Last bump before I just decide to keep it.

boogieman said:

Has anyone ever experimented with a full length core from the butt sleeve to the joint pin? Any reason it wouldn't work or is a bad idea?

I see a lot of cues using an A joint construction method so I'm guessing that's the correct way to do it, but I have a nagging thought that a single core might play better.

I'm not quite at the point of actually building yet but I'm doing some thinking and gathering materials.

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That's how Joss cues are built. But it isn't just a dowel. It is a stepped core and the butt sleeve, handle, and forearm are held between the butt cap and joint collar which are threaded on. Dan Janes said it was the most expensive part of the cue because of all the years of development that went into it.

This is the Joss core.

JPB2 said:

One pocket is a great game. But I do worry about the WPA getting involved. It is a game that tests a huge variety of skills but, in Fatboy’s terminology, the milk drinkers can stick with WPA snoozefest 10 ball.

Gimme the Buffalo’s stream.

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Agreed for the most part, but the WPA may now be in a position to sanction a World 1-pocket championship, and that, to me, is an exciting prospect.

lfigueroa said:

About 10 years ago Gail and I were tromping around Barcelona and the cava producing region of Spain and I developed a first class case of plantar fasciitis in my right foot... just mentioning it now makes me wince.

Anywhos, I limped into a shoe store in the beach town of Sitges and chose a pair of blue Geox Nebulas. Not only did they help me suffer through my malady, I liked them so much that I started wearing them to play pool, bought a few more in a couple of other colors, and its been my pool footwear since then. Even though they wear pretty good I have had to get a couple of replacement pairs but they are worth it.

Lou Figueroa

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Thanks for the actual recommendation! It seems a silly thread but I've often sat there during a long tourney day wondering the same thing.. I've ordered some GEOX!

One i built for cleaning/sanding

Fatboy said:

That’s something I was thinking this year as well. At SVB age gaining a year is bad. At Fedora age it’s good. So that’s 2 strikes against Shane over last year.

Until the mid 30’s each year is usually better for a player. There are exceptions-Keith is the notable one. He played his best at a very young age. But most guys improve until the mid 30’s. After 40 it started to slip.

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I'm in in the large camp here on AZB that believes Shane plays as well today as he ever did but that the standard has risen. Hence the comparison of the 31-year-old Shane to Josh and Fedor is exactly the same as with the 41-year-old Shane.

I'm tiring of the "he's older and less motivated" excuses that I keep reading around here. On the contrary, he has never played 9ball at the level Josh and Fedor are displaying today, not even during his undeniable peak of 2014-2016. Filler, in particular, has changed my view of what level is possible at 9ball, and Fedor is barely behind. You were there at the 2025 Derby City 9ball when Filler turned in two different TPA 1.000 matches in a single session!

There is little doubt in my mind that the hardest titles to come by in men's pro pool are the World 9ball, the US Open 9ball, the China Open, the All-Japan and the World Games. No player has ever won all of them. Shane has six of these (1 World 9ball, 5 US Opens), but, at 27 years old, Filler also has six (1 World 9ball, 1 US Open 9ball, 3 China Opens and 1 gold at the World Games). For the record, Earl has eight (3 modern-era World 9ball and 5 US Opens).

As a collector of the most difficult major titles, Filler is on target to become the most decorated player of the 21st century by far, and I believe that, one day, he'll be remembered as the best player since Mosconi. Still, none of us will sleep on Gorst.

I will not let nostalgia get in the way of giving today's best their proper due. The game of pool is being played at a level we have never seen before.

A little hokey and is temporary: Insert a fishing line along the threads in the shaft joint with some of the line sticking out of the joint. Insert butt.

SmoothStroke said:

My customs last. The store bought insoles a year, longer depending upon use.

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Shoe or boot last.

Do you know what a last is? It's not an orthotic insert. It is what is used by a cobbler to make a shoe or boot.


I am having custom lasts made to have my Georgia boots rebuilt soon.

Retracted

conetip said:

if it is made with prepreg material, is they can be effected by high heat. Heat exceeding 80C and any bending moment of it during that heat cycle. So if it had something on the shaft and was left in a hot car for example, could lead to a bent shaft

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Although the air won't reach 80C in a car, objects in it could ( 80 degrees Celsius is 175 degrees Fahrenheit):


See https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-ho...xtreme-heat-can-be-so-deadly-in-a-parked-car/
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SSP said:

They use carbon fiber on the space shuttle because of it's a ability to go from -476 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature in space, to 2,000 degrees when entering the earth's atmosphere,

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Artificial Intelligence blurb that raw carbon fiber is very heat resistant but composites less so:

Hoka or ON are my go to for athletic shoes. I have a great pair of Vibergs if I want to wear a boot.

I have been wearing these Rockport walking shoes when I play for about the last 25 years. Wide foot box for toes, good arch support and comfortable for long sessions.

There have been those in this thread that have replied with their typical sarcasm, inferring it’s stupid to consider the shoes you wear when playing. A quick story, back in the 90’s a young gun in the room I played out of at the time had an opportunity arise where someone was going to sponsor him to play in the US Open. He always played in tennis shoes at the hall and bought a pair of black dress shoes to play in at the Open. He didn’t fare well, went 2 and out and played far below his normal game. I asked him what happened, he said he never gave the change in shoes much thought until he was there in his first round match in a pair of dress shoes with leather soles that were slippery on the carpet, it took him out of his game.

davelpl said:

What mini lathe did you start with?

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Optimum, they are a bit better made than most. I ended up converting to CNC then I sold it and got a bigger one!

cueball2010 said:

Anyone know what these guys wear on their feet?

• Shane Van Boening
• Fedor Gorst
• Earl Strickland
• Efren Reyes
• Joshua Filler
• Pia F.
• Papaglyan

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At one point I think Shane was wearing Louis Vuitton

Bob Jewett said:

If you are playing in an event with a dress code, Skechers make some good, comfortable, all-black shoes.

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I was already about to write that it seems most of AzBers don’t seem to play much under a dress code. Many times I practice with my tournament dress code compatible shoes to get used to them, especially with a new pair. The same goes with refereeing, new shoes need to be broken in before the actual tournament.

I have been using these: https://www.barebarics.com/barefoot-sneakers-barebarics-zing-all-black-leather/

Flakeandrun said:

I've watched him play some straight pool on the table next to me. F incredible. Makes you really question your definition of 'I can't'

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Wow...watch him when he gets ball in hand at the beginning of the video.

lfigueroa said:

I have probably seen Mark give several dozen lessons and I know how he teaches foot placement however my personal opinion is that you don't build a pool stroke from the bottom up but rather from the top down.

More than anything else your grip is going to determine your setup and the final, natural placement of your feet, as well as the rest of your body.

Get your grip right and all else follows.

Lou Figueroa
whaddaIknow

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Hi, I notice that a lot of the great players have their grip very far back, almost to the very end of the butt sleeve. I never held my cue anywhere near that far back.