Short cue for short person?

[ShootingArts]

Funny how much difference little things make

One thing I noticed when I switched from a 9 ft Olhausen to 9 ft Diamond was I needed a bridge more. The rails on my Olhausen were 4.5 inchs wide and the rails on the Diamond were nearly twice that.

Adding that much is almost like going from a nine to a ten foot table when it comes to reaching shots.

Part of my safety play is leaving the cue ball where it is awkward to get to. My safeties were a little less successful than usual one day. I had to scratch my head until I realized I was playing a lefty and I had to mirror image some of my thinking.

Hu

 

[LightWeight]

Kim Shaw (WPBA Pro Player) plays with a short Fanelli cue with an extension. I think it's 55". My wife (not a pro player) also plays with this 55" Fanelli cue.






If you are interested I have this shorter cue made by William Lee.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=107465

 

[FeltMaster]

give up shots? using a bridge isn't that bad

Not sure what your comment means, but using a shorter cue would mean your giving up shots that may become out of your reach using a standard or longer cue, unless you use a bridge.
Personally, I prefer a longer cue and/or an extention. Some people have mastered the bridge, I am not one of them.

 

[pooltchr]

Even when using the bridge, a shorter person would still be at a disadvantage with a shorter cue, unless they have a cue extender. Think about a shot you need to use the bridge to get to the cue ball 8 feet from the end of the table. Think how you need to bend over the table a bit and reach just to get the tip in position. Now take away 8 or 10 inches of reach, and another 7 or 8 inches with a shorter cue, and the shot becomes very difficult.

I do agree that you would want a cue that is more forward balanced.

Steve

 

[okinawa77]

Cue Length guide

The cue length is not based on reach for shots on tables of varying sizes. The cue length should be based on a shooter's arm span.

 

[pooltchr]

The cue length is not based on reach for shots on tables of varying sizes. The cue length should be based on a shooter's arm span.

Why???

Steve

 

[bell]

Thanks

This is really great input. Not sure of the ladies commitment, I bid and won a SP on Ebay from Carlscues $32). It arrived and is 58 inches and was huge butt heavy but straight. I found out how to take out the weight bolt which must have weighed a pound and now the cue is slighly weighted forward and just under 18 oz and I played with it today and feels good.

I will keep giving lessons and slowly introduce the cue and see how she plays.

Your input has been perfect. Thanks.

 

[poolplayer2093]

Longest bridge ever. They have a nine or ten foot mechanical bridge and special matching stick for some shots on the 12 footers. Nobody should ever complain about a Moochie again after using one of those set ups!

Hu

ha! i love it

 

[poolplayer2093]

Not sure what your comment means, but using a shorter cue would mean your giving up shots that may become out of your reach using a standard or longer cue, unless you use a bridge.
Personally, I prefer a longer cue and/or an extention. Some people have mastered the bridge, I am not one of them.

i'm what people call vertically challenged and after playing pool long enough you don't need a longer cue. just about everyone that's short that plays becomes good with the bridge

 

[ShootingArts]

sounds perfect!

This is really great input. Not sure of the ladies commitment, I bid and won a SP on Ebay from Carlscues $32). It arrived and is 58 inches and was huge butt heavy but straight. I found out how to take out the weight bolt which must have weighed a pound and now the cue is slighly weighted forward and just under 18 oz and I played with it today and feels good.

I will keep giving lessons and slowly introduce the cue and see how she plays.

Your input has been perfect. Thanks.

Sounds about perfect. Get her started well with that cue and see how far she wants to go. A straight sneaky pete will play just as well as any other cue if it has a good shaft and you can't beat the price you got that one for.

Hu

 

[rackem]

Sounds about perfect. Get her started well with that cue and see how far she wants to go. A straight sneaky pete will play just as well as any other cue if it has a good shaft and you can't beat the price you got that one for.

Hu

OP might want to change out the tip. They are sometimes rock hard on those cues.

 

[jay helfert]

For a short woman I'd suggest trying a cue that is 56-57". Should be easier for her to handle. And definitely get an extension for long shots and teach her to switch hands. That's HUGE! And one more thing, make sure she practices with the bridge every day.

