Tip shape and size

garczar said:
i use an old-school tweetens(https://www.amazon.com/Tweeten-billiard-Trimmer-Scuffer-Sandpaper/dp/B074DM4F5P) shaper to get a good dime shape and then use a dime radius Willards for occasional re-shape. that's it.
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I have one of those shapers, but it's made of steel. It even has the Tweeten sticker on the back. I also had one of the plastic ones, but it seems to have disappeared. I got one of the "Last-Forever" tip tools a few years ago, and it works fine too (fits in the case better).

I don't see anything magical about shaping a cue tip. Do it by hand a few times, and you'll be an expert, tout de suite. I once watched Jack White shape a tip with a pen knife, and a piece of sandpaper. And he had pretty darn good cue ball control.
 
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3kushn said:
There's a lot of this stuff we discuss and I'm thinking this the very point.

That point is, The physics, math, or whatever doesn't always match up with the human mind.

We can have a highly trained, extremely intelligent player with zero impediments what so ever and over time never reaches top 10 or even top 50.

Dropping the elbow comes to mind.
Of course if the drop is b4 the hit is problematic.
After the hit??? Couldn't that free up the stroke/the mind?
Couldn't a lack of concern about an elbow promote a freely swinging forearm?

I look at videos of players wanting advise, and they exactly like Robots.

I'm not a dancer but if there was a competition I'd bet on me.
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I try to drop my elbow any time I hit whitey above center…..BEFORE the follow through.
 
Catalin said:
You literally wrote "A properly shaped tip is spherical, nothing linear or conical about it."

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk
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I did, and it's absolutely true. Where does it say that a wizard is perfectly shaped? You yourself show a picture that they are not. What is your point?
 
pt109 said:
I saw Semih hit eleven rails….no tricks with other balls
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Not sure of the exact number but up in Chicago many years ago I saw him get like eight rails with a masse shot where the CB just kept diving into a corner over and over AND THEN made the billiard.

Lou Figueroa
 
lfigueroa said:
Not sure of the exact number but up in Chicago many years ago I saw him get like eight rails with a masse shot where the CB just kept diving into a corner over and over AND THEN made the billiard.

Lou Figueroa
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Might have been the same time/place I saw him - Chris's at a Sang Lee tournament?

pj
chgo
 
For those(or at least one person anyway) skeptical of those willard's shapers they are stamped-out and the interior DOES have a a radiused shape even if the exterior view may look a tad cone-ish. got two myself and both are rounded inside-n-out. they work perfectly and the result is well shaped tip.
 
Banger said:
I have one of those shapers, but it's made of steel. It even has the Tweeten sticker on the back. I also had one of the plastic ones, but it seems to have disappeared. I got one of the "Last-Forever" tip tools a few years ago, and it works fine too (fits in the case better).

I don't see anything magical about shaping a cue tip. Do it by hand a few times, and you'll be an expert, tout de suite. I once watched Jack White shape a tip with a pen knife, and a piece of sandpaper. And he had pretty darn good cue ball control.
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the one i have is steel too. always in my case.
 
lfigueroa said:
Not sure of the exact number but up in Chicago many years ago I saw [Semih] get like eight rails with a masse shot where the CB just kept diving into a corner over and over AND THEN made the billiard.
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Patrick Johnson said:
Might have been the same time/place I saw him - Chris's at a Sang Lee tournament?
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lfigueroa said:
Yes, I think that was it.
What a stroke that dude had!
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I think he also made the US tournament high run of 20 there.

pj
chgo
 
3kushn said:
So why is the drop so rejected?
Why not promoted? When done properly?

Seems by the purists, there's no such thing as a proper elbow drop and elbow dropping never/can have any benefit what so ever.

My point is freeing up the swing before contact to allow for the smooth stroke.

I've never been able to say any of this in words for folks to understand me.

I'm just looking for a free wheeling follow through stroke.

Isn't that what we want?
Tell me if I'm wrong
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The elbow drop is not rejected. This topic came up a month ago during the premier league pool and I think it was 12/16 were elbow droppers. So the top players show you where things are going. Teachers will catch up soon enough.

It's just that a stable elbow pivot with no drop is very easy to conceptualize and provides the easiest model to both teach and implement immediately as an untrained beginner. So, most teachers teach this way and their beginner students get rapid results, albeit with often awkward feeling strokes that have poor feel and speed control.

Pretty much the more you move in line with natural movement akin to how we use the arms in just about every other sport, the more likely you are to have an elbow drop in your technique. Guys with 'effortless power' tend to have some mobility in their elbow. There are powerful strokes with a stationary elbow too but they look anything but effortless.

I'm confident instruction will catch up with what the top guys are showing us soon enough and the 'never ever let the elbow drop' approach will fall out of favor or at least not be the dominant approach to teaching/learning the stroke. There are better ways and plenty of teachers teaching em...for now they are the minority but not for much longer imo.
 
garczar said:
the one i have is steel too. always in my case.
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garczar, Howdy;

I have been using Willards since The early 90's. Have one in each case zip tied to a
Heavy Seybert's Tip Tapper. I always drop 1 in my pocket if I out an about for those
'just in case' times. chucklin'

hank
 
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3kushn said:
So why is the drop so rejected?
Why not promoted? When done properly?

Seems by the purists, there's no such thing as a proper elbow drop and elbow dropping never/can have any benefit what so ever.

My point is freeing up the swing before contact to allow for the smooth stroke.

I've never been able to say any of this in words for folks to understand me.

I'm just looking for a free wheeling follow through stroke.

Isn't that what we want?
Tell me if I'm wrong
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I think you just invented the piston stroke.
 
I use a Small fine tooth bastard file. I sit down lay the shaft across my legs and roll it with one hand while shaping the tip with my file in the other hand. No need for fancy gadgets. Works every time doesn't wear out
 
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