Putting chalk on the cue....the impossible task.

[SmokyOwl]

One problem that I've been having literally since I started playing is putting the chalk on the cue after each shot. I simply seem to be unable to use my left hand to apply the chalk to the cue. It is horriblly awkward for me, sometimes I even drop it when trying with the left hand. Trying to just throws off my rhythem, so now I just chalk up at the start of each game, and very difficult shots. Is this something that I should start practicing again? I don't miscue all that often despite the fact that I use extreme english quite often.

Whenever I do put on the chalk, I have to put the cue in my left hand in the vertical position and use the chalk in my right hand. I'm like "okay, everything stops now! I have to chalk my cue!" I don't actually say this of course, but that's kinda how I feel. Sometimes if I spot the chalk I'll put it on when the other player's at the table.

[koen147]

Putting chalk on the cue....the impossible task.

You must look at the professionals! They take ( if they are rigthanded ) their cue in their left hand, hold it half an inch beneath the tip and put the chalk on with the right hand. It need to become a rythm.

[SmokyOwl]

Well then that's basically the way I am doing it, but I just feel like it completly banishes my rhythem. I'll have to keep a note of it when I'm watching women's 9-ball. Something about taking the cue from my right hand and putting it in my left and going back and forth after each shot is taking too much time. I'd be taking as much time cuing up as I would be shooting.

The way I'm attempting to do it is fairly fluid I think, if I think about it here I should be able to talk my way through it. Okay, stand up, pick up chalk with left hand, keep stick fairly horizontal with right hand, glide left hand down shaft, chalk cue, put chalk away, continue shooting.

[koen147]

I think it is quite fluid, because your bridge hand (left) goes to the top of your cue, the butt of your cue is on the floor. You take your chalk with your right hand and you chalk your tip. You put your chalk back with your right hand and take the butt of your cue. And your left hand becomes the bridge hand again. Maybe it isn't working for you, but this is the way I do it.

[Sidd]

all you need to do is to make chalking a regular and even unintentional action in your game. make it a habit if you intend to avoid those undesired miscues. i am a lefty and i use my left hand hand for chalking and hold the cue with my right hand while chalking. In fact I am so used to with chalking now that my chalks tend to get finished quickly. Whenever i pot a ball and go to the next shot and while lining up or finding my line of aim to get down to; i am chalking standing behind the shot- it also unintentionally helps in spending a fraction of a second more behind the line of aim and is helpful in building steady rythym.

I doubt if you use a chalk holder or pouch. Try that out as it helps keeping the chalk on you all the time and hence chalking habits would improve.

I am having another funny problem with my chalking since i do it so much. I normally chalk from the mid points of chalk and not from its corners and hence after some time the fact of my chalk goes on to get a cross shape because the chalk is eaten from the mid areas and never used from corners and I get a cross on it and after some time it becomes annoying and i end up using half of the chalk or a little more and discarding the rest... any ideas on how to chalk evenly .... just wondering

[Terry Davidson]

Sidd:

The cross shape or 4-pointed star is very common with snooker players at least as it means you are correctly 'wiping' the chalk across the tip and mining the chalk by hold it still and twirling the cue. (I have a star on my chalk and when I start to see dark lines on the edge of the points of the star I file the chalk down a bit so I can keep using it.)

Terry

[SmokyOwl]

Well I have good news and bad news. Good news: I'm finally getting the hang of cuing, although it will probably take a few weeks to become more proficient at it. I am also swiping in the cross shape pattern, I will make future attempts to do this corner to corner. It's still a bit wobbly when chalking, but I'm slowly getting the rhythem down. I'm setting the chalk beside me on my left on the table's edge, taking the shot, picking it up with the left hand and chalking up, then moving into position on the next shot, and set the chalk back down on my left. If I do this enough I don't think I'll have a problem in the future.

Now for the bad news. I'm using that new Kamui chalk, which costs $25 a piece(16 pounds).....I may have to try a different chalk.

[throtts]

I stick my chalk in my right front pocket of my jeans / whatever I am wearing.. If I put it on the table you tend to forget what part you put it on when you are in the zone, now that is off putting..

[jrc750]

....Now for the bad news. I'm using that new Kamui chalk, which costs $25 a piece(16 pounds).....I may have to try a different chalk.

I thought the whole idea of this chalk is you don't need to use it so often ???????
Sounds like your wasting your money using this mate !!

[jrc750]

... Something about taking the cue from my right hand and putting it in my left and going back and forth after each shot is taking too much time. I'd be taking as much time cuing up as I would be shooting......

Why the rush ????

[Dave Walton]

I'm left handed but hold the cue in my left hand and chalk with my right hand. Chalk with whichever hand feels natural rather than trying to follow what the majority of the pros do

[AKashyap]

Let me tell you that applying chalk should be done in a smooth fashion... Also try to apply from the sides of the circular region of the chalk and never just insert it in the center and try to twist... You can rub the chalk, shake it and apply, move the cue stick and keep chalk stationary to apply etc, but the most important thing as I said, the motion should be smooth and not feel tacky and rough and worse, make screeching noises ... Also, after applying the chalk, check from different angles, whether there is uniform layer of chalk on the tip !!

[vmax4steve]

Nice to see all you people giving advice on chalking the tip of the cue, now could someone please tell me how to tie my shoelaces

[Gerry Armstrong]

Never chalk across the line of the tip, always ensure that you chalk your tip in a completely straight line. If you consistently chalk across the line of your tip it will be really difficult to undo this later as this fault in your chalking technique will be inbuilt and very difficult to get rid of even with the appropriate technical changes and lots of practice.

[jrc750]

Nice to see all you people giving advice on chalking the tip of the cue, now could someone please tell me how to tie my shoelaces

Can't help you there vmax, i have to wear slip on's