Snooker cues Accuracy?

[SPINDOKTOR]

I have been thinking about Snooker cues, and how they differ from pool cues, Being made from ash and the metal ferrule is the big differance I see, but why? Obviously Snooker players need to be acurate to pocket balls in such tiny pockets. Does using ash and a metal ferrule somehow improve accuracy? Kill cue ball spin? whats the deal?


thanks, SPINDOKTOR

 

[bruin70]

i think you should be giving all the credit to the players, not the cue.

 

[SPINDOKTOR]

i think you should be giving all the credit to the players, not the cue.

Absolutely, but that still doesnt answer the question. A snooker cue is differnt, and Im just wondering why, I mean the technology developed with shafts these days wouldnt you think Snooker players would take advantage unless they have something better already? Im just trying to understand the concept...


SPINDOKTOR

 

[bruin70]

Absolutely, but that still doesnt answer the question. A snooker cue is differnt, and Im just wondering why, I mean the technology developed with shafts these days wouldnt you think Snooker players would take advantage unless they have something better already? Im just trying to understand the concept...


SPINDOKTOR

well,,,the snooker cue is stiffer and has a hard metal ferrule, and is hitting a lighter ball. therefore i would ASSUME there's more deflection. deflection is not the bad thing that people make it out to be because if the stiffer cue provides consistancy, that is all a pro player should need. ie, he wants the cb to do what is expected on a given shot. this is all 3c players require and they play with very stiff cues.

since the snooker player hits the cb very precisely i think he would want the cb to go precisely and consistantly where it's intended. if you're thinking along the lines of a predator-type technology, i don't know what the construct of a predator snooker-type cue would be,,, but let's assume it would be something like a pro taper-type predator shaft only REALLY thin..............that might result in a less-than-pencil-thin snooker shaft that might not carry enough "weight"(read: too damned thin) and make the cue too difficult to use.

 

[Mase]

I have been thinking about Snooker cues, and how they differ from pool cues, Being made from ash and the metal ferrule is the big differance I see, but why? Obviously Snooker players need to be acurate to pocket balls in such tiny pockets. Does using ash and a metal ferrule somehow improve accuracy? Kill cue ball spin? whats the deal?

thanks, SPINDOKTOR

I build a fair number of snooker cues and have yet to build one with a metal ferrule. The majority are also now built out of maple, although I still build an ash one occasionally. I do not think that a metal ferrule inproves accuracy. I believe that it does exactly the opposite. Any additional weight at the tip of a shaft will do strange things to a cue ball when siding is applied. Ash seems to play a bit stiffer than maple but the open grain makes it rough to the feel of most new snooker players.

 

[SPINDOKTOR]

I build a fair number of snooker cues and have yet to build one with a metal ferrule. The majority are also now built out of maple, although I still build an ash one occasionally. I do not think that a metal ferrule inproves accuracy. I believe that it does exactly the opposite. Any additional weight at the tip of a shaft will do strange things to a cue ball when siding is applied. Ash seems to play a bit stiffer than maple but the open grain makes it rough to the feel of most new snooker players.

Ok, that makes sense to me because I have tried cues with a metal ferrule and they didnt seem very acurate. not to me.. I dont play snooker but I tried a snooker cue and it I really didnt like the hit. unless you shoot fairly easy pocketing a ball seemed impossible, compared to a pool cue that is.

Always looking to improve upon players skill potential I was trying to understand why the use of ash and a metal ferrule was common on snooker cues, if this proved to be less than Ideal, I was thinking what you could do to improve the snooker cue. Obviously removing the metal ferrule, and a Pred type shaft 10mm, might not be that great. I was thinking along the lines of 10mm shaft laminated maple, with a lightweight ferrule. NOT a cue maker I can only quess but I think the snooker player shouldnt be constrained (if that would be the case) by current snooker cue technology. So I thought Id ask the cue building experts for an opinon and a course of action if you was given the task.

SPINDOKTOR

 

[Boro Nut]

NOT a cue maker I can only quess but I think the snooker player shouldnt be constrained (if that would be the case) by current snooker cue technology.

