freds said:

[My apologies. This will be my only post here.]

In case this thread ever dies out, here's some tips for your next one:


Asking a multi-part personal or gear survey question—such as a 25 Question Pool Survey or deep-dive topics on Basic Questions—is the most reliable way to get a long, active thread going on the AzBilliards Forums. [1, 2]
Pool players on AzBilliards love sharing personal histories, strong opinions, and gear preferences. Proven prompts that spark massive engagement include:

Top Question Types That Generate Long Threads

• • The Nostalgia & Origin Survey: Ask players about their background, like in the classic A 25 Question Pool Survey, covering how old they were when they started, their home room, and their first cue. [1]
  • The "Why Do You Play?" Philosophical Debate: Ask deep questions about motivation and mindset, such as "Why do you compete?", "How do you rationalize defeat?", or "What are your aspirations in the game?". [1]
  • Controversial Gear or Tip Debates: Bring up carbon fiber vs. wood shafts, low-deflection myths, or asking what pros actually use versus what amateurs think they use (which routinely triggers multi-page debates among cuemakers and regulars). [1]
  • The "Best Advice You Ever Got" Prompt: Framing a question like The Best Advice You're Ever Likely To Get invites dozens of players to drop their favorite piece of pool wisdom or old-school hustler story. [1]

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jimmyg said:

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GideonF said:

What does gearing side spin mean? How exactly am I supposed to hit it?

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• • The Nostalgia & Origin Survey: Ask players about their background, like in the classic A 25 Question Pool Survey, covering how old they were when they started, their home room, and their first cue. [1]
  • The "Why Do You Play?" Philosophical Debate: Ask deep questions about motivation and mindset, such as "Why do you compete?", "How do you rationalize defeat?", or "What are your aspirations in the game?". [1]
  • Controversial Gear or Tip Debates: Bring up carbon fiber vs. wood shafts, low-deflection myths, or asking what pros actually use versus what amateurs think they use (which routinely triggers multi-page debates among cuemakers and regulars). [1]
  • The "Best Advice You Ever Got" Prompt: Framing a question like The Best Advice You're Ever Likely To Get invites dozens of players to drop their favorite piece of pool wisdom or old-school hustler story. [1]

jimmyg said:

View attachment 942167​

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Hail Mary Shot said:

Im an offensive player. While I also like a complicated table. Most of the guys I play with are run-out players. There are times that I choose a safer break to make a complicated table. Most of the guys, including myself play safe from time to time depending on how each of us play during that day. Although, I still love breaking strong. I rarely not make a ball when using a heavy long cue with a medium/hard tip. My break routine is breaking a diamond down the headspot and half a diamond to the left. Hit the cb just a bit below center and hit the ob head on and I use a long bridge.

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mjantti said:

Depending on the discipline and different breaking requirements, I would say in general that it is a good idea to practice a least a couple of different break shots with a couple of speed variations each.

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ShootingArts said:

Your playing style dictates what your tip shape should be. Trying to force a different shape just goes through a lot of tips. For starters, shape your tip or have someone shape your tip to a nickel profile if you don't have anything to gauge with.

Reduce the amount of spin you are using by 50%. This is just a baseline, you can see where you need to go from here.

You are probably hitting too hard too. Move the cue ball the least you can to get the result you want.

Over a little time your tip will either stay the same or move towards a dime or quarter profile. Usually somewhere around that nickel is fine. Once I decided I would play with a dime tip. I cut away a high dollar layered tip in a month! No matter how hard I tried, or tried to get the tip to seat in, it wouldn't hold a dime!

Next tip, I started at a nickel and let it dictate the shape it wanted. My tips are shaped between a nickel and a quarter now and I don't agonize over the exact radius. Miscues are extremely rare as are tip replacements.

A final thing, don't try to keep your tip looking like new! A tiny bit of bulge, mushrooming, ain't the end of the world. Not talking a huge bulge here, just don't try to keep the line of the tip perfectly the same as the ferrule.

The tip will let you know what it wants if you watch it. What it wants depends on your playing style. Very few people need a dime tip. They are pretty elite players so they are copied. Results in a lot of people fighting with their equipment.

Hu

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