 

[aj6788]

I play pool with a 12 year old girl, she shoots amazing pool no joke! When I go to play safes on her no matter what game. I'll do my best to try to get the cue ball to a hard location to reach for her.. Mind you she is small and reaching no more then 4 foot 9, she has a fairly short reach acrossed the table... One day, she surprised me when she went to reach for the bridge, she grabbed the bridge still couldn't reach the CB unless she climbed onto the table... and she pulled out an extension for her cue! Now she has no problems reaching anything on the 9 footers we play on at the pool hall. Now it's harder to play a safe on her, I learned to put the CB in a cluster, harder to reach and be precise with a bridge.

Me being on the tall side of the short scale, that a standard cue works just fine for me, I do use the bridge frequently, and I have spoken with a man who makes custom cues for a living, it is very important to have the weight balanced out in the cue, for someone like me where I have my hand at the upper end of my wrap versus the middle like the majority of players, the weight should be before where my hand is holding the cue. Makes sense, my cue should be balanced to where it is I grip it.

 

[JesPiddlin]

Don't know how short you are talking, but I've seen several 5'2-5'4" ladies play very well with standard cues. I'd say that unless it looks like she is struggling with the cue, keep it the standard length.

What I would concentrate on is having a balance point pretty far forward.

I'm 4'11" and I play with a standard 58" cue. I do like a much lighter weight, though, as it is easier for me to raise from the table, as well as other things. My cue is 16 ounces. I used to prefer a 19 ounce cue and when I was in my 20's, I liked a 21 ounce cue. So, I guess I like the weight lighter as I get older.

 

[poolplayer2093]

I'm 4'11" and I play with a standard 58" cue. I do like a much lighter weight, though, as it is easier for me to raise from the table, as well as other things. My cue is 16 ounces. I used to prefer a 19 ounce cue and when I was in my 20's, I liked a 21 ounce cue. So, I guess I like the weight lighter as I get older.

you're from oklahoma? you know a guy people call little jerry?

 

[JesPiddlin]

you're from oklahoma? you know a guy people call little jerry?

I know a lot of Jerry's, but never actually heard one called Little Jerry. I've got a neighbor named Jerry. He's kinda little.

 

[bell]

For a short woman I'd suggest trying a cue that is 56-57". Should be easier for her to handle. And definitely get an extension for long shots and teach her to switch hands. That's HUGE! And one more thing, make sure she practices with the bridge every day.

Thanks Jay. She really uses the bridge a lot. I am teaching her to put the bridge down on the table and use a side stroke a la Allison. There seems to be a natural tendency to want to hold onto both sticks and use the same overhand grip as in a regular stroke.

She also "jumps up" on shots and I am holding my cue over her head. I dont think she minds getting bumped as much as mussing the hair. :smile:

Thanks all for the input.

 

[jay helfert]

Thanks Jay. She really uses the bridge a lot. I am teaching her to put the bridge down on the table and use a side stroke a la Allison. There seems to be a natural tendency to want to hold onto both sticks and use the same overhand grip as in a regular stroke.

She also "jumps up" on shots and I am holding my cue over her head. I dont think she minds getting bumped as much as mussing the hair. :smile:

Thanks all for the input.

Have her play for 30 minutes and only concentrate on keeping her head down when she shoots. Forget about making balls, just tell her to focus on keeping her head down on every shot. If she thinks only about that, she won't do it.

Believe it or not, it only takes 30-45 minutes to ingrain that muscle memory for keeping your head down. Try it, you'll see.

 

[okinawa77]

Why???

Steve

The cue's physical balance and how you hold the cue in relation to the balance point will make a big difference in the feel of the cue.

For example, if a 4 foot person is using a 60 inch cue and the player is using an open bridge (let's say a 6 inch bridge length) and their grip hand is holding the cue near the joint, then the balance point is way behind the player's grip hand. At that point, the player is using their grip hand (gripping hard) to keep the cue's tip from raising up off their bridge hand.

You can use an extender for shorter cues, but you don't have much options for cues that are too long for a player.

 

[T411]

Anna Kostanian

Anna Kostanian is 4'11" and she uses a standard cue.