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Cues will be submitted for final Judgment this coming summer of 09.

7 Cues of similar Specifications from 7 different unknown cue makers will travel across the country.

The judges include cue makers, cue professionals, and players who have stepped foreword on the AzBilliards Forum. Check out the List of Judges

Or See the Map of where these cues will be

Rules and Further information

Any Questions Shoot your mouth off on the ACBO Forum

 
Jasmin Ouschan Comments on her suspension
The following press release was received by us today from WPBA Touring Pro Jasmin Ouschan...


The Austrian Jasmin Ouschan, Winner of the WPBA Tour stop in North Carolina, was suspended for two tournaments by the WPBA Board (Women´s Professional Billiard Association). This suspension concerns the tournament in Florida which starts tomorrow and the first event in the new season. The reason for this suspension is, due to WPBA Boards statement, Jasmin Ouschans participation in the 10 Ball World Championship in Manila which was on the same date as the WPBA event in Oregon.
 
"Of course I am surprised about the decision and disappointed but I also have to understand the WPBA who wants to protect their tour. But I made my decision in time and announced it according to their rules. As a sportswoman I stand up to my decision that I chose to play in a World Championship, which was sanctioned by the World Pool Association (WPA) the only institution in our sport which has also the WPBA as a member. I think it was the right decision since a World Championship is one of the highest event in sport. That these two events were conflicting is not my fault but now I am the one who has to pay for it.“
 
Jasmin Ouschan says about the consequence of this suspension: "Due to my last victory on this tour I could finally change my ranking position. Because of my participation at the 10 Ball World Championship I already missed one event and so it hurts even more that I can´t play the last one either and so I miss about a third of the total points. Since the new season is also affected by the suspension I will have one less tournament in my valuation, I certainly changed my expectations.”
 
The current decision is not yet legal, since Jasmin Ouschan used her right to appeal.
 
A final decision should be available in the next 30 days.




The WPBA was contacted for a comment and they said that the issue is currently under appeal by Ms. Ouschan and they have no further comments at this time.
 
Villar Cup Bacolod Day 2

BACOLOD CITY – Joven Bustamante and Ramil Gallego trounced their respective foes to arrange a quarterfinalsJoven Bustamante showdown in the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup Bacolod leg yesterday at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex here.

Bustamante, a member of the star-studded Bugsy Promotions of businessman Perry Mariano, demolished local bet Elmer Haya, 11-5, while Gallego made mincemeat of Japanese Kenji Taguchi, 11-5, to become the first players to move three steps closer to the prestigious title and the $15,000 top purse at stake in the island-hopping series presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine sports.

Coming off a huge win over former World Cup of Pool titlist Jianbo Fu of China in the opening round, Bustamante sustained his fiery form against Haya as he quickly raced to a 9-0 lead to set the tone for a rout.

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Reyes leads the opening day, Chua takes out Gomez
joan ChuaBACOLOD CITY – Pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes took Mike Takayama to school, blasting the teenage upstart, 11-5, to lead opening round winners of the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup Bacolod Leg yesterday at the the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex here.


This as the prestigious island-hopping series will surely have no back-to-back leg champion in its inaugural season after Davao leg ruler Roberto Gomez succumbed to 16-year-old Johann Chua, 11-6, in one of the huge upsets recorded in the first of this four-day event presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

The 54-year-old Reyes, who is trying to end an unusually long title-drought, played the game that made him the icon of the sport as he quickly raced to 7-1 lead against Takayama, one of the rising stars of Philippine billiards who is thrice younger than him.

He then reached the hill after the 12th rack, and after allowing his foe to claim three straight racks, the man also popularly known as the Magician, retook the table and cleaned it up with one of his many trademark tricks to seal the victory and deliver himself to the Last 16 of this $37,800 tournament sponsored by Camella Communities.

Read more...
 
