PoolSynergy One Year Anniversary Edition. See a variety of quick tips articles from our host and founder John Biddle. Full listing here: Pool Student
This month, I thought I’d toss out my opinion about an important part of player’s equipment, the cue. This is a very brief overview. Please contact me or leave a comment below if you have advice to offer or would like to ask a specific question.
1.      Advice on purchasing a cue
The choices available when you make the decision to buy a cue can be bewildering. Great headway can be made if you make some constraints on your cue search and stick to them. The rule of thumb, “You get what you pay for†also applies to pool cues. Set a budget and ask friends and players you respect for advice on brands and retailers. Depending on your part of the world, a good brick and mortar retailer can be valuable for advice and support after your purchase. If you order online, check the return policy so you can see and feel the cue before you’re stuck with it. Most retailers will let you hit a couple of balls with it, maybe even with chalk. You may want to consider getting a cue with a common joint type to make future shaft upgrades an easy thing to do.
2.      Taking care of your cue and cue tip
Keep your cue stored in a protective case when not in use. If you must keep the cue screwed together at home, lay it flat on the table or upright in a cue rack. Cues left leaning up against a wall can warp. Temperature extremes are the most common cause of warping, so never leave your cue in the trunk of your automobile. Keep the shaft clean by wiping it down with a very slightly damp towel and immediately drying with another towel. Washing your hands frequently and placing the chalk blue side up on the pool table both make big differences in keeping your shaft from turning blue. Use shaft sanding products sparingly, they can turn shafts into toothpicks quickly. Proper tip maintenance is crucial to good pool playing. Scuff or shape your tip only when it needs it. Needlessly removing leather just makes a new tip necessary more quickly. If the shape is good, use a tip pick or some sort of tapper to ready the tip for chalk. Remember that a hard tip will need more pickin’ and a softer tip will need more shapin’.
3.      What other cues to buy
Competitive players are likely to carry two or more cues into battle. Start with a break cue if you hit the opening shot pretty hard. High performance break cues can give you a little extra oomph and will save your playing cue and tip from abuse. Harder tips found on break cues could increase your break speed and will stay in the ideal shape for breaking. Jump cues can be great to get out of a tight spot, but shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to play careful position or learn to kick accurately. Be aware of the rules you’re likely to run into so your equipment complies to league or tournament rules.
Remember, this is just a very brief overview. How about sharing your best cue related advice below?
Leave a Reply