how much difference does an extra inch make?

worriedbeef

worriedbeef

The Voice of Reason
Silver Member
On my shaft? not down there!

Hypothetically if i were to buy a 30inch shaft would that be better for me as i could then maybe have a slightly longer bridge without moving my grip hand further back on the butt.

Or are they really only for people who are taller.
 
i have shafts that are 29, 30, and 31" and only difference I see is the amount of stick movement on my strokes...between the 29 and the 31. Going from 29 to 30 isnt going to make some drastic improvement in your game....it might initially just like anything new seems to help a persons game.....but unless youre really tall or find your backhand so far back on the butt that its hanging off and impeding your stroke, then no..not much diff.
 
worriedbeef said:
On my shaft? not down there!

Hypothetically if i were to buy a 30inch shaft would that be better for me as i could then maybe have a slightly longer bridge without moving my grip hand further back on the butt.

Or are they really only for people who are taller.
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it'll probably soften the hit up some. might feel whippy compared to your normal length shaft.
 
worriedbeef said:
On my shaft? not down there!

Hypothetically if i were to buy a 30inch shaft would that be better for me as i could then maybe have a slightly longer bridge without moving my grip hand further back on the butt.

Or are they really only for people who are taller.
Click to expand...
I think you should have a cue that fits you well when you are shooting a typical shot. Sometimes I see players in league who are 5'2" tall with 60-inch cues, "so they can reach the shots." Such cues make them play worse on all their normal shots because either the balance will be screwed up or their grips will be too far back. Well, maybe the balance could be as far from the tip as for the 56" cue they should probably be using, but that would be a very strange cue.

Learn to use a mechanical bridge. If you don't like the mechanical bridge -- and who could blame you with the bridges most rooms stock these days? -- use an extender for those shots on which you obstinately stretch.
 
I think you should have a cue that fits you well when you are shooting a typical shot. Sometimes I see players in league who are 5'2" tall with 60-inch cues, "so they can reach the shots." Such cues make them play worse on all their normal shots because either the balance will be screwed up or their grips will be too far back. Well, maybe the balance could be as far from the tip as for the 56" cue they should probably be using, but that would be a very strange cue.

Learn to use a mechanical bridge. If you don't like the mechanical bridge -- and who could blame you with the bridges most rooms stock these days? -- use an extender for those shots on which you obstinately stretch.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong Bob i'm hppy with my cue and i'm slightly smaller than average so it's not like i need a longer shaft because i'm tall. i was just wondering whether it'd give me a slightly longer bridge sometimes without moving my grip hand all the way back. sometimes we all have a tendency to shorten our bridge a touch when we're playing perhaps due to nerves or pressure.

i'm quite comfortable with the bridge. in fact i would go so far as to say i don't understand why so many players devote so many hours learning to shoot left handed when fifteen minutes practice with the rest is all they need. i use the moosehead bridge which i pop onto my break cue or a house cue. i can't stand the brass 'X' bridges - they are lethal on a shaft.
 
buy one of the extensions for the butt. Then use it when you need an extra inch or two. Johnnyt
 
worriedbeef said:
D ... give me a slightly longer bridge sometimes without moving my grip hand all the way back. ...
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I think that it's much better to move your grip hand all the way to the back than to tack on more length so you have wood hanging out the rear with long bridge shots. I think that for your longest normal bridge, it is both reasonable and effective to grip the cue at the very rear. It seems to work for a lot of snooker players.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think you should have a cue that fits you well when you are shooting a typical shot. Sometimes I see players in league who are 5'2" tall with 60-inch cues, "so they can reach the shots." Such cues make them play worse on all their normal shots because either the balance will be screwed up or their grips will be too far back. Well, maybe the balance could be as far from the tip as for the 56" cue they should probably be using, but that would be a very strange cue.

