While gloves may be a curious item to consider here given you would struggle to see a snooker player wearing one, they’re much more common on the pool circuit. Do pool players know something that snooker players don’t?
Why Pool Players Wear Gloves
If a pool player wears gloves, they will be wearing them at least on their bridge hand if not both hands. The glove on the bridge hand helps a player attain a smooth cue movement by reducing friction between the cue and the hand. This really comes into play when your hands have started to sweat, especially when conditions are more humid.
Sweating hands can cause the cue to stick or jerk as you play your shots, and this is a problem eliminated by use of a glove. A smooth cue action allows for consistency in shot making, because with the glove providing a uniform surface, it will slide across the bridge the same way every time as long as your cue action is solid. If the cue does start to stick as you play, it can distract you from your shot and cause irritation to the skin. This can be prevented by wearing a glove, which would let you play for longer without discomfort.
Why Snooker Players Don’t Wear Gloves
If wearing gloves provides such benefits for pool, why are they not widely used in snooker? When Kyren Wilson wore a glove at a tournament in 2023, it made sports headlines. It could be easy to say it’s just not ‘the done thing’. It is something that would make you stand out, as evidenced by the attention given to Wilson. In the social club, it could certainly attract one or two curious glances.
There are also practical reasons that can explain the lack of glove use in snooker. Pool cues often have a coating applied to the shaft to give them a smoother, sealed finish, which could stick when the hand sweats, whereas snooker cues are usually made with a natural wood finish that would stick less. Pool cues are also thicker than snooker cues which can make a difference. Also, for us here in the UK at least, humidity is less likely to be a factor in our play than in hotter parts of the world. For those who play socially there is also a cost factor, where you just might not want to take (or be seen taking) the game that seriously.
Buying Gloves for Snooker
Despite gloves rarely being in use in snooker, if you find that your cue does not smoothly cross your bridge hand, and it proves to be a source of frustration, they may be a reasonable option for you to try. On Amazon they cost anywhere between £5 and £15, before delivery, and a few have a decent amount of positive reviews. From this retailer, it appears the most popular and highly rated glove is the Roaming Quick-Dry Breathable gloves, costing £14.99 with a 4.5 out of 5 star rating from 2,200 customer reviews.
We’ve got more articles on snooker and equipment in our blog, so feel free to check our other posts on this site.