SJM at the Las Vegas Open

Just a a little story from the past. It was a young girl in Florida from the Tampa area and she could really play. She's playing in a Grady Matthews tournament that has a women's division and she happens to be playing my wife.

Anyway my wife ends up beating her which is not a big surprise my wife had just lost a hill hill to Lori John to get on the loser side so my wife could really play.
Her father started yelling at her and she walked away. Couple hours later I passed them in the hall of the hotel and the father is still yelling at her. I don't know how much longer she played but I know she essentially disappeared from any of the women's pool tournaments.

I just now tried looking her up and I couldn't find anything on her other than some old pictures from way back when. I seriously doubt she has ever played pool since she was probably 17 or 18. She was actually talented even beating Dennis Hatch once 11 to 2 and a men's tournament. I'm sure he probably remembers that.
At that point, that's just a grown adult unloading their insecurities and failures on a kid.

Maybe she wasn't better because he was a shit coach.
 
Far be it from me to disagree ... from what I can tell, most top and female male pros become quite proficient in all these intellectual/mental areas over time. And yet, I still see some who never reach the same high level as others.

Why is that, in your view? Every pool player nowadays has access to all the best info on the sport.

Is is mostly a case of some pool athletes just being better than others at conceptualizing? Is it a lack of patience? An innate lack of imagination? An unwillingness to improve on all parts of one game?
Excellent post!

This is a very difficult subject. I would say that some get near the top without super-elite conceptualization skills, but not many, I don't agree that all the top players master the game's conceptualization skills, and while people tend to marvel at their execution skills, the truth is that Filler and Gorst probably have the best conceptualization skills in pool today, and they win many, many racks because their decision making is superior to that of all their opponents.

You make a great point about players having access to the best information. By every reckoning, this has and will continue to narrow the gap between the best and the rest when it comes to conceptualization skills, but there is also the matter of "who are a players coaches and influences?" This question is much tougher than it sounds. Why, for example, is Rubilen Amit so much stronger in decision making skills than Chezka Centeno when they are both around the exact same Filipino players? Why isn't Manas learning to play in the tactical style of a Biado or a Corteza? Surely, he must have frequent access to these two tactical legends of the game.

No doubt, just as you suggest, some are better at the logical reasoning that goes with superior decision making, but I also think that some prioritize learning the conceptualization skills more than others. In the history of women's pool, no player studied the conceptualization skills of the game more than Karen Corr, and she remains the best defensive player in the history of the women's game.

To a large extent, I think you answered your own question in your superb post, but the question you hve raised, I fear, will always baffle us.
 
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No one is wishing that Savannah ends up broke.

Some of us just think a kid should be allowed to be a kid.
Ummmm... She's not YOUR kid.
Her parents using social media to monetize every aspect of her existence is not helping any.
They are monetizing her sponsorship and tournament progress to make travel expenses easier.

You act like you know her personal life and what her other hobbies/interest are. You don't know what her goals/aspirations/intentions are. You are not inside her head. Outside of tournaments, how do you know she's not being a kid and enjoying things a normal kid would?

This level of couch-parenting and control is weird.
 
Nobody is suggesting that Manas won't get there, but there is no denying that his performance in pool's majors to date offers little to get excited about. There's a difference between potential and performance. Last week, Manas failed to get out of round 1 at the Matchroom PLP event, so he has not yet proven he is at the level of the WNT's best.

I didn't know that Orcullo still competed at a high level. Th last time I saw him play was in what I believe was the 2024 China Open, and I wasn't terribly impressed. Dennis stopped playing the world circuit several years ago despite the fact that most Matchroom majors and many WPA majors are played outside of the United States.

I won't say that, to validate his pedigree, AJ has to win a Matchroom major this year, but I want to see him reach the final four at one of the Matchroom majors before I jump on the bandwagon. Last I checked, he was about the twentieth best player from the Philippines based on Fargo.

AJ's potential is obvious. His game has a nice flow to it and his instant pattern recognition brings to mind a Filler, Shaw, or Centeno. His game, however, is still very raw and underdeveloped. He can beat anyone for sure, but I could say that of at least 100 players.

