Let’s look at both the science and perhaps the psychology behind it.
What is Chalk?
Most of us know that Chalk is formed naturally. It is calcium carbonate, a sedimentary rock.
The Chalk we use on our tips when playing pool and snooker is not natural Chalk at all – although it would essentially still do the same job. Billiard chalk is made from fine micro abrasives using a silicate base that is then compressed into the blocks we know as Chalk.
What does it do?
What Chalk does is prevent slippage (what we call a miscue) between the contact of the cue tip and the cue ball. It isn’t about applying a substance layer to the cue tip, although that coating does help.
What Chalk is doing is roughing up the surface of the cue tip so that it grips the cue ball better when playing off-centre shots, which, to be fair, is probably most of them to some degree.
If we chalk regularly, it stops the cue tip from glazing over and causing more miscues.
Does the type of chalk matter?
Although the experiments were not conducted with ‘snooker’ chalk, Dr Dave Alciatore of Colorado State University in the USA has conducted numerous scientific experiments using various brands of Chalk to see what difference they make.
The preliminary results of his experiments concluded that:
“If you chalk properly before each shot, and clean the CB (cue ball) often, it doesn’t seem to matter which brand of chalk you use.”
This is very interesting considering the number of premium chalks that have now come to market.
See Billiards Colostate if you are interested in further information about the experiments.
The psychology of Chalk
For some, there is also a psychological element to the use of Chalk.
If you are serious about playing pool or snooker, you will know that to improve success, there should be a concise pre-shot routine to get you in the frame of mind for each shot. Chalking can be one element of that.
And based on the study by Dr. Dave, it should be a significant element of your pre-shot routine. Knowing you have chalked eliminates that seed of doubt in your mind that you may get an unwanted miscue, and if you do get one, you know something else mechanically has gone wrong, so it will need to be addressed.
Some of our most popular Chalk