Learn to use a mechanical bridge. If you don't like the mechanical bridge -- and who could blame you with the bridges most rooms stock these days? -- use an extender for those shots on which you obstinately stretch.
Click to expand...
On accustat tapes I've noticed some of the Pinoy players have cues that are just about as tall as they are. Do you have any idea what the average cue length is for them?
 
fan-tum said:
On accustat tapes I've noticed some of the Pinoy players have cues that are just about as tall as they are. Do you have any idea what the average cue length is for them?
Click to expand...

For most, typically 60". It's the standard cue length there. Only lately with the popularity of production cues did some (those who can afford) began using shorter cues 58" and 59". Also, the other reason was before 9B became popular, rotation was the game. With the extreme humidity and slow tables, the extra cue length gave more ummmppphed to the stroke and thus move the cue ball better. It's also one of the reasons why most of them have long bridges when shooting. This also may have been a coincidental cause of the reduced pivot point which makes the shot more accurate.
 
On Jimmy Reid's "No Time For Negative" video, he suggests the following:

Height----------------------Max Length----------------Max Weight
Under 5'1"-----------------54" Cue--------------------17 oz.
5'1" to 5'4"----------------55" Cue--------------------17 oz.
5'4" to 5'7"----------------56" Cue--------------------17.5 oz.
5'7" to 5'10"---------------57" Cue--------------------18.5 oz.
5'10" to 6'1"---------------58" Cue--------------------19.5 oz.
6'1" to 6'4"-----------------59" Cue--------------------20.5 oz.
Over 6'4"--------------------60" Cue--------------------21.5 oz.

He says that this chart gives each individual the perfect balance point in their cue for their height. How accurate do you guys think this is today with all the custom cues out that can be balanced just about anywhere you want? Would this chart only apply to cues that are balanced naturally by the woods used and with no weight bolts?
 
I personally think that the length of the cue is absolutely unimportant.

Since i restarted about 4 years ago I also tended to hunt down longer cues (60") get longer shafts for my normal length cues, ordered extra long shafts here and there. bought 30" butt 30" shaft cues etc,etc......




....to find out one day when not being able to pot a ball, cause of being "overmaterialized"....just take a nice 57" house cue - it was probably the only serious cue in a batch of 100 - and play with it, be happy with it, don't worry about potting and position....just do it....

finally ended up with a 57" Jensen which is now my main player, damned that cue is so short - simply perfect and I don't even think about getting a longer shaft for it.

I hate bridges, and am 187cm tall..... (6.14" ??)

Matt

PS: the Jensen was sent to me, I didn't even want to have it and already had offered it to someone else, luckily decided to try a few balls with it, I hated the cue in the first two days, but the fact that I did NOT make balls with it from the start, made me curious....the "new cue" effect was absolutely missing
 
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How Tall?

I hate bridges, and am 187cm tall..... (6.14" ??)

Matt

Are you 6.14 inches tall?
Are you 6ft.14inches tall?Maybe you are 6ft.1/8inch.:D :D :D
 
Well, I'm 6'5'' (1.96 m) tall. I have played most of the time with 58'' cues,that's ok ;). Two years ago I bought a 30'' Z2 shaft and played with it for one year. Then decided to come back to standard shaft with standard length and ordered a custom cue. Now I just received another custom cue, from the same cuemaker, wich is originally about 59'' The extra length is divided for half an inch on the butt and the other on the shaft.

My opinion is that if you change the shaft of your playing cue with a 30, 31, etc... inches shaft, it will modify the balance of your cue... it's factual. Then It is not so easy to adapt to this change. Depending of the original balance of the cue and also of your abilities. The balance of a cue could be wondreful with 29' shaft and would turn bad with a 30'' or 31'' inches. The reverse is possible too ;) I will finally recommend other than standard length cue only if it was build longer originally, like the one I just received. The extra length is distributed between the butt and the shaft and the balance is wich that the cuemaker wanted.

Just my experience... Worth what it is worth
 
The cue extension gives you so much more control than a bridge. I think if you practice with the bridge you will get used to it.
 
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