Joe Rogan Experience #1917 - Fedor Gorst

1. 0:00 – 0:42

   Meeting Fedor Gorst: early start in Russian Pyramid and world-class status at 22

   1. NANarrator0:00

      (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast, check it out.

   2. The Joe Rogan Experience.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) What's up, man? Keep this like about, like a fist from your face.

   4. FGFedor Gorst0:15

      Oh, all right.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:16

      You are the first professional pool player to ever be on this podcast.

   6. FGFedor Gorst0:19

      Yeah. Thank you.

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:20

      So congratulations.

   8. FGFedor Gorst0:21

      Thank you so much.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:21

      How old are you, man?

   10. FGFedor Gorst0:22

       I'm 22.

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:23

       How long you been playing?

   12. FGFedor Gorst0:25

       Uh, I've actually started with a different game called Russian Pyramid.

   13. JRJoe Rogan0:29

       Yeah, I've seen that before.

   14. FGFedor Gorst0:30

       Yeah, that's the game we play in Russia. Uh, you know, I've played since I was about six, that's when I had my first coach. But I've been around, uh, billiard balls since the very beginning.

2. 0:42 – 2:57

   Being banned as a Russian athlete: tournament access and politics in cue sports

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:42

      You, what are you ranked in the world right now? You're like, in my opinion, you're like top three, top four in the world.

   2. FGFedor Gorst0:49

      Uh, there's currently like too many different rankings.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:53

      Oh.

   4. FGFedor Gorst0:53

      You can't, you can't really ... 'Cause I didn't play as many tournaments this year, like official ones, so I don't have any ranking points.

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00

      Because of the, 'cause you're from Russia, and-

   6. FGFedor Gorst1:03

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:03

      ... um, you couldn't play in tournaments for a while, right? During the Ukraine crisis?

   8. FGFedor Gorst1:08

      Yeah, so uh, since the end of February when the, the whole thing started, uh, uh, they uh, they banned all the Russian athletes, and they only removed the ban in, I believe, in the end of July.

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:23

      You know what's crazy is they didn't ban UFC fighters.

   10. FGFedor Gorst1:27

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:28

       We have a lot of Russian UFC fighters, and they don't even get treated badly. They don't, they don't get booed. I mean, they get booed a little bit by some assholes, but-

   12. FGFedor Gorst1:36

       It's, it's different in every sport, like hockey, you know-

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:39

       Yeah.

   14. FGFedor Gorst1:39

       ... Ovechkin is still playing. You know, there's uh, a lot of great players in hockey that still play from Russia.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:43

       But, so in pool they made a decision to not have Russian players for a little while, and then they relaxed it. How, why did they relax it? Did they-

   16. FGFedor Gorst1:51

       Uh-

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:51

       ... realize it was ... It's not your f- your, it's not your business. Like it's not like ... You're 22. You're not, you're not involved in politics.

   18. FGFedor Gorst1:59

       Well, you can understand that from uh, I don't know, from like the business point of view, but uh-

   19. JRJoe Rogan2:05

       I guess.

   20. FGFedor Gorst2:06

       But uh, you know, pool, in my opinion, is a, is a small sport, and uh, in the end of the day, I don't know how many pool players will you ban by banning the Russian athletes? I know, I mean, three players?

   21. JRJoe Rogan2:19

       Yeah, there's only a few from Russia, right?

   22. FGFedor Gorst2:21

       Yeah, that play internationally.

   23. JRJoe Rogan2:22

       And you're the best.

   24. FGFedor Gorst2:23

       Uh, from Russia, yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan2:25

       Yeah, for sure.

   26. FGFedor Gorst2:25

       For sure, yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan2:26

       No, like you've ... You're one of the best in the world, period. It's kinda crazy to be one of the best in the world at something at 22 years old, 'cause you have so much room to grow and get better.

   28. FGFedor Gorst2:35

       Oh, yeah. For sure.

   29. JRJoe Rogan2:36

       I mean, that's gotta be very promising for you, 'cause uh, for, at 22 years old, you're just sort of like ... Your body's not even fully formed yet. Your brain's not fully formed. They say your cerebral cortex, your frontal lobe, fully forms when you're 25.

   30. FGFedor Gorst2:51

       Yeah, I mean, I still have a lot of, uh, potential and I definitely will be aiming to get up there.

3. 2:57 – 5:52

   First trip to America: Derby City Classic at 16 and the ‘hustler convention’ subculture

   1. JRJoe Rogan2:57

      So how did you make the trek from, uh, coming to R- from Russia, coming to the United States to play? How old were you?

   2. FGFedor Gorst3:04

      Uh, you mean the first time I came?

   3. JRJoe Rogan3:05

      Yes.

   4. FGFedor Gorst3:06

      Uh, was 2016. Uh, my very good Russian friend and my sponsor, he brought me to Derby City Classic.

