9-Ball
Topic: Cue tip advice - constant miscues :-(

Hi all, this is a very vague post but I'll make it anyway....

....my issue is that I just cannot find a tip that allows me to play shots that I believe I should. I have a Brunswick 9 foot table and a good cue (Predator), but no matter what tips I try I regularly miscue. I've played snooker / pool for years so I know what top expect, though I guess the heavier 9-ball balls may be a bit different.

Anyway, I've tried lots of different tips. The current tip is a ss kamui. This is relatively soft and layered, though still fairly hard compared to an Elkmaster anyway. It's great for constant control for stun shots etc, but if I try to swerve etc - even a bit - the tip sort of slides off the ball. After a miscue I can always see a clear mark / deposit on the ball. One thing I've noticed is that whatever I've applied a new tip it initially plays well, then they all end up the same (and not through waring down). My pool table is in my converted garage, so has no constant heating. I recall years ago reading about the effect something like that can have but I can't find anything and it seems irrelevant to me, unless it's something to do with moisture in the tip.

Yes this is a terrible ramble, but it's so frustrating! So, any ideas would be great

I'm guessing your problem isn't this simple but it might help to eliminate the obvious first...

What chalk are you using - there's a terrible one that seems to lubricate the tip, exactly the opposite of what you need... It might be NTC (National Tournament Chalk) or Pioneer maybe, but whatever it is, it's really awful.

Thanks - that is a good start. The ones I have are Pioneer and the main one used is "Supreme Pool". Can chalk really make much difference? I kinda assumed that unless they got moist it wouldn't matter, but I could be way off. All the chalk I have is very old, so maybe trying something new may be worth a stab given it's cheap and simple?

Actually, thinking about it I can't recall where the chalk came from both both types look very similar and have the same sort of consistency. Maybe they are the same essentially and not so good.

I'll also say that I have cue shapers etc and I have tried a few slightly different curve shapes.

Defo sounds a tip issue
Try predator chalk or kamui
Post a video of it happening
I know you said you play pool and snooker but maybe you are cueing different with the heavier cue or balls

I think you should spend some time to improve your cueing. As Tony said in 9ball its slightly different due to tip and ball size as well as you mentioned cue ball weight. I can see a problem focusing on cueing.
I think you hit ball too hard. When you try to put bottom or top spin you get misscue because of too much power makes your tip hard. Noone has Jayson Shaw or Francisco Bustamante cueing action but hitting hard only makes it worst providing to hardening your tip. In effect of that your tip wont hold chalk as is hard as plastic if you know my metaphor. That why misscueing become to normal as any side spin on cue ball not have enough grip on tip.
I found it harder to draw cueball playing snooker than pool, you may have same problem but opposite way.

Mainly snooker tips are soft and cue ball is lighter, it wont affect tip as much. Playing pool is slightly different. Obviously if you have rock solid fundamentals it shouldnt be a problem to swich from one game to another but noone is perfect and we know that.
I would suggest to focuse more on follow thru the ball in every shot and get a tool to make your tip softer. Cuetec bowtie will do the job. Little pins make your tip softer and then tip will be able to hold chalk better and then better grip on cueball will eliminate misscueing.... hopefully
Just make sure you use more stroke than power in your hand to eliminate hardening your tip.
Good luck

Thanks all. I really don't know how much different the chalk type can make but given my chalk is many years old I was probably the cheapest you could get on eBay I've ordered a cube of Kanui (not cheap but it's no big deal given how long it should last). I'll see if that helps.

Re cue action, I don't doubt that better players than me would have less problem but I honestly think my action is OK. One thing I've always noted is that I played in a club with my cue when it came from America (my own table was a week or two away). I was amazed how much action I could get in the club on a proper 9-ball table. Then, I played on my table and it was all different - and I've tried many tips since then - but all with the same chalk.

I prefer Kamui chalk but if your budget doesn't stretch that far the Molinari chalk (in the Pro Shop) is not a bad alternative. IMO

I've got a cube of Kamui in the post

Honestly, I'd never have guessed it was possible to pay so much for chalk but I don't mind really. The wife spends more each day on trash we don't need.

test trash

ha - if I type a certain work (starts c and ends p) it gets replaced with "trash"...very clever!

On 2016-01-21 11:57 , triplesilk Wrote:

If you had ordered it from The Pro Shop you would have it in your hand already!

http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/theproshop/main.php?P=cat&C=164

Surprised you didn't choose us automatically, especially as you're getting help and advice here!


-----------------

Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

Yes BigDave is right. There are two different one so you need one of each You still have got chance to get one from here

I have used the pro shop before but wanted green colour as I have green cloth and the shop only had blue!

I prob need a new scuffer though so may get one of those.

Right, I've just ordered a Bowtie thing with pointy bits. I'm hoping that this plus the fancy chalk does the trick.

One more question if I can - I noticed that you can get ball cleaning fluid in the shop. Does this really work? I've always assumed it was really no better than any old soap, but nothing would get rid of some of the stains that accumulate on the cue ball.

On 2016-01-22 01:57 , triplesilk Wrote:

Good man! It's already packed and will go out in today's post run - you'll receive that in tomorrow'a post! Thank you.

On 2016-01-22 11:58 , triplesilk Wrote:

I know of nothing that will get rid of the ALL the deep blue stains on cueballs - I know that toothpaste works on cue ferrules, but I would NOT recommend that for balls.

Has anyone ever tried using a melamine sponge (like Magic Eraser) with a little water on an old cue ball to see if that works?

Aramtih's Billiard Ball RESTORER is obviously going to be the best at cleaning REALLY dirty, tired old balls - and Aramith's ball CLEANER should be used for regular polishing.

If you come along to the GB 9 Ball Tour in Telford (the weekend after next) I will be there with a nice selection of stock from The Pro Shop - and the GB9 boys will probably let you use their £1,000 ball polishing machine... Which is brilliant!

...But I repeat - know nothing that effectively gets rid of 100% of chalk stains on cueballs.

Can anyone else chip in on this?

Thanks a lot - for the advice and quick dispatch.

Right, I've just tried the Kamui chalk and I'm blown away. I'm slightly wary of assuming too much as I've ha false dawns before and maybe the chalk may get moist or something - but after a 5 minute session I didn't miscue once and I have never got so much action on the ball on my table. It's like playing a different game

The only bad thing is that I have more chalk marks on the cloth now, after 5 mins, than I had in the past 5 years! It does generally brush off though, so I just need to clean more. I only got the chalk elsewhere as I wanted green (the same as the cloth) but in actual fact it's so light that it shows clearly on the cloth.

It makes me wonder whether this chalk is just awesome or the old chalk was just bad.