Joe Rogan Experience #2371 - Fedor Gorst

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast,…

   1. NANarrator0:00

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

   2. JRJoe Rogan0:06

      Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) We're up. Yeah, this is, uh, a company called M Theory sent this to me. And, uh, this was when Efren Reyes snuck into America under the nickname Cesar Morales.

   3. FGFedor Gorst0:22

      Yeah.

   4. JRJoe Rogan0:22

      And, uh, won some big tournament at Red's. Wherever that is. (laughs)

   5. FGFedor Gorst0:26

      Probably in, uh, Chicago?

   6. JRJoe Rogan0:28

      I don't know. Put the headphones on, dog. Let's get rolling.

   7. FGFedor Gorst0:30

      I don't know. I was like...

   8. JRJoe Rogan0:31

      You don't have to. Or we could not have headphones.

   9. FGFedor Gorst0:33

      No, that's good.

   10. JRJoe Rogan0:33

       Do they feel weird to you?

   11. FGFedor Gorst0:34

       That's good. No, no, that's good.

   12. JRJoe Rogan0:35

       You're okay? (laughs) I don't care. It doesn't matter. It's just good if, like, we show a video or something like that.

   13. FGFedor Gorst0:40

       Right.

   14. JRJoe Rogan0:41

       Dude, you came that close to being two year-in-a-row US Open champion. That fucking close.

   15. FGFedor Gorst0:47

       Yeah, two days ago.

   16. JRJoe Rogan0:48

       How's that feel?

   17. FGFedor Gorst0:48

       I mean, I feel super tired because my schedule has been hectic lately.

   18. JRJoe Rogan0:52

       Yeah.

   19. FGFedor Gorst0:52

       You know, I played the World Championships in Saudi where I also lost in the finals. Uh-

   20. JRJoe Rogan0:56

       Did you play the Florida Open too?

   21. FGFedor Gorst0:58

       Florida Open.

   22. JRJoe Rogan0:59

       All right.

   23. FGFedor Gorst0:59

       And I played the tournament in between that, so basically I played back to back to back to back four events.

   24. JRJoe Rogan1:03

       Wow.

   25. FGFedor Gorst1:04

       Uh, it's been over a month already. You know, staying on the road, constantly playing.

   26. JRJoe Rogan1:09

       Dude, there's the- the real good argument you're the best player in the world. And if you're the best player in the world, I think you are, you got my vote. If you're the best player in the world today, you're the best player of all time.

   27. FGFedor Gorst1:20

       Well... (laughs) I mean, it's really tough to-

   28. JRJoe Rogan1:22

       A lot of old guys talk a lot of shit, but I'm just saying.

   29. FGFedor Gorst1:25

       Always.

   30. JRJoe Rogan1:25

       I mean, this guy on my shirt, he certainly gets the, like, as- as far as like the greatest of all time, most achievements of all time, Efren. The Z shot, like all the crazy stuff that he could pull off with the cue ball. It's amazing.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Some people find it…

   1. JRJoe Rogan15:00

      a ball, it's always uniform. It's- it's- that's what I really enjoy watching, when a guy, it's like every shot, it's like siuuu, ooh.

   2. FGFedor Gorst15:11

      Some people find it boring.

   3. JRJoe Rogan15:13

      It's nice and smooth. Oh, those people are assholes.

   4. FGFedor Gorst15:14

      (laughs)

   5. JRJoe Rogan15:14

      Those people are assholes, if they think your style is boring.

   6. FGFedor Gorst15:17

      They say, they say it's, they say it's, like, you know, robotic.

   7. JRJoe Rogan15:19

      They'll go, "They're all pussies. They can eat shit." Those guys, all- all they are is jealous. That's all it is.

   8. FGFedor Gorst15:25

      I, I think so, too.

   9. JRJoe Rogan15:25

      Everybody wants to play like that. Everybody wants to play like that. If they say 'cause you play too good it's not fun to watch, shut up.

   10. FGFedor Gorst15:33

       Yeah.

   11. JRJoe Rogan15:34

       I know. Y- that guy, whoever that guy is that says that, I don't wanna listen to his opinion on anything. I guarantee you he li- he likes shows that suck. (laughs)

   12. FGFedor Gorst15:41

       (laughs)

   13. JRJoe Rogan15:42

       He could get in his car and listen to his music. It probably sucks.