   5. JRJoe Rogan3:15

      Mm.

   6. FGFedor Gorst3:16

      So that was my first experience, uh-

   7. JRJoe Rogan3:18

      So you were like what, 16 or something?

   8. FGFedor Gorst3:20

      16, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan3:21

      Wow.

   10. FGFedor Gorst3:22

       And I-

   11. JRJoe Rogan3:22

       Robbing people at 16. (laughs)

   12. FGFedor Gorst3:24

       I did pretty good. Uh, in the nine-ball division I think I finished in round 12, which is-

   13. JRJoe Rogan3:30

       Oh.

   14. FGFedor Gorst3:30

       ... like the last 12 players out of-

   15. JRJoe Rogan3:32

       Yeah.

   16. FGFedor Gorst3:32

       ... like 500-plus. So-

   17. JRJoe Rogan3:33

       That's pretty good for 16.

   18. FGFedor Gorst3:35

       Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh, and then uh, a lot of people kinda recognized that I can play and uh, I got an invite for uh, Derby City Classic Invitational Ten Ball Tournament they actually-

   19. JRJoe Rogan3:46

       And the Derby City Classic, we should tell everybody, is this enormous, uh, eight-day tournament that takes place in Kentucky.

   20. FGFedor Gorst3:53

       Yeah, nonstop action, uh-

   21. JRJoe Rogan3:54

       Every year it's like the hustler's convention. Like all the great players, all the, the gamblers, all the people that talk shit, all the people that sell cues, everybody goes down to the Derby City.

   22. FGFedor Gorst4:05

       Yeah, that's the biggest pool fest.

   23. JRJoe Rogan4:07

       I still haven't been.

   24. FGFedor Gorst4:08

       You should, you should.

   25. JRJoe Rogan4:08

       I know, I wanted to. Do you, do you know Justin Collet? He used to run the Action Report?

   26. FGFedor Gorst4:13

       Uh, I've heard, but I wasn't f-

   27. JRJoe Rogan4:15

       He's a good friend of mine. And one point in time we had actually talked about doing like a documentary o- on the Derby City, 'cause I think it's so, it's such a crazy subculture of America that most people just have no idea.

   28. FGFedor Gorst4:27

       Oh yeah, that's the great ... You can, you can like f- for sure film a movie about it.

   29. JRJoe Rogan4:31

       Oh yeah, there's so many characters, there's so many-

   30. FGFedor Gorst4:34

       Oh, yeah.
4. 5:52 – 8:24

   Action vs tournaments: high-stakes one-pocket and the economics of gambling matches

   1. JRJoe Rogan5:52

      How many hours a day do you play?

   2. FGFedor Gorst5:53

      Uh, it depends on my tournament schedule, you know. I'm uh, I'm not an action player that play all, all day every day. But uh-

   3. JRJoe Rogan6:00

      When you say action player, you mean gambling?

   4. FGFedor Gorst6:02

      Gambling, yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan6:03

      Yeah.

   6. FGFedor Gorst6:03

      It's um, I'm a, I'm a, I consider myself as a tournament professional player.

   7. JRJoe Rogan6:07

      But you do gamble?

   8. FGFedor Gorst6:09

      I do, yeah. (laughs)

   9. JRJoe Rogan6:10

      You have gambled.

   10. FGFedor Gorst6:11

       I do.

   11. JRJoe Rogan6:11

       I'm aware of some gambling that you take place in.

   12. FGFedor Gorst6:13

       Yeah. Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan6:14

       (laughs)

   14. FGFedor Gorst6:14

       I've played some matches, big ones and small ones, uh, but, uh-

   15. JRJoe Rogan6:17

       What's the biggest one you've ever played? How much?

   16. FGFedor Gorst6:20

       Uh, the biggest amount that I ever won was, uh, $51,000 from one guy. It was this year.

   17. JRJoe Rogan6:28

       Oh.

   18. FGFedor Gorst6:28

       But we... it was... We- we played by the rack, so we- we started off at playing like a thousand a rack.

   19. JRJoe Rogan6:36

       Hmm.

   20. FGFedor Gorst6:36

       And then we increased.

   21. JRJoe Rogan6:37

       A thousand a rack?

   22. FGFedor Gorst6:38

       One pocket.

   23. JRJoe Rogan6:39

       Oh, okay.

   24. FGFedor Gorst6:40

       Which is still a really good bet.

   25. JRJoe Rogan6:42

       Yeah, that's a very good bet. Yeah.

   26. FGFedor Gorst6:44

       Yeah, and then we played, uh, all day, and, uh, I kept winning and winning. He was increasing and increasing, raising the bet.

   27. JRJoe Rogan6:53

       Phew, $51,000 in a day.

