my cue theory

[3RAILKICK]

Good Job!!

Eric-

I almost always enjoy your posts. The content is usually interesting and on topic. Sometimes, the absence of proper grammar, syntax, tense, punctuation, spelling, capitalization and such gets in the way of the message.

The fact that you are making an effort to improve in these areas is terrific.

I don't know if others would agree, but often, I find my self reading the first and last sentence or paragraph of a post or an article to get the gist of it.

Maybe it does not apply on the forums, but I remember hearing this advice:

# Say what it is that you are going to say.

# Say it.

# Say that you said it.

# Get out.

Eric, please keep 'em coming-your posts are worth reading. You've been around the block a couple of times.

Take care

 

[skip]

Fatboy, I go along with alstl. An I must say your thoughts or right on the money. I really enjoyed your article thanks for the time an effort it took you. Please keep it up. :thumbup:

 

[2v12]

First, let me commend you for your courage. Only masochists and those who sincerely want to improve relish criticism. The important thing about the quality of a person’s writing is that it often serves to represent them and goes a long way in the formation of that all-important “first impression”.

Many of the comments you have received have been right on the mark. I especially like Nelldrake's mention of the a/an controversy. Some highly educated people are guilty of this misusage. This group of offenders includes certain TV commentators, and even our revered President. You should also pay special attention to comments made by Rethunk, rackem, Scaramouche, and thefonz.

In addition to the above, I humbly submit the following constructive critique:
The English language does not allot a place for "alot" within its lexicon. "Alot" is not a word.

You should get the to/too thing straight. The players in the ring game did not invite Fatboy to join them because he played too well. Poor Fatboy was forced to travel in order to find victims, but he soon quit the game rather than take too much time away from his writing practice.


Please be aware, however, that language evolves (some would say it devolves)* and what is improper usage today may be just peachy in the future if enough of the population embraces it.
*You will notice that the sentence above includes a space before the dreaded parenthetical phrase.

 

[spktur]

Eric, I thought the post was pretty well written and easily understood. One thing that could easily help you a good deal is to let the computer do its job and use spell check and that will greatly reduce spelling errors. Don't let this bother you too much though, you will find errors in the newspaper and in books by award winning authors as even spell check does not catch them all. And remember, the content is most important.

 

[ridinda9]

A-

Some of your writing flaws can be simply and easily corrected . You're obviously on a computer - is your spellcheck enabled ?:thumbup:

 

[Fatboy]

First, let me commend you for your courage. Only masochists and those who sincerely want to improve relish criticism. The important thing about the quality of a person’s writing is that it often serves to represent them and goes a long way in the formation of that all-important “first impression”.

I never got better at anything with complements or ass kissers***. Good news takes care of it self. Contrary to what many people here think of me-I'm not looking for that or reassurances because I'm insecure. Or warm fuzzy's cause they feel good. The moment of pain is the moment of growth. Sure I'm proud of what I have achieved(and I don't just mean $$$), I mean everything and nothing good comes easy. But I have much more to learn in life, much more and why not learn here??? There is a abundance of brain power out there that I dont have but want, and I wil do what it takes to get it, no matter how it makes me feel at that moment or what sacrifice's I have to make. Since I was about 17 or 18 I have lived like this, I really took this way of learning and living to its fullest extent when I was 27-before then I was 75%, maning I would try and duck the pain or embarrassment some. I was soft then compared to now, I wish I would have been the way I am now from day one. I have a friend who awalys ducks when "the moment of pain" comes up and his life is a total mess, he has no balls and is a crybaby. I'm not a tough guy, I just want to learn.


This thread was started with a 2nd draft which I could have edited better I knew that, I wanted to see how I would do taking a position on something, wrote down my thoughts and re-read it once and corrected some of the spelling then asked for it to be graded and knocked by people who are better writers than me, I'm saving every post in this thread to learn from. 3 years ago I couldnt even wright a post as good as this one right here. I have put in hours to get better. And I really appreciate everyone who is giving me lessons. The few people who gave me a F are just haters or ball busters as we all know the OP wasnt that bad or they didnt agree with my position and gave me a F based on that. So I will discount those.

Happy Turkey day to everyone and if you haven't commented on this thread I still would appreciate any and all critizem-I can take it, and I love it-no faster or better way to learn IMO.