Based on Fargo, AJ is the #69 male player in the world and Savannah is the #66 female player in the world, so it is an interesting comparison.
I was unaware of the fact that Dennis has slipped down the ranks of competition.

You are indeed in the eye of the hurricane and know what is going on.
 
In the Men’s Event, Filler was the story. It seemed the pool gods had it in for him when his path to the title included three world champions in Biado, SVB and Gorst, but he beat all three of them and won the title. The first set of the final between Filler and Gorst was a dandy, and Fedor made two different bank shots at double hill to win the set. Unfortunately, what looked like a good one became a dud as Filler won the next eight racks to secure the title.

At least from the stream (and the commentary here), Filler looks like he has reached another level. I think he was tinkering with his stroke last year and maybe that paid off? In addition to everything else he does and has of course.
 
He knew at age 12, but by that age, the pool room was his home and family. Long story. :)
Thank you for replying :)

If you're ever bored and want to tell that story, I'm all ears! I am a big fan of Keith. I can't get enough of his story, what little of it's out there.

If you ever wanna make him chuckle, tell him some internet stranger thinks he's a better actor than Tom Cruise ;)
 
Your points are valid and well taken, and Savannah needs to get mentally stronger as you note. Still, I don't see this as Savannah's biggest issue.

Where Savannah needs to get much better is in her shot recognition and decision making. There are still far too many positions which she does not recognize and too many tactical principles and shots of which she is unaware. No matter how strong her mental game gets, it won't nearly be enough if she doesn't greatly increase her knowledge and strategic judgement at the table.

In short, no amount of execution skills will be enough to hide underdeveloped conceptualization skills, which largely boil down to knowledge and practice.

I doubt her mechanics and execution are gonna fall in a ditch. As far as "conceptualization, knowledge, and practice," she's sixteen. Give the girl a break. I was kind of an idiot at 16, and I suspect most of y'all were, too.
 
I’ve been watch Savannah in all of her matches. She has digressed from where she was months ago. I contribute a lot to her body language. Her shoulders, body and facial expressions are not positive. It’s almost like she has a poor me’ attitude. Just an observation from a 79 year old who’s been around pool and golf since I was 13 and I know when a player has that defeated look. My father’s remedy towards was a kick in the ass. It’s not available by prescription or over the counter. I also wonder if she ever takes a break or has other interest or are her parents pushing her to hard and two fast. Many a child prodigy has suffered from burnout.
Great post! It's a very tricky topic.

As a regular around pro circles since the 1970s, I watched all of Jean Balukas, Loree Jon Jones, Siming Chen, Han Yu, Ga Young Kim, and Jasmin Ouschan play at sixteen years old, and the sixteen-year-old Savannah doesn't wow me the way any of them.

Allen Hopkins told me long ago that if a player hasn't shown signs of world championship level speed by the age of eighteen, the odds are they will never get there. I remember, at first, wondering whether he was right, but I've come to agree with him.

The great ones like Keith can identify a generational talent quite effortlessly. Thorsten Hohmann saw it, too, and mentioned Josh Filler to me as early as 2009, when Josh was just 12, as a future German world champion that would likely follow in the giant footsteps of Ortmann, Souquet and, of course, Hohmann himself. Keith and Thorsten just knew! The rest of us didn't know until later.

I posted a couple of YT videos here of Chezka practicing Rotation and outrunning the ghost more than a decade ago. IIRC, she was just 12 or 13 years old. Never played a tournament yet, was not into money games, and was just shooting for the fun of it and her love of the game. Majority of the AZ members commented that she will be a world champion someday.

They know when they see it…
 
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I posted a couple of YT videos here of Chezka practicing Rotation and outrunning the ghost more than a decade ago. IIRC, she was just 12 or 13 years old. Never played a tournament yet, was not into money games, and was just shooting for the fun of it and her love of the game. Majority of the AZ members commented that she will be a world champion someday.

They know when they see it…
Chezka is probably the most natural runner of the table in the history of the women's game. Her almost instantaneous pattern recognition is simply incredible.
 
