Lessons in Pool

By BCA Advanced Certified Instructor: Roger Long

Lesson 1: "Tips On Tips"

The first lesson in pool should always begin with a discussion on the importance of playing with a good cue, and the main focus 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 means, 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 leather will start to pack down and the shoulders will bulge, or "mushroom", over the sides of the ferrule.  This condition can cause miscues on shots requiring extreme English.  That's because the force of impact at the edge of a mushroomed tip will not be directly absorbed by the ferrule.  Therefore, the tip might glance off of the cue ball.  You might want to try burnishing the sides of your 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!  After all, 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 occurring.  The proper crown to put on a tip has long been a matter of debate, but most pool players agree that a curvature approximating that of a nickel will provide the maximum contact with the cue ball over a broader range of shots.   The next thing you want to do with your tip is to remember to occasionally scuff it so it will hold chalk.  This isn't something you will have to do every day, only whenever you think it 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 a nickel roundness.  Lastly, do not let your tip wear down too low or else you might crack the ferrule.  Or you may begin to experience other unpleasant problems, like more miscues.  A lot of players do not let the shoulder height of their tips get below one-eighth of an inch before replacing them.  If your tip wears as low as one-sixteenth of an inch, you have pretty much used it up.