Top Seeds Immonen, Morris, Williams, Hohmann Progress Through Asia 10-Ball Championships
had almost as easy task with wins over Won Jae Lee (KOR) 9-2 and Au Siu Wai 9-4 (HK). Seoul, Korea-  Day 1 of the 5th Annual Asia 10-Ball Championships is concluded with relatively few upsets. #1 seed Mika Immonen (FIN) had an easy day with a bye and then a 9-0 win over Korea's Sung Ho Seo. Thorsten HohmannRodney Morris struggled after his first round bye against an unknown Korean amateur player 9-7 as well as Heoun Ho Kim (KOR Charlie Williams) who barley defeated Korean amateur champions Moon Suk Jang 9-7 and Su Bok Park 9-8.
 
"I love tight tables. You have to be able to really play well to defeat the better player." commented Immonen on the pocket toughness.
 
"When me and Mika arrived, I told Mika I must be really tired cause the tables from even a distance looked super tight." said Rodney Morris.

This year's event has drawn the largest contingent of amateur players for a pro event in Korea with 20 top amateur players vying in both men and women's divisions. The amateurs were well represented by the biggest upset of the day coming from Korea's Yhong Hwang's 9-6 victory over #5 seed Hayato Hijikata (JPN), who is ranked in the top 5 in Japan and a former World Junior 10-Ball Champion. Australia's Todd Hayward also fell in both of his matches to Korean amateurs. The Filipino contingent of Renemar David, Jech Limen, and #6 seed Rodrigo Geronimo all easily advanced to Day 2 unscathed. The Hong Kong contingent of four players had a rough day with defeats by the Koreans save for #7 seed Lee Chenman who had an easy two wins including a 9-0 shutout to advance.

In the women's division, #1 seed Gui Young Lee defeated Ha Na (KOR) 7-4 and #4 seed Kaori Ebe (JPN) 7-4. #5 seed Junko Mitsuoka (JPN) upsetted #2 seed Neslihan Gurel (TUR) 7-6 with both players missing the 10-ball twice in the final exciting game.

"In Korea the tables we used traditionally would be considered very forgiving. We promised the international players that in the future as the Korean players get better, we would make conditions tougher and more favorable to the better players. In the past four years, the Koreans have made dramatic improvements to their skill levels as we have grown the sport and brought the best players of the world here.  So living up to our word, I doubt anyone can argue that the tables are loose now." said Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions.
 
The XTM Asia 10-Ball Championships is produced by Dragon Promotions and played on Min Tables with Simonis Cloth and Aramith Balls. Official Cue is Poison Cues and Predator Cues. Final day will have six matches airing on XTM and XPORTS.
 
 

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The Cues

1. The cue will have a lightly figured BEM forearm and butt

2. Handle will be Maple or Purpleheart, wrapped or wrapless
3. Cue builder to decide to core or not to core

4. cue builders personal taper on shaft

5. Cue builder to use Molavia Medium tips provided by Duc Lam

6. Builder's to use black phenolic collars, buttcap

7. Cuemakers choice on ferrule, pin

8. Weight will be 19oz +/- 2oz

9. No ringwork, inlays, points, signatures or trademarks

10. have integrity & build the cue as if somebody had ordered it, the same way you'd build all of your cues.

 

A Custom Case has been offered up by JB Cases to house all of the cues

 
Written by Administrator   

 

Cues will be submitted for final Judgment this coming summer of 09.

7 Cues of similar Specifications from 7 different unknown cue makers will travel across the country.

The judges include cue makers, cue professionals, and players who have stepped foreword on the AzBilliards Forum. Check out the List of Judges

Or See the Map of where these cues will be

Rules and Further information

Any Questions Shoot your mouth off on the ACBO Forum

 
Mind of Steel - Overcoming Choking!
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“Choking” is when you know how to do something and have successfully have done it before, yet in pressure situations you fail because of a lack of focus and execution.  In the game of pool choking is a common occurrence, especially during tournaments when it seems as though the table gets longer and the pockets become smaller.  This month I would like to share with you why choking occurs, and what you can do to minimize choking the next time you play when the stakes are high!