   28. FGFedor Gorst6:55

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan6:55

       That's nice. (laughs)

   30. FGFedor Gorst6:57

       Yeah.
5. 8:24 – 11:56

   Switching from Russian Pyramid to pool: coaching culture and disciplined training systems

   1. JRJoe Rogan8:24

      Yes, there are. So, um, h-... When you're playing, uh, the Russian pyramid game, so you're over in Russia, and you're playing this game. Were you... How were you exposed to nine ball and 10 ball, the games they play here in America?

   2. FGFedor Gorst8:37

      So, uh, what happened was, uh, I was obviously a little short and, uh, I couldn't really reach the table 'cause the pyramid table is a little bit higher than the pool table. And, uh, I think I was about eight or nine year old, uh, and my coach told me that I probably have to switch to pool if I want to play professionally. And, uh, you know, I have more potential, I can travel the world, and, uh, we decided that we have to switch, and that's when I started playing pool around there.

   3. JRJoe Rogan9:07

      So when you say your coach, is that common in Russia, that young players have coaches?

   4. FGFedor Gorst9:12

      Honestly, all over the world, uh, the- the game is treated differently. Yeah, only in the US it's more of a, you know, uh, some entertainment that you can just go to the bar and drink beer and have fun.

   5. JRJoe Rogan9:25

      Really?

   6. FGFedor Gorst9:26

      Yeah, in Russia, uh, they treat the game as a sport, and, uh, we have practice facilities, coaches that work with kids.

   7. JRJoe Rogan9:34

      Wow. I know it's the case in other places, like I know in Taiwan they do that.

   8. FGFedor Gorst9:39

      Yeah, China.

   9. JRJoe Rogan9:40

      And China.

   10. FGFedor Gorst9:41

       Uh, Germany, I mean, Poland, uh, Netherlands.

   11. JRJoe Rogan9:44

       Ko Ping Yee, um, I heard they have a day where all they do is jump. They just practice jump shots all day. The whole game is jump shots.

   12. FGFedor Gorst9:53

       I- I believe that.

   13. JRJoe Rogan9:55

       Yeah.

   14. FGFedor Gorst9:55

       I did that too. (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan9:56

       Oh, you do that too?

   16. FGFedor Gorst9:57

       I mean, uh, I've practiced a lot. I've- I've jumped a lot of balls before, uh, when I was, uh... I was a kid.

   17. JRJoe Rogan10:02

       Mm-hmm.

   18. FGFedor Gorst10:02

       You know, I just had fun jumping balls around then.

   19. JRJoe Rogan10:05

       I'm fascinated by Russian methods for sport because, um, so many elite combat sports athletes come out of Russia. So many great wrestlers, so many great mixed martial arts fighters, great kickboxers. And, um, I had Jon Bernthal on the podcast. You know, he's a very famous actor. He's in The Punisher and The Walking Dead and a- a bunch of movies and stuff. Really, really interesting guy. But he went over to Russia to study theater, and he said that it was so different than anything he'd ever done. And for the first year, you didn't even read anything. They just worked with you on rhythm and r- remembering things and concentration and- and acrobatics and ballet. It's like Russia is, uh, the- the way they treat sport is so disciplined.

   20. FGFedor Gorst10:52

       Well, back in USSR, I think they treated it even more strict than nowadays. You know, the coaches were, uh, really, really hard on the kids, and, uh, I think that's why they all raised with, uh, discipline.

   21. JRJoe Rogan11:04

       Hmm.

   22. FGFedor Gorst11:05

       I think that's- that's the main factor that, uh, really favors them.

   23. JRJoe Rogan11:09

       So in Russia they have... The pyramid game, is that the primary game that people play?

   24. FGFedor Gorst11:13

       That's what everybody's playing. I mean, honestly, pool is so small in Russia that you can count the players on both hands.

   25. JRJoe Rogan11:20

       So why did your coach think that you should play pool then if it- if the pyramid game was so big?

   26. FGFedor Gorst11:25

       Uh, really? That's uh, that's a good question because, uh, like I said, I was really, really short. Maybe he was feeling that, uh, I should-

   27. JRJoe Rogan11:33

       That you weren't gonna grow? (laughs)

   28. FGFedor Gorst11:34

       No, but he was, he was thinking, I think at that time that, uh, it's better off starting with pool 'cause I can reach the table and then-

   29. JRJoe Rogan11:42

       Hmm.

   30. FGFedor Gorst11:42

       ... switch back to pyramid. But he was, uh... He wasn't expecting that I will be as good, that I started to progress really quick. I started to win amateur tournaments, uh, you know, winning junior tournaments and, uh, it's a-

6. 11:56 – 17:55

   What Russian Pyramid looks like: 12-foot table, tiny pockets, and fundamentals

   1. JRJoe Rogan11:56

      Hmm. Let's see that game. Pull up a game of, uh, Russian... Wha- how do you call it? Russian pyramid billiards?