   14. FGFedor Gorst15:45

       Probably. (laughs)

   15. JRJoe Rogan15:46

       How do you, how do you not wa- like watching someone play perfect? That's crazy.

   16. FGFedor Gorst15:52

       Well, I g- I'll have to agree. (laughs)

   17. JRJoe Rogan15:53

       Doesn't make any sense. But then there are guys who play wild that it is fun to watch, like Mohamed Soufie.

   18. FGFedor Gorst15:59

       Oh, yeah.

   19. JRJoe Rogan15:59

       That guy, he gives me anxiety.

   20. FGFedor Gorst16:02

       Yeah, very unique.

   21. JRJoe Rogan16:02

       He's-

   22. FGFedor Gorst16:02

       You know, sidearm.

   23. JRJoe Rogan16:03

       Sidearm, barely holding onto the cue, and he just fires balls in.

   24. FGFedor Gorst16:08

       Oh, yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan16:08

       He runs around the table. He, like, one-strokes everything, and he's just getting out from everywhere. You're like, "Aah!"

   26. FGFedor Gorst16:14

       Yeah, he's very, very talented, and you- we have a few-

   27. JRJoe Rogan16:16

       He's so good.

   28. FGFedor Gorst16:16

       ... few, few guys like that. You know Oliver Ortman?

   29. JRJoe Rogan16:19

       Yeah. Yes, I remember him.

   30. FGFedor Gorst16:20

       So, so he used to win, you know, world championships. There's multiple world tit- titles.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   Yeah, yeah. It did…

   1. JRJoe Rogan30:00

      you were here.

   2. FGFedor Gorst30:00

      Yeah, yeah. It did help. It did help for like six to eight months, I think, and then, uh...

   3. JRJoe Rogan30:05

      And now it's fucking with you again?

   4. FGFedor Gorst30:06

      No, now I actually found the, the way, you know, I have my pre- pre-match routine. I stretch every single day. I do work a lot with like rubber bands, resistant bands.

   5. JRJoe Rogan30:15

      What do you do with them?

   6. FGFedor Gorst30:16

      ... uh, basically, you know, I work on my upper back.

   7. JRJoe Rogan30:20

      Oh, the ... So, like, certain workouts-

   8. FGFedor Gorst30:22

      Certain workouts-

   9. JRJoe Rogan30:22

      ... with resistance bands?

   10. FGFedor Gorst30:23

       ... that will take some pressure off my neck.

   11. JRJoe Rogan30:25

       Hmm.

   12. FGFedor Gorst30:25

       'Cause my neck is where I really feel it, like my upper back, shoulder blades here.

   13. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       You probably have a heavy head. That's what it is.

   14. FGFedor Gorst30:31

       Yeah. (laughs) Yeah, maybe.

   15. JRJoe Rogan30:31

       (laughs) All the-

   16. FGFedor Gorst30:32

       When I did all the MRIs and I, uh, did have, like, a bulging disc.

   17. JRJoe Rogan30:36

       Mm-hmm.

   18. FGFedor Gorst30:36

       C4, C5.

   19. JRJoe Rogan30:37

       Yeah.

   20. FGFedor Gorst30:38

       Uh, that started to progress and was, uh, getting worse. I went to Russia for that. Uh, I think I was reaching out to you at the time.

   21. JRJoe Rogan30:46

       Mm-hmm.

   22. FGFedor Gorst30:46

       And, uh, I found a guy that helped me a lot with the, like, routines that we built. And since then, knock on wood, everything was good.

   23. JRJoe Rogan30:54

       Oh, nice. Did you ever get one of those, uh, things that I was talking to you about? Those decompression things, where you put your head in a harness and you, like-

   24. FGFedor Gorst31:01

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan31:01

       ... pull on the door-

   26. FGFedor Gorst31:02

       Yeah, yeah. I did that.

   27. JRJoe Rogan31:03

       ... you set it on your door and you can, like, hang by the ... a little bit?

   28. FGFedor Gorst31:05

       I did.

   29. JRJoe Rogan31:05

       Those are nice.