Yeah that's true without his father there would have never been a Tiger Woods he was like his father's creation. It's often the case with a lot of high school athletes little league and so on, their fathers live through their children's accomplishments. Just as long as it's done the right way.
Earl nurtured Tiger's love of Golf. They had a great relationship! Meanwhile I think Savannah needs to take a long break from the game and find out what SHE wants in life. Something's not working for her now and her game is going sideways, not up. I've seen quite a few child prodigies fall by the wayside while still teenagers.
 
I was unaware of the fact that Dennis has slipped down the ranks of competition.

You are indeed in the eye of the hurricane and know what is going on.
Dennis basically fell off the map after receiving his five year ban from entering the United States (two years to go!). He was making 99% of his earnings here and it got wiped out just like that. It took all the heart out of him to keep playing, so he turned to poker and other pastimes and that only made things worse. I wish him the best and maybe, just maybe, he will make a late life comeback. Efren and Francsico both showed they still had it when they were older than Dennis is now.
 
He knew at age 12, but by that age, the pool room was his home and family. Long story. :)
Keith was a freak at age 12, getting in games with top players. They would give him the eight ball and he would give them fits. By age 14 he was their equal and at 16 no one wanted any part of him! Never seen another one quite like him in my lifetime, and I saw many great young players.

Keith never showed any nerves at 12, 14, 16 or at any age! I think he saw that quality in Filler too. I've always said that what separates the great players from the rest is how they handle pressure. Keith was bullet proof!
 
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This makes me think you haven't played SJM.

kollegedave

Where do I mention SJM? I value his opinion more than most on here. It just seems to me a lot of people on here are hating on a 16 year old girl because she plays better than they do. They mention things like body language forgetting she is still a kid with lots of maturing to do. Just my 2 cents.
 
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That's a strange way of saying abusive parenting is justified so long as it pays well. :oops:
Behind many successful people is someone cracking the whip.

Case in point. Recently a US female ice skater won the gold medal.

Her father was a Tiger dad and pushed her from a super young age.

Want to be the best in the world? It's not a cakewalk.

The dad would go to the rink and fire his daughters coaches all the time.

Christina Tkach was recently lamenting her childhood as her father made her play pool from the age of 8.

She said it wasn't an easy childhood. She's on the top of the women's tour.

Many a concert musician was made to practice long hours by a domineering parent.

No pain....., no gain.............
 
Behind many successful people is someone cracking the whip.

Case in point. Recently a US female ice skater won the gold medal.

Her father was a Tiger dad and pushed her from a super young age.

Want to be the best in the world? It's not a cakewalk.

The dad would go to the rink and fire his daughters coaches all the time.

Christina Tkach was recently lamenting her childhood as her father made her play pool from the age of 8.

She said it wasn't an easy childhood. She's on the top of the women's tour.

Many a concert musician was made to practice long hours by a domineering parent.

No pain....., no gain.............
You forgot to mention that Alysa Liu fired her dad as her manager, and quit altogether at age 16, because he was pushing her so hard it made her hate ice skating.

And Kristina Tkach has said that if she ever had children she wouldn't want them to be professional pool players.

So not everyone is willing to trade their kids' well-being for a chance at a big payday, even if you are.
 
Dennis basically fell off the map after receiving his five year ban from entering the United States (two years to go!). He was making 99% of his earnings here and it got wiped out just like that. It took all the heart out of him to keep playing, so he turned to poker and other pastimes and that only made things worse. I wish him the best and maybe, just maybe, he will make a late life comeback. Efren and Francsico both showed they still had it when they were older than Dennis is now.
That is so sad, he was such a great champion.

Why they would want to lock him out of the US is beyond comprehension.
 
You forgot to mention that Alysa Liu fired her dad as her manager, and quit altogether at age 16, because he was pushing her so hard it made her hate ice skating.

And Kristina Tkach has said that if she ever had children she wouldn't want them to be professional pool players.

So not everyone is willing to trade their kids' well-being for a chance at a big payday, even if you are.
I am familiar with the story but without the dad she probably wouldn't have been a champion.

Her father was the ultimate tiger dad. Yes some kids buckle under the pressure.

Elon Musk hates his dad but his dad made Elon as tough as shoe leather................
 
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