Billiard cue tips
Ryu Tips
I make Ryu Tips by hand in Japan, using Japanese leather and everything I have learned from years spent close to the game.
Why Ryu Tips exists
A small part that should never become a distraction.
I have always believed that a good cue tip should never pull a player’s attention away from the shot.
It is one of the smallest parts of the cue, yet it sits exactly where the cue meets the ball. That is why I pay so much attention to something that, once the game begins, should simply allow the player to stay focused on playing.
The development journey
I learned by watching, testing and making again.
I spent time watching tournaments, speaking with players and paying attention to the small routines around every shot. Each conversation and each test gave me something to take back to the workbench.
Observe
I watch how players prepare, chalk the tip and return to the same movements again and again.
Test
I compare materials, make adjustments and take the result back to the table.
Continue
When something can be improved, I make it again. The work keeps moving because there is always more to learn.
I prefer to let the natural character of the leather remain visible. I do not add colouring simply to make the material look different. I keep production careful because I would rather pay attention to each batch than make more than I can properly follow.
The maker story
A long journey stays close to the product.
My mentor once told me that this work would open a new world for me. He was right.
Making cue tips has taken me to different places and introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise. Through those experiences, I kept learning — about billiards, about materials, and about the small decisions that shape the finished tip. No matter how far the journey goes, the work always brings me back to the same small product in my hands.
The work continues
I keep returning to the small decisions behind each tip.
The cue-tip context
Everything comes down to this small point of contact.
This is the part I hold, shape, inspect and return to again and again. The cue tip may be small, but I never treat it as a minor detail.
I want every piece I make to carry the same care from the workbench to the table.
- Made
- Handcrafted in Japan
- Material
- Japanese leather
- Position
- A small point of contact
The Ryu Tips family
H, M and S
I make three grades because players do not all look for the same feel. H is the firmest, M sits in the middle, and S is the softest. The character changes from grade to grade, but the way I approach the material and the making remains the same.
One family, three starting points
I keep H, M and S together as one family, while giving each grade its own character.
See the complete familyPLAYERS
The people I meet keep the journey moving.
Billiards has brought me into contact with players from different countries, backgrounds and ways of approaching the game. Those meetings have become part of the Ryu Tips journey and part of what keeps me learning.
Wataru Matsuda
Japan
Đặng Hoàng Huy
Vietnam
Sean Mark Malayan
Philippines
Takeshi Hayashi
Japan
In the billiards community
Seeing Ryu Tips in CUE'S meant a lot to me.
In March 2023, Ryu Tips appeared in the Tips product section of CUE'S Vol.217. Seeing H, M and S together on the printed page was a quiet milestone for me — not the end of the work, but one moment that made me look back at how far this small product had travelled.
Availability
Looking for Ryu Tips?
You can explore the product family, find a dealer, or contact Ryu Tips directly for availability and distribution enquiries.
Products, dealers and direct contact are all available from here.
Ryu Tips
The journey is still going.
I am still learning, still testing and still making. I hope every Ryu tip carries a little of that work with it when it reaches the table.