I've been kind of getting into pool more and I read where your shooting hand grip should be about one inch behind the balance point of the cue. If that's true, I think I habitually hold it even farther behind than that. Got me to thinking, for consistency, do some cues have a ring or some other marker to indicate balance point? Dumb question? Or does it matter... do you vary this grip spot quite a bit? This also brings up cue length. I tend to like longer cues I find on the barroom wall. I am 6' 2" tall, does that matter? What length is 'acceptable?' Thanks.
Pool cue questions
- Thread starter livemusic
- Start date
Where you grip the cue depends on how comfortable you are with the stroke. One thing you do need to make sure is that your arm can freely move and stike the cueball at the right point of the swing. A lot of new players start their stroke extended, and when they actually contact the cueball they are hitting it at where a normal follow-through point would be. Also keep in mind for house cues, a lot of them are pretty short, many under 58" which is the "standard".
For a taller person with longer arms, a 60" cue may be normal to use, and a lot of shorter players use longer cues now.
I don't know of any cue with a mark at the balance point and I don't think it would matter since where you hold the cue depends on your personal stance and stroke. Not sure where you read about holding it an inch behind the balance point, one inch behind the balance point in most cues would be right on top of the wrap area, and I don't know anyone that chokes up on the cue that much. Most players hold the cue no closer than middle of the wrap with a lot towards the last 1/4 or the wrap or even further back, depending on the cue length and player arm length of course.
In your situation I would find an instructor that can start you off on the basics and work with you to find a cue that you are comfortable playing with.
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You can put a rubber band your cue to mark the balance point.
I think height is hugely important.
And isnt the useable balance point something that changes, based on where your two paws are at any given time? I am not sold on the 'put the cue on one finger' balance point as being useful for playing.
I think the balance point isn't as important as knowing if the cue is forward or rear weighted.
Some cues are evenly weighted but the actual balance point question to me and many other cue collectors who buy and sell dozens of cues, is asked for reasons other than playability.
At 6'2" I would suggest a 60" cue, 30" butt, 30" shaft
Some cues are evenly weighted but the actual balance point question to me and many other cue collectors who buy and sell dozens of cues, is asked for reasons other than playability.
At 6'2" I would suggest a 60" cue, 30" butt, 30" shaft
I like the idea of a 60" cue for me. Do you have to buy custom to get one or are they available to buy?
I've always heard that generally, the proper place for your grip hand on the butt is when you have a normal shot with a normal stance and you step in to your shot and address the cue tip to the cue ball (1/2" behind it), the proper grip hand position on the cue is when your forearm of your grip hand is perfectly vertical from your wrist to your elbow. This allows for the most mechanically natural pendulum stroke - for the backstroke and the follow through.
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Most cuemakers will make a 60" cue with a 30" butt and 30" shaft, possibly even longer. As for the larger cue companies, most will offer a 30" shaft, but only a small number of those will custom make a longer than standard butt, including Pechauer and McDermott, as they've made them for me - I'm 6'5".
Some of the production cue companies take custom orders, like OB Joss, Schon.
If I were you I would just order a custom cue, or even look for a 60" on the secondary market.
Typically 60" cues are harder to sell on the secondary market so you might be able to get a pretty good deal.
Don't believe it when guys think their 60" cue is worth more because the truth is, it's not, especially in the secondary market, even 59" is harder to sell.
I have a brand new OB cue I bought to use up a credit I had, 29" butt, 30" shaft, low deflection, and although I haven't tried very hard, it has not sold.
Randy, pretty good chance it was you that I heard it from! Remember, I attended one of your pool schools in Dallas roughly 20 years ago, and we hosted you for a pool school here in our room shortly before or after that. At least something stuck!
And it wasn't the toilet, this time?!!??!!?
Good answer - and even more precisely - the forearm should be perpendicular to the cue. For this to occur, any change in bridge length- like a very short bridge for a short, soft shot, would necessitate a change in the grip hand position( farther forward) to achieve the perpendicular position.
The cue has a fulcrum point and grasping the butt with different grip positions changes the feel of the hit
and the energy applied to the cue ball. However, since pool is individual competition and highly opinionated,
to each their own so just experiment & figure what works best and remain mindful of your tensile grip pressure..
and the energy applied to the cue ball. However, since pool is individual competition and highly opinionated,
to each their own so just experiment & figure what works best and remain mindful of your tensile grip pressure..
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