The big picture is that JB did not fold due to the money as you originally said.
I've not seen JB play any other matches, just watched him on his Youtube videos. What I saw in the matched seemed really consistent with his Youtube speed. The same kind of mannerisms and inconsistency in setup.
So now CTE is no good for playing 1p? Never heard that one. Tell JB because I know when he made a shot against Lou he'd say "Yeah, CTE baby"!
The idea to test aiming systems with 1 pocket was extremely silly IMO. They should have played straight pool or 9/10 ball. Even 8 ball could have been better. That being said 1 pocket is still pool. All the people who believed J. Filler was going to be helpless at one pocket got a rude awakening recently. At the end of the day, if you make everything you shoot at, it's going to be tough to beat you. Despite all the pre match bragging, JB didn't shoot straighter than Lou.
I'm not slamming CTE I'm putting 2 and 2 together and thinking up possible explanations. You have two guys with relatively similar ability playing under similar stress, one using CTE and one not using CTE. The guy using CTE falls apart under stress and loses. Maybe CTE isn't as easy as just find the objective points and shoot, and now we're learning that CTE is no good for 1p. What was he using when hiding the cue ball and pushing balls around if not CTE?
I don't think JB fell apart at all. His stroke was all over the place the entire time and he did play a bit better towards the end. When people say he could have won, I don't really think so. He might have made it closer, but his fundamentals just aren't good enough to hold up in anything other than a short race. Despite all the claims CTE does not straighten your stroke. YOU straighten you stroke, by stroke work, alignment work and analysis. CTE may help you know where to point the cuestick, but that is less important than the cuestick actually going where you point. The cueball doesn't care where you aim, only where you hit it. Regardless of what you or I personally believe about CTE, this was not in any way a proof either for or against it. I may have disproved some claims about consistency and stroke straightening, but really as the commentators said, JB didn't even seem to do the steps most of the time, so even that is in question. As for the soundness of the aiming itself, not much ground was gained or lost by either side. Some of the exaggerated stroke movement of JB happens post shot, but sadly, a lot more is going on. His stance is unstable and prone to rising up, and he jerks his stroke in the back to forward transition. Even if you stay down, that is going to kill speed control and pocketing accuracy.
I don't think Lou and JB are the same skill. Lou banks better than JB and runs the balls better, too. I'd bet on him in any pocket billiard game against JB. That being said, he missed some shots too, so he didn't really run away, though he won comfortably. JB had some nice, creative shots, so with some stroke work, he could be a lot better. I certainly did learn a couple of moves watching him play. As it stands, Lou is a notch above.
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