   2. FGFedor Gorst12:00

      Russian pyramid.

   3. JRJoe Rogan12:01

      Russian pyramid. It, uh... it's a... Is it a larger table?

   4. FGFedor Gorst12:06

      It's a 12-foot table.

   5. JRJoe Rogan12:07

      Mm-hmm.

   6. FGFedor Gorst12:07

      With tiny pockets, bigger balls.... so-

   7. JRJoe Rogan12:10

      Oh.

   8. FGFedor Gorst12:10

      ... it's, it's tougher to make the ball. It's a completely different game. It's fun to play. It's not fun to play if you never played any billiards.

   9. JRJoe Rogan12:18

      Are the corners rounded or are they flat and squared off?

   10. FGFedor Gorst12:21

       They're flat.

   11. JRJoe Rogan12:22

       They're flat.

   12. FGFedor Gorst12:22

       They're flat.

   13. JRJoe Rogan12:22

       So they're flat like a pool table, not like a snooker table. Oh, wow, look at the size of that table. That's wild. Look at the tiny pockets.

   14. FGFedor Gorst12:29

       (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan12:30

       So the t- the pocket is essentially the size of the ball?

   16. FGFedor Gorst12:33

       Uh, almost. Almost.

   17. JRJoe Rogan12:34

       Wow. This is crazy. Why is it called Pyramid?

   18. FGFedor Gorst12:39

       Uh, because of the shape of the rack? I don't know.

   19. JRJoe Rogan12:43

       Mm. So, eh, and in Russia, when you play this, you mostly play with, uh, an open bridge, right?

   20. FGFedor Gorst12:50

       Uh, yeah. Most, mostly they, they use open bridge, but, uh, for, like, hard shots, I believe when they have to draw the ball.

   21. JRJoe Rogan12:58

       And so you can use any ball?

   22. FGFedor Gorst13:01

       Uh, it depends on the discipline you playing.

   23. JRJoe Rogan13:03

       So this guy's shooting-

   24. FGFedor Gorst13:04

       This guy's some amateur. I don't know what he's doing.

   25. JRJoe Rogan13:05

       Yeah, he's just whacking balls around-

   26. FGFedor Gorst13:06

       (laughs) Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan13:08

       ... looks like. But at least we get a s- a chance to see what the table looks like. So there's one... Uh, is that a red ball? Looks like a m- maroon ball?

   28. FGFedor Gorst13:14

       So, a red ball is a cue ball. There is a discipline-

   29. JRJoe Rogan13:17

       Oh.

   30. FGFedor Gorst13:17

       ... where you, where you have to play only with a red ball, kinda like pool, and there is discipline where you can shoot any ball. But it's the same thing. It's a race to eight balls.
7. 17:55 – 19:12

   Building a career: Eurotour path, sponsorship luck, and a pivotal backer relationship

   1. JRJoe Rogan17:55

      Interesting. So, um, so you're playing pool over in Russia. Are there many pool tournaments?

   2. FGFedor Gorst18:02

      I mean, we have, uh, amateur tournaments every two weeks maybe, and, uh, one tournament a month which called Russian Cup, which is...... kind of like a professional tournament.

   3. JRJoe Rogan18:14

      Just one a month. So you realized at some point in time that you were eventually gonna have to come to America to pursue it professionally, or Europe?

   4. FGFedor Gorst18:21

      Uh, Europe was my first, uh, step because we have, uh, Eurotour. That's the major tournament in Europe that I started with. And all the, uh, I mean, that's the path that all the players have to go through in Europe. You have to play the Eurotours, and if you do good in them, then you can start really traveling and playing international tournaments.

   5. JRJoe Rogan18:43

      I watched a match with you against Oscar Dominguez, who I know from LA. Uh, I've played w- I played in a tournament once against his dad, and his dad actually did that table out there-

   6. FGFedor Gorst18:54

      Oh.

   7. JRJoe Rogan18:54

      ... that, uh, really tight Brunswick, his dad, uh, cut those pockets.

   8. FGFedor Gorst18:57

      Oh, he's the best, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan18:58

      He's the best.

   10. FGFedor Gorst18:59

       100%.

   11. JRJoe Rogan18:59

       He did my old diamond at my house too. Yeah, he's amazing. The best table mechanic in the business.

   12. FGFedor Gorst19:04

       Oh, 100%.

   13. JRJoe Rogan19:05

       Yeah. And boy, they make c- like, he did all the Hard Times tables, and they were all brutal.

   14. FGFedor Gorst19:10

       Yeah. (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan19:10

       (laughs) Really, really tight tables.

   16. FGFedor Gorst19:12

       Super tight.

