Interesting comment on balance point from a pro player

BillPorter

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was surprised yesterday to see Jeremy Jones walk into my local pool hall here in Florence, KY. He and a couple of road buddies were passing through. Jeremy is a strong player, winner of the 2003 (?) U.S. 9 Ball Open. We were chatting about cue characteristics when he commented that he like butt heavy cues. He was playing with a cue made by Bob Owen, btw.

Jeremy said that when he shoots with a forward weighted cue, probably having a steel joint, he feels like he is PUSHING the cue forward. When he plays with a butt heavy cue, it feels more like he is PULLING the cue forward.

Obviously it boils down to subjective preference, but I thought it was an interesting way to conceptualize this difference in balance points. I am guessing that Jeremy somehow feels more control over the cue and its movements when he is pulling the weight in his grip hand rather than pushing the weight.

As you may know, Jeremy is focusing more on poker than pool these days. He is currently living in Dallas and confirmed what a friend of mine recently said about Dallas pool halls, namely that there are none that are stocked with Diamond tables.
 
I feel similarly about the balance point of a cue, but I hate to feel like I was pulling it.

If it is forward heavy it does feel like pushing the cue, but when you get the balance point right IMO it accentuates the feel of a true pendulum stroke where the weight is swinging in your hand.
 
I know what he is talking about. The times my cue ball doesn't go straight are usually the cases where I think I added energy to the forward stroke. I can see how staying out of your own way can be described as "pulling" even though there is probably no actual pulling involved.
 
I use to play with a Padgett J/P that was a little back weighted and didn't have an issue with it. After using many other cues as my players learning that I like a more neutral balanced cue, I pulled out the old Padgett and tried to hit some balls with it. I quickly realized that I didn't like it all!!

I think personal preference plays a huge part in this.
 
like the old commercial used to say " It's better to pull a cue than to push it" or was that cars?
 
House cues

I came up playing with house cues and they are all but heavy, so when I got my first cue I wanted one that felt like the house cues that i played with for years as a kid....., Still like that same feel today 30yrs later
 
Pushing or pulling the cue is a personal preference that we can all agree upon.
My feeling is that is why cues have gotten lighter in overall weight with the passing years. It is easier to push or pull something that is lighter in weight.

Kevin
 
Rearward-balanced cues more conducive to free-flowing pendulum stroke

angldemn said:
I feel similarly about the balance point of a cue, but I hate to feel like I was pulling it.

If it is forward heavy it does feel like pushing the cue, but when you get the balance point right IMO it accentuates the feel of a true pendulum stroke where the weight is swinging in your hand.
Click to expand...

I think the above (bolded) is the correct description. Personally, I've always preferred rearward-balanced cues (i.e. balance point is in the grip area, rather than the forearm), because, for me, it feels more conducive to a free-flowing pendulum stroke -- the weight is "back there" and it swings freely in my grip hand. A forward-balanced cue, to me, feels like I'm "pushing" a steel rod through my bridge hand, and subconsciously, I find myself concentrating on keeping the stroke straight (i.e. "pushing the bolt forward in a straight line"), rather than let the weight of the cue carry itself forward in a straight line.

I guess that's why, contrary to many pool players, I actually like the feel of cues made for 3-cushion, because these are naturally rearward-balanced cues.

-Sean
 
Tony at black boar cues make a interesting comment on this subject, here is a quote from his page;



"You could take a very heavy piece of wood, 29” long and establish a balance point, and then a very light piece of wood, 29” long with a steel joint on one end and a steel weight pin on the other and establish the same identical balance point.

...Congratulations!! You’ve established a balance point. The question is - do you think these cues play the same? Finding the balance point tells you only where the balance point is. It does not reflect the distribution of weight in the cue."
 
Cdryden said:
"You could take a very heavy piece of wood, 29” long and establish a balance point, and then a very light piece of wood, 29” long with a steel joint on one end and a steel weight pin on the other and establish the same identical balance point."
Click to expand...

That's very interesting and something I hadn't considered. My particular favorite cue has a phenolic collar wood joint with an aluminum pin, and no weight bolt.

I've played with other cues that had similar balance points, but none had that same comfortable feel while stroking. It's pretty amazing how fine tuned our bodies can get to one thing.
 
balance

To each, his own.

If you hold the butt of the cue near the buttcap when you shoot, you have a forward balanced cue. There is more weight forward of your shooting hand (main fulcrum of the lever). Plain and simple. The favorite of the best snooker players in the world who shoot with OPEN bridges.

If you stand more erect when shooting and grip the butt near the front of the handle area then the balance point of the cue comes more into play. The true balance of the cue as described by Black Boar is much more telling in this second instance. As one gets closer to the balance point you have to direct the tip of the cue more with your shooting hand because there is less cue mass in front to naturally hold the tip down. You may think that's what your bridge is for but your shooting hand does more than you think.

The true balance of the cue matters much more, than fore-or-rear weighting. IMHO
Tom Gedris, Triple Cross Cues:cool:
 
the other factors are player height, wing span, hand/arm strength etc.

I'm 5'6" and my wign span is 2 " wider then I am tall!!!....no monkey jokes! also I have been a plumber for 26 years and my hands and forearms are crazy strong. I like to play with cues very much like Boars....I have had 4 of them, and stupidly sold them to make a few bucks.....uggg...the dumb things I have done!

G.
 
i think my preference is only what i think i want.

you may like a forward balance but
when you try many many cues you will find that rearward balanced one you thought you wouldnt like, to be fantastic.

every cues a different animal and its the sum of the parts put together not one aspect of construction that really makes any cue preferable over another.

im down to owning 3 cues and all very different weight length and balances. i own them cause they all still play right for me
 
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