Why Does Steve Davis Burn His Snooker Cue?

Steve Davis talks to Stephen about his highly successful practice method to improve his bridge hand length. Steve reveals a tip for all amateurs, he recommends creating a marker nine to twelve inches from the top of your cue for your bridge hand. The shortened length of your backswing will reduce the margin for error. Steve says it will take some time to get used to it, but he guarantees it will improve your accuracy.
Did this cue tip work for you? Let us know in the comments!
Twitter: / shendry775
Instagram: / s_hendry775

[@popandu1170]

It doesn't get better than Davis and Hendry. It's the epitome of snooker. 13 World titles between the pair. The thing about Davis is that he is surely THE BEST analyst of the game and he understands everything snooker.

[@nickhaswell6011]

Yep them two more than any other players for me Would like to see jimmy white on this though

[@brendancahill3534]

Legends.

[@snookerstones]

Defo the best analyst

[@KevinSmith-wp9qs]

Davis loves snooker. Hendry loves winning.

[@rb2k10]

what other channel or what other sport has 2 of the all time greats on a video casually dropping tips to improve your game? elite channel

[@justinr6439]

A lot of disc golf channels lmao

[@thewinteragendadraganclove2323]

Henry and Mighty Mouse. Two of the G.O.A.T's. You should check them out

[@daviddavio1032]

I love how hendry still learns from Davis. I also like to see how Hendry respects Davis.

[@AD-kv9kj]

Yeah, I mean, Davis was his hero growing up.

[@nickhaswell6011]

Like wise steve davis hendrys hero but love how he has so much admiration for him and great friends

[@Guvna07]

13 world titles between them. Legends

[@juchetony1910]

you can see Stephen thinking "I wonder..."

[@tightlondon]

Can't get any better than learning from Steve and Steven, such an inspiration to the game.

[@justynbarnes7895]

Fascinating. What an absolutely amazing snooker player Steve Davis was; a genius in his own way. A snooker brain the size of a planet.

[@davebedwell4323]

My dad taught this to me years & years ago, explaining that those with a longer bridge will mishit the cue ball more often. We live in US & play American pocket billiards. Thanks for your professional thoughts & confirmation. My dad was smart & an excellent shot!

[@KenKen-wp3fe]

always like to see steve davis and stephen hendry have a speech and a round of snooker !!!!!

[@win33adam]

I am a lifelong snooker fan/snooker & pool player and this is the only channel I watch every single video from! It's getting to the point now where I'm waiting for the next upload to drop! These guys are absolute legends of the sport and I feel extremely privileged to have access to the content.

[@elmondo3543]

Gotta have Steve on again surely!...by far the most interesting 😱 yet!

[@jasonhobman3083]

Same cue for 49 years! That's impressive! We got a saying at our club....look after your cue.

[@juchetony1910]

nice Only Fools and Horses reference, Trig.

[@sirdetmist3204]

To think of all of the things he won with that exact cue is kind of amazing.

[@paulbamford8Ball]

He didn't. He experimented with various other cues around the early nineties and even into the noughties. I believe that he has only just got that original cue back on the baize again.

[@sirdetmist3204]

@@paulbamford8Ball Thats a shame, still its cool he still has it.

[@paulbamford8Ball]

@@sirdetmist3204 - Absolutely. He won 6 World Titles with that cue. It is actually a Burroughes & Watts Ye old Ash Cue that has, over the years, been heavily modified by John Parris

[@sirdetmist3204]

@@paulbamford8Ball It's kind of cool to think that one day he picked that cue and had no idea what he would go into do with it and where he would go with it, it's almost like when Harry Potter gets his wand XD.

[@PutonyourSundayBests]

@@paulbamford8Ball Literally multiple worlds championships and 50 years of play. It's still comfortably one of the most decorated cues in the history of the game even if he worked with others at times.

[@ewanjamie1171]

Brilliant advice from Steve. The friendship and respect and good humour from Stephen and Steve towards each other is brilliant. Great video Stephen.

