I do not like the word feel, it suggests that they are doing something other people cannot do. Every shot on the table have a way of making, if you do not follow the book/secrets you will miss.
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OPINION ALERT!!! Great Players Are Great Players Because…
- Thread starter BasementDweller
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I do not like the word feel, it suggests that they are doing something other people cannot do. Every shot on the table have a way of making, if you do not follow the book/secrets you will miss.
Feel is very much what it's about -- whether you care for the word or not.
It is not a matter of doing something other people cannot do, but rather being able to do things others cannot because you've developed a refined touch and sense that others have not yet developed. It's not a matter of knowing the mechanics of laying down a good bunt. You have to have done it enough to know how to pull it off in a game situation. That would be the feel part -- which in turn is "the secret" -- doing it over and over again so that you know that if you set up a certain way and adjust certain factors you will get X vs Y as a result.
What you may or may not have discovered is a secret that helps *you* succeed. But each of us, once we leave the pure physics of the game, have our own personal reality as far as the game is concerned. Your secret probably will not work me, or perhaps anyone else. You have your stick, your mechanics, your eyes, your hand and eye coordination, and your visualization skills. I, as does every other pool player, has theirs. No matter what your secret or system is it still boils down to feeling that you are deploying it correctly.
The game is all about feel.
Lou Figueroa
Thank you for this
This is what I believe. It keeps me going. Keeps me believing.
Thank you for a great post!
This is what I believe. It keeps me going. Keeps me believing.
Thank you for a great post!
Thanks Lou, i like your explanation, but a question for you, would that same player have the same feeling plying on different table with different very fast cloth, before he gets his practice on it? If the answer is no then feel means physical things of which any player have to adjust too, so it is common to all; therefore players feel, in my opinion, in this case is knowledge and how to adjust. If such knowledge is not known to some players then they will not play as well as others who know it, therefore, it is knowledge/secret that all benefit from it;
I do respect your opinion.
Short answer - They got more heart! That's it, what separates the winners from the losers. The best players come with the big shot that wins games and matches. The slightly lesser player misses the same shot (I hesitate to say he dogs it). There's a lot of guys who play good and can run out, but the great players can do it under pressure. And that's the difference!
Focus, concentration, heart, desire, whatever, helps you to get the maximum out of your abilities. It won't help you playing shots that are beyond your abilities. Great players have a lot of experience and "heart" but also superior execution.
Ok Thepolitesniper, you started it good, Focus, concentration, but what i highlighted in red you are dead wrong, you MUST know all shots and all possibilities on the table to be able to compete, you need to learn and apply to reach beyond your ability and get that superior execution, after playing pool for 37 years, last two or three months proved what i knew about pool shot making (and i am an A almost player then), barley scratches the surface, now it is different, now shots i used to shy from during a match will make with ease; there is A LOT to learn, once you know it all, your desire to play will be boosted by 10 folds, your heart will be working less, and luck will be on your side most of the times
I believe that it would then become a matter of being able to adjust from your benchmark, or perhaps your home field. This, in and of itself, I believe, is a talent unto itself and one that not everyone has. I know players that are near unbeatable on their home track, but take them to a tournament, or another room, and the different cloth, rubber, pockets, balls, humidity, noise and distractions put their games in the toilet. Other guys don't miss a beat and with a couple of shots have almost instantaneously recalibrated their speed, and spin and can play at or very near their home table speed.
All this, I would submit, is a reflection of having solid mechanics but also part of gaining "feel"
Lou Figueroa
Feel...
Another way of looking at Feel is with the word Insight...
The pros and best players have more Insight than the others..
They know what what it is like, and what it takes, to draw the ball 3 or 4 or 5 rails for position. Or Follow for position with multiple rails as well...all with great accuracy...
They have the Feel and Insight to do this under all conditions and do it very quickly. They Adjust and Adapt as they have done a million times in their past.
They have the Insight to know and Feel what it takes, to have to deal with change, from table to table...Even if there may be one or two dead rails that they have to deal with....
They also have the Insight in knowing all the adjustments needed for dealing with many different types of cloth as well...
Each Pro, or One of the Best players, has his own Feel and Insight that he has developed and knows what to do for himself to Adjust and Adapt...
Mr. J.
Another way of looking at Feel is with the word Insight...
The pros and best players have more Insight than the others..
They know what what it is like, and what it takes, to draw the ball 3 or 4 or 5 rails for position. Or Follow for position with multiple rails as well...all with great accuracy...
They have the Feel and Insight to do this under all conditions and do it very quickly. They Adjust and Adapt as they have done a million times in their past.
They have the Insight to know and Feel what it takes, to have to deal with change, from table to table...Even if there may be one or two dead rails that they have to deal with....
They also have the Insight in knowing all the adjustments needed for dealing with many different types of cloth as well...
Each Pro, or One of the Best players, has his own Feel and Insight that he has developed and knows what to do for himself to Adjust and Adapt...
Mr. J.
AMEN!!!!
Hallelujah!!!!
Heart is what truly separates the winners. And winning because of heart is the high you can't buy. There is no better feeling on the earth than winning a tough match against a tough opponent when it counts on the natural and you HAD to come with it.