Keeping Your Cue In Competition Shape From Day One

Posted on April 22, 2008 in Recreation and Sports by admin

If you want to play pool like the pros, you have to take care of your equipment like the pros. You’ve seen how careful players like Alison Fisher and Earl Strickland are with their cues. You need to give your cue the same respect. If you treat your cue well, it will treat you well for many years. A well maintained cue will help keep you at the top of your game.

The first step in the proper care and feeding of your new pool cue is the case you choose. Some pool cues come with a soft case, but a soft case doesn’t give you the support that you need. A hard case is your best bet. Since you want to store your cue in an upright position, a hard case with a balanced end is the right one for the job. You want it to stay upright without worrying it will fall over and damage the cue. The only time you don’t want the pool cue upright is if it in use and you have to leave the table for a moment. In that case you want to lay it flat on the table, never up against a wall. This helps keep it straight and true.

Most pool cues come with something called joint protectors. These look a little bit like wood plugs. One screws on each end of the pool cue joint after you break down your pool cue. It’s important to put these on after you play – they keep dirt, grease, oil and other debris from getting into your cue joint. If your joint gets dirty, it won’t be straight when the cue is together, and it will affect your shot. Along the same lines, you shouldn’t use hand chalk if you can help it. It gets into the joint during play and can affect the joint’s closure over time.

Washing your hands before play and wiping your cue down with a soft, dry cloth between games is a good way to keep the shaft clean. Eventually, no matter how careful you are, the shaft will get dirty. First clean it with a mild soap and water mixture, and then dry it with a soft cloth. Once that is done you can take a pool cue burnisher, usually made of untreated leather, and burnish your cue by vigorously rubbing it. If your cue has become so dirty that a light cleaning and burnishing won’t help, that is when you use your cue sander. It is made of 000 grit sand paper and shaped to curve around the cue shaft – a light sanding should do the trick for stubborn dirt.

The last two things to note: tip replacement and cue dings and dents. Your tip will need to be replaced eventually. You can tell when it is time if it becomes flaky when you chalk it. If you ding or dent your cue, there is a way to repair small dings. Wet a paper towel and roll it into a little pill sized ball. Place the wet towel bit over the ding or dent and leave it a few minutes. The wood should expand toward the water (because wood is porous). Once it does, burnish it out (don’t sand it). Once you’ve mastered care and repair of your cue, your play will improve. Just like any tool, becoming familiar with it will improve how you use it.

Jason Marco is a expert on the subject of Pool and operates a discount billiards store where you can get great equipment and Pool balls

Click here: http://www.ThePoolHustler.com

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