What does it take to become a Champion?

ShootingArts said:
John,

I have made no bones about not being much of a pool player now. However while you are coming with this you have ducked everything I sent your way including an offer of cold hard cash to produce any of your alleged sources that knew me. As I have said many a time in this thread, the only name I used when I was shooting pool was Hu, pronounced Hugh. Others hung nicknames on me but since I was just fine with Hu I never used any of the nicknames myself. Because of that I tended to have one nickname one place, another one another place. If your people weren't figments of your imagination I could find out if they were lying in about two minutes by asking a couple of questions as soon as I knew what they claimed as to where and when we played. To dime me they have to know at least the handle I was called and what I looked like at that time.

It isn't that hard to try to get a line on me, contact Danny Medina. Ask him about the guy he played on Plank Road north of the Baton Rouge airport when he passed through town. We parted as friends and I had a standing invitation to take a ride with him when he was in his prime. You see the picture in my avatar, that was me in '88. I don't remember if I played Danny about then or a few years earlier, close enough to ID me though although that picture looks a little woollier than I did in the flesh. We played on a bar table in a little place that barely had room for the two tables and a bar. Seems like Danny was driving an old Malibu at the time.

I heard second hand that Johnny says he doesn't remember me. It's possible but if I snapped the eight ball three times on the break calling the pocket to start the match and never made another ball it would stick in my mind. We played the same place as Danny and I.

I played Mike Massey in a joint on Airline Highway years before that. Doubt he remembers it, the only thing I remembered when I saw him a few years back was that he was pretty obnoxious when he was drinking. Definitely not knocking Mike, he and I have both had a lot of changes in our lives since then.

Anyone that knows me just from shooting pool back then and claims to know my full name is lying from the jump. Most people gambling on the road were big on fake names, Danny originally introduced himself as somebody else. Without all the easy access to check things that we have now I ignored names for the most part except as a handle to call somebody while we played. I didn't use a fake name, I just used the nickname I have toted for most of my life. It was on a handful of my businesses too.

I went to great efforts to keep people from getting a line on me then and I surely don't care if you can't get a line on me now. We both know that you were bluffing when you made the claims earlier as you pretty much admit to in the post I am responding to now. I notice that you aren't jumping to try to get the easy cash. I'm far too old and gimpy to be a threat to anyone so all any alleged source runs any risk of is being embarrassed in public if they are found to have been stretching things. Your locals don't exist and until this post you didn't even know where local was to me in those days.

I don't know what your fascination is with Family Guy, I could guess but that wouldn't be kind. Anyway, see what you can dredge up to try to divert from the fantasies you have been spinning about me and getting called on. I'm leaving out of town early in the morning and I'll check on your fractured fairy tales Sunday night or Monday if I have time. So far you have proven that every claim I have made is true with your tap dancing in replies.

Hu
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Can you please stop writing these two mile long posts. If you can, thank you.
 
Every pool hall I've ever been in has an old guy that sits at the bar and claims to have beat everybody and everyone for the cash when they were younger.

"That Efren fella, don't have nutt'in on me". "Why, back when tables were 10 feet long and pockets were the size a thimbles, I was raining hundreds". "I never played in no tournaments, that was fur them fun players, back then we bet 80k a game". "Hell, I made so much money I retired after I sent all them champeens back home". "Sh*t".



ShootingArts said:
John,

I have made no bones about not being much of a pool player now. However while you are coming with this you have ducked everything I sent your way including an offer of cold hard cash to produce any of your alleged sources that knew me. As I have said many a time in this thread, the only name I used when I was shooting pool was Hu, pronounced Hugh. Others hung nicknames on me but since I was just fine with Hu I never used any of the nicknames myself. Because of that I tended to have one nickname one place, another one another place. If your people weren't figments of your imagination I could find out if they were lying in about two minutes by asking a couple of questions as soon as I knew what they claimed as to where and when we played. To dime me they have to know at least the handle I was called and what I looked like at that time.