[@mikesmith1485]

You two are magic together when you're being yourselves......i.e. not in BBC mode.

[@mitchmulder2488]

Steve’s front room is amazing!!

[@binaryego4621]

"Nah doesn't work" had me rolling that 🤣

[@donovanreimer2324]

Excellent tip. I’ve always wondered about this. Follows logic and so good to know.

[@79BlackRose]

Love the bit at the end! 😆

[@andysingletonefc]

Actually the best advice ive ever heard and he did’nt do to badly 👏👏👏

[@AqibFarid]

Excellent advice!

[@alech8336]

Love Stephen's snooker room!

[@foodreacts837]

100k Subs congrats , great channel

[@ravivarman2020]

Super advice. I noticed some players put a tape at the 3 to 6 inches from butt end of the cue. Probably to remind themselves to grip at the same point for most of the shots.

[@SevenSagesRO]

Great tip and funny with it. You two gentlemen are the best things that ever happened to snooker.

[@nicholassetterlund3935]

my 2 hero's of snooker when i took a big interest in the sport many years ago, keep these video's coming they are amazing

[@garycameron1]

That is an awesome looking room they are in. Would be nice at night with the fire lit and the massive paintings.

[@sammalham3399]

If there was any two people to listen to it would be these two - cheers to Steven for bringing us club players these tips brilliant

[@thepunisher1951]

excellent demo at the end!!

[@ianwatkins6202]

Cliff Thorburn was another great player that had a very short backswing 😊

[@kal77uk]

You could tell from television, being spectator, being coached or heard it...🫡 good info thanks.

[@captainhindsight8604]

Absolutely, he always said it meant even when he was under pressure he would cue straight.

[@TheCuggsmeister]

I will never get bored of watching and listening to Steve Davis. He's a legend.

[@petegittins91]

Two legends. Respect

[@wilf5068]

thats a great tip to counter pecking and decel great advice from the best

[@Host4l]

Great lads Steve & Stephen

[@georgedawson235]

Very interesting ill certainly be giving this a try !

[@paulwalker1793]

Steve Davis will always be a legend. Just like yourself Stephen.

[@Andy-Bodhi]

Do you know anyone that was a legend that isn't anymore?

[@Celtic-jr9cn]

Hendrys changed the game for sure. The attacking play was so good the old school thought he was nuts for going for every shot he. Jimmy brought faster snooker and more entertaining snooker. Ronnie changed the game forever with his fast play and precision potting from anywhere. Now the modern game is like so far in front of the 90s game it’s amazing to see. This channel is great hendo.

[@davidmellish3295]

I'd agree with all of that EXCEPT I think it was Higgins that brought the faster more attacking, entertaining snooker and not Jimmy. Obviously Jimmy played like that but I think Alex had already brought that to the game before Jimmy and I think Alex heavily influenced Jimmy

[@uknowmyname007]

I'd have to disagree with you about so far ahead of the 90s game statement as the class of 92 of O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Williams are still going strong.

[@davidmellish3295]

@uknowmyname007 yes those 3 players that started off in 92 are still going strong BUT he means in general. As in the general standard is so much higher,of course you always had great players back then but they stood out above the rest of the crowd . Nowadays the rest of the crowd are great as well,so many fantastic players out there that the overall standard is so much higher. You don't have people like Davis and Hendry dominating the game as the rest of the fields so good ,on their day anyone can beat anyone, nobody can dominate like Davis in the 80s or Hendry in the 90s

[@juchetony1910]

@@davidmellish3295 yes, the top 16 from the late 80s would get beaten by the top 32 nowadays, apart from the top 3 or 4.

[@EloyGijon67]

Hendry, learning how and why the earth spins or the origin of all species at the same time. Thanks Davis 🤔.

[@darrenhadden1037]

Great tip! Thanks Steve and Stephen!'

[@markgilmore2077]

It's not fair... you guys are brilliant on the table AND in front of the camera!

