Cruel Pool Shoes

Well, someone has finally done it. They’ve come out with shoes designed for players. Let me be more clear:  shoes for Pool Players.

It’s not Brunswick Corporation, who has been around for 150+ years, not Simonis which has been around for 333 years, not even Predator who has branded themselves into a beerish/NASCARish puke-fest. Nope. The company is Black Heart. Never heard of them? I don’t blame you. They are a fairly new cue tip company which makes leather tips in Brazil, I think. Marketed by a company in Europe, I think. I tried a couple of them last year and wasn’t too impressed.

Anyway, I have been a fan of donning the proper footwear for pool since my college days. Here’s an assortment of my finest (not cruel) pool shoes from the last 25 years.  You may want to click on the photo to see a larger size to soak in the gloriousness (or goriness) of these puppies.

These guys have seen a lot of table time. I always thought that comfortable and functional footwear was an often overlooked component to high level play. My criteria for shoes clearly didn’t (and still doesn’t) include fashion. I wanted shoes that my feet didn’t slip around in and shoes that didn’t slip around on the floor. Pool room and tournament flooring can be anything from crappy press down vinyl tiles, industrial carpet, commercial carpet, hardwood court, rough and unlevel concrete, and even ice rink flooring cooled before they flood with water. All of these shoes perform well. My only gripe is the best looking —and most appropriate for the task looking— squeak with every step and footfall.

From the back left to right:

•  Blue Ecco sailing shoes
•  Sh#t Brown Ecco sailing shoes (the first purchase of the two pair)
•  My very favorite and original pool shoes. Airwalks! I always thought of the carrot on the toungue as the prize money at the end of my pool stick.
•  Stiga table tennis shoes. I went through a phase of wearing track suits from table tennis companies. C’mon, it is a sport kind of like pool.
•  Nike Free custom ordered in 2005. I would have ordered them in green, but I could sense the “Blue Cloth” trend coming.
• Classic Adidas. These get the most notice and comments of any of my shoes. I save them for special occasions. It should be noted that these were a gift from a gal. I would never have the sartorial savvy to select such sensible shoes. (A lot of alliteration…) These are the squeaky wheels.

Now here’s the announcement from Black Heart Tips:

Not bad. You can read more about the tips and shoes at http://www.bhtips.com

Game on!