Fargo cap tournaments are also a huge part of the problem.

How are players supposed to develop when they get banned from tournaments?

If I was Matchroom, I would buy Fargo and abolish it.

skogstokig said:

only (some of) the UK players and one albanian have snooker background.. most grow up playing on american 9ft tables in commercial pool rooms

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That's true but the players have proceeded them do have snooker backgrounds and that's what probably influences them. Their style of play rooted in snooker has become the norm.
I'm not saying that's good or bad, it's probably good. But it is noticeable.

Maxx said:

I don’t believe that is entirely correct. The de minimis exemption was ended. I could order motorcycle parts from Germany and as long as the value was under $800 there were no fees.

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You’re absolutely correct.
You’ll be surprised how many people doesn’t understand or know this. That law/rule changed after oct-1st from Trump administration.

and the UK players aren't doing that great either, for some reason

sjm said:

Here, we disagree. The gap between Europe and America in decision making is as great as the gap in fundamentals. The problem is even bigger than you suggest.

Agreed, the tightening of the pockets has exposed some of the holes in American stroke fundamentals, but equally important is that the tighter pockets have heightened the importance of defense and strategic play, two other areas in which America has fallen behind the rest of the world.

Agreed but, as noted, it also comes down to the coaching and developmental programs.

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You said that several times. Who are these coaches and where are these development programs? I've just seen pool players going to pool rooms and play. I've never been at a tournament and seen a player with an Entourage a coach trainer or whatever.

There have been occasions since where I felt The Nerves. Cole needed the vodka to calm the nerves. One did it but he couldn't stop at 1.
My personal challenge was playing the Big Boys at the weekly 9 ball tournament. I decided I should learn to shoot with my hands trembling as they weren't going to stop until I MAKE A BALL. Whew. small success is a start and can lead to calm. A lot of success stories start with a leap of faith shot. You know like Butch Cassidy and Sundance. "The fall will probably kill ya anyway."
Reminder of surviving all previous failures helps calm my nerves. "I'm still here and still kicking ". Nothing sweeter than a kick it in for the win. Especially when I hooked myself.
Practice is crucial and a balanced regimen of competition at various levels helped me improve.
A $5 tournament I could win available every night led me to enter events where I was dead money but the lessons achieved were priceless.
I got to sweat a Reno Sands 9 ball match between Dan Louie and Earl Strickland . I sat near Dan and at the conclusion of the epic battle Dan confessed to me, "I just got nervous. "

Kim Bye said:

Sure, I've done several hundred by now.

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Do you remove the insert & then plug it. What material do you use?

middleofnowhere said:

It may be the snooker background they have. In fact they all look like snooker players fundementaly.

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only (some of) the UK players and one albanian have snooker background.. most grow up playing on american 9ft tables in commercial pool rooms

what kind of joint are you asking about?

His steel joints are a little smaller, about .830. I would guess that holds true for his other joints as well but I don’t know that for sure, just seems most cue makers settle on a single joint diameter for all their cues.

iusedtoberich said:

It's been like this since the beginning of time. Nothing to do with the current administration. The amounts may have varied over the years slightly. That's why international shipping is ALWAYS a pain in the ass, and most people avoid it at all costs.

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I don’t believe that is entirely correct. The de minimis exemption was ended. I could order motorcycle parts from Germany and as long as the value was under $800 there were no fees.

Bob Jewett said:

That's about 5 inches in 5 diamonds. That's a lot -- seems like too much. One problem is that the shaft is deflected to the right. You need to overlay an image of the shaft an instant before tip-ball contact.

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Agreed. That angle is much too large. I agree that the problem is the cue is in the "deflected" position (after the hit). For more-typical numbers, see: