Ralf Souquet and I are the same age. I have known him for 20 years since I was 21 years old and living in Germany. At that time he was a WORLD BEATER. When was he ever a soft draw? Never in the entire 20 years I have been his friend, his victim on the pool table, his sponsor for a while and his fan the whole time.
John is right. There are players who just don't get it no matter how dedicated they are, no matter how much top instruction they receive, and no matter how much they practice.
When it comes to crunch time they can't bring it.
That's the thing that separates champions from almost-rans. And that thing can't be taught.
How many of us can run racks?
I can. I have run 5 racks a few times. Once against Ronnie Wiseman in a race to 9 for $500. Ronnie beat me 9-5.
How many of us crumble when the heat is on us in a match?
I do. I feel like I can't get with three easy balls on the table.
Sometimes, once in a while, I will fall into dead punch and be relaxed and focused and won't fade under pressure. Those are the times I feel like a champion. Real champions have to have gears much higher than that on demand all the time.
Now, having said all this I think that just about anyone can become a world class player. John and I have disagreed on this point before but I think he sees my side a little bit.
I honestly think that any person who isn't disabled physically or mentally can become a world class player IF they have the right dedication and instruction. NOT A CHAMPION - that's reserved for those EXTRA SPECIAL people that can bring it when the chips are down. But I do believe that anyone can become a good enough player to hod their own in pro events and finish middle of the field consistently, terrorize the regional tours etc....
I mean if I can run five racks on Wiseman and I don't even play 4 days a month........imagine what I could do if I ran with the big dogs for a year or so and really got into it. I wouldn't win the OPEN but I wouldn't be anyone's soft draw either. Well, at least I have to believe that to continue to enjoy playing