I agree with you here....It takes years sometimes to become an "A" player. I played some when I was younger but I figure it has taken me about 8-9 years to become as proficient as I am. The last 4-5 years though is when my game has come around....and that would be contributed to live streams, dvd's and attending DCC as much as I can to watch how great pool is played......without those I would still be just another banger....
Gary
Gary:
A good point. A lot of things go into getting a player to a certain level. I can think of the following:
1. Talent.
2. Dedication.
3. Open mind. (That is, to accept knowledge from many sources, including from those you may consider to be "lesser" players than yourself.)
4. Environment.
As for that last one, it is not to be overlooked. In fact, for me personally, I attribute environment to be probably the single most important thing for my development as a player -- it was the conduit by which the other aspects were allowed to flourish.
My biggest development as a player was when I was in the U.S. Navy (1983-1990). Although I played and gambled with good players when I was in my Navy schooling (data systems technician), it wasn't until I transferred to Norfolk, VA, and spent every waking non-duty minute at Q-Masters at the old (now burned down) Sewell's Point Road location. That Q-Masters was a 24/7 pool hall, and had a "green room" in the back, complete with a set of bleachers for railbirds to watch. These were the same type of bleachers you'd find in a high school gymnasium -- those retractable things that look like large/long slabs of wood attached to large scissor-like metal construction to make it easy to erect. Barry Behrman had the ends of them capped-off with plywood (you couldn't just walk underneath them) since they were more or less permanent. However, the area between the slabs was open (i.e. where your calf of your legs would be), and people were constantly dropping things down there. I was a very small wiry guy in those days, and when I'd get tired and needed a nap, I'd very inconspicuously slide down between the slabs and disappear inside there. I had one of those portable hammocks in my pocket, and I'd string it up between the main support stanchions towards the rear of the bleachers, where the highest seats were located. And there I would crash for hours at a time.
The nice thing is, when your ship is in port, as long as you weren't on duty or didn't have to muster the next day, noone cared where you went. I spent almost my every waking minute at Q-Masters, with occasional trips to "On Stage" (a live rock band venue -- I played bass guitar for one of the bands that played there on occasion -- one of the few "squids" [as Navymen are sometimes referred to] that could mix it up, rock-chops-wise, with the long-hairs).
It was in this non-stop pool environment that really did it for me. I learned *SO* much cutting my teeth there, gambling, playing in their tournaments, hitting the older players up for knowledge, etc. I *know* this helped expedite my development as a player.
Ah, those were the days! Live, eat, breathe, and drink pool 18 hours of the day!
-Sean