[@keithstamp4629]

Excellent

[@AKfishkayaker]

Congrats on 100k Stephen on to the gold button!

[@rikgay857]

Another awesome video!

[@dangermouse8466]

Amazing tip! I would never have thought of that. Thanks guys!

[@denniskrottje012]

I recently start to use a longer backswing 😁 Works for me. Hitting the cueball with more control with less effort.

[@dekmackie]

how many titles do you have compared to these two?

[@77nobody77]

Love this channel. Wish each video was on for hours.

[@BaizeMasters]

Wow I literally figured this yesterday no joke, i been told that the length from my wrist to elbow which is 11cm is the length bridge should. I could tell the difference straight away by potting 8/15 long balls off the blue spot from baulk line. It leaves less room for a wobble on the back swing as steve said. Brilliant!!

[@WoodPigeonInFlight]

Length from wrist to elbow 11cm?! 😱 only teasing matey! Fabulous tips from the masters though and good luck with your game!

[@BaizeMasters]

@WoodPigeonInFlight inches maybe!? 🤣 indeed if only I'd watched these videos 15years ago 😎 when you don't over extend its like pulling a bow and arrow back you feel the perfect tension before releasing and follow through. Cheers you too! 👍

[@RobertT1999]

You don't even need to observe Steve's cue like Hendry was to know the joke at the end was coming 🤣

[@ajpain6673]

A pair of legends

[@exsappermadman25055]

Interesting.....

[@briandevitt6903]

Never heard this before, very interesting.

[@asobstoryforeverysong9853]

This is great stuff. "Start with 12 inches and for a couple of weeks you'll feel a bit cramped, like you haven't got much room" lol

[@sharpvidtube]

I don't fancy burning a mark on mine.

[@LeeBillinghamTabanaArt]

@@sharpvidtube while keeping your eye on the object and the hole

[@CasperLD]

Two maestros of the game.

[@McElhinney65]

Davis was the first exponent of "One miss and I'll clear." People forget how dominant he was.

[@juchetony1910]

he tended to be more a rock solid 40/50 and a safety. Stephen was more the single clearance guy.

[@L1ghtOn3]

The Dynamic Duo! ✌🏽🕺🏼🕺

[@settamit]

"Amazing tip from Steve Davis without even potting a ball" 😂

[@jameswoods2388]

Only Ronnie is in the same ball park as these legends

[@xiphi9669]

Thank you!

[@brianearl7358]

i agree with popando / ive just started using sight right method , and it works , such a simple slight adjustment makes tons of diffrence . my long game hasimproved big time , not easy to understand for the club player or beginer . once u have sussed your true line of aim its awesome , gone from say 2 /10 long straight pots to 6/10 on long straight pots good 40 per cent improvemt in 3 days

[@CFCseventy]

Tips from the best thank you

[@vmax4steve524]

Steve Davis is a tall man at over six foot and he used a standard length cue that didn't fit his physique so had to adapt his technique to suit. So that his grip hand wasn't forward of vertical to the floor at the address point he had to bend his bridge arm to enable a decent amount of cue over the thumb of his bridge hand to sight the shot better but also allow a decent amount of backswing while keeping his grip hand slightly behind the vertical. When ones grip hand is forward of vertical at the address point then the upper arm will come into the stroke before the tip strikes the cue ball, this means that the shoulder joint, which is a universal joint and can move in any direction, will move the cue offline before the strike. Delivering the cue purely from the elbow joint is the way to go because the elbow joint can only move the forearm either forwards or backwards, so a players cue needs to be long enough to enable a decent amount of cue from bridge to ball while keeping the grip hand slightly behind the vertical at the address point. All Steve Davis really needed was a longer cue so his technique wouldn't have been restricted, I think Neil Robertson plays with a 59 inch cue rather than Davis' 57 inch standard length cue. Myself I play with a 60 inch cue as I'm six foot two but I also have a short backswing with a twelve inch bridge to ball.