It isn't that hard to try to get a line on me, contact Danny Medina. Ask him about the guy he played on Plank Road north of the Baton Rouge airport when he passed through town. We parted as friends and I had a standing invitation to take a ride with him when he was in his prime. You see the picture in my avatar, that was me in '88. I don't remember if I played Danny about then or a few years earlier, close enough to ID me though although that picture looks a little woollier than I did in the flesh. We played on a bar table in a little place that barely had room for the two tables and a bar. Seems like Danny was driving an old Malibu at the time.

I heard second hand that Johnny says he doesn't remember me. It's possible but if I snapped the eight ball three times on the break calling the pocket to start the match and never made another ball it would stick in my mind. We played the same place as Danny and I.

I played Mike Massey in a joint on Airline Highway years before that. Doubt he remembers it, the only thing I remembered when I saw him a few years back was that he was pretty obnoxious when he was drinking. Definitely not knocking Mike, he and I have both had a lot of changes in our lives since then.

Anyone that knows me just from shooting pool back then and claims to know my full name is lying from the jump. Most people gambling on the road were big on fake names, Danny originally introduced himself as somebody else. Without all the easy access to check things that we have now I ignored names for the most part except as a handle to call somebody while we played. I didn't use a fake name, I just used the nickname I have toted for most of my life. It was on a handful of my businesses too.

I went to great efforts to keep people from getting a line on me then and I surely don't care if you can't get a line on me now. We both know that you were bluffing when you made the claims earlier as you pretty much admit to in the post I am responding to now. I notice that you aren't jumping to try to get the easy cash. I'm far too old and gimpy to be a threat to anyone so all any alleged source runs any risk of is being embarrassed in public if they are found to have been stretching things. Your locals don't exist and until this post you didn't even know where local was to me in those days.

I don't know what your fascination is with Family Guy, I could guess but that wouldn't be kind. Anyway, see what you can dredge up to try to divert from the fantasies you have been spinning about me and getting called on. I'm leaving out of town early in the morning and I'll check on your fractured fairy tales Sunday night or Monday if I have time. So far you have proven that every claim I have made is true with your tap dancing in replies.

Hu
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Jamarcus Russel...

#1 overall pick

bigger

faster

stronger

the arm of the century... 75+ yards in the air

4.4 40

there is no more talent in one body

he's the best we have ever seen.....



Tom Brady

late 7th round pick ... barely enough talent to make a practice squad


but he wants it......




one is going to the hall of fame

one has the worst passer rating in history and may never get off the bench

you don't demand respect... you earn it....
 
softshot said:
Jamarcus Russel...

#1 overall pick

bigger

faster

stronger

the arm of the century... 75+ yards in the air

4.4 40

there is no more talent in one body

he's the best we have ever seen.....



Tom Brady

late 7th round pick ... barely enough talent to make a practice squad


but he wants it......




one is going to the hall of fame

one has the worst passer rating in history and may never get off the bench

you don't demand respect... you earn it....
Click to expand...

Cant teach heart. nice post
 
john schmidt said:
i dont quite agree with what your saying ,sorry.actually if anybody can be a champion then quit pool take up golf and that person would be on pga tour and a rich person.
honestly it cracks me up how many people tell me what it takes to be a top player when they are not ones themselves.
just something to think about.no hard feelings i hope just being honest.
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I am in total agreement with you John. I am only an ok pool player but I am a pretty good guitar player and it came naturally to me right from the beginning. I was playing clubs when I was 15 years old and guys in my band were in ther 20's. Having natural ability is an important asset to get to a championship level at anything. I was also good in baseball and pool came fairly easy but I just dedicated my life to being a guitar player because that's where I knew I would get paid off. 15 million records later I am still performing world wide and wishing I could play pool better lol.....
 
hi

Mowem down said:
So what Ive learned:
Anybody can be world class at anything, thats good to know forget pool Im going to go win the Tour de France. Thats just stupid

Most Champions just have all the skills they need from their first breath, Thats got to piss off guys like Jordan, Bryant who are (were) in the gym at 4am befor anybody eles, PRACTICING. and Lee Traveno must have had no idea what he was saying when he said " if you want to be a good golfer you ned to hit 1000 balls a day. Can you imagine how pissed the Olympic athelets are spending years getting ready when all they had to do was read this thread grab a snickers and show up for the medal.