8. 19:12 – 34:07

   Hard Times, magic rack perfection, and Mosconi Cup politics

   1. JRJoe Rogan19:12

      Yeah. But, uh, I watched you play him. And what did you run, seven and out on him? There was, like, this one match...

   2. FGFedor Gorst19:19

      How long ago was it?

   3. JRJoe Rogan19:20

      It wasn't that long ago.

   4. FGFedor Gorst19:22

      Uh, we played in, in his pool room in, uh, Sacramento?

   5. JRJoe Rogan19:26

      I don't ... I think it might've been. Yeah. I think it might've been in Hard Times, in Hard Times in Sacramento.

   6. FGFedor Gorst19:31

      Uh...

   7. JRJoe Rogan19:31

      But it was like, you played a perfect match.

   8. FGFedor Gorst19:33

      Perfect match.

   9. JRJoe Rogan19:34

      It was, it was beautiful. I mean, you got perfect on every ball. Is this it right here? Yeah. This is the-

   10. NANarrator19:38

       A month ago.

   11. JRJoe Rogan19:39

       Yeah. The name of the, the video is Absolute Perfection: Fedor Gorse Set Versus Oscar Dominguez.

   12. FGFedor Gorst19:46

       Oh, yeah. That was this year. That's, that's actually his pool room in Sacramento.

   13. JRJoe Rogan19:50

       Which is Hard Times. Yeah, he bought Hard Times-

   14. FGFedor Gorst19:53

       Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan19:53

       ... which is amazing. It's an-

   16. FGFedor Gorst19:54

       Oh, yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan19:54

       ... amazing place. I, I played there once when I was, uh, doing standup comedy up there. So were you guys playing 10-ball?

   18. FGFedor Gorst20:00

       10-ball, yeah, with the magic rack.

   19. JRJoe Rogan20:03

       Yeah. The magic rack, for f- people who don't know, there's a, there's a regular rack, where you put the balls in the rack, it's a wooden rack or a plastic rack, and it's shaped like a, a triangle. And then there's this plastic sheet that keeps the balls completely tight, and it's not a rack like a normal rack. It's something that you place the balls on, and it ensures that all the balls are completely tight. So, in a situation like that, obviously, you know this. It's just for people at home.

   20. FGFedor Gorst20:30

       Yeah.

   21. JRJoe Rogan20:31

       The, the balls will spread very evenly, or very, um, uh, th- they're, they're, they have a similar reaction every time. So you c- you're playing for specific balls, right? So...

   22. FGFedor Gorst20:44

       Yeah, yeah. You have more control. You can actually control the ball that you can make on the break, where-

   23. JRJoe Rogan20:49

       Yeah.

   24. FGFedor Gorst20:49

       ... versus the regular wooden rack. It's not really like that. It's-

   25. JRJoe Rogan20:53

       Yes, some people-

   26. FGFedor Gorst20:54

       ... more unpredictable.

   27. JRJoe Rogan20:54

       ... get upset at the magic rack, because really good players, when they have a very good controlled break, they either make the one on the side or they make the corner ball, and then they play in position on the one with the cue ball, and then they just get out over and over-

   28. FGFedor Gorst21:07

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan21:07

       ... and over again. Um, but I, I appreciate perfection. I appreciate watching something like this where someone just gets dead on every ball.

   30. FGFedor Gorst21:17

       (laughs)
9. 34:07 – 43:28

   Legends and characters: Earl Strickland impression, eccentric training, and cue extensions

   1. JRJoe Rogan34:07

      I invited Earl on the podcast and he didn't even get back to me.

   2. FGFedor Gorst34:10

      (laughs)

   3. JRJoe Rogan34:10

      Earl was mad at me (laughs) 'cause I did an impression of him. Have you ever seen my impression of him?

   4. FGFedor Gorst34:14

      Yeah, yeah. That's, that was great. (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan34:15

      But I, I can only do an impression of him because I'm a fan.

   6. FGFedor Gorst34:19

      Yeah.

   7. JRJoe Rogan34:19

      Like, if I can do that voice, the only reason... "The only reason you can do that voice is you've watched my game." I'm a giant fan of that guy. Like-

   8. FGFedor Gorst34:28

      Oh, yeah.

   9. JRJoe Rogan34:28

      ... when I was doing that, that was with Justin Collet from The Action Report, who was, uh... Play that, Jamie.

   10. FGFedor Gorst34:35

       (laughs)

   11. JRJoe Rogan34:35

       Because for, for people who don't know, this is my best impression. Like out of all the impressions-

   12. FGFedor Gorst34:41

       Oh, this is-

   13. JRJoe Rogan34:41

       ... that I do, I can do a bunch of... I can do, like, Mike Tyson. My voice is not good at impressions, but there's a few that I could do. Here, rewind-

   14. NANarrator34:49

       My name is Justin with theactionreport.com. We're joined here tonight live from Hollywood Billiards in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Earl Strickland, ladies and gentlemen. Earl, how are you doing tonight?

