The good players adjust. I’m not saying I’m a good player but I thought about getting a set of balls that were stock Valley balls. I didn’t. Went to VNEA for the first time last spring. It is a great time. You know what? The Valley tables aren’t identical but they play fine. You go down there and hit some balls and adjust. You will play about like you play. Your opponent will play like they play. You will win some, lose some and probably won’t lose a match because someone had more experience with the particular cue ball. Maybe you will at the highest level, but at that level the players…..adjust. The cue ball plays different from a measles ball which is different from a red circle. I thought some more about getting a set of balls or a magnetic cue ball. I haven’t. Why? Because I will go down there and adjust. It won’t be like my table in my basement with Simonis and my light and my Aramith pros. So what? If I work on my stroke I can draw the magnetic ball. Some bad sets of balls in bars I don’t even want to adjust to because they may not be balanced. Some sets in a recent league I played in were really bad.
Saw SVB playing challenge matches on a Valley with stock balls. I didn’t wait in line, step up etc…. He can adjust to that cue ball. If he plays a WNT event he adjusts. Predator event? He adjusts. Guess what? He plays really good on an unfamiliar table with imperfect lighting and stock balls…
I guess what I am getting at is it is great to have an appreciation for good equipment. We should want good equipment everywhere. But when it comes to competing, you have to get out of your own head and compete. Maybe the table is playing super short because of humidity. Maybe the balls suck. Go play.
I really appreciate your openness about social anxiety and such. I am trying to be positive here, not critical. I think you might have a lot of fun if you found a BCA or VNEA league and played enough to go to Las Vegas. Just play singles maybe. I am not the most social person, the most enthusiastic league player etc.., But if you loosen up a little you will meet some people you like, have some fun, and be forced to get out of your head and your house. That can be a good thing. And go play on some lousy equipment and use Master chalk. You will survive.