Dont beleave everything you read, now this thread does prove that beyond a doubt.....

P.S. OH john you migh be a good pool player and not a bad golfer but those 2 games are not even CLOSE to the same as playing in the BIGS my friend. I would love to see your little boy frame and 2 ton ego grab a bat and take some swings with washed up pitcher like say Randy Johnson that would be a hoot....
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actually i have a 3 ton ego.
i bet i could hit his pitches before he could run a rack.
seriously i know i cant hit those pitches.
this whole thread is a joke.
chewning is saying i said champions are born and identifiable the first time they play.
people are putting words in my mouth.
look fact is their are people who are damn good at about everything they pick up. those are generally the ones who become pro,golf,olympians,baseball,pool,etc.
i dont understand why people are getting so mad at me for saying that.
im not saying its me who can do that only, ive met tons of people who become great quick at almost anything they try.
 
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Salamander said:
Every pool hall I've ever been in has an old guy that sits at the bar and claims to have beat everybody and everyone for the cash when they were younger.

"That Efren fella, don't have nutt'in on me". "Why, back when tables were 10 feet long and pockets were the size a thimbles, I was raining hundreds". "I never played in no tournaments, that was fur them fun players, back then we bet 80k a game". "Hell, I made so much money I retired after I sent all them champeens back home". "Sh*t".
Click to expand...

And very often those "claims" are 100% correct. Hu has more credibility than most 100 posters on this board put together.

Jim
 
john schmidt said:
ill tell you what . their is so many people on here that are complete wanna be losers that im not going to give them the chance to say a word in my direction.
honestly i cant type anyway and i have better things to do like actually being a champion instead of talking about it like many of the tards on here.
99 percent on here are great and im going to miss you guys but you guys can all ask questions and discuss things with the real masters like mowen down,chewning,shooting arts etc.
many on here are mature secure adults with good jobs etc that play pool for fun,you dont see me as a threat or enemy, because im a better player.
many on here are actually trying to get to where im at in pool and see me as a direct threat and no matter what i say tell me im a egomaniac arrogant jerk etc.they belittle everything ive done in pool and say things like with enough practice ill be better than you and you need weight from this guy and that etc.
they are totally jealous haters and have been their whole lives.
until this is a forum where i know who im speaking too and everybody uses a real name like i do im done with being a target for guys who are wanna bes.

i think if i stay on here i will use a fake name and take cheap shots at everybody.
if you guys think i speak my mind now wait until im using a fake name lol.

oh by the way the 99 percent on here thats great people im sorry to go, you can directly thank all the *****s .i tell the guys on tour im on here and people treat me like shit.they all say why would you bother you have no chance because you use your real name,your a target for the haters.

if im seen posting under john schmidt anymore im going to donate 1000 to charity .
so in parting instead of saying something friendly and respectfull,instead im going to talk like the haters on here.

all you losers that live with your mommies ,who couldnt get laid if i sent you too an island full of swine flu victims with the h1n1 vaccine in your dick,who have a shoe size bigger than their high run in 14.1,who say they will be pro in 2 years even though after 15 years are still an apa 5 ,can all eat shit.im done with wannabeville.
im only speaking too 1 percent on here but you know who you are.
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You shouldn't leave because of the losers (not referring to anyone in particular) on here. If I would have left because of the few frustrating c-suckers, I would have been gone the first week back in 2006.

I hope you don't go - you're one of the very best posters on here. If someone ruffles your feathers... maybe they wanna play ya some? haha

Unlike a few others, I feel that this forum is about pool and knowledge, not about how nice you are, classiness, etc. This isn't a beauty pageant, it's not a personality contest, etc. If someone pisses ya off, end them right up front instead of letting it built up inside to the point where you quit.

