Hoppe Promotes Diamond System 1946

Mr. Bond

Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
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For someone who was supposed to have never used a diamond system, he sure had a lot to say about it...


Read the full article " How To Play Three Cushion Billiards " By Willie Hoppe featured in Popular Mechanics by clicking here
 
According to his book "Billiards : As it should be played" he used a cue with a weight between 19 1/2 and 19 3/4 ounces, 1/2 inch tip (hard preferred) and a length of 55 inches for 3 cushion, 54 inches for other styles of play. He also advocated using a jointed cue with a taper that fits your hand and a leather grip.

Info from first chapter, page 3 and 4 of the book. Hope you didn't hold your breath for an answer. :)

To moderators: I know it's a necropost but the question went unanswered. Mea culpa.
 
Neat it says how to play 3c, then shows him playing straight rail

I can't wait to read this though, thanks for digging it back up!
 
Vorpal Cue said:
According to his book "Billiards : As it should be played" he used a cue with a weight between 19 1/2 and 19 3/4 ounces, 1/2 inch tip (hard preferred) ... ...
Click to expand...

He goes so far as to additionally say, 'Soft tips are to be avoided.'

I'm curious to know if he would maintain the same today, with the changes we've seen in equipment since the 40s.

I have fallen completely in love with a softer, layered tip but of course I'm no champion.
 
I'm also using the soft moori, helps big-time in small games

When I used to practice 3c all the time,i needed a bit more punch most of the time and I used medium,


But tip length weight balance is all different in what works for us
 
HomeBrewer said:
He goes so far as to additionally say, 'Soft tips are to be avoided.' ...
Click to expand...
Two points about this. First, Hoppe didn't write "Billiards As It Should Be Played." The "editor" wrote it. The second is that there are likely few people alive today who could accurately compare soft/hard in 1946 with soft/hard today. The designations are practically meaningless. What number and on which hardness scale?

I know one cue maker who actually measures the hardness of the tips he puts on and his comment was that the nominal firmness printed on the box was only a very rough guide and there was a large variation between tips from one box. He did his own sorting.
 
I've seen this too, local guy showed me, lepros grabs a hand full and some measure 68 up to 78 with some gauge he had I don't know the name

But it was an eye opener, just because you buy something with a m doesn't mean it'll come medium

Said different parts of the hide like the outer parts where it hardens up as the leather sets up
Inner portions or the underbelly will be softer but he said they just punch them all out and throw them together
They aren't going to sit there and measure 1000s of tips individually
 
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