[@haroonhlachporia86]

Wow!!!! Thank you a ton Steve for the tip and thank you a ton Stephen for the Channel. It is awesome. Steve, how far from the cue ball should the cue tip be if the bridge is 9inches from the tip and since I am shortish how far up the back of the cue should I grip? Grateful for your answer.

[@ninja12lawbreaker]

More snooker gold dust, love it

[@juchetony1910]

when you think of players like Dennis Taylor, who also had a short bridge, they were incredibly accurate potters. But under intense pressure, the action often got snatchy. Davis always tried to stay smooth, which has to be part of the reason for his success.

[@mrkolasa.]

A tip for a tip.... Don't eat Yellow snow. Loved it Steve and Stephen

[@151bar151]

3:30 "the best punchers at gol, dar, boxing" :D

[@carlaaron8148]

Hi Stephen, Can you do a cue tip on the different types of snooker cues that are used on the pro circuit. 👍

[@rickyelbourne623]

Love Steve 😂he is so funny 😂😂

[@sharpvidtube]

I like watching old videos of John Spencer, bridge was a long way from the cue ball. Some players bridge close, but then use the rails from a long way off, so I don't see than it makes a huge difference, unless you struggle with timing.

[@juchetony1910]

Luca Brecel has got an enormous bridge. The most flamboyant player on tour. Every frame during the WCs I kept thinking "surely he can't keep this up". The last time I thought that was Murphy in 2005.

[@DrSprigs]

That Cue will be in a museum some day.

[@robday3968]

As I don't play as much now I have kids etc, my form is temporary. If by chance I am cueing really straight I can get away with a longer bridge and as Stephen said it; feels a lot nicer. But, on those days when I know my cue arm is all over the place, I reduce my bridge length right down, "backswing" as it were - really short, and this can get me through when I just know I'm "not at the races" on a particular day.

[@IrishBog]

I just last week improved my long pots from maybe 30% to 60% ….simply by doing this and delivering a sharp quick delivery like a gun firing ….. all that unwanted side and drift disappeared and I could simply aim “true” to the line and not have to constantly adjust for drift left or drift right

[@QOTSAPT]

The other advantage I'd think most do not realise is that by bridging closer to the ball, your grip is tighter and the cue does not flex as much on impact.

[@TriggerOvPeth]

Time to rename it stephen&steve cue tips!

[@vxrdrummer]

I have a small tape measure and pencil in my bag, and I mark my cue at 10 inches and sometimes one at 15 as well for follow through. It does help when you find where it feels right and it's more consistent each time. The 0encil rubs off, so you just do it again.

[@Tedsterlab]

The thing I'm impressed with is that Steve has the same cue since he was 15yo..😳

[@juchetony1910]

83 new tips and fourteen new shafts.

[@brianmacpherson4913]

wow two legends just chatting. wish i had a beer lol

[@jackbuff_I]

Stephen can you please run a comp to win a frame or 3 with you? I'd enter it every blummin time! 🙏🏼

[@sj460162]

This is an amazing video and the most helpful for me. Thanks Stephen for bringing us these videos. Im always playing better with short backswing..longer follow through. But I try and copy Ronnies long slow backswing but it doesnt work for me. Please explain how some players are better with long backswings and some arnt??

[@sharkey9]

Take into consideration that Ronnie is an all-talent player and Steve is a trained monster. So not everything works for everyone.

[@TheSnookerGym]

