I have one story about "young" man strength. This thread made me think about it and I don't know why. This is an old memory, but I'll try to be as accurate as possible.

In my Junior year of high school I sat next to a kid named Jonathan in my math class (may have been Geometry, or Algebra II). Old Jon was cooler than a polar bear's toe nails. He was very laid back, and fun to sit and joke with in class. He was bigger than average, but not a giant, and just very low key. I remember he dressed really cool. I don't know why these are things I remember, but they just are. He was well liked. Not someone you'd think of as...well, having a strong potential for violence. He just didn't come off like that.

Well, we were at a sporting event after school one day at the local park. There were tons of high school kids there to watch. Well, there was one guy who was maybe old enough to be a college freshman or sophomore, and former student of our high school, that apparently came to start a fight with a high school kid. I remember hearing a murmur come across the crowd that "so and so" is here, and man was he tough, and blah, blah, blah about this tough guy. "So and so" was making his way through the crowd toward his intended target and came across Jonathan and his group of friends while enroute. I guess he tried some kind of tough guy stuff with them as he passed, and that quickly, I didn't see it, but I heard it, from many yards away, what sounded like a shot gun, and turned my head to see the guy laying on the ground, unconscious. Jonathan was over him, and gave him a few more slaps while yelling, in great anger, something along the lines of, "Don't you ever threaten me." The students were shocked. I was shocked. Apparently Jonathan had open hand slapped this grown man, in one hit, unconscious. Then gave him a few additional slaps for good measure. This guy didn't get the respect of a punch, apparently. Jon had just ended the legend of this apparent tough guy. His friends stood around him like this was par for the course. He was nobody to mess with, clearly.

I saw Jon in class the next day, and he was his usual chill self. I leaned over and whispered, "I had no idea you had that in you. I'm glad we are friends." He just looked over at me and smiled. I started paying closer to Jon and his friends and realized there may have been more to him than I realized. Not all dangerous men yell, scream, beat their chest, and wolf.

Philthepockets said:

I think it's fair to say
Any size table 7 9 10 12
Any size pockets
Any size balls
Any rule set
The outcome would likely be the same.

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More so than anything it probably comes down to the break, a little bad luck and they could find themselves down by 6 games. With no dirty combos the break and opening shot availability are critical. It was even worse when the 8 did not count as a ball down early in UPUSA.

CocoboloCowboy said:

Learn to play Pool, by Practicing.

Not Equipment, that makes balls, it is SKILL............BTW Skill is learned, not purchased

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you're that guy eh? lol, didn't take long

I was in fact thinking Vantage 12.9mm

thanks

Chris said:

I've been around too many CF products to believe that. The material isn't indestructible, and a quick Internet search revealed damaged CF shafts and requests for repair procedures.

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My friend's CF shaft was destroyed when someone leaned against it by accident.

BilliardHome said:

Dealer here, so grain of salt. The carbon shaft thing isn't really about skill level, it's about deflection and feel. Low deflection shafts let you get away with imperfect aim on cut shots because the ball squirts less, so yeah, that can flatten the learning curve some. But plenty of pros grew up on wood and never switched, guys like Efren didn't need a carbon shaft to shovel english on people. Pia's comments probably come from personal preference on hit and feedback, wood just feels different off the tip, more traditional thump versus the stiffer carbon response. Neither is objectively better, it's closer to picking a golf shaft flex than picking training wheels. If you're newer and want a rundown on what actually matters in a beginner cue, I wrote up a fuller guide here: https://billiardhome.com/blog/best-pool-cues-for-beginners

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It seems like the Euro billiard academies that these young players are coming from heavily push carbon, I saw barely any wood in the latest Predator youth event. Except for Walter Laikre of Sweden, who won one of the events.

garczar said:

they aren't phenolic at all. they are not close to real balls. sorry but that's the truth. they do not play anything like phenolic balls. problem is you get used to how those play and NO real poolroom will use them. there's a guy at the local hall that bought a poly resin measel cueball, i could tell within 5 shots it was junk.

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I bought them just as something better to have than the awful worn down ball sets that the bars I play in use, and for that purpose they are fine.

eric really embracing the tv table and the attention is worth more than a few fargopoints imo. good stuff. bad luck with the shootout

bbb said:

got a time for when easy-e starts his match?

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3 hour and 50 minute mark is close.

Bob Byrne
Bob Henning
Bob Fancher