Heavier playing cue. Is Earl on to something?

SCHONJOHN

SCHONJOHN

just one ball too far
Can you control the cue ball better with a heavy cue. I have played with a 19.9 oz. Schon for over 20 years. For most of that with an old 314 predator shaft. It is a TACK DRIVER!!! But I have an old 21.0 oz. Viking with a 14mm Lepro tip that moves the cue ball really really well.

I have read on here that Earl Strickland has tried every combination he could think of and has settled on a heavy cue. Earl can be a little crazy, but he put a lot of effort into choosing his equipment.
 
Back in the 1960's I played with a Harvey Martin Cue which was 23 ozs. and won a slew of Straight Pool Tournaments and (6) U.S. Navy Championships with it.

Side Note: I reluctantly sold it for a considerable sum to a guy who figured that Cue could make him play good pool. It was stolen within 6 mos. from his apartment, never to be seen again.

The Old Pro (Gus Mueller) who taught me the game in the 1950's recommended a heavy cue as it "does all the work" (according to him). Consequently, I have been playing with Cues between 22 & 26 ozs. since.

Of course, I have owned and "tried" dozens of lighter cues, but quickly return to my old favorites ... The Heavy Ones.

Earl, being Earl, may have re-discovered the attributes of heavier cues.
 
Earl's Equipment

As I understand it he changes his equipment fairly regularly. I saw the stream earlier against Archer.

Wasn't there a rule made up about the max weight of cue back in the mid 90's? I seem to recall Mc Dermott putting out a break cue that was like 28oz
 
I play with a cue just under 22oz. I have tried many different weights and that one feels the best in my hand. Most of the people I know hate it and think it's too heavy.

I don't think a heavy cue is better, but I do think it's better for me. Everyone has different preferences. I know guys who play with a 17oz cue or lighter. To each his own I suppose.
 
I agree. I play and break with heavier cues. Don't necessarily think heavier cues make you a better player, but it just feels right to me.

brandoncook26 said:
I play with a cue just under 22oz. I have tried many different weights and that one feels the best in my hand. Most of the people I know hate it and think it's too heavy.

I don't think a heavy cue is better, but I do think it's better for me. Everyone has different preferences. I know guys who play with a 17oz cue or lighter. To each his own I suppose.
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JA played with a all ivory Schon, for a few years when he was with Schon. It'd all ivory but not solid ivory, there are ivory points going into ivory and lots of copper. It has to weigh at least 22 oz it might go 23.5, If I have time today I will weigh it. Its not a catalog cue it is a one of one cue they built. I dont own it but I do have it here in Vegas and can weigh it, Its JA's prize possession. a few years ago we posted pics of it, its one heck of a cue and he played with it for along time; the wear from play is obvious.
 
SCHONJOHN said:
Can you control the cue ball better with a heavy cue. I have played with a 19.9 oz. Schon for over 20 years. For most of that with an old 314 predator shaft. It is a TACK DRIVER!!! But I have an old 21.0 oz. Viking with a 14mm Lepro tip that moves the cue ball really really well.

I have read on here that Earl Strickland has tried every combination he could think of and has settled on a heavy cue. Earl can be a little crazy, but he put a lot of effort into choosing his equipment.
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In the 60s I played with light cues in the 17 oz. range on 9ft tables with regular weight cue balls. When I started traveling and playing on the barboxes with the heavy greaseballs, I started using 21-22 oz. cues trying to adjust to the heavy cueball I could barely move. After a while though I settled and now play with 18-19 cues on different tables.

I want to say that the heavier cue made moving that heavy greaseball a lot easier doing the work on table length draws. I know "S
 
My laptop sux..........."i know surfer rod used to carry his own heavy ball and best I remember shot with a heavier cue.

da mayor
 
From what I have heard a heavier cue is easier to control, but I am sure that there is a limit to that.

I'm quite sure that a 22oz cue is easier to control than a 15oz cue, but a 18oz cue is probably easier to control than a 25oz cue.
 
gunzby said:
From what I have heard a heavier cue is easier to control, but I am sure that there is a limit to that.

