Club Selection
The club is an extension of the player’s heart, eyes, mind and arms, and is also a manifestation of personal skills. You must feel that the club is smooth in your hand, so the balance of the club must be perfect. Too heavy, too light or too heavy at the tail can easily affect the accuracy of the club. The front part of the club (shaft) must be as smooth and thin as a thread. This way you will have no worries when shooting. A good player must be very careful and take good care of the club. After use, it must be carefully stored in the ball box and be careful of bruises at any time. You can usually use furniture wax to make it feel as delicate as a baby's skin. If you are a billiards expert, you will never lend your cue to others easily.
Club selection: When choosing your own club, the first feeling is that it should be "easy".
Classification of billiard cues
Current cue sticks can be roughly divided into two categories according to their uses: snooker cues and nine-cue cues. The former has a thinner head, the sheath is made of copper, and the tail has a corner cut off and is inlaid with a trademark; the latter has a thicker head, the sheath is made of white plastic, and the tail has no missing corners. There is also a big difference in feel between the two: the tip of the snooker club is small, so the hitting point is precise, and it is most suitable for playing snooker, but the absolute power is slightly inferior; while the tip of the nine-club club is large, which is suitable for playing snooker. Because the hitting point of the big ball is not as accurate as that of the small tip, some people may not be used to it at first. However, the nine-club club has enough power and elasticity. Once you are used to it, you can hit the ball with amazing strong spin. This is exactly The beauty of nine ball.
The standard length of fancy pool cues is 57 inches. Currently, most professional players in the United States and Japan use 58-inch cues. Steve Mizerak, the 1982 World Series champion, recommends 58-581 for those over 180 centimeters tall. /2 inches, 57 inches is more suitable for those under 180 cm. Weight ranges from 19 to 21 ounces, depending on personal habits. The tip diameter of the front tip of the club ranges from 11 to 13 pieces, and most professional players use 13m/m. The reason is that the 13m/m tip can provide a wider contact surface. Generally, domestic snooker cues are not only too thin (about 7-10 pieces), but also too short in length, making them unsuitable for playing fancy pool. In addition to being finely crafted, high-end golf clubs also use high-end materials. A good club does not mean you have to buy it. The important thing is that it must be suitable for you. Choose a club that suits you and take good care of it! Generally, high-end clubs are two-piece and easy to carry, but not all two-piece clubs are suitable for you. For advanced clubs. In addition to the straightness, the most important thing about the quality of a club is the choice of tip. American and Japanese professional masters all use French high-grade cowhide leather heads. The leather head should be crowned at any time with sandpaper or a lead knife, and the leather surface should be slightly rough to hold the chocolate. Both sides of the leather head must be flush with the handguard.
The club is divided into four sides, up, down, left and right. The top and bottom are the front and back, the left and right are the sides, and the sides are lined with strips of wood grain, usually with a slight slope. The intersection of the wood grain and the wood grain is called the arrow tip, and the arrow tip is also called an arrow. Of course, the wood grain on the side of some clubs is almost perpendicular to the club. It depends on how the materials are selected and cut. This kind of cue has put great effort into material selection and cutting, making the appearance of the cue very beautiful. Several arrowheads are pointing toward the front of the club head. This type of arrow is called a positive arrow. The arrow on the reverse side points toward the tail of the pole, which is called a reverse arrow. Of course, the reverse side also has an oval shape, with upward and downward arrows, and there is also a type called a double arrow, with the arrows on the front and back pointing in the direction of the club head. This kind of wood is difficult to choose and is generally used in the front branches of high-end clubs.
The wood grain on the side of the club should be straight, and the arrowhead should be pointed and long. Most people would ask for this. This is just a requirement for the outside of the club. To judge whether it is good or bad, you still have to look at the wood, which is what I said above. Of course, it would be best to be able to have both. Just like people, some are handsome and some are ugly. This is just a person's appearance. The most important thing depends on the person's character and behavior. Of course, a handsome and thoughtful person is naturally the best of the best. The same goes for clubs. The one with a longer distance between the arrows is closer to the outside of the tree, and the one with a shorter distance is closer to the center of the tree. I believe everyone has seen growth rings! One ring is larger than the other, and the distance between the rings is also longer.
