How did the idea of ​​using a pool cue come about?

Cue sports like pool and billiards did not use sticks at first. It was around 200 years ago that the idea of ​​using cue for cue sports began. As a pool player, you must know the history of the sticks.

Today, cues form an important part of sports such as pool, snooker, and billiards. However, the use of cues did not begin with the birth of sports, but these sticks arose a little later. Here’s a discussion of the evolution of pool cues, as well as some of the accessories a pool player uses these days.

In the early days of cue sports, an implement rather similar to a golf club was used. The name of the implement was mace and it consisted of a foot. So the idea was to push the balls instead of hitting them. However, the problem arose when the balls froze next to the table rails. This made it difficult for the player to hit the ball directly with the foot of the club.

It was at the end of the 17th century when the expert players of the sports of cue came up with a solution. They popularized the use of the tail of the mace to shoot in cases where the foot could not be used. This led to the development of the new style called hitting the ball.

In addition, it gave rise to a new implement called cue, inspired by the word ‘cola’ which means ‘tail’. Interestingly, the cue was used only as an addition to the mace in the early 19th century. Players used the cue only when caught in situations such as balls frozen against the rail. The use of the mace remained popular until the end of the 19th century.

The use of cleats was restricted to expert players only, as it required experience to avoid wear on the cloth with the use of cleats. With the passage of time and the popularity of the clubs, cushions with high rebound began to be used. Soon the use of pool cues led to the development of ‘spin’ and ‘mass’ shots. Also, the use of leather studs was introduced in the early 19th century.

An interesting practice of cue sports players in those days was to twist their stick against plaster walls. This was done to have a chalk-like deposit on the tip to prevent misshots. Likewise, with the passage of time other complements of the current cue were added.