APA 8 Ball Match: Me vs the Surgeon (SL5 v SL5) w/Commentary

[@davidgelovani9451]

Just joined APA a month ago, skill level 3 but on track for a 4. I love the game and glad I found your content!

[@mikestuckey]

welcome to the league bro. it’s a good time! and glad you’re tuned in! skill level 4 is a big difference but you’ll be ready for it!

[@leeseawright8304]

I've been digging the league match videos on KZbin lately. Makes you feel a lot better about your own progress vs watch pros run racks. Great content Mike nice calming vibe to the video.

[@mikestuckey]

glad to hear you enjoyed it! thx for the feedback!

[@dylansilvers8640]

Heck yeah already a 5 in league. Amazing progress and production quality is crazy good!!! Money Miiiiiiike

[@mikestuckey]

Yooo thanks so much dude!!

[@dylansilvers8640]

@mikestuckey can't wait to see more matches big dawg.

[@luuisefonzi6943]

hey man ive been a lurker for a little while, but I just had a terrible day yesterday and its still on my mind. Watching your commentary on these matches is really relaxing and it's helping a lot thanks man much love.

[@mikestuckey]

wow..i’m sorry to hear of the bad day. glad to know these helped take your mind off of it. we’re in this together bro. heads up.

[@samcervarich4216]

Mike you are the man.. coolest dude out. Love your pool videos. Good playing you last night. I got lucky 😉

[@mikestuckey]

you absolutely did not get lucky. well deserved victory my friend. win some lose some! see ya around bro and thx for chiming in!!

[@josephshackleford1]

Really cool video, love the high quality and the commentary. That table's felt, however, is beat.

[@mikestuckey]

beyond beat haha! it’s amazing how you can play this game with such poor table conditions. there are other bars in town that i’ve played league at that are even worse. I just love competing though man i’ll play on anything! thanks for the comment!

[@mikestuckey]

Yo pool fam!! Anotha one! Enjoy and leave some comments!! thx!!

[@hlongvn4258]

Greatly enjoyed your editing and commentary 🎉 Although the table looked like it was in pretty rough condition

[@mikestuckey]

they’re in bad shape haha. much worse than you can see but what do we do 🤷🏾‍♂️ haha! thx for the comment!

[@Adrenaline416]

This video just showed up near the top of my KZbin whatever you call it, page or whatever; I didn't even have to scroll to find it. I wasn't going to click on it because I was like "Man I don't want to watch some dude's head cam, I only watch pro videos." But I thought I'd check it out and glad I did. I'm a true beginner, I'm so beginner I don't even know what skill level I am. I don't think they even have a skill level for me. Like a negative number probably. But your edit pacing was good, commentary was good, I was able to follow along and learn at bit. And tiddies are always an appropriate word since we haven't quite renamed the planet "easily offended by everything" yet. Nice work, and hello from Albuquerque 👍

[@mikestuckey]

hahahahaha bro this cracked me up so much!! subscribe and stay in touch haha!!

[@sethh8892]

i remember starting out as a 3 and in no time getting to a 7. Do a lot of English drills. Great way to improve your game. And like you said, LEARN YOUR TABLE! The better you know the table and all of its rolls, the more of an advantage you have on the opponent.

[@mikestuckey]

that’s faaaccts!! thanks for chiming in seth!!

[@jaronguy4177]

good shooting with you this evening Mike. @12:45 "Greased it" when he hit the rail then counted on the side of the pocket to take the ball in is more commonly called "Cheated" as in "I had to cheat the corner pocket because the 8 ball was in the way" or "I cheated the corner for better shape"

[@mikestuckey]

jaron! good to see ya on here! you were ruthless today haha! thanks for the comment bro. i’ll see ya around i’m sure! and i’ll hopefully post our match next week!

[@jaronguy4177]

We will deff play again soon man; was a good matchup, I got a bit lucky at the end. You seemed chill man, open to doing dual viewpoints on our set if you have time and are open to it@@mikestuckey

[@mattdevico5747]

Great job Mike! I like the POV cam. One thing i would say is stay down on the shot just a liiiittle longer after the cue ball contacts the object ball. That will increase your shot percentage on tougher shots and make the POV cam a little less disorienting when you stand up after the shot. Might give more time to make editing cuts too, but I'm sure you're the expert in that department 😂

[@mikestuckey]

no you’re spot on, matt! it’s something I definitely noticed while editing (“wow I pop up waaay too soon lol”) and another buddy noticed the cuts being a bit jarring. but that’s why I had to cut it like that because I wasn’t staying down. thanks for the excellent feedback! gonna make’m better!!