   30. FGFedor Gorst31:06

       Yeah. And I also ... How do you call that, uh ...
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   Yeah. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan45:00

      That might be the thing. You know those Topgolf guys? Do you know what Topgolf is?

   2. FGFedor Gorst45:04

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan45:04

      Yeah. So, Topgolf, you know, where they have this thing where you just whack the balls out into the-

   4. FGFedor Gorst45:10

      Yeah.

   5. JRJoe Rogan45:10

      Well, they're gonna set something like that up for pool, where they have, uh, you know, some sort of a business where you go in and play pool, and it's more attractive to young people.

   6. FGFedor Gorst45:21

      Really?

   7. JRJoe Rogan45:21

      I don't know exactly what their model is 'cause it's still going to be pool. I mean, I don't think you're, it's not gonna be a bunch of people just breaking the balls.

   8. FGFedor Gorst45:29

      Right.

   9. JRJoe Rogan45:29

      You know, like, like, 'cause that's what they're doing when they were doing Topgolf. They're just driving the ball, right? Um, I don't know exactly what their idea is, but the same guys who... They realize, like, a lot of people play pool, a lot of people play pool in bars, and if we had a really attractive place for people to play. And they're, it's probably correct. It's probably an untapped business 'cause people are always looking for something fun to do on date nights, you know?

   10. FGFedor Gorst45:51

       Yeah, so what they do in China, for example, or somewhere. I've, I've seen it in Asia. They put, like, a projector above the table, and it ki- it gives you, like, all kinds of different games and interactions while you're playing.

   11. JRJoe Rogan46:02

       What does it say again? The venue, which is being backed by investors including US-based venture capital firm Sharpe Alpha Advisors and the Daily Mail investment arm DMG Ventures, uses pool tables, balls, and cues from the traditional game but adds tracking technology and video projections to add bonus targets and obstacles in an attempt to appeal to larger groups. Bonus targets and obstacles, huh? Alongside its own venues and those operated by franchise partners, Pool... It's called Pool House. Pool House plans to sell its equipment to pubs, bars, and other venues that want to update their existing pool tables. Hmm.

   12. FGFedor Gorst46:38

       Hopefully they can create a speed gun too.

   13. JRJoe Rogan46:40

       Yeah. So, it says, Steve... I don't know how to say his name, Jolife, Jolify, Jolify? Said, uh, "More people play at Topgolf than on traditional golf courses in the US, and we aim to make an even greater impact on the world, world of pool. We have a strong track record. This project has been our most challenging endeavor yet." Hmm. Oh, that's exciting. Maybe that'll do it.

   14. FGFedor Gorst47:02

       Yeah, for sure. I'd never even heard of it.

   15. JRJoe Rogan47:03

       Well, if you get a bunch of guys that are already really successful at doing that with go-... The thing about golf, though, is, like, whacking a golf ball is really fun.

   16. FGFedor Gorst47:13

       Yeah.

   17. JRJoe Rogan47:13

       You know, it's... And then, if you have, like, a big open pit where you could just whack a golf ball, you got, like, 100 yards, you could see how far people could whack a golf ball, and then you get a net at the end of it.

   18. FGFedor Gorst47:22

       Yeah, especially if you get a straight.

   19. JRJoe Rogan47:23

       Yeah.

   20. FGFedor Gorst47:24

       That's the most exciting thing.

   21. JRJoe Rogan47:25

       A lot of people are gonna do that. Pool is like, you don't know how to make a bridge, you're holding your hand funny, and it's like-

   22. FGFedor Gorst47:31

       Right.

   23. JRJoe Rogan47:32

       ... moving weird, your arm and eh. I wonder how many people are gonna get frustrated. I wonder if it's the same... Actually-

   24. FGFedor Gorst47:40

       It, it is kinda the same.

   25. JRJoe Rogan47:40

       ... it's probably... Yeah, because I suck at driving a golf ball. You know? I don't, I'm not good at it. I've done it, I've played Topgolf a couple of times. I've gone to a driving range once. It was fun, but I'm not good at it.

   26. FGFedor Gorst47:53

       Yeah, same as me.

   27. JRJoe Rogan47:53

       But, like, fuckin' Jamie over here, that dude's out in the garage every day whacking balls. Every time I come here, he's out there whacking balls.

