Silver Bullet

JoeyA

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
I once took a pool lesson from Ray Martin and one of the things that I came away with was, "There's no such thing as a Silver Bullet".

That being said, I have heard and read different things from different posters over the years and I often hear that you can play just as well with this cue as that cue and this shaft and that shaft and this tip and that tip.

While I have to agree it is easy for me to play with just about any cue that I use, some equipment does in fact change the dynamics of the way a cue plays.

I'm not going to sit here and tell everyone that they can play better with a Kamui tip or that you can play better with an OB Classic Pro or a Mike Bender cue. I continue to try out new tips, ferrules, shafts and tapers to see what I can play best with. There are differences with each of these changes and EACH of these changes can affect how I play.

I whole-heartily agree that getting used to the equipment that you have now is most of the battle but if you are looking to tweak your equipment, don't hesitate to change up the components. Changing these components WILL affect the way you play, positively or negatively.

Lessons are great, quality practice is great, competition is great, tournaments are great but don't shy away from trying out new equipment. It could be the little extra you need to move you to the next level.

I'm not talking necessarily about buying every doo-dad that comes on the market but just trying to advise some of you who are wondering how much of a difference equipment really makes. It makes a difference but you may or may not notice the difference unless you are really paying attention.

I shoot the same shots over and over modifying how I shoot the shot and with what English. Some equipment simply change the dynamics of the shot, plain and simple. Don't be shy about trying out these components ESPECIALLY when they have been tested and are used my competent players.

If you are one of those players who is content with your game, then there is no need for you to purchase anything new. If your knowledge of the game and destined talent level has already peaked, there is one more thing that can help move you to another level....equipment. And if some new equipment doesn't improve your game, don't blame me. :D

Waiting for my Diveney Salvage Lake-Wood shaft to arrive today, just in time for a big tournament. Nothing like getting new equipment just before a big tournament. :p
 
ETC. system

Joey, I've enjoyed a lot of your posts...
..but I especially like this one.
I have some firm ideas about this game...but I don't want to be handcuffed
to them.
..don't want to be like the golfers from 100 years ago who said hickory
would never be replaced by steel....how wrong were they?
I traveled with a light Joss and a heavy Szamboti and needed both depending
on conditions...and they were both tweaked to my satisfaction.

I have one of those 'lake' shafts and it hits strong...don't be afraid to taper
it to suit you.

regards
pt..<..who uses ETC. ...'cause there's always something more:)
 
JoeyA said:
I once took a pool lesson from Ray Martin and one of the things that I came away with was, "There's no such thing as a Silver Bullet".

That being said, I have heard and read different things from different posters over the years and I often hear that you can play just as well with this cue as that cue and this shaft and that shaft and this tip and that tip.

While I have to agree it is easy for me to play with just about any cue that I use, some equipment does in fact change the dynamics of the way a cue plays.

I'm not going to sit here and tell everyone that they can play better with a Kamui tip or that you can play better with an OB Classic Pro or a Mike Bender cue. I continue to try out new tips, ferrules, shafts and tapers to see what I can play best with. There are differences with each of these changes and EACH of these changes can affect how I play.

I whole-heartily agree that getting used to the equipment that you have now is most of the battle but if you are looking to tweak your equipment, don't hesitate to change up the components. Changing these components WILL affect the way you play, positively or negatively.

Lessons are great, quality practice is great, competition is great, tournaments are great but don't shy away from trying out new equipment. It could be the little extra you need to move you to the next level.

I'm not talking necessarily about buying every doo-dad that comes on the market but just trying to advise some of you who are wondering how much of a difference equipment really makes. It makes a difference but you may or may not notice the difference unless you are really paying attention.

I shoot the same shots over and over modifying how I shoot the shot and with what English. Some equipment simply change the dynamics of the shot, plain and simple. Don't be shy about trying out these components ESPECIALLY when they have been tested and are used my competent players.

If you are one of those players who is content with your game, then there is no need for you to purchase anything new. If your knowledge of the game and destined talent level has already peaked, there is one more thing that can help move you to another level....equipment. And if some new equipment doesn't improve your game, don't blame me. :D

Waiting for my Diveney Salvage Lake-Wood shaft to arrive today, just in time for a big tournament. Nothing like getting new equipment just before a big tournament. :p
Click to expand...
Good post Joey. Well said. I think you have to be at a certain level of play to notice such differences. Remember, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.:)
 
DRW said:
Good post Joey. Well said. I think you have to be at a certain level of play to notice such differences. Remember, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.:)
Click to expand...

I didn't want to sound egotistical by mentioning this but you are correct.

That being said, those differences are there regardless of the person's ability to notice them.
 