[@nickmagazine1650]

Pretty good man! Love the commentary. Your shot making and your fundamentals are excellent for a beginner! You could improve your game a lot very quickly by cleaning up your shot selection. If there are no problem balls, try to look at balls that lead into an easy 8 ball and work backwards from there. Lets look at the first rack as an example: At 1:35, your pattern should probably be a variation of {11, 15, 14, 12,10, 9, 13} (assuming you stay in position). You really want to play the 13 last as it will always give you an easy shot on the 8 ball in the side (the only pocket available at this time). You play a nice shot on the 11, and get very good shape on the 15 and pocket that as well. From this position, you are in perfect shape to roll the 14 ball and get either straight on the 12, or just above it. From there, a stun (or possibly draw depending on where you land) gets you on the 10 ball, at which point a stun also gets you on the 9 ball, followed by another easy stun onto the 13 ball, and finally an easy 8 in the side. Instead, you opt to shoot the 10 ball, which will then play into the 9, followed by the 13. At this point, the only two balls that would be left on the table are the 12 and 14, both of which will be difficult to transition into shooting the 8 for the final shot. Another quick example: on the (same) first rack: at 3:00, your opponent gives you ball in hand. From this point, the order should be either {12, 9, 13, 8} or {9, 12, 13, 8} All three balls, can give you position on the 8 ball, but the 13 ball will almost always be the easiest (a thin hit with top on the left side of the 13 from almost any position will bring the cue ball mid table for a shot on the 8 in the side). Additionally, the 9 and 12 are potentially tricky to get shape on from one another, so it would have been best to knock them out with ball in hand. One example of an easy pattern would be to play the 12 in the right side pocket with top to get straight on the 9 in the top right corner. From that point, you can play the 13 from any position for an easy 8 in the side. Pattern play is probably the easiest element to quickly improve on, if you clean up this aspect of your game you should find yourself running racks with regularity. A good way to improve is to watch professional matches and pause after the players break. Write down the order of balls you think they should play, and then unpause and watch the pattern they actually play. Over time this will help you identify easier patterns in your own games. Good luck!

[@mikestuckey]

nick!!! bro…incredible feedback, incredible!! grateful for this comment. it’s wild how it’s makes so much sense NOW and not then lol. I thought I was getting better at looking at the table but nah i’m not haha. man if you’re in the nashville area I need some coaching!! otherwise please keep giving this kind of feedback, it’s on the money!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@tdjjdt]

5 nights schedule is tough. More power to you. Seems like you are learning and taking the right steps to get better. Keep up the good work

[@mikestuckey]

man listen…this probably the LAST session of 5 nights a week lol. I’m actually practicing less because i’m competing more. I don’t like that. Thanks for the great comment bro!!

[@TheMysticSpade]

And expensive. Our area it's $10 per match so if you're doing 5 nights of double jeopardy that's $100 a week.

[@mikestuckey]

@TheMysticSpade ours is $7 a match. 7 matches a week for me at most. $50/week “investment” haha hopefully it pays off with this yt channel lol.

[@TheMysticSpade]

@@mikestuckey we have some spots that are $7 a match but it's plus quarters for the table which usually winds up being more than $10 a match at the locations that have 8 foot tables.

[@mikestuckey]

@@TheMysticSpade ahh I see.. it’s wild out here

[@daveprice9128]

I was a 7 in the APA in Alabama. Long story but the team got 9th place over 300 teams played in Vegas. I don’t have a place to play pool where I live. I have a preditor cue only 100 made.

[@mikestuckey]

🔥🔥 I’m from bham. Gonna film at Iron City next weekend! And hoping to go to vegas this fall!

[@raylebonville7499]

just found your channel, so far I like

[@mikestuckey]

glad to hear! i’m editing some new content today! thx for the comment!

[@embracemarriageministries4882]

Hey Mike...great POV of your game. the camera shows your head is moving from the cueball to the object ball instead of your eyes. It will help you see why you might have missed some shots. Otherwise, great shooting.

[@mikestuckey]

you’re absolutely right. I meant to mention that in the commentary. having the camera on my head revealed a lot of bad habits! good observation my brotha!

[@embracemarriageministries4882]

@@mikestuckey I play with a cap on for most of my matches. If I wear it low enough, it helps me to keep from getting distracted from my surroundings. But sometimes it affects my vision of the object ball.

[@mikestuckey]

@@embracemarriageministries4882 that’s a good tip, cutting out distractions. mmmm. but yea you gotta see that object ball haha!

[@larryviars6199]

When I played BCA I used play this guy who was 7 in the pool hall. He wasn’t a top 7 but he got me 90% of the time. One day I went to the dentist. They gave me Valium and codeine. I played the guy ran maybe 3 racks. He said what going on with you. I told him he was like oh. No nerves. I knew what to do just would lapse in concentration or nerves I guess. But being relaxed and at ease means a lot. Unrelated to the story but a good point nonetheless

[@mikestuckey]

incredible story! thanks for sharing with us. i’m hardly ever relaxed but I have a reason for when I play well. im probably just chillin…not a care in the world.

