Corey Deuel's chalking style...

[trueblu8]

You know I always thought it was odd the way that Corey chalks his cue, but after re-tipping a cue for a buddy of mine the other week I suddenly realized why he does it this way. There are 2 very good reasons. The primary, and most important one is that with a new tip, especially one that hasn't been compressed all that much yet it helps to maintain it's shape. If you hold the cue sideways and turn the cue back and forth with your hand essentially spinning the tip into the chalk it helps to maintain a nice round even shape. I don't know if you've ever noticed when playing with a new tip that is not layered (especially a LePro which I believe Corey uses and can be kind of mushy) after a few break shots or a couple hard shots there may be some dents in the tip. These will not come out with a normal chalking style, but if you hold the cue sideways and spin the tip into the chalk they will. Another bonus is that it pretty much keeps the chalk from falling onto the shaft since you are holding it sideways. Just an interesting tidbit of information that I thought I'd share with everybody, as ridiculous as it may seem. LOL.

Just realized another thing. Now I know why people either compress these things or use layered higher quality tips!

 

[LAlouie]

I LOVE THIS POST!!!!! Now THIS is what a pool forum is all about. But if I'm getting the mental picture right, I think you're wrong If Corey is twirling his cue into the chalk, he's blunting the tip. The best way, imo, is to be stand the cue upright and chalk more meticulously, taking special care of the curve along the side rather than the very top of the tip. Something like if you were to skin an apple. If you drop the chalk on the shaft, consider a less taxing game.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

I'll have to watch more carefully next time I see Corey in action, but generally speaking I'm a scraper rather than a spinner. I usually scrape or wipe the chalk across the tip, turning the cue as I do so.

 

[TX Poolnut]

Watch his matches on YouTube. I noticed that he likes to wipe the excess chalk off of his hand onto his pants, After a long night of playing, he probably looks like he sat on a giant chalk cube.

 

[LAlouie]

I'll have to watch more carefully next time I see Corey in action, but generally speaking I'm a scraper rather than a spinner. I usually scrape or wipe the chalk across the tip, turning the cue as I do so.

Yeah,,,that's what I mean. I feel you actually ARE contouring the tip as you chalk, imo. thanks

 

[trueblu8]

I know, I know. I am a scraper myself and my chalk generally looks like the ones in TX Poolnut's avatar although not quite as worn. LOL. I am just saying that with these mushy tips like the LePro, scraping just doesn't cut it sometimes. Hence I came to the realization about the twirling/spinning technique. I much prefer to scrape and if you've got a good quality tip or a compressed one you should be able to do that and be just fine. Makes much less of a mess too.

I LOVE THIS POST!!!!! Now THIS is what a pool forum is all about.

LOL. Thanks man. I thought people would think that this post was kind of trivial or ridiculous.

Watch his matches on YouTube. I noticed that he likes to wipe the excess chalk off of his hand onto his pants, After a long night of playing, he probably looks like he sat on a giant chalk cube.

LOL.

I'll have to watch more carefully next time I see Corey in action, but generally speaking I'm a scraper rather than a spinner. I usually scrape or wipe the chalk across the tip, turning the cue as I do so.

Me too. That is my preferred method.

 

[RenoRex]

Watch his matches on YouTube. I noticed that he likes to wipe the excess chalk off of his hand onto his pants, After a long night of playing, he probably looks like he sat on a giant chalk cube.

He also cleans the CB on his shirt before breaking each rack ... I imagine he can afford the laundry bill, nonetheless ...

 

[henho]

Indeed friction between the surface of the chalk cube and the tip can lead to only problems. It changes the shape of the tip, makes it smoother, requiring scuffing, and may exasperate mushrooming that has begun. While the more thoughtless player may seek to actually make direct contact between the chalk cube and the tip, the player who seeks to excel will instead opt to take a small bite off of the cube and chew it up, then blow an even layer of chalk over the tip.

 

[CreeDo]

I think he does it like that cuz he saw Fast Eddie do it on the hustler.

I see a lot of guys chalk with the same motion every time (whether cue motion or chalk motion) and they do it without looking at the cue tip. It sounds like a small thing but I think this is a mistake. Every cube of chalk is different and you can't just use one ritual motion and be sure you got the tip properly coated.

It looks unstylish but I let the butt hit the ground, eyeball the tip, and feather the chalk across several times to brush the entire tip evenly and make sure nothing got missed. It's not as cool as fast eddie but it beats blue hands or a miscue.

 

[trueblu8]

chew it up, then blow an even layer of chalk over the tip.

Can you elaborate on that a little bit? J/k. Lol.

I think he does it like that cuz he saw Fast Eddie do it on the hustler.

Hmmm... Maybe so! I'm going to have to go back and watch that.

It looks unstylish but I let the butt hit the ground, eyeball the tip, and feather the chalk across several times to brush the entire tip evenly and make sure nothing got missed. It's not as cool as fast eddie but it beats blue hands or a miscue.

I normally do something similar to this also, but it doesn't work so well with a fresh mushy tip such as a LePro that has dents in it. In that case the spin, ala Corey Deuel, or Fast Eddie as you say, works best. You can also shape it up between games until it starts getting compacted and hardening up a little bit.

Indeed friction between the surface of the chalk cube and the tip can lead to only problems. It changes the shape of the tip, makes it smoother, requiring scuffing, and may exasperate mushrooming that has begun.

I agree with this. I noticed that the tip had flattened out a bit and I had to reshape it. But i wonder if this is such a problem with chalk that has already been shaped to the contour/radius of your tip.

He also cleans the CB on his shirt before breaking each rack ... I imagine he can afford the laundry bill, nonetheless ...

That is hilarious. I believe Earl Strickland does the same thing, or is it the cloth that he cleans it on?

 

[LAlouie]

I am just saying that with these mushy tips like the LePro,

The problem with soft/medium leather is that they're terribly inconsistent. You get good and bad batches.

 

[trueblu8]

I totally agree. That's why I try to stay away from them whenever possible. But it just so happens that in this case I was not able to and then kind of stumbled upon this little discovery. A lightbulb when on and I was like hmmm, maybe this is why he does it this way with those mushy tips that he uses. Lol.

 

[BWTadpole]

Know how I know that a snooker player has been using the chalk?

There's a nice little groove running from corner to corner on the face of the chalk, both ways. They let their wrist and their control of the cube contour the tip's curve, letting each swipe cover a bit more area. I think this is a great way to get the most use out of your chalk cubes, as opposed to grinding the tip in like you're drilling through wood.

 

[Rubyron]

I have to admit that after I've watched his matches I've found myself emulating his chalking style and have had to slap myself to stop doing it. I am thankful he he is not one of those guys that holds the chalk between his feet to chalk.