Just my humble opinion. Don't go. I'd rather everyone else go.
 
john schmidt said:
ill tell you what . their is so many people on here that are complete wanna be losers that im not going to give them the chance to say a word in my direction.
honestly i cant type anyway and i have better things to do like actually being a champion instead of talking about it like many of the tards on here.
99 percent on here are great and im going to miss you guys but you guys can all ask questions and discuss things with the real masters like mowen down,chewning,shooting arts etc.
many on here are mature secure adults with good jobs etc that play pool for fun,you dont see me as a threat or enemy, because im a better player.
many on here are actually trying to get to where im at in pool and see me as a direct threat and no matter what i say tell me im a egomaniac arrogant jerk etc.they belittle everything ive done in pool and say things like with enough practice ill be better than you and you need weight from this guy and that etc.
they are totally jealous haters and have been their whole lives.
until this is a forum where i know who im speaking too and everybody uses a real name like i do im done with being a target for guys who are wanna bes.

i think if i stay on here i will use a fake name and take cheap shots at everybody.
if you guys think i speak my mind now wait until im using a fake name lol.

oh by the way the 99 percent on here thats great people im sorry to go, you can directly thank all the *****s .i tell the guys on tour im on here and people treat me like shit.they all say why would you bother you have no chance because you use your real name,your a target for the haters.

if im seen posting under john schmidt anymore im going to donate 1000 to charity .
so in parting instead of saying something friendly and respectfull,instead im going to talk like the haters on here.

all you losers that live with your mommies ,who couldnt get laid if i sent you too an island full of swine flu victims with the h1n1 vaccine in your dick,who have a shoe size bigger than their high run in 14.1,who say they will be pro in 2 years even though after 15 years are still an apa 5 ,can all eat shit.im done with wannabeville.
im only speaking too 1 percent on here but you know who you are.
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if this is really your attitude then you should leave mr schmidt. sometimes this board does run off the pro's but in your case i fear you have no one to blame but yourself. you'd better think twice about all us "losers" on this forum. we are the true pool fans and if pool is ever going to be more than it is now the sport (and you) need us. i posted in another thread that this sport needs better fans but after reading your comments in this thread i am starting to think we may some better pros too...

brian gauthier===>offended forum member and fan who feels an apology is in order
 
I wanna point out that I don't think a single person has "belittled" John's game, but he has personally insulted numerous posters on this thread.

And why? Because they disagree with him.

Isn't that what 12 year olds do?

And I never said that just ANYBODY can practice and end up spotting Efren the 8. I said that anyone who starts out with a decent amount of hand eye coordination can become a regional champion, if they want it bad enough and have the practice time, and access to great players.

Tell me again why we have so many "champions" whose fathers owned pool halls?

Oh wait...It must be just a coincidence. They "had it from the beginning" and just HAPPENED to be born into a situation where they could take advantage.

Russ
 
Neil said:
One of the biggest things holding back many people is the mental side of the game. That side is HUGE!
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I wholeheartedly agree.

I also think though, that being around champions who can "shape" the way you think can go a long ways towards changing your mental game. Not all the way, but quite a long ways.

Russ
 
absolutely Neil.....

Neil said:
I haven't read the entire thread, so it may have been mentioned already.

There is a lot more to a champion than just being able to make balls and get position. There are many players out there that are better shotmakers than a lot of the pros. There are players out there that you can pitch a dime on the table and they can put the cb touching the dime after their shot. But, nobody ever heard of them because they are missing other needed qualities that the champions have.

Basically, a lot of people have parts of what it takes. Some even more so than the champions. But the champions have all the pieces, and they have it all in one sock, so to speak.

One of the biggest things holding back many people is the mental side of the game. That side is HUGE!
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I didn't want to chime in on this thread, but I will because you hit something on the head.