Best

Eric


*** In fact complements and ass kissers can send you down the wrong road because you get a false sense of security. Your not living in reality if you rely on just that, you end up with a big ego and cant account for why you have it or what its based on. Bad decisions come from seeking complements-you can start blowing $$$ on toy's (when you shouldnt be) because you like that high you get from all the ooh's and aww's from people. Bad biz right there. I never bought a car to impress anyone but me because I used to enjoy them, or use them as biz tools.

 

[hangemhigh]

Great read Eric. I wonder if there is a grammar check program like the spell check? Happy Thanksgiving to you too, my friend.

 

[book collector]

My Cue Theory

I think your post is fine, in fact I think I need the wild 8.

 

[2v12]

Posessive

No apostrophe here:

-America didn't plan to fail, American's failed to plan-

Apostrophe here:

Fatboy's lunchbox was empty.

 

[Piercyexclusive]

b on the grading
due to side tracking a bit


Hey man,

I want to say good post.
I can understand where you are coming from but, I think a great cue can greatly help someone versus enhance someones ability to play pool.
Now the bad thing about me posting is that I am a cuesmith and there could be some bias to whatever I might have to say....but I'll try

What I think is that a cue helps your aspects of the game and not the game itself. know what I mean? you might not be able to run 2-3 more balls but it's the mechanics of the game that the cue helps. Like juicing you up with steroids or something.
ex..
When you want to draw a ball your ability to do so depends on your talent and abilities right?
So when you pick up a stick from walmart and can only draw the ball so far, now you pick something up thats a little more well built, your drawing th ball further out but at least 5-6 more inches.
now the enhancement of being able to draw the ball further is not talent in this case but rather the cue doing it's job.
And yes you would have to practice to harness the power given to you by that cue but it did help more than you know.
I was playing this guy some one pocket but was playing with a regular house cue and he was hitting the ball hard to bring it back 5-6 inches out, he was working way to hard for hie own good. then I put a "custom" in his hand. He would hit the balls just as hard and as quick as the last cue he was playing with but, the results was that he was drawing the ball 14-18 further.

So with that example I hope that you understand what Im trying to say.
A good cue is better than a bad one by far. it's not necessarily bringing out the best in you but juicing you up and making you a better player....

"with great powers comes great responsibility"

yes, you wont necessarily pocket balls more but your aspects of the game with be. Better English on a ball is better than barely any. I know that tips do help allot also but the tip is nothing unless it's on a good cue...
you can't expect to put the best tip on the crapiest cue on earth and expect it to play "that much better"
A great tip in combination of a great cue = greater games.

Am I wrong about this?

Marshall "the Space Man" Piercy

 

[Scaramouche]

Writers come from anywhere, and most don't set out to become writers.
Bat Masterson was a sports writer for the for the New York Morning Telegraph.
Leon Uris funked English three times and dropped out of high school.

 

[rackem]

For Fatboy and All

Here is a link to download Firefox browser.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ie.html
You do not have to eliminate your current browser. Please just try this one.
Wright it doesn't get it write all the thyme but it will help allot.
It will also catch it when you forget to use apostrophes with contractions.
Do you really think I could remember how to spell the underlined words all the time without it? No weigh!
You will have to work on homonyms & synonyms yourself..
Thanks spell check.

Firefox also has a great add-on for viewing our V-bulletin forum.
It allows you to put just certain bothersome avatars, signatures and even threads on ignore.:yeah:

 

[Banks]

I think that I gave the writing a 'D', based on the grammatical and spelling errors. The message within the writing was clear, though.

Having spent time on the internet for approximately 20 years, I've grown accustomed to reading the message through the words. You wander a little bit during the post, but only in talking about about personal experiences in regards to your topic.

I do admire your candid nature and desire to improve yourself. With butt-kissing you are left to make a decision based on falsehoods, which can lead to incorrect outcomes. Even if the information you are given is not what you had wanted, as long as it is factual you can make an informed decision and have a better prediction of the outcome.

Also, I have met quite a few people with money and I like to consider myself a people-watcher. That being said, I have never found a person to be made out of the things that they have. I have seen happy homeless people and suicidal millionaires. The difference between them is that they were accepting (if not happy) with who they were and what they did. You, Eric, come off as happy with who you are without having to make excuses for it. Your writing, on the other hand...


As for the post.. the stick also depends upon the person using it. If you can understand and compensate for a 'recap' tip just as quickly as you can with two of your own cues, that is a huge advantage. Many professionals in different areas are comfortable only with certain things. Look at sports - with home field advantages, natural vs. astroturf, clay vs. grass, etc. The ones that usually dominate are the ones that can change with the conditions. I believe you had mentioned Bugs with wall sticks and bank pool.. I'm no high-end bank player, but I find the game easier to adjust to with different equiment. I'm not having to do long draws or other odd things to get position as much. It is more about hits and angles, so I can worry less about what I'm doing to the cueball and more about what I'm doing to the object ball.