Happily snooker cues are very much constrained by history. They had the common sense to dictate that the cue must be of traditional design years ago. You can't buy an unfair advantage in this game I'm afraid. Just as it should be.

Boro Nut

 

[Slider]

Happily snooker cues are very much constrained by history. They had the common sense to dictate that the cue must be of traditional design years ago. You can't buy an unfair advantage in this game I'm afraid. Just as it should be.

Boro Nut

Not that I'm a big promoter of predator cues, or anything, but history is one thing, regulations are another.

If a player shows up for a snooker match with a non-traditional cue, will he be allowed to use it? Do the snooker regulations specify taper and tip diameter?

Ken

 

[Boro Nut]

Ok, that makes sense to me because I have tried cues with a metal ferrule and they didnt seem very acurate. not to me.

I think that probably the reverse is true. A snooker cue will tell you instantly what you are doing wrong. It's the same with golf clubs. You can't hit a bad drive with some of the modern parabolic facings. Hit it a bit off with a pro's driver though and you'll be coughing up for the broken window in the clubhouse.

Boro Nut

 

[Boro Nut]

If a player shows up for a snooker match with a non-traditional cue, will he be allowed to use it? Do the snooker regulations specify taper and tip diameter?

The simple answer is no, he wouldn't. Luckilly, it's not that simple. Nobody buys non traditional cues because nobody makes them because their not legal. The regulations aren't fully specific only broadly descriptive, the advantage being they can then rule on any innovation as being illegal when necessary. We actually like the idea that nobody is allowed to load the bases in their favour, and when you get a 147 it's every bit as good as Joe Davis's.

The rule was introduced after a specific incident in a specific match when a very difficult lie was overcome by the use of a pencil cue. They couldn't rule a foul at the time but they made sure it would never happen again.

Boro Nut

 

[BLACKHEARTCUES]

Any bar or pool hall with a Snooker table can hold a Snooker tournament. Local pool halls, all over the US, have American Snooker tables & most players play with a pool cue. Many have a smaller diameter shaft, just for the smaller ball ( I'm one of them). Steve Mizerak & Jim Rempy have played a lot of Snooker Tournaments in England, with pool cues & done very well...JER

 

[SPINDOKTOR]

I think that probably the reverse is true. A snooker cue will tell you instantly what you are doing wrong. It's the same with golf clubs. You can't hit a bad drive with some of the modern parabolic facings. Hit it a bit off with a pro's driver though and you'll be coughing up for the broken window in the clubhouse.

Boro Nut

well ok, then I was inacurate then,

From what Ive Read ,,,, In snooker Basicaly you use the Company cue, so some Historical Freak can feel the POWER. Like I say though I dont play snooker, and if you look at this in my perspective you'll find that this seems awful silly.

I asure you if I had known those silly rules I wouldnt have bothered with this thread..




SOOOOO, how do you improve a Snooker players game?.......


YOU , hand them a pool cue and send them to AMERICA!!!



DONT HATE ME< I didnt make those rules.


SPINDOKTOR

 

[X Breaker]

First of all, snooker is a very precise game, which requires a very precise cueing action. If you try a long table length pot, you will know what i am talking about. To make the shots consistently, one needs a very good cueing action. The tip size is usually very small, like 7mm to 9mm or so. What most snooker players I talked to like a cue that is stiff, which offers them consistent feedback. A good balance also allows good and consistent delivery, and those are more important than low deflection. I think most snooker shots are player more around the center of the cue ball anyway.
Secondly, although the balls are lighter and smaller, the cloth has a heavier nap. I find that the metal ferrule tends to allow more power and spin than a fibre ferrule.
A nice snooker cue is something a player will not part with.
In response to your question, my humble opinion is that the metal ferrule and the ash shaft is preferred by some because of the "feel" and "hit"; rather than its deflection characteristic.
About whether it is more accurate or not, I personally find that some cues with a poor balacne is harder to deliver, and feels more inaccurate to me. I like the hit of metal ferrule on snooker cues, too.
Richard