is back, go back in for the cataract that forms. That eye still has a wave in it. look at a mountain in the distance, and the shape is different between it and good eye. AFA pool, i tell people it's like trying to catch a fish barehanded underwater - it's not that you aren't fast enough (when young, anyway) it's that where you see the fish, is not quite where it actually is. I have that effect with pool balls. If you practice routinely, your mind takes over, compensates, and it is seamless. If you try to show up at the weekly tournament every other week or so with little or no practice in between, it is brutal.

Sincerely hope your (or anyone's) experience is flawless.
(or that you get more time to practice )

smt

 

[hang-the-9]

Has anyone here changed to a lighter cue as their age creeps up? I have a friend and fellow AZ'er who is a STRONG player both in tournaments who at around age 80 has changed from a 19 to 18 oz cue. What are you thoughts on cue weight as we age? Thanks In Advance

I'll let you know in 30 years.

Right now I am liking a bit heavier cue than I did 4 years ago.

 

[chefjeff]

Can't argue with what an individual likes but I experimented with cue weights a long time ago. I found that probably the most common cue weights, 19 to 19.5 ounce, were easiest and most comfortable to play with, playing with a standard cue ball. A heavier cue tended to start overpowering touch shots, lighter cues make the player have to do more of the work.

A guess on my part, but I suspect that at that age your friend is playing more of a finesse game than he did in younger years and that can benefit from the lighter cue. Our game and our physical condition both have an impact on our cue weight choice.

Hu

That makes sense on paper, but years ago, I played with a 17 oz house cue on an 8 footer with a big azz cue ball. It sort of counteracted the big cue ball's bigness, if you know what I mean. I could just tap the cue against the ball and it would do its job.

Now, I use side and spin and other crap and make the cue ball go sometimes. Ooo, look at me! I miss the old days but not the mud balls.


Jeff Livingston