Tips for Begginer

[Blenko]

hello lads and ladies

i think ive posted this in the correct thread

sorry if im being annoying and postin one of them questions that always gets asked, (this happened so much on a carp fishing forum i used to go on) but i've just started going reguarly to the snooker hall with some mates and really enjoy playing it

i just wanted some tips tp help me get to that next stage i can pot well at short distances and maybe play for other ball colours now and again

i was wondering if you cold help me with cue action, stance, just the basics really, i've looked on the internet but hasnt helped alot

also i was looking to buy a cue for about £40 a lightish thin cue i think would be good for me (is that right?)

cheers in advance i know some people out there will help me

lewy

[Wity]

Hanging around a carp fishing forum has probably cost you a fortune I'll avoid them like the plague till my pole needs replacing as it's gonna cost me £1500 new. If I hung around fishing forums I'd be buying stuff every day, right now i'm happy in my ignorance of the latest tackle baits and techniques and just call the winner of the match a lucky ******* who drew the right peg on the day.

I was quite happy with my £17 BCE cue for ten years too till I signed up here, now all it's used for is drawing the curtains.

If £40 is your limit get on ebay and cross your fingers the chinese one you buy is'nt made of laminated 2nd hand chopsticks and stay away from the cues section here.

[bongo]

Hi there,

Have a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v2dQfwYIAw, it's the first part of a video which has about 20 parts on YouTube, the user has posted the whole video, just go through each part, it should really help with the techniques that you mentioned.

[Blenko]

i'd like a new cue preferably bought from a shop, not ebay

i dont know where to start im not very good so just one that wil serve me well with the basics

cheers and good link thanks

[Wity]

All you will find in the high street are bce and riley cues with a players name on them. Made in china with painted ebony butts and shafts that feel sticky to hold as they have been varnished. Those very same cues can be had for half what the high street shop charges on ebay and even then they nothing much to whisper about let alone shout.
A good cue that'll last you, that's made with real wood that has been seasoned well to avoid warping, oiled to seal it and finished well, one that you can be confident with and never say "if I had a better cue I would not have missed that shot" one that lets say you offer a pro giving an exhibition who breaks his and asks to borrow a cue from the audience takes one look and doesn't say i need a real cue not a broom handle for £40 simply does not exist even 2nd hand and battered.

You can pick up a decent 2nd hand cue handspliced for around £70 on ebay if you know what to look for or you can buy a new machine spliced one for 60ish but new you've got to be looking at £120 plus for a proper handspliced cue which is peanuts really considering it should last for donkeys years.

[Blenko]

yeah i thought that would be the case as its very similar to fishing rods etc. i'd love to get a cue of that calliber but i simply cant afford i could be able to go £50 as im stil a student and with going out, and taking part in other hobbies i cant afford more, also i do not have a clue what im looking for in a cue so i dont know where to start, if only i knew as much about this as i do with carp fishing

cheers

[Wity]

You've reminded me what I have under the bed

http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=13260

[Blenko]

is it a good cue mate, im not sure though, because i'd like to see the cue and feel one before i buy it if you see whati mean, to see if i like the weight etc. understand what i mean? and £50 alot of money to me,

i'll have a think about it sorry if i sound ungrateful

[Wity]

No not at all, I know what you mean. I'm grateful as I found a fiver under me bed too

It is a fair description of it, I bought it off ebay when I too did not know what makes for a really good cue and merely went by price looking for a bargain.

Take a gamble on it if you want.. I'll refund you if obviously you pay the return postage (approx £10) and it arrives in as good a nick as I send it within say a week. But if you'd rather not no problem I'll bung it on ebay.

edit: if your near wolverhampton your welcome to try before you buy too,

[Blenko]

i'll probably leave it thanks mate i live nowhere near wolverhampton(norwich)

thanks for taking the time trying to help me though

[LWB]

Looks like it's a job for JJB sports. Then the best thing you could do with it is take it down to the club and ask what could be done with it. Normally at the club you'll have someone who will re-tip cues for a few £, and maybe for another few he'll sand off the varnish too. Or if you're feeling brave you could try it all yourself following instructions from this site.

I bought a cue from ebay for £25+p&p to keep me going till I could get a decent one. I did what I've suggested about and with a new finish and a decent tip it makes a world of difference. It's not anything near as good as my craftsman but it will do as a place holder.

I would have also suggested a book too, but if you're on a tight budget maybe just some hints that are posted here would be handy. If you've not been playing too long it would be good to work on your technique now before you settle in to any bad habbits.

[Blenko]

why do you get rid of the varnish on a cue? out of curiosity, surely its there for a reason? and yeah i could get the cue retipped cheers

[LWB]

why do you get rid of the varnish on a cue? out of curiosity, surely its there for a reason? and yeah i could get the cue retipped cheers

Because the varnish is what gives the cue the very sticky feel. When you have it in the shop it might feel fine but in a snooker club, in the summer, I wouldn't give it long before it feels very sticky running across your bridge hand. This would genuinely put most people off!

[Blenko]

thats the bit that really annoys me about a snooker, ideally al i want in my cue is its to slide nicely through my brige hand, have a decent tip, be fairly thin, and just feel right o use

[dannyd0g]

I would recommend the Terry Griffiths coaching guide viewable on youtube. The best explained coaching guide ive seen yet. It explains everything brilliantly in great detail.