Hey Joey , like the post except about the buying gadgets part..lol . I think I've purchased everything that promised to be the missing link. Though some have proved very useful others seemed now funny at best. I recently started to just try relaxing and letting the cues weight do the work...imagined that..how simply forgotten..running racks again..My gadgets will be up on e-bay soon for those missing the link.
 
Nice post Joey, Please do a review if possible and inform us of what your experience is with the new Diveney shaft.
 
What, no silver bullet?

Good post, but seriously Joey, you can't be telling everyone there is no Silver Bullet. You just put a couple of "doo-dad" companies out of business.
 
Your post brings to mind a a conversation that I had with a local player, one of, it not the best in the area, back in NY several years ago, now. Just after we moved he was able to acquire a Schon cue which he had wanted for years. A few years later I saw him again and he was playing with a Pechaur. When I asked him why, he said he could do things with the Pechaur that he couldn't do with the Schon. A lot of those "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian" critics would do well to remember that not all cues play the same and sometimes it really does make a difference.
I've never looked for a "magic bullet", but I'm always trying something new and different, or at least I used to:p Not so much anymore, I've been using my current cue {Dan Dishaw} for over 17 years, now.
Edit: Forgot to mention that over all those years I have owned two Gulyassys, an Andy Gilbert, a Murray Tucker, and a Black Dot shaft Meucci. The Dishaw is the one I still own. Nothing wrong with the others.
 
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Jason Koopman said:
Nice post Joey, Please do a review if possible and inform us of what your experience is with the new Diveney shaft.
Click to expand...

You bet Jason.

When I returned from playing pool last night, on my office chair sat the box which contained the salvage Lake Wood shaft by Diveney.
 
Pushout said:
Your post brings to mind a a conversation that I had with a local player, one of, it not the best in the area, back in NY several years ago, now. Just after we moved he was able to acquire a Schon cue which he had wanted for years. A few years later I saw him again and he was playing with a Pechaur. When I asked him why, he said he could do things with the Pechaur that he couldn't do with the Schon. A lot of those "It's not the arrow, it's the Indian" critics would do well to remember that not all cues play the same and sometimes it really does make a difference.
I've never looked for a "magic bullet", but I'm always trying something new and different, or at least I used to:p Not so much anymore, I've been using my current cue {Dan Dishaw} for over 17 years, now.
Edit: Forgot to mention that over all those years I have owned two Gulyassys, an Andy Gilbert, a Murray Tucker, and a Black Dot shaft Meucci. The Dishaw is the one I still own. Nothing wrong with the others.
Click to expand...

It's the Indian not the arrow reference isn't lost on me. Like you, I have learned that you can do different things with different equipment. The more you pay attention the more you realize what you have been missing.

It is simply fun to discover how these different components help or impede the ability to make certain shots.

JoeyA
 
Indian or the Arrow...

I'm certainly one who at times has used the Indian or the Arrow phrase...

I have nearly a dozen cues (all of them have some difference in them) and yes, some I find it easier to do a particular thing with than with a different cue.

But, I think, if you have a good solid fundamentals (consistent stroke, balanced stance, repeatable bridge, consistent eye/head slot, etc) as a general rule you can play with most cues. Will you be playing your best speed, absolutely not. When a cue feels like an extension of the mind, goes exactly where you want to go, and your brain can literally place exactly where the cue ball is going to be left... then that is the cue for you.

One last thought, I know I'm continuing my cue search (it's as much fun as the finding - a Chester Krick is winging it's way to me) but when we start to think that changing arrows is going to solve the problem (be a 'silver bullet') we all need to review our fundamentals, and/or have a good instructor who knows are stroke review, to ensure we haven't had something creep in that's affecting our play.

I try to always remember, I deliver the arrow. Not whoever made the cue...

Have a great day... more practice in my future :thumbup: working on those fundamentals...
 
two cues in my case

There are two cues in my case for a reason. Not getting to play much these days there are times when my good cue isn't working. It's very light and has a smallish diameter tip on it. When I'm playing well it's a surgical tool. When I'm playing poorly it is a tempermental hussy that makes matters worse and I drag out the cue with a more standard weight and a more standard diameter shaft. My play always improves substantially.

What is the best equipment at one level of ability and with one playing style often isn't the best equipment as our abilities and playing style changes. There can be a benefit changing shaft profile and/or tip when playing a rotation style or 14.1/One Pocket style also. Different demands to move the cue ball all over the table to an area to make one ball or move it a shaft length or less with precision to nudge balls around or to make them all in one pocket. We can drive tacks with a mallet or drive stakes in the ground with a tack hammer but the right tool for the job makes things easier.

Hu
 
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