What is the purpose of chalking your cue in billiards or pool?

Question

I play pool regularly with a friend here at work, I used to just randomly grab the chalk and chalk my stick all the time, but I could discern no real purpose to this so I stopped and my game does not seem to have suffered. So what is the real purpose of chalking your cue stick?

Answer 1

your game will suffer at the wrong time without using chalk.

if you hit the cue ball right in the middle and not to hard you can get away with it,but if you try to use english you will miscue

Answer 2

The reason why your game hasn't suffered any is because I'll bet you that you are hitting center ball on every single shot.  It's nearly impossible to miscue on a center ball hit since you're using the center of your cue tip.  You probably haven't veered more than a tip off center.  The only place you can miscue is on the outer 1/8 inch of your cue tip, but if you never use any kind of spin, you wouldn't know that.  Even if your stroke mechanics are flawless and your speed control is precise, you'll never improve your game to any real degree until you understand the effects of spin and how it pertains to position play.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Answer 3

I had to read Straights answer first .To see if he used one of his favorite sayings-It so simple its hard to explain-But to give your tip more grip on the cue ball.take into account everything Straight said  Or you didnt have much of a game to start with-not really being my usual smart as- but I chalk before every shot and would not have a real game without it even if 80% of the time I could get away without it but it only takes 1 miscue and you could start haveing a very long match from your chair

Another reason is I spend alot of time on the outside edge of the cue ball like our freind pointed out thats where the miscues come from

I will draw before I play 2-3 cushions for position on my next shot

            Later Johnny

Answer 4

just because your supposed to

Answer 5

Well I used to play a lot of pool a few years back and what I found is the chalk helped cut down on the "mis-cues".  The tip of the pool cue get get quite smooth over time so you  have to take care of it to get proper hits.  This allows you to get more english on the ball.  I good tapper (a tool you tap the cue tip with) every now and again is a good idea also.  It basically allows for chalk to stick to the tip even better and gives you more control.  Hope this helps, and good luck.

Answer 6

I cannot believe your game hasn't changed by not using chalk! Why do you think the pros use it? It keeps the tip of the cue from SLIPPING off the ball (MISCUE).

Answer 7

Its similar to why there is grip tape on a skateboard, grip tape helps prevent falling, chalking your cue helps prevent your shot from sliding away from the ball on contact

Answer 8

It increases the friction of the stick with the cue ball.