Choking always begins with fear.  Interestingly, for human beings fear can be real (i.e. somebody shooting a gun at you), or irrational (worrying about what somebody might think if I miss this next shot).  Regardless of the source (real or irrational), our bodies respond with anxiety in the same exact way.  In other words, your body doesn’t care if it hears gun shots or is afraid of your opponent standing over the pool table – the physical anxiety (i.e. increased heart rate; tense, tight muscles; and shallow breathing are examples) will be experienced the same exact way!

Once fear kicks into negative anxiety, your mind will begin to exclusively focus on the physical symptoms of nerves (the shallow breathing, increased heart rate, etc) instead of thinking about the shot you need to make on the table in front of you!  From there, most players will start talking to themselves and say things like “don’t screw up,” or “don’t miss this next shot.”  Guess what happens next?  You got it – the shot is missed!  Once your self-talk becomes negative and conservative, you are basically done (Don’t believe me?  Try NOT thinking of as pink elephant and see what happens.  Now go tell yourself NOT to miss the next shot and see what happens).

Once the shot is missed, the player usually experiences more negative energy, more fear, more anxiety, and in some cases the day may end up being lost completely.  It’s amazing all this starts from fear – and irrational fear at that!  Think about it – there is no real fear when playing pool, yet how many thousands and thousands of players allow their minds and bodies to experience fear as though they were in fear for their life?!  Seriously, who cares about who you are playing or how many people are watching – they cant take the stick out of your hands and make you miss shots!

If you want to minimize choking, try the following tips:
When you start getting nervous while playing, where is the fear coming from?  Are you worried what somebody will think if you miss?  Are you concerned who is watching you shoot?  If you are feeling any of these kinds of things STOP immediately, stand up, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself you are experiencing irrational fear!
Breathing through your stomach is the best way to immediately calm your body down.  Try taking 2-3 deep belly breaths and watch how your body responds – its pretty amazing.
Self-talk (what you say to yourself) is also a great way to refocus and remain calm in tough situations.  Tell yourself words like “focus” or “stay cool” and your mind and body will respond accordingly.
Once you conquer fear, confidence will take over – leading you to synchrony between your mind and body, experiencing “the zone” more frequently, and positive self-talk (and more wins, too!).

 Dr. Christopher Stankovich is a nationally acclaimed expert in Sport Psychology and the Founder of Advanced Human Performance Systems.  For more information on performance-enhancement products, including the exclusive  “Mind of Steel for Pool Success” visit www.drstankovich.com
Keywords : overcome choke, pool choke, pool tournament, loose nerves
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Written by Chris Stankovich, Ph.D.   
Saturday, 04 October 2008 10:45
Last Updated ( Saturday, 04 October 2008 10:52 )
 
All Things are equal
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My wish is that you come to terms with this great game. We are just players in a vast arena. We are part of it all and for many of us, we hold our heads up high. For we are the champions of the game. The measure of a great player is in how he handles the ups and downs of pocket billiards. How you handle the tough loss is just as important as how you handle the incredible victories. For to swagger over a win, or cry over a loss, is to lose either way. We must be the champions we strive to be. And weather we stand in the winners circle surrounded by fans, or weep in the losers corner we know in our hearts that "this to will change." We are but pilgrims on a never ending journey. It is great to be in the game.


Keywords : game, billiards, loss, victories, champions
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Written by Tim Miller   
Sunday, 05 October 2008 21:12
Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 October 2008 21:59 )
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The Match Player
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What happens when a Match Player competes with a Gambler? Nothing. A Match Player will not compete with a Gambler. There is a distinct difference between the two players. The Match Player is seeking the ultimate game, while the Gambler seeks to destroy. The sweetest words a gambler will hear is "I am broke" while the words that sing the melody of this great game to the Match Player are, "nice game".


Keywords : match, billiards, game, pocket
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Written by Tim Miller   
Sunday, 05 October 2008 21:14
Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 October 2008 21:58 )
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