You can have all the pool talent in the world. You can do things on the table that no one else can and do it with regularity, but that doesn't mean you'll be a champion and the opposite is true too....

Can anyone become a champion, absolutely not....

99% of the people out there with all of the dedication in the world aren't going to be ab;e to.

But someone with less talent and the right dedication can...IF they have the right mindset. Talent isn't limited to the cuestick, you have to be talented mentally and emotionally as well.

Someone with more talent and the wrong mindset, won't....

It's that simple.

I can't speak from experience because I have the talent, have pretty much always had it have had it at pretty much everything I've tried to do, I'm still working on the right mindset though and don't know if I'll ever get it....I can only dedicate myself to it and hope that I find it some day.

Jaden
 
Jaden said:
99% of the people out there with all of the dedication in the world aren't going to be ab;e to.

Jaden
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Just curious what the basis for this statement is..

First of all.. 99% of the people out there will never have the opportunity to even develop their game, whatever that game may be, because "life gets in the way."

Yes, yes yes.. Some few people have the talent of John.. And don't have to practice, and can work a full time job while "becoming" a champion.

And for every guy like him, they are 10 more that had access to a pool hall for multiple years, and still took about 3-4 years before they became regional champions.

My only point is this. I believe "natural talents" are less than 20% of the population of regional champion type players. I think the rest of these sprang from a situation where they were afforded the opportunity to practice nonstop for a LONG period of time, and were exposed to great play during their development.

Now, just so you know, I am not speaking out of my ass. I am one of those players who got on a practice table for a month, and leapfrogged a bunch of players who had been playing for years.

Funny thing was..It was the first time I was exposed to good players, and had real practice time.

I do not think I have special physical gifts, though. I started out with a fairly straight stroke, but was able to develop what i had through heavy practice.

The things I have that many others don't (as far as I can tell)

1. Absolute hatred of losing

2. Ego the size of a house (Drives me to master a shot that caused a loss)

3. Smarts enough to figure out what I need to learn and practice

4. Mental discipline to change my thought patterns as needed to be successful at pool.

Notice nowhere in there does it say "physical gifts" of any sort.

Everyone always talks about "I know BUNCHES of people who practice all day long, every day of the year, and will never become champions."

And to that, I say "Horsesh*t, sir." I have been in MANY pool halls over my life, and never met more than 2-3 people who ever had life throw them the opportunity to practice full time for an extended period of time. And to a PERSON, all of them were excellent players, with a legitimate chance at becoming a dominant regional player. And often, WERE already, in fact.

Russ
 
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Neil said:
I think a perfect example of what I am talking about, to name two guys, would be Howard Vickery and Michael Euphemia. Granted, both are pros. But, neither held a major title that I am aware of. Why? It sure wasn't lack of skill. They played as good or better than many champions. Euphemia even broke Mosconi's record for high run. Yet, they lacked one of the requirements to being a champion. Probably just that they just couldn't accept being one, so they always did something that made them lose just when it counted.
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And again, we hit the bump of "definition of a champion".

I am not talking about someone who wins pro tournaments before they eat breakfast every day, like Mike Sigel and Jim Rempe. Those guys definitely had something special.

I am talking about strong regional champions, who slaughter their respective regional tours, year in and year out. Guys who can walk in to just about any pool hall and give out huge spots to pretty good players, but will still come out losing 9-7 or so to top pros.

Russ
 
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greyghost said:
talent is a myth, talent will make you one of the best around your hole in the wall or a descent short stop....but patience, pratice, and dedication are what makes a champion. Talent might get you the the starting line, but it sure isn't going to get you to the finish.

Grey Ghost
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Dr. Bob Rotella, TOP Sports Psychologist to Champions and author of Golf is Not a Game of Perfect makes MANY comparisons to athletes with different types of talent. He refers to "real talent" as something entirely different from "natural talent" and if I read him correctly, he says "real talent" is far more valuable than "natural talent". Your post parallels what Dr. Rotella has to say about talent.

JoeyA
 
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