   15. Pool is a beautiful game-

   16. JRJoe Rogan34:59

       (laughs)

   17. NANarrator34:59

       ... played by ugly people.

   18. JRJoe Rogan35:02

       (laughs)

   19. FGFedor Gorst35:02

       (laughs)

   20. NANarrator35:02

       Okay. First of all, how are you gonna play pool if you're not properly equipped?

   21. JRJoe Rogan35:07

       (laughs)

   22. NANarrator35:07

       Where's your beekeeper's outfit? You don't have no ass weights. I don't see you in waders. I don't see you doing-

   23. JRJoe Rogan35:12

       For people who don't understand-

   24. NANarrator35:13

       What the hell are you doing?

   25. JRJoe Rogan35:13

       ... Earl is very eccentric-

   26. NANarrator35:14

       You gotta duck that song too. No.

   27. JRJoe Rogan35:14

       ... and he wears, like, weights on his arms and shit.

   28. NANarrator35:17

       Get the fuck on the table.

   29. FGFedor Gorst35:18

       Yeah. (laughs) You have to put Earl Strickland-

   30. NANarrator35:19

       How do you feel about jump cue, Earl?
10. 43:28 – 51:43

    Cues, shafts, deflection, and ‘feel’: choosing equipment at the elite level

    1. JRJoe Rogan43:28

       Now he plays with one of these Kiel wood shafts.

    2. FGFedor Gorst43:31

       Yeah.

    3. JRJoe Rogan43:31

       What do you think of those?

    4. FGFedor Gorst43:33

       I actually tried his shaft, and I'm, I'm the big fan, but I've tried a lot of Kiel wood shafts, and they're not, I mean, they're not as consistent as carbon fiber, I think.

    5. JRJoe Rogan43:43

       Well, it's, it's, uh, uh ... It's a different thing because it's ... You have a different feel, right?

    6. FGFedor Gorst43:49

       Yeah, yeah, completely different feel.

    7. JRJoe Rogan43:50

       Um, but r- you know Richard, uh, Hsu?

    8. FGFedor Gorst43:52

       Yeah.

    9. JRJoe Rogan43:53

       He makes those Tsunami, uh, shafts. Those are really good.

    10. FGFedor Gorst43:57

        Yeah, I like them.

    11. JRJoe Rogan43:57

        I've got one of those for my Southwest. I like it a lot, and I'm, I'm gonna have him make me some for other, other cues.

    12. FGFedor Gorst44:03

        See, it's very, very personal when it comes to cues, I mean-

    13. JRJoe Rogan44:06

        Yeah.

    14. FGFedor Gorst44:07

        You like extension Kiel wood shafts. I like non-extensions and carbon fiber, and we could be playing completely different styles. That's what great about pool, I think.

    15. JRJoe Rogan44:15

        Well, I like carbon fiber too. I think it's a ... It used to be, back in the day, people would play with fiberglass-

    16. FGFedor Gorst44:22

        Mm-hmm.

    17. JRJoe Rogan44:23

        ... cues, and they were a lemon. Like you saw someone playing with like a, a, a black fiberglass shaft, you're like, "Oh, this guy sucks."

    18. FGFedor Gorst44:29

        (laughs) Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan44:30

        (laughs) 'Cause, 'cause they, they kind of sucked back then.

    20. FGFedor Gorst44:32

        Yeah.

    21. JRJoe Rogan44:32

        But then Cue Tech, which is your sponsor-

    22. FGFedor Gorst44:35

        Uh-huh.

    23. JRJoe Rogan44:35

        ... started sponsoring Earl, and then they eventually sponsored Shane and a bunch of other elite players, and they started making like really good pool cues.

    24. FGFedor Gorst44:42

        Yeah. Yeah, they did, and I think they were the first ones that were making this fiberglass shafts that-

    25. JRJoe Rogan44:48

        Yeah.

    26. FGFedor Gorst44:48

        ... were really popular back in the day.

    27. JRJoe Rogan44:50

        Well, remember they used to make a wooden shaft that's covered in like a thin sheet of clear plastic.

    28. FGFedor Gorst44:56

        I think that's what Shane used to play with.

    29. JRJoe Rogan44:58

        Yes, back in the day. Earl, y- it looks like his was sanded down.

    30. FGFedor Gorst45:02

        Yeah.
11. 51:43 – 55:58

    Body mechanics and longevity: stretching, lower-back pain, scoliosis, and training tradeoffs

    1. JRJoe Rogan51:43

       Yeah. Do you do anything before you play, like get y- get a massage or anything like that? Does that ever help you?

    2. FGFedor Gorst51:51

       Uh, yeah, I stretch a lot.

    3. JRJoe Rogan51:53

       Stretch?

