They're playing STRAIGHT POOL!

[DieselPete]

Just caught some streaming content on YouTube of the European Youth Championships... not sure what game they were playing as they racked the balls... looks like all the balls, so it must be 8 ball...

Nope. These teenagers are playing straight pool, and they are running balls like crazy, playing great position, showing excellent mechanics and potting skills, inspecting clusters to find combinations, and I'm wondering how many American teens 1) know the rules to 14.1, 2) ever really play it for any length of time, and 3) have ever played a significant 14.1 tournament?

We often kick around reasons why America is falling behind the world.

Is this one more reason?

 

[dtroup64]

They just had the National Championships and 14.1 was on the docket, as was 9 ball, 8 ball, and 10 ball. They played in the Under 19 in both boys and girs.

 

[DieselPete]

They just had the National Championships and 14.1 was on the docket, as was 9 ball, 8 ball, and 10 ball. They played in the Under 19 in both boys and girs.

Yeah, I have to admit that I am remiss not to mention that, as I did watch some of it myself.

I guess that I just feel like for the U.S. Nationals it looked like something of an afterthought and what I am watching from the Euro kids looks a lot closer to adult straight pool.

Maybe the top American youth players are putting in time at the game. I just can't remember the last time I saw a couple of teens choose to play straight pool. Probably it was in the 1990s.

 

[couldnthinkof01]

Their pool leagues are on 9ft, playing straight pool.

American pool is handicap bar table 8 ball. They should forget the patches and just give the placard for better parking.

 

[loggerhead12]

Yep, that was a surprise.

 

[skogstokig]

walter laikre should be favorite in this discipline

the EPBF scoring is wonky as usual

 

[trob]

Why? Are they being punished for something? Is this what you do now instead of community service? You have to play 20 hours of straight pool instead of pick up trash beside the road I think I’ll pick up trash.

kidding straight pool lovers.. it’s just a joke. don’t get your in feels

 

[hundreder]

Its funny that when you compare us and eu, everything is waaaaay oversized in us, except pool tables

 

[skor]

Their pool leagues are on 9ft, playing straight pool.

American pool is handicap bar table 8 ball. They should forget the patches and just give the placard for better parking.

Look at this forum, Americans are more busy complaining about 9ball rules and jump cues and pockets size and everything that doesn’t matter… if all that energy was focused on becoming better instead.
Even complaining here about the EPBF instead of tipping the hat for them…

Last week I got to watch a match from the national championship, I don’t know who was the kid in the commentary but he said that he doesn’t practice, he doesn’t have a coach, he just wings it… might be good enough for winning some local tournaments but that’s just about it.

Everything about American attitude towards pool is wrong.
Still under the romantic illusion of hustlers and gamblers influenced by the color of money… yes, it was a great movie but still just a movie, move on

 

[skogstokig]

Look at this forum, Americans are more busy complaining about 9ball rules and jump cues and pockets size and everything that doesn’t matter… if all that energy was focused on becoming better instead.
Even complaining here about the EPBF instead of tipping the hat for them…

that was me complaining, and i'm swedish. lumping together all disciplines, ages, and genders, in one table on the website makes it rough to follow the scoring.

anyway, walter crashed out in the semi pretty bad.

 

[Chicagoplayer]

Just caught some streaming content on YouTube of the European Youth Championships... not sure what game they were playing as they racked the balls... looks like all the balls, so it must be 8 ball...

Nope. These teenagers are playing straight pool, and they are running balls like crazy, playing great position, showing excellent mechanics and potting skills, inspecting clusters to find combinations, and I'm wondering how many American teens 1) know the rules to 14.1, 2) ever really play it for any length of time, and 3) have ever played a significant 14.1 tournament?

We often kick around reasons why America is falling behind the world.

Is this one more reason?

Straight pool is in every European program.

 

[fuggles]

Their pool leagues are on 9ft, playing straight pool.

American pool is handicap bar table 8 ball. They should forget the patches and just give the placard for better parking.

You should ask Justin what he thinks of bar box 8 ball.

 

[couldnthinkof01]

You should ask Justin what he thinks of bar box 8 ball.

Justin's opinion on any subject means nothing to me.

I enjoy 8 ball, especially on the small table.

However, playing handicap bar table 8 ball does little to nothing for your game if your intentions are to play internationally on 9 foots in any game.