Help me decide

[Straightpool_99]

Which should I get: Sub $200 purchases
1. McD Stinger break/jump Wouldn't buy this yet. If your break is really awesome, then it may be worth it, but for a new player...no.
2. Super Pro Aramith balls (getting a good price) The price may be good, but if your poolhall has another type of balls, I'd play with those if I were you. Better to get used to the equipment you will face every day.
3. Low Deflection shaft Maybe, but first you need to try as many of them as you can, then pick one and stick with it. Otherwise you will go through the same cycles as nearly everyone else, and buy a new shaft every time you are in a slump, instead of working through it and fixing the actual faults in your game.

Info
1. New payer. If this is true, you should invest as much money as possible in table time.
2. Have a proper cue with regular maple shaft Stick with it if you like it.
3. The pool place I go to frequently has mediocre tables and balls. Would be nice to have my own set of proper balls. Meh, unless you plan to play in a big tournament real soon I'd play with what they have.
4. I always break with house cue

There is absolutely nothing wrong with breaking with a house cue. You'll be disappointed if you expect miracles from a dedicated break cue and at an early point in your playing life this is especially true IMHO

 

[Straightpool_99]

Well, I agree with RJ, so enjoy being a banger! It's not the cue, it's the person holding on to it. You'll probably figure that out one day...or maybe not. Doesn't keep you from enjoying the game...just keeps you from getting better in the least amount of time. The cue/shaft/tip matters much less than how you are able to move the cue in a straight line.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Yeah, didn't come off as arrogant at all there...A person should take lessons if and only if he is motivated to do so, otherwise it will be a waste of everyones time and money (except the person collecting the paycheck of course): Sure it is smart to take lessons, but many will go through slumps etc after intensive lessons. Unless the person is truely motivated, it will be hard to work through that, often they will go back to their old ways and the lesson will be wasted. There is a pro player on here offering free video lessons right now, that would be a nice test to see if he's ready for lessons. Besides sub 200 dollars may not buy you much from a top instructor. If he truely is a beginner, maybe go to a housepro local shortstop etc to fix the most obvious flaws first. You'd be surprised how much a bit of respect can get you as far as free pointers go, and most shortstop/housepros are not all that expensive to buy lessons from anyway.

 

[KRJ]

Yeah, didn't come off as arrogant at all there...A person should take lessons if and only if he is motivated to do so, otherwise it will be a waste of everyones time and money (except the person collecting the paycheck of course): Sure it is smart to take lessons, but many will go through slumps etc after intensive lessons. Unless the person is truely motivated, it will be hard to work through that, often they will go back to their old ways and the lesson will be wasted. There is a pro player on here offering free video lessons right now, that would be a nice test to see if he's ready for lessons. Besides sub 200 dollars may not buy you much from a top instructor. If he truely is a beginner, maybe go to a housepro local shortstop etc to fix the most obvious flaws first. You'd be surprised how much a bit of respect can get you as far as free pointers go, and most shortstop/housepros are not all that expensive to buy lessons from anyway.

Actually, he was quoting me, and I was half kidding. There is nothing wrong with being a banger, they buy beer too. $200 will buy quite a few lessons. Most House Pro's charge about $30 an hour in the Chicago area.

And the first 2 hours would assist in ensuring his stroke is straight, and with him being a newbie, his game would literally take off after that if he put in the practice time. Otherwise, he's gonna be dogging it for a few years unless he is a natural.

Getting an LD shaft for a newbie is the WORSE possible decision, cause he does not even have the stroke, English skills or pool knowledge to even understand what an LD shaft is gonna help him with.

 

[victorl]

Getting an LD shaft for a newbie is the WORSE possible decision, cause he does not even have the stroke, English skills or pool knowledge to even understand what an LD shaft is gonna help him with.

I agree, I see so many new players using the latest ultra-low deflection cues right from the beginning and it becomes a crutch because off center hits will still make balls and they don't get enough feedback to realize that they're not hitting where they're aiming. As a result, many never learn how to hit dead center or the precision cue placement it takes to play at a high level. I recommend players learn to use the center axis properly (center, top, and bottom) before they start using LD shafts, but that's just me.

 

[KRJ]

I agree, I see so many new players using the latest ultra-low deflection cues right from the beginning and it becomes a crutch because off center hits will still make balls and they don't get enough feedback to realize that they're not hitting where they're aiming. As a result, many never learn how to hit dead center or the precision cue placement it takes to play at a high level. I recommend players learn to use the center axis properly (center, top, and bottom) before they start using LD shafts, but that's just me.

That's great advice Vic.:smile: