Eric Yow Trick Shot Interview

Posted by Eric on December 17, 2006 at 20:38

Holding the 2006 WPA Masse World Champion Title, Eric Yow has a special talent when it comes to masse shots. Viewing Yow's masse videos at http://ericyow.com/ is a must for anyone who enjoys the masse shot. Yow placed 3rd in the 2006 WPA World Artistic Pool Championship and it is obvious that he has some remarkable talent.

Yow was kind enough to answer some of our questions recently. Enjoy.

1. You did very well in the 2006 WPA World Artistic Championships taking 3rd place. Who is your toughest opponent in these competitions?

Eric Yow wrote:

I feel my toughest opponent is myself. In the preliminaries, it's all about making the shots, not about hoping other player(s) miss. To perform well, you have to know how to adapt to the table and conditions of the event. So, when you get to the table it's all about whether or not you can successfully adapt so as to make the shots. Then, in the finals, I found out it's better to pick shots that you know you can make, rather than shots you think your opponent will make. I already know that Dr. Cue will make most of the wingshots and Mike Massey will be strong in the draw category, for instance. All of the players are so good it would be hard to pick certain shots based on your opponent's likelihood of missing it. Rather, picking shots you can make and absolutely making them is the key. With that in mind, you're more playing yourself and hoping you outperform your opponent. When I played Andy Segal in the Semis, I simply made more shots. Then, against Dr. Cue, he made just a few more than I did, so he advanced.

Eric Yow wrote:

I'm glad you asked. People assume it took me weeks and weeks of editing, but it's just not true. I filmed on two days and edited for two days - it was four day project, honest. Some say it's fake - it's not. Obviously there aren't any magnets or strings, it's just raw talent that God has given me the ability to perfect. And now, I can assure viewers of its validity by reminding them of my 2006 WC title in masse. "Fake" or not, I'm still a WPA Masse World Champion, and for that I praise God! I look forward to doing more videos like this in the future, as I am constantly coming up with new shots.

Eric Yow wrote:

It makes a WORLD of difference. There are different makers of masse cues but I stand completely behind the "Magic Wand" that Dieckman makes. Masse shots are possible with a standard cue, but they are much easier to perfect with a masse cue. Dieckman masse cues are shorter and heavier with bigger ferrule/tips for much more consistent masse shots. When I learned to masse, I learned with a standard cue but when I got the Magic Wand, it was like I had never masse'd before!

Eric Yow wrote:

You can purchase a standard masse cue for about $350. This method is the cheaper route to go. You provide the shaft and Dieckman will make a shorter, heavier butt to fit your shaft. The full, custom masse cue is the best way to go, however. You tell Dieckman how heavy you want it, how long you want it, how thick you want the ferrule, etc. and he'll build exactly what you want. My recommendation is 44", 24oz, and 13.5mm Sniper tip. A full custom runs for about $950 and you can go through me to get it. Anyone interested just email me and we'll discuss the details. You won't regret it!

Eric Yow wrote:

To tell the truth, I'm a very busy man and don't get a lot of time to practice during the week. I am a minister for the Church of Christ in a small town in Arkansas (Brinkley) and I'm also in law school at the University of Memphis School of Law (J.D. May '07). So, practice time is hard to come by. Nevertheless, the Lord has blessed me with efficient time management skills, one might say, so that I can accomplish all of these objectives. When I do practice, I spend about a fourth of my time on the masse shots, just because that's what I like the most. I've longed for the masse title for quite some time, and now I've achieved it. Maybe now I'll strive towards jump shots...?

Eric Yow wrote:

I must say, I LOVE the audience's reaction to shots. I'm a performer, as I have a show "Eric Yow's Trick Shot Madness" that I perform at pool halls and such. We love applause and cheer, of course, especially when we're doing well. I've worked on that rainbow shot quite a bit and honestly didn't think I'd make it in competition. See, when we go to the tables to shoot the masse discipline, we don't get to practice them on the table before our round. So, I had never shot any of those 5 shots on the table before shooting them that round of competition. That makes it mean so much more. See, I approached the table and thought to myself, 'the table is a little faster than the practice tables and the balls are a little cleaner, so I need to hit it a little softer, with more elevation...' etc. Then, making it, the crowd goes wild, as most of them realize that was the first time shooting that shot on the table. In the video you an barely hear a guy in the back say to me, "can we see the instant replay?" My response was, "you'll get to." (Pointing at the camera.) The interaction with the crowd may distract some, but it doesn't really hurt my concentration much. It makes me perform better, I think. And naturally, if they are encouraging, we all perform better.

