u/carloga and I have been working on adjusting my fundamentals for a while now, and I have one problem left. I thought I'd share these numbers with you guys to highlight just how much better or worse ONE FACTOR of your mechanics can be:

I analyzed my last two 8-ball matches, focusing on rating my elbow control on offensive shots, and then seeing if I made the shot and/or got shape on the next ball.

Bad = elbow was moving before or during cueball contact. 24 shots, made 15, got shape on 7. 62.5% accuracy, 29% cueball control.

Good = elbow was moving AFTER cueball contact. 33 shots, made 27, and got shape on 26. 81.8% accuracy, 78.8% cueball control

Perfect = elbow was completely still until the end of the follow- through. 37 shots, made 36, and got shape on 34. 97.3% accuracy, 91.9% cueball control.

I also went back through and factored in how tough the shots were, and the trend held even for long-distance and/or high-speed shots.

Just to put some emphasis on the numbers, 62.5% accuracy equates to an average of 2.7 balls per inning. 81.8% works out to 5.5. 97.3% is an astounding 37 BALLS PER RUN!!

So do I want to shoot like an APA 2? 6? or Pro? Well, that's an easy question to answer, isn't it?

People here have always argued over it as long as I've been a member of this subreddit, and it's always bothered me. Whenever anyone comes on here to ask for a ruling on a particular situation or even what the rules are in general, people invariably ask what rules people were using, only for the original poster will say something like "BCA Rules". Hell, sometimes the poster even states outright that they were using the "BCA Rules". And, every time, someone quotes the BCAPL Rules. That's wrong. I don't care how many times you want to tell me that when people say BCA Rules that they mean BCAPL Rules. Those aren't the same thing, and people need to be apprised of that. Plain, and simple. And now, the BCAPL is speaking up on the subject. I, for one, am glad the organizations, themselves, are actually speaking out about it.

I can't tell you how many times I've pointed this out over the years. And I'm always surprised by the amount of pushback I receive here. I've had this conversation in real life before, and have seen the way the rules are addressed change within my local pool halls because of this exact discussion. I don't think it's right to say "BCA Rules" knowing that that statement represents the BCA/WPA ruleset while trying to say you meant BCAPL Rules.

The BCA Rules are not the same as the BCAPL Rules. I don't care what you meant, or thought someone else meant, they are not the same thing. I don't care what anyone says. One of the biggest pieces of advice that comes up anytime a question surrounding the rules comes up is to establish the rules prior to playing. You cannot say one thing and mean another. That's dishonest, and a complete misrepresentation of the situation, in my opinion. And, more importantly, skirts the given advice, which is actually relatively sound!

I've even seen people argue with professional players over things that happened in tournaments before simply because they didn't understand that the two rulesets were not the same. Case in point:

Overall, I'm glad the BCAPL finally decided to say something. Having them speak up on the subject might actually cause some much needed change in the way that things are represented in pool halls and on pool forums. BCA Rules ≠ BCAPL Rules. There's no need to continue to confuse the two anymore.

i picked this cue up for $25, need help identification it. it’s missing a joint but I thought it was cool enough to pick up and fix

Hello there!

I wan to let go of my cue case that were signed by the following all have been done during the 2nd day of Philippine Open and on the last day only signed by Karl Boyes

Arseni Sevastyanov

FSR

Billy Thorpe

Skyler Woodward

SVB

Fedor Gorst

David Alcaide

Alloysius Yapp

Duong Quoc Hoang

Thorsten Hohmann

Ralf Souquet

Felix Vogel

Micky Krause

Jayson Shaw

Robbie Capito

Johann Chua

Emily Fraser

Albert Januarta

Denis Grabe

Justin Bergman

Scott Frost

Karl Boyes

Roberto Gomez

Rodolfo Luat

Hiya. This cue was donated to our charity shop in UK midlands, as part of a lot.

I noticed that the decals were individual inlaid pieces, and my instinct was that the level of craftsmanship was greater than standard (certainly greater than the others in the lot).

Does anyone recognise anything that might indicate where and when it was made and whether it's anything special?

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Do you think anything should be added or removed?
This is for a poster to hang in my friend's pool hall.

I DID NOT WRITE THIS, but it sure feels like I did.

STICKS TRAINING ACADEMY

INSTRUCTOR INSIGHT

I'M NO POND KING

A Small-Town Kid With a Big-City Dream

I'm a small-town kid with a big-city dream.

I've played in little bars.

Local tournaments.

Regional tournaments.

Big tournaments.

I've walked into rooms where I was one of the strongest players there.

I've walked into rooms where I was somewhere in the middle.

And I've walked into rooms where I had absolutely no business being considered one of the favorites.

The older I get, the more I've started paying attention to why I choose the tournaments I choose.

And I've realized something.

I'm looking for competition.

Not victories.

Not losses.

Not trophies.

Not validation.

Competition.

There's a difference.

It feels good to win.

It sucks to lose.

I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

I'm a competitor.

When I enter a tournament, I'm trying to win the damn thing.