[@InBobWeTrust]

Hi there, SL 6 here. @ 3:03: your 13 should be your key ball to get back on the 8 ball. Never start a ball in hand by shooting a "duck". I personally would have started with the 9 with a little draw to come back for the 10. At that point, any leave on the table makes it easy to use the 13 to come back to the 8-ball. Phrased a different way, always start with your hardest balls. The 13 also served as a pocket blocker if you would have missed at any point.

[@jeffwilby]

Great video and commentary man 👌🏼 Just a thought, there was tons of opportunity to play safe for both you guys. We all run across those situations where sometimes the right shoot isn't always easy to see and a lockup safe or just a good safe giving your opponent a long shot will get you more dubs and you'll just become a much stronger player. Glad I found your channel! Look forward to more of your match videos 👍🏻

[@mikestuckey]

thanks for saying that! you are 💯 right. I need to play a lot more safeties. I really appreciate your feedback, jeff!!

[@jeffwilby]

@mikestuckey sure thing man. Most important thing is keep it light and just have fun with it! Glad to see new players jumping into the game and enjoying themselves. I've been playing for close to 40 years now but competitively only about 20

[@mikestuckey]

@jeffwilby that’s a lot of pool my friend. that’s my whole life haha. I truly value your input! thanks again!

[@amazing40s97]

So Mike, in your first game, you got ball in hand. With 8 ball, I always try to cut the table in half so I’m not going back and forth and normally will start with the half table without the 8 ball and finish with the other half last.

[@Theway21]

Nice watching your journey, started playing pool 18 months ago. Have the same cue stick. What are you using to record your shots ?

[@mikestuckey]

Thanks for watching and commenting! The SVB cue is solid! I use a Sony fx3 camera and a GoPro 7 black.

[@Theway21]

Thanks, been thinking about documenting my pool journey so need to figure out the best equipment to use. @@mikestuckey

[@Amateur_Pool]

Good job, man! Cool idea with the pov

[@mikestuckey]

thanks my guy!! Learning a lot from you too bro!!

[@Amateur_Pool]

@mikestuckey 🙌❤️.. i have noticed a lot more people doing on screen commentary lately! 😏

[@mikestuckey]

@Amateur_Pool yes! and bro, yt is pushing it!! I watched you from like 5k and man your channel skyrocketed!

[@Amateur_Pool]

@mikestuckey You get better engagement from your audience when you're on screen. That's what YT notices

[@creeperparty7s7777]

IM A 7/8 AND ALL YOU GOT TO DO IN THIS GAME IS BE YOU MAN GREAT SHOOTING YOU SHOOT SOLID

[@mikestuckey]

man….feels good to read this. I played like 💩 tonight. thanks for the kinds words 🙏🏾💯

[@anthonymoore986]

Oh this is dope! 🔥🔥🔥

[@excxmoody]

That song...might just be what I need to get the other 3. Who's it by?

[@mikestuckey]

haha I have no idea

[@excxmoody]

@@mikestuckey Really like it

[@bigdividends5487]

Im new here so forgive me in advance but what GoPro are you using? And what camera are you using to record the match? I want to do content like this but I want live stream it with the GoPro is it possible?

[@mikestuckey]

I have an old GoPro 7. does the trick! My GoPro does not allow live streaming, but maybe the new one does. I’m not sure. Get in the game man it’s awesome to be able to watch your match back, and it’s entertaining for others as well.

[@Bugsbunny808]

What brand stick do you have ? Beginner player here

[@mikestuckey]

cuetec. look into the AVID series!!

[@vdiddy000]

What equipment are you usiing, to get that table shot?

[@mikestuckey]

sony fx3 with a 16-35 lens

[@vdiddy000]

@@mikestuckey what do you use to connect it to the shot looking down the cue

[@mikestuckey]

go pro 7 black

[@mikestuckey]

@vdiddy000 my head lol

[@necessarytruthszig]

The little comments are helpful! I always feel rushed for no reason!

[@cosc137]

@4:10 There is something called the pinch draw that SVB does a lot, where a very short follow though gives you the draw that you need with less side movement than you want.

[@mikestuckey]

interesting!

[@muddogmikeable]

what state looked cold outside. liked the video and you got a new follower

[@mikestuckey]

thanks bro!

[@cosc137]

Would love to hear a skilled player like Billy talk about his train of thought as he shoots. What english to use, what speed to apply, what cue ball path and leave to expect, what to watch out for, etc... You mentioned Jeremy Jones commentating. Jeremy knows the train of thought of top players, because he is highly skilled as well, and he can usually predict exactly what will happen and comments on what to watch out for before the shot is made. Almost like Tony Romo commentating on what we will see before the play starts. Granted Jeremy is a lot dryer than Romo, but both their commentating with all that knowledge is great to hear.