   28. FGFedor Gorst48:01

       Yeah.

   29. JRJoe Rogan48:01

       And so you realize, like, there really is, like, uh, there's a lot of technique just to the drive. There's, it's very similar, probably to a break shot in that regard.

   30. FGFedor Gorst48:13

       Yeah, for sure. Same, absolutely the same.
5. 1:00:00 – 1:10:22

   Yeah. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      ... But I guess it's like anything that's worth doing, you know, if you want to get good. It ... That's one of the reasons why it's so fun, is 'cause you know how hard it is to do.

   2. FGFedor Gorst1:00:10

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:11

      If it was easy to master, I think people would probably pick it up and then they'd eventually quit. But the problem ... The thing about pool is that you take a week off and then play again, and your arm's like, "What do we do here?" Like, "Wha-"

   4. FGFedor Gorst1:00:23

      Mm-hmm.

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:23

      It seems all screwy. It doesn't want to listen for the first hour or so, and then you finally get back in the groove again. It's because it's so difficult that it makes it so attractive. That's why people get stuck playing it eight, 10 hours a day. If it was easier to play, you wouldn't play it as much.

   6. FGFedor Gorst1:00:39

      Right, right. And I mean, the ... For me, the big thing is I just always have to do something. I have to always hit balls because there is so many good players now. So many good players. And if I just stop for a moment or if I focus on something else for, I don't know, a short period of time even, they'll just catch me.

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:58

      Isn't that nuts?

   8. FGFedor Gorst1:01:00

      It is. It's- it's driving me crazy, but I just can't-

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:01:03

      Is it?

   10. FGFedor Gorst1:01:03

       ... stop, I just can't stop.

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:01:04

       How does it drive you crazy? Like, do you wake up in the morning and feel like people nipping at your heels?

   12. FGFedor Gorst1:01:09

       Well, like for example, now, I know that Yap, for example, Osius Yap, he won the UK Open. He-

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:01:14

       Florida Open.

   14. FGFedor Gorst1:01:15

       ... Florida Open.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:01:15

       And the US Open.

   16. FGFedor Gorst1:01:16

       Won the US Open. He won the three out of the last four big tournaments we've had, so...

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:01:21

       Which is crazy.

   18. FGFedor Gorst1:01:22

       Yeah, which is, it's really, really tough to be dominant in our sport, almost impossible. Uh, but he's just, he's just proven that it is possible, you know?

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:01:32

       And he was on the losing end of the match that I think I've probably watched the most over the last year. And if you Google it, you can find it on YouTube, just google "nine ball perfection". And it's Ko Ping Chung, who's one of my favorite players, outside of you, of course, to watch. He, that guy is so smooth. There's something about those guys from Taiwan. I don't know what their methodology is and their training, but they- they have this, like, smooth, kind of, effortless stroke that's, like, hypnotizing to watch. And that dude never missed a single ball in an 11 match defeat. He w- he beat him by 11 to nothing, never missed a ball, pocketed every shot he aimed at, and never gave him a shot, other than the opening shot.

   20. FGFedor Gorst1:02:24

       Yep.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:02:25

       He had one shot at the beginning of the match, a long ass two ball, he didn't make it, and then he was fucked.

   22. FGFedor Gorst1:02:32

       Yeah. (laughs) I was-

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:02:33

       Which is crazy. And that's Yap, that's the guy who just won the last three tournaments, which is so nuts about this sport, is that, if the guy's winning, and the- it's winter break, you might not ever play.

   24. FGFedor Gorst1:02:45

       For sure, you never know.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:02:46

       Like, look at today, you and me, there's, like, five or six games where I'm just, like, standing there.

   26. FGFedor Gorst1:02:50

       Yeah.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:02:50

       I'm just waiting for you to miss. You're not missing, and so I don't play. You're not missing, and then I don't play. You know? Like, but at a world-class level, when you're doing that in the US Open, and it's on TV, and people are cheering every time you pocket a nine ball, that's bananas.

   28. FGFedor Gorst1:03:04

       Yeah, that's- that's, uh, rarely happens.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:03:07

       Yeah.

   30. FGFedor Gorst1:03:08

       But it was, it was a very, very special moment, I think, because the video went viral everywhere.

Episode duration: 2:15:58