But winning and competition aren't necessarily the same thing.

I can manufacture wins simply by being careful about where I play.

If I'm considerably better than everybody in the room, my winning percentage should be pretty impressive.

I can stay there.

Keep winning.

Become the big fish.

Eventually I might even start believing that my winning percentage tells me how good I am.

Maybe it doesn't.

Maybe it tells me how small I've kept the pond.

That's the Pond King.

And I don't want to become him.

But there's another trap on the opposite side.

I can skip those tournaments completely.

Tell myself I'm above them.

Then enter enormous tournaments filled with professional-level players where I'm such an underdog that nobody reasonably expects me to win.

Now I get to say:

Look where I'm playing.

Look at these players.

I'm chasing bigger things.

But there's a strange kind of safety there too.

Because if I have almost no chance of winning, losing doesn't necessarily force me to confront anything.

I was supposed to lose.

That's the Paper King.

His crown looks different.

But it can protect the same thing.

The ego.

And that's what I've realized.

The Pond King and the Paper King aren't really opposites.

They're cousins.

One hides from legitimate competition by staying below it.

The other can hide from legitimate competition by jumping completely over it.

One says:

“Look who I beat.”

The other says:

“Look who I play.”

Neither question interests me very much.

I want to know:

Who can you compete with?

Now we're talking.

Because there's a place between being almost guaranteed to win and almost guaranteed to lose.

That's where I want to spend a lot of my time.

The outcome is uncertain.

I might win.

I might lose.

I'm not supposed to win...

but I can.

That's where something happens inside me.

That's where I become curious.

That's where I feel alive as a competitor.

Because now I don't know.

And I've said this for years:

True competition comes from the need to know.

I need to know.

What happens when you put your game against mine?

What happens when I'm under pressure?

What happens when neither one of us knows who's walking away?

What happens when my expectations collide with reality?

That's competition.

And competition gives me something much more valuable than validation.

Truth.

That's what I'm actually looking for.

I don't want competition that exists to tell me how good I am.

I want competition capable of telling me where I'm weak.

Where I'm strong.

What holds up.

What breaks down.

What I understand.

What I thought I understood.

What needs attention.

What needs work.

What needs to grow.

Because the truth creates something.

Need.

And that's where my second principle enters:

Real training begins when there's a need to grow.

How do I know what needs to grow if I never allow legitimate competition to expose it?

That's why I need different tournaments.

Sometimes I need the local tournament.

Sometimes I'm one of the favorites.

That's a legitimate test too.

Can I perform when I'm expected to win?

Can I respect the player everybody thinks I'm supposed to beat?

Can I maintain engagement?

Can I handle the pressure that comes from expectation?

Can I win when winning doesn't make me look particularly special—but losing gets everybody's attention?

That's competition too.

And sometimes I need to remind myself and everybody else:

I'm still here.

I can still play.

There's another level of pool right down the road.

Sticks Training Academy.

Come see me.

But I can't live there.

I can't keep showing up just to beat players I'm supposed to beat and then use those victories to convince myself I'm getting better.

Eventually I've got bigger fish to fry.

I need deeper water.

I need players who can beat me.

I need players I'm capable of beating.

I need uncertainty.

I need competition.

And occasionally I need the other extreme.

I need to walk into the big tournament.

I need to see the monsters.

I need to stand across from players operating at a level above mine.

Not because I want to be a tourist.

Not because I want a picture proving I was there.

Not because simply entering their tournament somehow makes me one of them.

It doesn't.

I'm there because I want perspective.

I want to experience that level.

I want to see what holds up and what falls apart.

I want to be reminded how much room there is above me.

Sometimes I need to be humbled.

That's information too.

But I'm not going to confuse being in the same tournament with being legitimate competition for the people capable of winning it.

Those are two completely different things.

And there's something else I've learned to respect.

The lower-level player who walks into that local tournament knowing he's probably going to get beat?

I see him.

Maybe everybody knows he has very little chance.

He shows up anyway.

I respect that.

Because he's willing to receive information he might not like.

He's willing to find out.

That takes something.

And the strong player who walks into that same tournament as the favorite?

I respect him too.

Because he's willing to carry the expectation.

He's willing to put his reputation on the table.

He's willing to find out too.

That's what I'm interested in.

Players willing to find out.

Maybe that's why I don't want one permanent position in the food chain.

Sometimes I'm the bigger fish.

Sometimes I'm somewhere in the middle.

Sometimes I'm the little fish.

That's okay.

Change the water.

Because every position asks something different from me.

When I'm the favorite:

Can I handle expectation?

When we're evenly matched:

Can I compete?

When I'm the underdog:

Can I rise?

When I'm completely outclassed:

Can I humble myself enough to learn?

Different water.

Different questions.

Different information.

And that's ultimately what I'm trying to do with my ego.

I'm not trying to pretend I don't have one.

I do.

I want to win.

I want people to respect my game.

I want to know I'm capable.

But I'm not interested in building my entire competitive life around protecting that belief.

I want to test it.

I want to expose it.

