Does anyone remember when we were kids and got a new pair of sneakers, tennis shoes, etc... that we always ran faster for awhile after putting them on.
New Cue Syndrome -- Real or Imagined
- Thread starter lfigueroa
- Start date
i HAVE ONE ABSOLUTE RULE, ANY TIME I LOSE I BLAME THE CUE,SELL IT AND
PLAY WITH A NEW CUE
iT IS ALWAYS A CHEERY THOUGHT TO BE PLAYING WITH A DIFFERENT CUE
aS A LOUSY PLAYER BUT A SERIOUS MONEY PLAYER I HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THIS
I ALSO FOUND THERE WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN BUYING AND SELLING CUES
PLAY WITH A NEW CUE
iT IS ALWAYS A CHEERY THOUGHT TO BE PLAYING WITH A DIFFERENT CUE
aS A LOUSY PLAYER BUT A SERIOUS MONEY PLAYER I HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THIS
I ALSO FOUND THERE WAS A LOT OF MONEY IN BUYING AND SELLING CUES
As a creature of habit, I tend to stick w something I like rather than change frequently.
Familiar and comfortable.
Not superstitious, I just like my old reliables when playing.
Especially if they were a pair of P. F. Flyers......with the action wedge!
My mom would only buy Converse canvas. 'Chucks'or 'All Stars.'
They were cheaper. That's my gene pool.
Can't really blame her considering how fast my feet grew. I wear a 16 EEE now. Try finding those cheap anywhere!! Lol.g0ds gReeN
Active member
My mom would only buy Converse canvas. 'Chucks'or 'All Stars.'
They were cheaper. That's my gene pool.
Can't really blame her considering how fast my feet grew. I wear a 16 EEE now. Try finding those anywhere!! Lol.A pair of those in my size would cost me over $250 if I'm lucky. Can't justify that for these knarly old feets!!
Your subconscious will pick up on that. You just gotta let it.
Yeah exactly. Just need to support the process, and avoid trying to control and overanalyze it. Easier said than done.
Very much so. Letting go is something most of us struggled and still struggle with, on occasion. But the benefits of getting out of your own way are worth the work. When this game is played at that level, it's a most satisfying feeling. Funny thing is, you probably won't remember most of it, but the rush comes afterwards.
Put in the work!!
If you want to play with a long straight taper shaft like Earl was using a while back, you should hit some with a Gulyassy 14mm. He was making one for me and Earl at the same time. 14mm with black ferrule and the same tip he uses on Earl's cues.
I had it made for my Gulyassy Merry Widow PHX. The picture of the cue was taken before I got the new shaft.
Last edited:
Lots of people wonder why I had a 6x12 case made. Well, all my other cases were hard leather 2x4 and 3x7 cases.
In fact, I have 2 Instroke 3x7 cases so I could carry all my ivory joint cues or switch cases carrying a different one.
Eventually I reached the point where I wished I had my other 3x7 case because I wanted to play with one of those cues
or someone asked if I had it with me because they’d like to see it or maybe try it. Playing with a different cue is fun.
So I asked Gil Castillo to build be a 6x12 case so all the cues I play with are in it while the rest sit at home stored away.
I recently had some addt’l big pin thread KW shafts made so all my cues can play with one. Let me tell you what a gas.
It is like starting all over again with 6 new cues. And I get to switch to one any time I got the urge. FYI, the cues in my
case use the same specs so as you’d imagine, changing cues requires little adjustment and with KW shafts, OMG.
I got my first KW shaft a year ago that only fit one of my cues and less than a month ago, added 2 more KW shafts that
fit the other 5 cues. As I tried explaining, which is really difficult, it’s really like having 6 new cues because of the shafts.
In fact, I have 2 Instroke 3x7 cases so I could carry all my ivory joint cues or switch cases carrying a different one.
Eventually I reached the point where I wished I had my other 3x7 case because I wanted to play with one of those cues
or someone asked if I had it with me because they’d like to see it or maybe try it. Playing with a different cue is fun.
So I asked Gil Castillo to build be a 6x12 case so all the cues I play with are in it while the rest sit at home stored away.
I recently had some addt’l big pin thread KW shafts made so all my cues can play with one. Let me tell you what a gas.
It is like starting all over again with 6 new cues. And I get to switch to one any time I got the urge. FYI, the cues in my
case use the same specs so as you’d imagine, changing cues requires little adjustment and with KW shafts, OMG.
I got my first KW shaft a year ago that only fit one of my cues and less than a month ago, added 2 more KW shafts that
fit the other 5 cues. As I tried explaining, which is really difficult, it’s really like having 6 new cues because of the shafts.
It’s this
.Being new, yes you’re motivated by your new toy. It also feels different and leads to you paying more attention, being more focused as Patrick alludes to here.
It’s also true that this does wear off most of the time with the majority of people. If you’re attentive, there is a great lesson to be learned from this. The very fact that you were more focused initially, means that you can retain that focus if you can overcome what I call “lazy brain syndrome”.
It’s kind of like when guys wistfully speak of times they walk into the hall, grab a table, and have one of those “magical days”. You know, where you can’t miss a ball or put a foot wrong. I’ve heard many players talk of days like this and more succinctly, of how the next time they play, it’s gone, they’ve lost it and can’t make a ball.
The very fact that you can do it over a session that goes for hours and hours, means that IS possible for you to play that way every single time you pick up a cue. Just as how what many are calling NCS here, how it’s “real” but fades. It doesn’t have to. The secret of this is located in that large lump on your shoulders that’s about 3’ above your butt. THIS is a fact.
Mine hits like about 20 lbs on a good day, draws like an art school dropout and only tolerates me - no matter how much I threaten it.
pj
chgo
Benelli
Well-known member
So I locked in a carbon fiber shaft that I really liked the feel and hit of, bought four of them in three different joint pin types, and two lengths.
I then bounced around with different butts but settled quickly on 3/8-10 flat-faced ivory vs 5/16-14 steel pilot. I found that at my skill level, the softer hit of the ivory was not working well, so for this session, I'm only playing with a 5/16-14 compression joint.
I mention this only in the context of Lou's point on NCS. Each time I changed butts, I found there was a period of perceived better play, but in the long run, it was not sustained.
I agree with what folks have said above, you switch equipment and you focus more until a comfort level is hit, allowing bad habits to surface again.
But there is also a factor where when you are switching equipment out so often, you are not developing good feel and muscle memory that is crucial for this game.
I then bounced around with different butts but settled quickly on 3/8-10 flat-faced ivory vs 5/16-14 steel pilot. I found that at my skill level, the softer hit of the ivory was not working well, so for this session, I'm only playing with a 5/16-14 compression joint.
I mention this only in the context of Lou's point on NCS. Each time I changed butts, I found there was a period of perceived better play, but in the long run, it was not sustained.
I agree with what folks have said above, you switch equipment and you focus more until a comfort level is hit, allowing bad habits to surface again.
But there is also a factor where when you are switching equipment out so often, you are not developing good feel and muscle memory that is crucial for this game.
Big pin flat ivory joints have the best feel by far and only wood to wood joints feel better but don’t hold up as well over decades of play and sure don’t adorn a cue as handsomely. If you play with flat ivory, well, ivory ferrules are also a must.
Me, I disagree with the premise--I typically play OK with new cue, but not as well as I played with my long-term cue (and shaft).