You can tell which part of a club has trees based on the distance of the arrow. There is no requirement for how many arrows there are on the front branch of the club. The wood grain is straight, the arrows are long, and the tips give people a beautiful enjoyment. When moving the pole, if it is not straight, it can be easily discovered and corrected in time.
When purchasing a club, you must first consider what kind of ball you usually play. British clubs are relatively thin, usually with tips between 9mm and 10mm, while American clubs are thinner. Thick, the tip is usually between 12mm-15mm. The snooker ball itself is small and light in weight. It does not require a lot of force when playing (especially when teeing off). However, the American billiard ball itself is larger and heavier than the snooker ball, and often requires vigorous rushing and hitting. Or chop pole or jump pole. This naturally creates higher requirements for American clubs in terms of impact resistance. A good nine-ball cue has a front stick made of 10-12 pieces of wood that are glued and pressed together using a special process. The back stick must be divided into 7 sections to adapt to strong impacts, and the middle section must be cushioned. Therefore, the price is extremely high, and the price of real high-quality clubs usually exceeds 10,000 yuan. The nine-cue stick made of wood on the market can actually only be called a toy.
Although British clubs are not so complicated, the requirements for wood are very delicate. Most American clubs are made of maple, while British clubs include: maple, Ash, oak and other different materials. Maple wood poles have good hardness, strong elasticity and great stamina. Ash wood clubs are more delicate and have better control over the cue ball than maple wood clubs. Of the top ten players in the world, 70% use pewter clubs and 30% use maple clubs.
English clubs usually come in 1/2, 3/4, 4/5 and single types. It should be mentioned in particular that the more complete the front leg of the club, the better the force transmission. Among the top 20 players in the world, McManus is the only one who uses 1/2 clubs.
When buying a club, the most important thing is to test the force transmission of the club. The method is to hold the tail of the club with one hand and tap the tail of the club lightly with the other hand to feel whether the force transmission is complete. Tap the shaft lightly to consider the softness and hardness of the shaft.
As for the selection of texture, I just want to remind everyone that texture is not an important factor affecting the club. For example, Sullivan’s club has a bad texture and there is a wood scar on the side, but it does not matter. It didn't stop him from becoming a top master.
One more thing, I think it is not necessary for everyone to buy an expensive club at the beginning, because as the level increases at different stages, the requirements for the club are also different. , this delicate feeling should be experienced by yourself as you continue to improve in the process of playing. In layman's terms: as you play, you will know what kind of club you should use.
Choose a good club that suits you. Wood comes first, and there are three factors to decide whether it is suitable for you. 1. Length 2. Thickness 3. Weight. Next is the wood grain and workmanship. Don't deliberately pursue famous brands, but follow my method to choose a club that suits you, play a few games, and get a feel for it. Of course, if the economy allows, you can also choose a famous brand club that is suitable for you. He is very impressive. [1]
Choose a comfortable cue to play
With the rapid development of billiards in our country, the technical level of billiards enthusiasts has been greatly improved. Youdao It is: "If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools." This is especially true for billiards. Having a comfortable personal cue will undoubtedly be of great help in improving your skills. More and more friends are aware of this. However, because everyone does not know much about clubs and the market is filled with a large number of fake brand-name products, everyone encounters a lot of problems when purchasing clubs. difficulty. So how to choose a satisfactory club?
1. The length and weight of the club:
The clubs currently on the market are generally about 1.45 meters long ( 57 inches) and weighs about 18 ounces (510 grams). Players should choose according to their own conditions. Those of short stature should choose shorter clubs, while players with strong wrist strength can choose heavier clubs.
The World Professional Basketball Association (WPBSA) recommends that beginners use 17-ounce clubs.
2. The wood of the clubs:
Most of the famous brand clubs in the world today are made of North American poplar, maple, and African ebony. The characteristics of these woods are: : High density, good elasticity, clear wood grain, not easy to deform. In order to reduce the cost, some ordinary clubs can only choose some poor quality miscellaneous wood. Because the wood is light, the manufacturer will add iron bars to the tail of the club. As a result, the club will be unbalanced and the ball will be greatly reduced. Rod quality. Moreover, these clubs are also more prone to breakage and deformation.
If you want to choose among several clubs of the same grade, you can flick the shaft with your fingers. A club with high density will make a strong and crisp sound, while a club with low density will make a hollow and crisp sound. turbid. In addition, when purchasing, you can also hold the tail of the club with one hand and tap the shaft with the other hand. A good wooden club will give you the feeling of even, powerful and long-lasting elasticity. In addition, the brand on the back of the club should be facing the positive arrow of the club! The wood grain of the club should be as simple and stretched as possible, not as dense as fish scales! The arrow should be pointed, and the direction of the wood grain toward the club head is positive! The reverse arrow On the opposite side of the pole's forward arrow, it is best not to choose a pole with a broken pattern in the middle.
3. The craftsmanship of the club:
The craftsmanship of the club is an important indicator of the quality of the club. When purchasing, pay special attention to whether the joint between the copper hoop of the club head and the shaft and the joint of the shaft (copper buckle) (1/2, 3/4) are dense and smooth. Whether the length of the four flower arrangements is basically the same, special reminder: some inferior clubs have flower arrangements painted on them, please pay attention when purchasing.
Weight and Center of Gravity
The convenient weight is that you have the urge to hit the ball when you pick up your club (or you think it is good to hit someone on the head with it)! People who have no special requirements for weight can choose 18-ounce clubs. The slightly lighter clubs make it easier for you to control the feel of the ball. Many domestic clubs are not made to standard standards, resulting in excessive center of gravity deviations. Some manufacturers use wood that has not gone through standard manufacturing procedures, and the weight on the rear handle places the center of gravity too far forward or backward. Such a club will greatly affect your normal power generation! And it will make you unable to control your strength for a long time. So from this point of view, when we choose clubs, we should try to choose clubs produced by regular manufacturers. Although they used other people's technology and equipment, their production standards were still acceptable.
Test the hardness of the club
Some people may not know how to choose the hardness of the club. This is not something you can just break off with your hands. Generally, maple clubs are softer than oak or maple clubs (both of which have patterns).
Judging the hardness of a patterned club depends on the pattern density of the shaft. The denser the pattern, the harder the club. If you pay more attention to the texture of the pattern, it is best to choose a club with straight patterns and no knots (that is, the arrow on the front of the shaft and the wood grain on the side of the shaft should be straight).
Test the toughness of the club
This will directly determine the power transmission effect of your club! The method is: hold the center of gravity of the club with one hand, tap the tail of the club lightly with the other hand and then leave the club, feeling the vibration of the club head. A club with good toughness will vibrate evenly and for a long time. The power of vibrating is from the inside out. of. Or hold the tail of the club and tap the center of gravity with the other hand a little harder to feel the vibration of the club (one more point here: the faster the vibration frequency, the harder the club, and vice versa) Don't be anxious, feel it more After comparing a few more clubs, you will be able to distinguish them clearly. Don’t be afraid of trouble and time-consuming in order to get the best club.
Test the workmanship of the club
Mainly check whether the copper head of the club is loose, whether the joints of the front and rear branches are concentric, and whether there are any gaps after tightening. Whether the club is smooth (many clubs are no longer painted, so you don’t need to use sandpaper to hit them when you buy them back, which can greatly reduce the chance of deformation of the club).
As for whether the club is straight or not, I think everyone will do this trick of rolling on the table:) One thing to note: roll slowly, and at the same time, backlight the side of the club to check whether the shaft is beating. Is there a gap between the club and the table? (Don’t forget to look behind the cue. There should be no bounce:) Don’t use sandpaper on the new cue, as it will be damaged quickly. It’s best to use a semi-dry cue after each use. Wipe it clean with a soft cloth to prevent chocolate powder and dirt from corroding the club. Apply club oil every half month to prevent the club from drying out and deforming.