[@mikestuckey]

💯 percent. hope I didn’t come across like i’m better than JJ. I have asked some higher level guys to guest commentate. stay tuned!

[@cosc137]

@@mikestuckeyNot at all. Btw your video popped up on my feed. I enjoyed it.

[@RobertCOVELL]

Dude i love this vid and commentary, new fan! Where are you from?

[@mikestuckey]

thanks bro i’m in nashville where r u based?

[@RobertCOVELL]

Sacramento cali

[@larryviars6199]

I lived there for maybe 8 months. Somewhere around Nashville was the best pool hall I ever saw. Had Bleachers line of 8’ tables as you walk in and 9’ in another room. Awesome. Also Princes Chicken was awesome

[@mikestuckey]

@@larryviars6199 yes sir..very cool! JOB's is the pool hall with the teachers! Princes HC is on point for sure!!

[@larryviars6199]

When I was at JOBS was the year Katrina hit. My friend and I were listening to this guy give pool lessons to a lady. He was so over the top we both laughed and thought who is this guy. Turns out his name was Bobby Pickle he won the BCA amateur championship in 2002 out of 1750 people. In hindsight he might have known a thing or two

[@JamesBrown-l1r]

Good match my guy you played good🎉

[@mikestuckey]

thanks james!! gettin you on soon!

[@natemasterp]

Are you playing with a cuetec

[@mikestuckey]

I am! I’ve had the SVB for bout a month now!

[@JennifferPayne]

Love this!

[@mikestuckey]

love this comment!!

[@amazing40s97]

So in this case, if you get ball in hand and clear the 9 and 10 ball, then work the other balls, much easier to run the table

[@mariocharming9563]

Not a pool player but I like the insights, it would have been cool for you to slow down a bit and expand upon certain thoughts. Great video overall!

[@mikestuckey]

yea I think i’m going to do single games next instead of full matches. that way I can really think through shots. thanks for the input!!

[@johngdrums420]

Nice shooting and editing

[@mikestuckey]

thanks John!!

[@lamulagarcia3949]

Great commentary but Greazed and tangled in his balls should be removed!! 😂😂 I don’t play apa but love playing pool. You’re getting better and better my friend.

[@kooliosis47]

that table is filthy

[@mikestuckey]

filthy

[@donaldspenard934]

When playing draw no need to elevate your shooting arm to get the best results stay level and stroke through the ball, most of your misses are because your mechanics of the stroke aren’t in line once you get those right you’ll be a monster

[@mikestuckey]

💯 percent! man I appreciate that tip! I should make a vid on that

[@imanoobtuber]

on those cut shots you need to account for cut induced throw

[@mikestuckey]

💯💯💯

[@amazing40s97]

At the very least, save the 13 ball since it is the ball the can get you a shot on the 8

[@larryviars6199]

I used to play BCA with a guy that had a Charles Barkley golf like pool stroke. He would get down on the ball and pre stroke 10 times and get up and do all over again maybe 3 times. It destroys the flow to your game in my opinion but hey what do I know.

[@mikestuckey]

haha yea we have a few players that like to take their time. Actually I could use a little bit of that myself lol

[@Bugsbunny808]

It’s 16 dollars a Match here in Hawaii. lol.

[@mikestuckey]

😲😲😲

[@coronate5818]

Compare your 8:30 stroke to 3:20. The way you follow through and actually hit the ball is so much better. Try to replicate that from play to play. Also play a lot of 9 ball to learn how to position your cue ball much better.

[@coronate5818]

At 8:30 you also kept your body perfectly still. It made your arm swing through like a pendulum.

[@kooliosis47]

they don't maintain their tables apparently

[@mikestuckey]

nope. BUT it’s due to be changed this month.

[@Teenagewasteland1000]

16:28 looks like a double hit

[@richardclingempeel6111]

Can't believe that guy's a 5, he's looks more like a 3. My wife was a 3 nine ball player, she would have eat him up. I was an 8 in 9 ball apa back in 2012, but went to Napa.

[@wviasalyers]

You guys can’t really be sl 5! Or maybe just an off night for the boths of ya

[@mikestuckey]

definitely an off night although the 4’s in our league would miss balls and shape significantly more than we did here.

[@cj-ef1rp]

You’re hitting your break outs too hard. Ease up a bit, be more precise on which side of the ball you hit to achieve the opening.

[@mikestuckey]

super solid advice! you sound like a true coach!! I need you on speed dial for timeouts lol

[@cj-ef1rp]

@@mikestuckey 800-got-help 🤭 if you really, really want to improve your game, play 14.1 on your table by yourself. It will teach you super tight ball control, position, and break outs. Every serious player SHOULD use it to practice and learn by. You can start by watching some matches, especially when Jeremy Jones or Ralf Eckert or Tony Robles commentate. They have so much wisdom about sequence and position that you can learn from.