Skill School by |
Roger Long has been a BCA Instructor since 1993. He is the former owner of CuePort Billiards in Lakeland Florida and a regular contributer to Table Talk Newspaper here in Phoenix. His column appears here courtesy of Table Talk. Last months column is available here. |
The first lesson in pool should always begin with a discussion on the importance of playing with a good cue, and the main emphasis of that discussion should be on the tip. Without a good tip, even the most expensive cue in the world will not strike the ball well.
What is a good tip? Well, it's not really the brand that counts, although some tip manufacturers offer higher quality than others. It's not even a great concern if the tip is soft or hard, since that is a matter of personal preference. What really counts is the condition you keep the tip in.
That is, for one thing, you should keep the shoulders of the tip flush with the sides of the ferrule. If the tip has been properly installed the shoulders will start out flush, but after some use the tip will start to pack down and the shoulders will bulge out, or "mushroom", over the sides of the ferrule. This condition can cause miscues on shots requiring extreme English because the force of the hit on the cue ball is not directly supported by the ferrule, therefore the tip might glance off the ball. You might want to try burnishing the sides of the tip to reduce mushrooming.
Another important aspect to consider is the crown, or curvature, of the top of the tip. Your tip must be crowned if you want to hit the cue ball off- center, and of course you will want to be able to do that. What pool games can be played without the use of English or draw? If you hit the cue ball off-center with a flat tip you will only have point contact created by the square shoulder of the tip. Once again, you will have miscues. The proper curvature to put on a tip has long been a matter of debate, but most pool officiandos agree that a roundness approximating that of a nickle will give maximum contact with the cue ball over a broader range of shots.
Also, you must remember to occasionally scuff the tip so it will hold chalk. This isn't something you have to do every day, only whenever you think your tip might need it. There are several good tip tools on the market that will not only scuff the tip, but will simultaneously shape it to that nickel roundness.
Lastly, do not let your tip wear down too low or else you might crack the ferrule or begin to experience other unpleasant problems. A lot of players do not let the shoulder height of the tip get below 1/8" before replacing it. If it goes as low as 1/16", you have pretty much used it up.