Well the Chinese players dont play good because of tight pockets, they play good because they work ay every aspect of the game. Theres not one thing they dont do well including compete.
Tougher tables did not help USA pros for 20 years
- Thread starter iusedtoberich
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Well the Chinese players dont play good because of tight pockets, they play good because they work ay every aspect of the game. Theres not one thing they dont do well including compete.
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At my last job, one of my colleagues was from the Philippines. Of course, I had to ask him if he played pool. While he didn't play, he said his parents were good friends with Efren. I asked him what he believed was the reason why there's a disproportionate number of great pool players from the Philippines. He equated it to two reasons:
- They have a gambling culture. He said they love to gamble and they gamble on everything. He said even little kids bring change with them when they go to the park so they could gamble on whatever they played.
- He said they are mostly very poor, so when they do gamble, they play their guts outs because they have next to no money. I guess this goes along with your point. Being hungry and broke would make you motivated to practice and win.
everybody plays basketball but the NBA is still the strongest league and where every player on the planet wants to play.
It all comes down to one thing, for Americans pool is not a sport. And America will stay behind as long as it doesn't change.
And you may not agree with me, but it's the BCA job to make changes. It was the EPBF and the local federations that did the changes in Europe.
Perhaps so.
There is not much similarity between EPBF, which oversees the Euro-tour and most professional pool activity in Europe and the BCA, which is, for the most part, a small and marginally funded trade organization. Like you, I would like to see the BCA play a different role, but I think the conception of a legitimate pool tour in America, which can happen with or without BCA involvement, is more important than the redefinition of the role of the BCA.
The EPBF is much more than a tour organizer.
They govern pool from all aspects.
Referee programs, coaches programs, European championships, Eurotour, working with countries federations. It does what it needs to do for their position in the pool hierarchy, sitting between the WPA and European federations.
Do you have state federations under the BCA?
If not, maybe this is part of the problem, the USA is too big for the BCA to do it all. Just like the EPBF doesn’t do everything alone.
The whole European operation is working like any sports operation.
There are claims here about no rooms with 9ft tables.
How about the BCA work to make rooms into sports center, no booz no greasy food no gambling , just pool tables and have certified instructors run programs for all ages. Make it safe for the parents to drop their kids there for a few hours. and get the owners discount in taxes etc. just like any other sports facility might enjoy.
Again, you are assigning a role to the BCA that it is not designed or organized to play. You are, of course, right in suggesting that it is important that somebody play these roles.
I agree that the culture of the American poolroom is, too often, a deterrent to the integration of youthful cueists into the game, and I have posted this many times over the years.
I live in New York, and I have never seen a poolroom that did not have nine-foot tables. I'm sure the problem you mention exists elsewhere, but I cannot comment on it.
I think the silent killer is inflation.
Young people in towns like LA have seen an unreal escalation in rents, if they aren't living with their parents.
The demographic of the players seems to get older and older.
Very few kids coming up are serious about pool as a hobby.
Labour costs have gone way up.
What kid will be able to afford 15 dollar an hour practice time after work?
The day to day action that made pool exciting is largely gone in a lot of rooms.
Regular folks have less discretionary income to spend these days.
Then there is the fact that allowing younger patrons in means, more insurance costs........
A pint of beer in many rooms is not cheap these days.
The management in many rooms is pretty shabby.
A lot of the employees have attitude even when you tip them.
It ain't like going to Chick Filet or In and Out Burger where all the employees are happy and helpful..........
After Covid everybody is expecting fat tips for nothing........
Young people in towns like LA have seen an unreal escalation in rents, if they aren't living with their parents.
The demographic of the players seems to get older and older.
Very few kids coming up are serious about pool as a hobby.
Labour costs have gone way up.
What kid will be able to afford 15 dollar an hour practice time after work?
The day to day action that made pool exciting is largely gone in a lot of rooms.
Regular folks have less discretionary income to spend these days.
Then there is the fact that allowing younger patrons in means, more insurance costs........
A pint of beer in many rooms is not cheap these days.
The management in many rooms is pretty shabby.
A lot of the employees have attitude even when you tip them.
It ain't like going to Chick Filet or In and Out Burger where all the employees are happy and helpful..........
After Covid everybody is expecting fat tips for nothing........
Are you kidding? They'd just bring in those blackball players that have come over here for Ultimate Pool. Most of those guys are way over weight
Put 'em up in a hotel a mile from the venue and jack the transportation and food. On a tangent, someone mentioned the camaraderie and evolution some player clubs provide. They've become comfortable with what used to be called showboating. Suffice it to say they have the positive psychology.
Pocket size doesn’t mean much when your missing by 6 inches
Even if it wornt that bad, the tighter the lines you can see and hit, the tighter the lines you will see and hit.
Simple product development - a concept apparently lost on poolers.
some of those pinoy kids are skipping school in this pursuit.. i enjoy watching filipino gambling matches but i don't think the gambling route is the right one for children. it may happen anyway but shouldnt be encouraged? (not judging them, i skipped a lot of school lessons playing poker..)
poteet went deep in buffalos too this year, maybe 5th or better. good 1p player
Pool is half mental and half physical! Never forget that.
In China they have schools that specialize in different sports, along with the regular curriculum. Kids start out in gymnastics, table tennis and yes even billiards at five and six years old. I've seen gymnastic shows over there with many 12-16 year olds doing seemingly impossible stuff. And doing it flawlessly.
Even split? Never happen.
My point exactly. And why is that? Because the USA no longer cares about pool like it used to. It's a numbers game. The US has fewer people interested in playing pool for a living than Europe, the Philippines, etc. End. Of. Story.
In the first half of the 20th century, pool and billiards were huge in the US. Match results would appear on the front page of newspaper sports sections around the country. Then, television took men out of the poolrooms in the 1950s and they lost interest. We had a renaissance in the 60s and 70s with the release of The Hustler and another in the 80s and 90s with The Color of Money. But, pool in the USA has been on a slow trajectory downward over the past 25 years. Over that time, thank God for Shane is all I can say.
This is not an excuse. It's just the way it is. Want a USA team that can compete with Europe in the Mosconi Cup? Get a lot of Americans interested in the game again. Trust me, if pro players had the opportunity to make a lot of money (on par with the MLB, NBA, NFL, etc.), the incentive would be there. Another huge Hollywood blockbuster or very popular streaming series about pool could do it too. Short of that, don't hold your breath until the next Team USA victory.