 

[8&snap]

Eric, just write it like you say it to someone,if thats not good enough then oh well.G.W.Bush made president & he butchered the english language & could'nt form a coherent sentence & he was edge-a-ma-kated so they say.

 

[Charlie Edwards]

Eric, I gave you an A because I fully and completely understood everything you wrote... and isn't that what's important? Don't change a thing.

 

[feedtheworm]

I don't want to grade this but I do want to offer my opinion.

I understood what you wrote but I think it wandered all over the place. You mentioned the same things over and over again and I don't think that was necessary.
I'm not a writer (I'm a reader) and I'm no expert on the subject. I do think that maybe a concise plan could help.
Try making a list of all the points you would like to get across. Make notes under each point about the specifics. That could give you a good format to begin writing.

No offense intended. That's just an idea that I think may help.


Hope all is well,
Johnny

 

[manwon]

Eric I think you are correct, and I think it applies to many items including tips and chalk. So many items are marketed as the item that is going to change pool as we know it and what surprises me is that some many people fall for these claims. We all want to improve our ability, but for some reason too many people just do not want to face the fact that practice is the only way to improve our ability not some quick fix.

But back to what you started this thread about, I am a firm believer that a cue can increase a players ability, but only from a mental aspect. Confidence in our equipment along with the way a cue feels to us as individuals are major factors in how well we play. When you find that certain cue that feels just right to you that is the cue you have to buy, because odds are that you will not find another like it for many years or your entire life. Price is not a factor in this, the cue could cost $50 or $5000 or any where in between, in my opinion cues are that individual in nature. I also believe that no one can tell some one what is best for that person, only by trying the Cue, tip, shaft, or any other item yourself can we as individuals find what we are looking for.

I have seen a number of threads over years here on the forum where people ask if they should sell their old cue when they buy a new one. I think this is the biggest mistake anyone can make, I think most if not all of us have had a cue we once owned that we wish we had never sold or lost in some other way. I hope everyone who reads this can understand what I am trying to say.

Respectfully

 

[nksmfamjp]

Your post is awesome. Your knowledge of cues is one of the best. Your ability to communicate and build solid trails of logic supported with data, mostly empirical in cue trials is relatively poor. I gave you a C, but unlike many posters, I think you have A level knowledge. When you proof read your work, ask why, and then why, and the why again. See if you think your writing supports 3 why inquisition. I think the hardest thing was I really bit on the theory average players want great cues. That sucked me in but then I felt left wanting more "why" out of that.

 

[KRJ]

Hmmmm

never mind

 

[Fatboy]

I think that I gave the writing a 'D', based on the grammatical and spelling errors. The message within the writing was clear, though.

Having spent time on the internet for approximately 20 years, I've grown accustomed to reading the message through the words. You wander a little bit during the post, but only in talking about about personal experiences in regards to your topic.

I do admire your candid nature and desire to improve yourself. With butt-kissing you are left to make a decision based on falsehoods, which can lead to incorrect outcomes. Even if the information you are given is not what you had wanted, as long as it is factual you can make an informed decision and have a better prediction of the outcome.

Also, I have met quite a few people with money and I like to consider myself a people-watcher. That being said, I have never found a person to be made out of the things that they have. I have seen happy homeless people and suicidal millionaires. The difference between them is that they were accepting (if not happy) with who they were and what they did. You, Eric, come off as happy with who you are without having to make excuses for it. Your writing, on the other hand...


As for the post.. the stick also depends upon the person using it. If you can understand and compensate for a 'recap' tip just as quickly as you can with two of your own cues, that is a huge advantage. Many professionals in different areas are comfortable only with certain things. Look at sports - with home field advantages, natural vs. astroturf, clay vs. grass, etc. The ones that usually dominate are the ones that can change with the conditions. I believe you had mentioned Bugs with wall sticks and bank pool.. I'm no high-end bank player, but I find the game easier to adjust to with different equiment. I'm not having to do long draws or other odd things to get position as much. It is more about hits and angles, so I can worry less about what I'm doing to the cueball and more about what I'm doing to the object ball.

I appreciate your feed back, I didn't spell check every word, some words I spell so bad that spell check can't fix them. I was mostly concerned with being clear and conveying an opinion on a topic.

thanks again,