I want to put it somewhere the answer isn't predetermined.

Because if I already know I'm going to win, what am I finding out?

And if I already know I'm going to lose, what am I finding out?

Give me that uncomfortable space in between.

Give me uncertainty.

Give me somebody who believes he can beat me.

Give me a reason to believe I can beat him.

Rack the balls.

Now let's find out.

That's competition to me.

Not proving.

Discovering.

Not protecting an identity.

Testing one.

Not looking for an environment that confirms what I already believe.

Looking for an environment capable of showing me something I don't know.

Because:

True competition comes from the need to know.

And once competition gives me the truth, I take that truth back to the training table.

Now I have direction.

Now I have questions.

Now I have something that needs attention.

Now I have a reason to work.

Real training begins when there's a need to grow.

Competition reveals the need.

Training addresses the need.

Then I go compete again.

That's the circle.

I'm a small-town kid with a big-city dream.

I don't want to become king of a pond.

And I don't want a paper crown because I stood beside the sharks.

I want legitimate competition.

I want the truth.

Sometimes that truth is going to make me feel pretty damn good.

Sometimes it's going to hurt.

Give it to me anyway.

Because I'm not trying to create the appearance of being a great player.

I'm trying to become a better one.

And I can't do that hiding from the very thing capable of showing me where I stand.

Competition.

Find it.

Gravitate toward it.

Don't run from it.

Put your game out there.

Find out.

Take the truth back to the training table.

And grow.

True competition comes from the need to know.

Real training begins when there's a need to grow.

I'm no Pond King.

I'm no Paper King.

I'm a student looking for competition.

STICKS TRAINING ACADEMY

Small-town kid. Big-city dream.

Students Only.

Are there sellers that offer the same artwork in different color combinations, or let you request a color change? Would be useful when the design is right but the stock colors aren’t.

I have a 9’ table and it came with this cover which I love that it is heavy and durable it has a nice fabric inside with leatherette outside. I just hate the olive drab color. Does anyone know who makes very nice heavy and durable covers? My google search has led me to a lot of cheap options. Thanks!

When you order a cue with your own artwork, do companies usually keep the design on file? Curious whether you can order an identical replacement later or if you need to keep all the original files yourself.

Added the red white and blue Viking Defender to the family

I understand that the Simonis X-1 cleaning pad is not recommended for Teflon-treated cloth, like my Championship Invitation cloth. So what are my best options?

Ordered the new purple ghost chalk to try and was going to have my buddy print me a chalk holder but can't seem to find an STL file. Just the chalk cup is really all we need.

I have something loose inside. I took the weight out but there is something else. What is it? And should i try to fix it or no?

I enjoy playing on pretty much any table that isn't too messed up, but I realized that I prefer playing on Diamonds considerably more on average vs Valley/Dynamo/Great American/Shelti etc. tables.

They just seem to play more "true" on average if that makes sense, and I experience seemingly much fewer weird rolls or dead rails. Plus Diamonds generally accept non-magnetic cue balls if you wish to use one.

Diamond bar tables generally have 4.5 inch pockets, which are not overly punitive for amateur play while also not being big enough to take many poorly struck balls.

I do think there is also merit of playing people on those bucket pocket bar tables as well (forces table discipline since even weaker shooters can run 4 or 5 balls against you), but I definitely prefer 4.5 inch pockets.

Hello I've been playing pool for a couple years almost and all the really good players seem to watch pool regularly. I'm really intimidated by the thought and don't even know where to start there's so many matches so many tournaments so many players. Can someone point me in the right direction, thank you!

I work around cues for a living, and the grip question comes up more than almost anything else, so I'd like to hear what actual players prefer.

From what I've seen: - Wrapless players usually have a light grip and don't sweat much. - Leather fans like the feel, but often wish it ran all the way to the butt cap. - Irish linen is polarizing: some love how it absorbs sweat, others can't stand it.

What are you playing right now, and would you ever switch? Does a wrap help you find the same hand position every time, or is that just in our heads?

So the last month or so has kept me away from pool (death in family, significant other in hospital, lower back pain, shoulder pain).

So getting back on the table after a break like that, what do you to get your fundamentals straightened out and pre shot routine back on track and everything back to like it was before? (I know what I do - but want to know what others do)

Basically, after long break what do you do to get back in stroke?
Or if you are in a slump, what do you do to get back in stroke?

Anyone like using kamui medium brown tips?? How well do they hold chalk?? I use Roku for the past 6 years. Won’t switch to any other chalk. I recently purchased a cb shaft with a soft kamui and I noticed it does not hold chalk very well. Not a big fan of it. I do use a medium zan and I do like it. Just want to get everyone’s opinion on it. Maybe upload a photo of yours if possible?? TIA

Just a PSA -- if you order gloves from Omega, they run large. I have large-ish hands (I can palm a basketball) and the Large fits loosely. The Medium fits snugly. Fit is personal preference but just letting people know. The gloves seem otherwise fine.

This is not a promotion or an ad, I don't work for them, and I just got the gloves so I don't know how they wear or anything.