Hi Steve a fair point. I have worked with some players who are too long in the bridge for their own benefit and they shorten an inch or more to say ten inches and play better. The benefits being that cueing errors are reduced and confidence increases. Other players have heard about short bridge lengths and use that as a default without trialling it against other lengths... but we find they play better with a longer bridge. The benefits being accelerating the cue and striking the cue ball more gradually / smoothly (not snatching), and better sighting /aiming of the shot (because you see more of the cue). In fact I have worked with many players at a 9/10 inch bridge length who think they have aiming errors - and lengthening the bridge 1 to 2 inches has melted the aiming issue completely as they are seeing more of the cue. I have very rarely worked with a player of any standard (the sample size is thousands of players over the years) whose optimised bridge length for best potting results is longer than 12 inches or shorter than 10 inches. Some players do find they have better positional play at top of the table with a 9 inch or so bridge and if that is the case then do it... but for most players under 80 break standard this distance adjustment to the ball on every shot introduces other variables into their body setup which leads to a net negative result. My default suggestion to players tends to be to keep the bridge length the same on every single shot until you have made a 100 break and then test shortening the bridge in the balls and see if ti works or not. (Note 'tends' as there are no fixed rules because every player has their own individual Rubiks Cube combination to play snooker to the best of their ability) When Steve beat Ronnie in the 97 Master final he had a 12/13 inch bridge hand on every shot kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5-rlGavnMSsrac He also won world titles with a shorter bridge. Ultimately, I have found that facilitating a player to test all the available bridge lengths across a range of shots, and giving each length a fair trial without bias, is a better way for them to find their optimum results than relying on any cookie cutter opinion I may have. As such my opinion is always second to what is best for the player. It was INTERESTING at the beginning that Steve mentioned a 9 inch bridge... and then at the end mentioned 'shortening' to a 12 inch bridge. Almost all club players have shorter than a 12 inch bridge though to they would be lengthening to 12 inches! Love these interviews, and was in the Q Tips room at the Crucible In Reading at the weekend during a tournament... get down there and have a look if you can!

[@sj460162]

@@TheSnookerGym Thankyou for your imformative reply I appreciate it buddy

[@sj460162]

@@sharkey9 True.

[@FalloutBreakbeat]

Steve's bridge thumb position though! I wish my thumb did that.

[@TheMattTempest]

Cliff Thorburn, in his autobiography, recommends the shortest bridge possible. Terry Griffiths, in his autobiography, recommends a long bridge. I guess it's horses-for-courses, and forever tinkering with your technique is just part of snooker? Thanks for two greats discussing the nitty-gritty, though!

[@npc3po301]

This is the snooker equivelent of Beethoven and Mozart showing you how to tune a Harpsichord

[@adrianwright8685]

Ha! I doubt either of them ever tuned a keyboard.

[@cuggyboysmith81]

Davis is da man!

[@jackbuff_I]

My mate Ash Alraji told me to do this a few years back.. I wonder if he'll b see this hehe! He's well known for 1. Being a top guy.. but 2. Scoring a maxi at one of our local stockporf clubs, the Crucible, when it was open.

[@gregcantrall6119]

At the punching analogy I was waiting for mention of Bruce Lee and the 1 inch punch. Judd Trump delivers incredible power with little visible effort and a compact action.

[@zanethind]

Two greats

[@conorhennell2623]

playing with a long bridge feels so awkward to me, always end up not hitting it straight when doing a long back swing. as close as i can get it without compromising cue action seems best for me

[@sharpvidtube]

I think you have to find what works for you. Luca Brecel bridges so far away off the rails, but it works well for him.

[@bottlecap57]

Spot on! Bridging too long only leads to cue wobble.

[@conorhennell2623]

@@sharpvidtube ah see when using the rail i like using a kind of long bridge as i can have the cue straight against my index finger so can shoot dead straight - no where near the length of luca's though haha

[@sharpvidtube]

@@bottlecap57 Too far, wobble, too close, snatch at the ball. Find what works best for you? Lots of the top players don't have their bridge close to the cue ball, look at Ronnie O'Sullivan, he has a standard looking distance from the cue ball. Shaun Murphy is playing great with a long cue action.

[@bottlecap57]

@@sharpvidtube I was happy enough with my bridging distance. Hundreds of centuries in the bank before I finished playing. Tried just about every technique and a shorter swing worked best on average.

[@ppgedez]

Wow Steve has got a lovely looking lounge in his house.

[@xBlackThoughts]

I would loooove to have a good Time at the Snookertable with these two Masters.......My personal Dream-Duo.