I'm quite sure that a 22oz cue is easier to control than a 15oz cue, but a 18oz cue is probably easier to control than a 25oz cue.
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I would agree with this statement. Billiard sports have been around for a long time. It seems as if the years of cuemaking have determined an optimal range for cue weights. Too light and you can't move the ball like you need to. Too heavy and the human arm doesn't have the dexterity to acquire adequate speed. There is a middle ground range of about 10 ounces that seem to carry 99.99 percent of players. Anything within this range is all a matter of preference.
 
imo,i think there's much better pulse when you release a shot on a heavier cue than a lighter cue.i notice when im using 18oz. my shot was not that steady compare to 20oz.
 
Balance..............

I went for years playing with cues that range between 19-21 oz and I have to say the heavier cue ( as long as the balance is at about 19-20 inches from the butt ) made playing really easy. Lighter cues with my grip just didnt do well. The cue would just slip and slide all throughout my hands but with a heavier cue in the 20 -21oz range was perfect. Didnt efren play with a 23 oz as well?? I know he uses a lighter cue now but I still think its in the 20 range
 
Earl went to heavier cue for the same reason that he was using the arm weights. He believes that the added weight helps to keep his arm from shaking so he stays on line thru the shot better. He actually said that anyone over 40 ought to look into a heavier cue and his weights might be useful to anyone getting some age on them.

I asked about the reduction of visible weights at the Masters this year and if it was a function of the heavier cue and he said that it was.

Earl seems to pay more attention to equipment adjustments than most pro players I have spoken to. Sometimes they are conventional sometimes they are not.

I know the break cue he was using a couple of years ago that had the baseball style wrap on it was designed so that the wrap enlarged the circumference of the grip to limit wrist action and promote more of a dead cue ball action on the break. The weight on his left wrist helps him to keep his bridge down and stable thru the whole shot and we all know about the baggage handler earphones...

If Earl is doing something there is always a valid reason for it, to him at least. As a matter of fact most of the times I have asked him about something the reasons seem pretty valid in my mind too...
 
Heavier Cue Stick Weight

SCHONJOHN said:
Can you control the cue ball better with a heavy cue. I have played with a 19.9 oz. Schon for over 20 years. For most of that with an old 314 predator shaft. It is a TACK DRIVER!!! But I have an old 21.0 oz. Viking with a 14mm Lepro tip that moves the cue ball really really well.

I have read on here that Earl Strickland has tried every combination he could think of and has settled on a heavy cue. Earl can be a little crazy, but he put a lot of effort into choosing his equipment.
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Me personally I don't think the heavier weighted cue's help you doing anything except with power from the break, I played with a 21oz. cue for years and was constantly having to lighting up my stroke and shorten up english on the shots or I was out of line or behind a ball, Heavier cues cause over stroke position IMO, playing with a heavey cue made me feel like I had been lifting weight's all day.

I went back to my 18oz. cue and now I can have my full stroke using my englishes and hit of the cue and my postion is day N night better than it was, I now have my Touch N Feel Again of my shots! , stop it on a dime baby, look out!:)

This is just my preference, Earl is a Champion, but he may adjust back one day to a lighter cue if he figures out what's wrong with his touch and feel of certain shots, but he may like it, who know's.


David Harcrow
 
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does anyone know why the snooker guys play with a 17-18 ounce cue? I realize the balls are smaller, but if everyone thinks the heavier cue is easier to control I would think the snooker guys would have caught on by now.
just saying...
 
For myself its the opposite , I like to take average cue butts ,and whatever weights are inside, I remove ,The lighter the cue the better I set .
 
Fatboy2 said:
JA played with a all ivory Schon, for a few years when he was with Schon. It'd all ivory but not solid ivory, there are ivory points going into ivory and lots of copper. It has to weigh at least 22 oz it might go 23.5, If I have time today I will weigh it. Its not a catalog cue it is a one of one cue they built. I dont own it but I do have it here in Vegas and can weigh it, Its JA's prize possession. a few years ago we posted pics of it, its one heck of a cue and he played with it for along time; the wear from play is obvious.
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I heard that they made a cue very close to Johnny's ivory Schon for Shannon Daulton also. I might be mistaken, but I heard it from a reliable source. I remember seeing Johnny playing with that ivory Schon at the US Open and it was an eye catching cue for sure. Maybe someone else knows if i'm right about Shannon having an ivory Schon like Johnny's cue.

James
 
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