    4. FGFedor Gorst51:54

       So I, uh, yeah, I have a lot of problems with my back.

    5. JRJoe Rogan51:56

       Hmm.

    6. FGFedor Gorst51:56

       Because, because of the way that I grew up and, uh, the way I had my stance set up in, when I was a kid.

    7. JRJoe Rogan52:02

       Oh.

    8. FGFedor Gorst52:03

       So I have to stretch every day a- after the practice and before every morning.

    9. JRJoe Rogan52:08

       What part of your back? Your lower back?

    10. FGFedor Gorst52:10

        The lower back. Yeah.

    11. JRJoe Rogan52:11

        Have you ever done anything to strengthen that?

    12. FGFedor Gorst52:13

        Uh, I'm doing some core exercises. Yeah. I mean, I'm doing some planking, but I'm not, uh, I'm not very into it.

    13. JRJoe Rogan52:22

        You're not very into exercise?

    14. FGFedor Gorst52:24

        No. (laughs) No.

    15. JRJoe Rogan52:24

        (laughs)

    16. FGFedor Gorst52:24

        But I want to be.

    17. JRJoe Rogan52:26

        You want to be?

    18. FGFedor Gorst52:27

        Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan52:27

        Yeah. Well, there's a bunch of things that you can do for lower back that can help you a lot. Um, I'll show you afterwards. We have a gym next door.

    20. FGFedor Gorst52:35

        Well, I, I bought a thing, the machine they called a hipper extension, I think.

    21. JRJoe Rogan52:39

        Yeah. Okay. Yeah.

    22. FGFedor Gorst52:40

        That's what, that's what I do. I mean, that's for the lower back, right?

    23. JRJoe Rogan52:42

        Yes. Yeah. That'll help a lot. Yeah. There's another machine called the Reverse Hyper, which is amazing. But it's a very specialized machine. You have to go to like a real strength and conditioning gym-

    24. FGFedor Gorst52:53

        Mm-hmm.

    25. JRJoe Rogan52:53

        ... for them to have something like that. But that's really good because it actually decompresses your back as well as strengthens it.

    26. FGFedor Gorst52:59

        Yeah. Well, the thing with me, I have one side of my back, uh, which is really tight, and the other one which is really, really, uh, weak. So I have scoliosis, and it really makes difficult for me to strengthen both sides, and so-

    27. JRJoe Rogan53:14

        Have you always had scoliosis or do you think this is pool-related?

    28. FGFedor Gorst53:18

        I think, uh, I think it's pool-related.

    29. JRJoe Rogan53:20

        Yeah. You know, um, they've done these, uh, examinations of bodies of archers from like, you know, 2,000 years ago.

    30. FGFedor Gorst53:28

        Mm-hmm.
12. 55:58 – 1:02:39

    Practice systems and the modern break: drills, break-box rules, and training devices

    1. JRJoe Rogan55:58

       How many hours of pl- uh, pool do you play a day?

    2. FGFedor Gorst56:01

       Uh, like I said, it's, it's different. When I practice and I don't have any tournaments, I s- try to play more, like six, eight hours a day, and just straight practicing. But when I'm in the tournament season and just have a day in between the tournaments, I play for only two, three hours, just to stay in stroke.

    3. JRJoe Rogan56:17

       So, when you say practicing, are you setting up drills?

    4. FGFedor Gorst56:21

       Both. Drills, uh, I work on specific part of the game that are weak and that I want to strengthen. And, uh, you know, the break, the jumps, kicking. There's a lot of different aspects in the game that you can practice.

    5. JRJoe Rogan56:34

       Do you break with one of those Break Rack things, or do you just sort of keep racking the balls?

    6. FGFedor Gorst56:38

       No, I actually ordered Break Rack, uh, thing couple of month ago.

    7. JRJoe Rogan56:42

       It's pretty sweet.

    8. FGFedor Gorst56:42

       It is, it is.

    9. JRJoe Rogan56:43

       Yeah, it's a great thing. I mean, it leaves a big white spot in the middle of your pool table, 'cause the ball keeps bouncing.

    10. FGFedor Gorst56:48

        Well, I put the-

    11. JRJoe Rogan56:49

        (laughs)

    12. FGFedor Gorst56:49

        ... double tape-

    13. JRJoe Rogan56:50

        Oh.

    14. FGFedor Gorst56:50

        ... underneath, so...

    15. JRJoe Rogan56:51

        That's smart.

    16. FGFedor Gorst56:52

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan56:52

        Yeah. But that... There's a bunch of those interesting inventions-

    18. FGFedor Gorst56:56

        Yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan56:56

        ... that people have come up with.

    20. FGFedor Gorst56:57

        Yeah, yeah. It's, uh, super sweet.