[@michaelnewman5625]

Watch Alex Higgins , bride length not always short especially on rail shots but always had a short stoke , and he had lots of power!! And accuracy

[@gulamhoosendocrat7091]

It's not the bridge length. It's the distance of the tip to the cue ball.you could have 14 inch ' bridge ' and still have just 4inches from tip to cue ball. Check it out !!!!!!

[@musicbro8225]

Great tip. But I just wanted to compliment your video editor on the attention to audio. So often I hear those lapel mics clipping and it's just nasty (to me), so well done the editor :)

[@ricwasher147]

I have used this on my cue for years now and as a coach I advise that having a mark for your bridge and grip key in determining the fixed points for any pupil. For my pupils however as opposed to a burn mark, we use a pencil mark all around the cue between 9 to 12 inches, depending on the pupils height and for the grip we add masking tape so that the back arm is at 90 degrees.. I do this right from their first lesson. Some of my pupils have gone on to use a Sharpie marker then for the bridge position and then black electrical tape for the butt and it still remains on their cues to this day.

[@petercross6960]

Ric, are you/Steve saying the 9 or 12 inch mark should be on the 'bridge point (finger and thumb) when the cue is at rest and the tip is close to the cue ball? Steve has given a good tip in the video but I think it was lost on a lot of viewers

[@ricwasher147]

@@petercross6960 Exactly that Peter. With the tip of the cue as close as possible to the cue ball at address position, measure back from the tip to the V of the bridge (the knuckle of your finger as such). This should be around at roughly 9 to 12 inches. Mine is "burned" on my cue at 10 inches. As Steve states, going closer in to 9 means there's less cue sticking beyond the bridge and less likely for the cue to be delivered incorrectly. Having the tip as close as possible to the cue ball, along with using a slight bend in the left arm (for a right hander) allows you to get through the cue ball much better and with practice, will improve your timing on the shots.

[@petercross6960]

@@ricwasher147 Cheers Ric, very useful

[@vmax4steve524]

It all depends on a players height and the length of cue he's using. Davis was simply too tall for a standard length cue and therefore had to adapt his techinque to make it fit. If he'd used a 60 inch cue he could have had a straight bridge arm and his grip hand would have been slightly behind 90 degrees to stop the upper arm coming into the stroke before the strike. Back when Davis started to play there were no bespoke cuemakers and one could only buy what was available off the shelf to the masses and those cues were of a standard length of beween 57 and 58 inches long. He did what he had to do but that is no longer the case.

[@petercross6960]

@@vmax4steve524 yes that makes sense, thanks Steve. Incidentally I went for a few lineups today and put pencil marks at 9 & 12 inches. I played off 9 inches to start with and with the resulting follow through I am hearing that sweet connection on the cue ball. I reverted to my usual bridge and found it to be 12 inches and above, too much accidental side. Will persevere with 9-10 inches - trouble is my eyes are longsighted which can make short-bridging challenging.

[@johncee9233]

This is actually something I found out recently on my own. Though a little uncomfortable cus I’m 6’4, but once I got a bit used to it my potting increased significantly.

[@DeadlyKiss000]

Love these 2 absolute legends! The comment below is just a laugh ok.

[@danieljacques5733]

That Steve Davies fella will make a decent snooker player one day!

[@jakhaughton1800]

Like the wall paper! 😂😂 like hammering a nail. You don’t hit from way back but the strike is forced from nearer the head of the nail. I use this at golf. What do you look at when hammering a nail? It’s the nail’s head. The nail goes in straighter.

[@juchetony1910]

nah, I force myself to stare at where I'm going to hit the nail. More reliable.

[@samul999]

Ronnie the rocket would be a class episode.

[@bigboy0625]

Steve got a big snooker room in his house 🏠 😂

[@darrenmcgowan3932]

I remember that mark on his cue back in the 80s. 🤓

[@Louis-rr3py]

Interesting.

[@NoName-eo2mv]

Be looking for everyone at club with a ruler 😂

[@besteditz10]

Do one meetup with ronnie plz