Ability VS Equipment

HawaiianEye

HawaiianEye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm an avid reader of this forum and enjoy everyone's perspective on the variety of different subjects.

I've noticed that lots of people have expressed their views on the pros and cons of various equipment (LD shafts VS HD shafts, thinner shafts VS thicker shafts, etc...).

I learned to play back in the 60s...long before all this new "high tech" stuff was invented and haven't spent much time researching it or actually trying it out.

With that in mind, do you think the "old school" players (like Mosconi, Lassiter, Greenleaf, etc.) would have played "noticably better" with Predator shafts, Moori tips, etc? Would Willie Mosconi have run 2,000 balls instead of 526?

The same goes for cues. None of the older cues (to include Balabuska, Rambow, etc.) were ever made to the exact specifications that could be made with new and modern equipment aided with computers.

I've seen some of the best pool playing in my life being done on "old school" equipment by "old school" players. How well do you think they would compete in today's world with the current players and all of them using the same equipment?

Looking forward to your responses.

Aloha.

P.S. In the game of golf, Lee Trevino used to bet people he could beat them using a Dr Pepper bottle wrapped in tape as a club.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841352,00.html
 
New equipment helps but not that much. I think is 80% player ability and 20% equipment.
 
Pool is a mental game so if you feel good with your cue in your hand, you play good .

I think the LD shaft is a revolution in pool . for all the amateur can't execute a long draw, long follow shot .etc, the LD shaft is like the MAGIC . I can assure you that it helps their game very very much.

Of course for A or professional players it doesn't help that much, they don't need "magic" ( cue, shaft , chalk ... ) . They have their own magic :) .
 
How many top pros use any of the old cues you mention. If these cues were really like a stradivarius as people that play violin know about, I think you would see top players paying the high price of such a cue to have an advantage.
 
Slh said:
New equipment helps but not that much. I think is 80% player ability and 20% equipment.
Click to expand...

I agree its almost all about the player not the cue:) As long as the cue is half decent you can do anything,like has been said pool is a mentel game, its whats in your head that counts as well as the practise.
 
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I also believe that its the player and not the equipment unless it isn't shooting straight. If it made that much of a difference I'd expect more pros to be using LD shafts. While it may make a lot of difference for players who are not experienced in judging squirt levels, to the pros/world class players, there simply isn't much difference. Poor position play is the cause of the end of most innings for the pro players, instead of a miss caused by misjudged squirt levels.
 
Its the injun, not the arrow, hand efren a house cue, he still runs 4 racks and out to win on you. He was playing with a cue that sold for $12 in his home country. He came up with a mooochie.

Yes a fine nice cue will help you play better, and its a must to own a decent one, but then you need lessons from a pro teacher to advance.

There are many of them on this board, you could go to that would put you into a higher level. All of them here, are highly respected. Seek help, you just cant do it all on your own, why even try to.
 
HawaiianEye said:
With that in mind, do you think the "old school" players (like Mosconi, Lassiter, Greenleaf, etc.) would have played "noticably better" with Predator shafts, Moori tips, etc? Would Willie Mosconi have run 2,000 balls instead of 526?
Click to expand...

Maybe 534, but only after months of practice getting use to the new feel of the instrument.
 
There is a bare minimum equipment quality requirement to play the game properly.. once that is met it's all about ability.

and that bare minimum is far lower than most people realize
 
I have the same original buska willie used, and I play with a copy of it, and his cue, was all he needed, for his game at the time. Soft straight in shots, on the small table he played on, a 4 l/2 by 4 l/2' table. His soft champion red padded chandviert tips, his ivory ferrule, was fine, for his game.

Giving him the new improved bushka LTD-3 would not have made a bit of difference to him, nada, nothing.

But if he had been a 9 ball player, which he never was, the new cue would have been a huge advantage and upgrade to him.
 
12ozCurl said:
With the faster cloth, tighter pockets, and newer rail material, I dont think he would break 400. The game aint what it used to be.
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Do we know how he ended the run? If its just simply poor position play, then LD shaft will make no difference.
 
you guys just dont understand how good Mosconi was, bring him here today from 48 in time machine:thumbup:, he would adjust, innovate, and run through efren faster than s*** goes through a goose. The man was an animal, a ball running machine.

And I have nothing but the greatest total respect for Efen, IMHO, being the greatest player of his decade. But he played a different game from Willie, 9 ball, and never had a real solid clue how to play 14.1.

That is what bar booser love to do, set there and argue, about old players vs modern ones, and its never fair to compare them. Different times, eras.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I'm an avid reader of this forum and enjoy everyone's perspective on the variety of different subjects.

I've noticed that lots of people have expressed their views on the pros and cons of various equipment (LD shafts VS HD shafts, thinner shafts VS thicker shafts, etc...).

I learned to play back in the 60s...long before all this new "high tech" stuff was invented and haven't spent much time researching it or actually trying it out.

With that in mind, do you think the "old school" players (like Mosconi, Lassiter, Greenleaf, etc.) would have played "noticably better" with Predator shafts, Moori tips, etc? Would Willie Mosconi have run 2,000 balls instead of 526?

The same goes for cues. None of the older cues (to include Balabuska, Rambow, etc.) were ever made to the exact specifications that could be made with new and modern equipment aided with computers.

I've seen some of the best pool playing in my life being done on "old school" equipment by "old school" players. How well do you think they would compete in today's world with the current players and all of them using the same equipment?

Looking forward to your responses.

Aloha.

P.S. In the game of golf, Lee Trevino used to bet people he could beat them using a Dr Pepper bottle wrapped in tape as a club.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841352,00.html
Click to expand...




Like I have always said it is the Indian not the Arrow that hit and killed the Buffalo. All the new equipment in the world will not make the best player a better player. All the equipment being sold today is nothing but tools and like any tool it takes a craftsman to get the most out of it and to make it perform as it was intended to be used.

So buy all the new crap that keeps coming out, while it will not make you play any better, you are supporting the sport and most important of all in my opinion helping the Pro's get paid what they are due.

JIMO
 
It is more about the skill of the player than what he is playing with. If equipment was the issue we could all buy some high dollar cues and play with the pros. Granted being familiar with your equipment helps (using a personal cue VS house cue), but that is about it with regard to equipment IMHO.
 
On the other hand... I just saw a commercial for a new golf ball. They claim that their dimple pattern keeps the ball going straight, automatically cancelling out hooks and slices. Nothing's perfect, I'm sure, but if this is true then I think that's an example of where the equipment is more important than the player. (I'm not talking about pro players - if your swing is perfect to start with then it doesn't matter).
 
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