Eric Yow wrote:

I enjoy watching Dr. Cue, of course, as he is very entertaining. It's a curious talent to be able to miss and still be entertaining. All of the veterans in the game that have years of experience are enjoyable to watch simply because they know the ins and outs of entertaining, keeping a crowd going. For some, in competition, it seems so much about making the shot. The fun players to watch are those who are having a great time while competing. Sebastian Giumelli is top of the list when it comes to that. You may not be able to understand a word he's saying (he only speaks spanish), but you know exactly what he's feeling by the emotional vigor he expresses.

Eric Yow wrote:

In preparation for the WC I got to practice about 10 hours per week, usually covering two or three days. As I mentioned, I'm an extremely busy guy with the ministry and law school. It just so happens that my semester exams were the very week before the WC, so I was busy studying for exams and rarely practicing more than a few hours during the weekend. Then, the 2 weeks before the WC, I didn't even pick up a pool stick. But, I prayed the Lord would bless me regardless, and He certainly did!

Eric Yow wrote:

I enjoy studying law and anticipate practicing law upon graduation in May 2007. People have asked me before what I'm going to do for a living, whether I'll choose the ministry, being an attorney, or professional pool player. Honestly, if the Lord wills, I'll continue to do all three! You only live once, so LIVE! If I had to choose, money notwithstanding, I'd be a pro pool player over being an attorney. But, there's just not enough money in being an artistic pool player unless you commit to it full time and not much else. I'll have student loans to pay back that artistic pool simply won't be able to pay back. However, God has surprised me before. I don't know yet what He's got in store for me. But I can't wait to find out!

Eric Yow wrote:

I get inspiration from all over. Mike Massey's book and Robert Byrne's book are standards in the industry, but they're just a jump start for the artistic poolplayer's true creativity. Because there haven't been tons of masse shots invented, I took it upon myself to get creative and drew diagrams of as many ways to masse as I could think of, before making Masse Insanity. I got inspiration from 3-cushion billiards for a lot of shots, simply adapting them to the slower, pocketed pool table.

	Eric Yow wrote:
	I don't know what my best trick is, but my favorite trick to perform is the jump masse. Particularly, I enjoy putting the cue ball in a rack near the corner pocket and an object ball in the near corner pocket. I jump out of the rack all the way up table, then it spins back down table to make the ball in the corner. It's especially impressive with fast cloth!

	Eric Yow wrote:
	It's impressive, but I've never been much of a magician. I enjoy a good street magician, though. Paul Frankel, aka Professor Q Ball, does card tricks wherever he goes and it is quite enjoyable.

Eric Yow wrote:

My favorite pool hall is Highpockets in Memphis, but that's only because I don't live in Fridley, Minnesota, home of Two Stooges, where the 2006 WC was held. That was the coolest pool hall I had ever been in, with some of the best food I've ever eaten! My favorite restaurant is Ameca, this Mexican place in Brinkley, Arkansas. I love Mexican food. If fast food, Taco Bell. Fajita quesadilla is the only way to fly! My favorite song is You and I Both, by Jason Mraz. He's got to be one of the worlds greatest vocalists, ever, in my opinion. I love his work. I love watching movies and have a ton of favorites. Anchorman has got to be the best, ever, though. It's hilarious. If there's anything else I could share, it would have to be the influence that God has had on me in my life. God drives me to do what I do, be who I am, teach what I teach, and live what I live. The Love of the Lord is in me and I share it with all others. It is my desire that through me and my success that others will come to know the Will of the Father as well. Without Him, nothing we do has any meaning whatsoever in the grand scheme of things. Unless we make it to heaven, our lives proved in vain. I pray the Lord would open the eyes of His creation and use me to do so! Because He Lives, -yow!