    21. JRJoe Rogan56:59

        Yeah, when you have a great break, like a guy like Shane that has a killer break, like, it's such an advantage. I watched, uh, a match once. I forget who he was, but I think he was playing Kopechny, and he was playing ten ball, and he made six balls on the break.

    22. FGFedor Gorst57:14

        Mm-hmm.

    23. JRJoe Rogan57:14

        (laughs)

    24. FGFedor Gorst57:14

        Yeah, I mean, break became so big nowadays that it's, uh, it's probably 80% of the game, playing nine ball and ten ball.

    25. JRJoe Rogan57:21

        Especially with that Magic Rack, right?

    26. FGFedor Gorst57:24

        Yeah. Yeah, I mean, with the, with the, uh, wood rack, it's a little bit different. It depends who will be racking the balls, what are the rules, and, uh... I actually like the rules that they do nowadays. They, uh, they have the referees at every table-

    27. JRJoe Rogan57:37

        Mm-hmm.

    28. FGFedor Gorst57:38

        ... racking with a wood rack, and they don't touch any balls once they remove the rack, so it's completely random.

    29. JRJoe Rogan57:43

        Hmm. That is probably better, as long as the referee's giving you a good rack.

    30. FGFedor Gorst57:49

        Yeah. Yeah.
13. 1:02:39 – 1:14:42

    Pressure, routines, and performance drugs: beta blockers, amphetamines, and marijuana debates

    1. JRJoe Rogan1:02:39

       Do they drug test people-

    2. FGFedor Gorst1:02:41

       Yeah.

    3. JRJoe Rogan1:02:41

       ... at these events? What do they test for?

    4. FGFedor Gorst1:02:44

       Uh, I don't know, but we have, uh, drug tests at all the Metrum events, I believe.

    5. JRJoe Rogan1:02:51

       One thing I think you should definitely drug test for is beta blockers.

    6. FGFedor Gorst1:02:55

       What is it?

    7. JRJoe Rogan1:02:56

       Beta blockers, uh, they cut your adrenaline so, uh, you don't get antsy.

    8. FGFedor Gorst1:03:02

       Hmm.

    9. JRJoe Rogan1:03:02

       Like, you don't get nervous-

    10. FGFedor Gorst1:03:03

        Yeah, that's a-

    11. JRJoe Rogan1:03:04

        ... when you're shooting.

    12. FGFedor Gorst1:03:04

        ... that's a big thing in pool sports.

    13. JRJoe Rogan1:03:05

        It's a big thing in pool.

    14. FGFedor Gorst1:03:06

        Yeah, yeah.

    15. JRJoe Rogan1:03:07

        Yeah. Yeah, I think, uh, they use beta blockers... Uh, people have been caught using beta blockers for a lot of games because, um, anxiety and stress, which is, uh... You know, look, if you can make a great shot under pressure, it's wonderful. It's a, it's a great feeling.

    16. FGFedor Gorst1:03:23

        Yeah.

    17. JRJoe Rogan1:03:24

        But if you had zero pressure, you would play better. (laughs)

    18. FGFedor Gorst1:03:28

        Completely diff- completely different thing, of course, yeah.

    19. JRJoe Rogan1:03:29

        Yeah. So if you were in a big tournament but you were on beta blockers, you probably wouldn't feel any of those nerves and j-... Like, I've seen people, they're shooting a nine-ball for a lot of money, and you see their hands shaking.

    20. FGFedor Gorst1:03:40

        Oh, yeah.

    21. JRJoe Rogan1:03:41

        And you see they have to put the cue down and... (exhales)

    22. FGFedor Gorst1:03:43

        Yeah. Take a deep breath, yeah.

    23. JRJoe Rogan1:03:45

        (exhales) And if... Sometimes they forget to breathe, and you can see them. They're like (exhales) .

    24. FGFedor Gorst1:03:50

        (laughs) Yeah.

    25. JRJoe Rogan1:03:51

        You know?

    26. FGFedor Gorst1:03:51

        Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course.

    27. JRJoe Rogan1:03:52

        Well, pool's one of those things where when you are... It's, it's one moment. There's one moment, and you're playing. And maybe it's a race to 12, and it's 11 to 11. And you and I are playing, and I have one shot on the nine-ball. And this is for everything. And if I miss and if I hang that ball, you're gonna win. But if I make it, I'm gonna win. So it comes down to... All this playing comes down to this one brief moment, and the walls close in on you. It's like zroom.

    28. FGFedor Gorst1:04:21

        Zroom.

    29. JRJoe Rogan1:04:21

        And it makes it very difficult for people if they don't have, like, a very specific mindset or pre-shot routine that they approach a shot with. They can get caught up in what's called, like, an open loop system, where you just kind of, like, let the cue go, "Ah!" And we've seen... You've seen that.

    30. FGFedor Gorst1:04:39

        Yeah.

Episode duration: 2:16:29