Snooker chalk is an essential tool for playing the game well. It can be the difference between hitting the ball cleanly and missing your shot or finding yourself out of position.
Why Chalk is Used
By ensuring a consistent and reliable connection between the cue tip and the cue ball, chalk reduces the likelihood of a miscue (where the cue tip slips off the ball) causing an unintended poor shot. It does this by increasing the friction between the cue tip and cue ball, which reduces the chance of the cue tip slipping as the cue ball is struck. As long as your aim and cue action are correct when taking the shot, applying chalk should ensure the cue ball is struck in the right place.
When you are confident that you are not going to miscue, you can start to apply spin to the cue ball more effectively. This gives you greater control over the cue ball’s movement, allowing for more precise positioning for the next shot, and the better position you can leave yourself in on the next shot, the better chance you have of building a bigger break. You can read about different types of positional shots you can play here.
Another benefit of regularly chalking your cue is that it provides a protective layer between your cue tip and the cue ball, and so should keep your cue tip in better condition for longer. Without doing this, over time your cue can become smoother and more slippy, which could negatively impact your performance.
For these benefits, when you see professional players play, they apply chalk before every shot. Notice they only apply a light coating though – too much has its drawbacks. The most obvious disadvantage of over-chalking is that it causes a mess – residue gets left on the balls and over the table. However, it’s not just messy, this residue can then alter quality of contact between balls, causing you to miss a shot (this is called a ‘kick’ – where residue on a ball affects the impact with another ball, frustratingly resulting in the object ball not going in the direction, or at the speed, that you intended it to).
What Snooker Chalk is Made Of
Snooker chalk is not the same as naturally occurring chalk. It is a man-made product formed from a combination of abrasive materials, binding agents and dyes. The abrasive materials helps create friction between the cue tip and the cue ball, while the binding agents are used to hold the chalk together in solid form. The chalk is dyed to give its characteristic colour. The colour is not a factor in performance, but most players use green or blue.
Which Chalk to Use
Many professional snooker players now use the Taom V10, which was designed with a new formula to give an even better grip between the cue tip and cue ball. It’s main advantage is that it can reduce the number of kicks you experience while playing, so you are less likely to face those frustrating mishits we mentioned earlier. That being said, it’s extra benefits in performance have been disputed for players who chalk their cue regularly and clean the cue ball often, with those that do so likely to experience little difference between the hi-tech options and traditional ones.
However, in our experience in the club, we do not chalk up on every shot or clean the cue ball often, so the V10 may still be beneficial. On the professional circuit there has been a decreasing number of players, notably still including multiple world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who have not made the switch and still use traditional chalk (Ronnie uses Triangle).
One important factor that will likely affect your decision on which chalk to buy will be the price. Taom V10 comes with a high price point, £16.90 on Amazon at the time of writing, for one piece. Compare this to the more traditional offering from Triangle, currently being sold on Amazon at £5.10 for 4 pieces.
For a professional, it may make sense to make the outlay in search of extra performance, however for the social club player, it is likely to be a luxury. Until the introduction of the new hi-tec options in recent times, the traditional options were used by everybody from the top of the game to those learning how to play. The most popular traditional brand is Triangle.
A Google search can bring up many brands of snooker chalk and the places you can buy them. You can buy both and Triangle and Taom V10 on Amazon:
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out the other blog posts on this site, ranging from a history of the Crucible to a discussion on health and fitness in the sport.