Zhang Taiyi, teenage Chines 8 ball player, is the straightest shooter currently, IMHO
who are the straightest shooters of all time?
- Thread starter evergruven
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Straightest shooter is somewhat of a BS term, which many of you have glommed on, thinking it has some meaning. You've thrown out a lot of all time greats.
But what does straight shooter mean? I'd say it means the player who could play the game with the least amount of english with every shot, and position was natural. Mostly stun shots. A lot of world champions mentioned used a lot of english, especially Sigel and Strickland.
The straightest shooter: Probably Buddy Hall. You have to be old enough to have seen him.
All the best,
WW
But what does straight shooter mean? I'd say it means the player who could play the game with the least amount of english with every shot, and position was natural. Mostly stun shots. A lot of world champions mentioned used a lot of english, especially Sigel and Strickland.
The straightest shooter: Probably Buddy Hall. You have to be old enough to have seen him.
All the best,
WW
He'll shoot your liver out and hand it to you. Even in his 50's he scares world beaters.
Exhibit A:
https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/9031051/strickland-the-greatest-ever
Exhibit A:
https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/9031051/strickland-the-greatest-ever
Attachments
Agreed. Filler shoots incredibly straight. I’ve seen Sigel drill balls that really made me say “wow”. But Filler is really really impressive to me.
Agree for ‘this’ year. Judd Trump gets the ‘all time‘ crown if he keeps it up a couple more years. He’s been off his game the last two ‘quarantine’ tournaments.
Mark Williams has let his foot off of the motivation accelerator. I expect this to be his last Crucible. He loses his 2018 ranking points and isn’t going to keep up with the talented newer players
Got that right. Not only did he make everything but his surgical run-outs just put opponents in a coma. He demoralized a lot of players. Good players at that. They knew if they missed they might have long spell in the chair.
Buddy is the best pattern player of all-time, but not the straightest shooter of all time. If he had been that, too, he'd also have been the greatest nine ball player of all time. He didn't miss much, but he definitely didn't pocket balls as dependably as Strickland.
The question posed is not who ran the table best. That's another thread for another day. Certainly, Buddy is in that conversation. Buddy used his share of English, too, though definitely less than Earl. Shane runs the table as well as Buddy ever did, too, but admittedly with a bit less technical elegance.
Anyway, yours is definitely an interesting take. Thanks for sharing it.
You're welcome. And I think the thread was the straightest shooter. Not necessarily the best ball pocketer, or anything else. I'd have to still give the nod to Buddy.
I'd give the honorable mention to Sigel, but even he admitted to spinning every shot. I don't think that qualifies as the straightest shooter, as the post implies.
I saw Lassiter in pretty close to his prime also, 1960s. It's hard to knock him out as well, for this title.
This is not best pocketer, best of all time, most tournaments, etc. It's the straightest shooter.
All the best,
WW
utterly fair
I fully admit that "straight shooter" is a bit of a curious term
why I posted in the first place..help me ^_^
but I also have thoughts on the subject
as evidenced by the opinions offered in this (and I'm sure, other) threads
there is something to the term
so, as you ask, how do we define "straight"?
I, and others, have mentioned jayson and josh (and ronnie)
what do they have in common?
to me, they so often make the game look easy
they play instinctively, and seemingly without much thought
of course pool is learned, but these guys are also very "natural"
sometimes they miss, maybe for lack of focus/taking time
but by and large they just don't miss balls, even/especially when position is tough
and these guys are not rattling balls..pockets are getting drilled
I like that stu mentioned "the eye test"
stats for sure tell a lot, but I like to see the players
it's certainly more subjective, maybe not all that scientific
but I do think there is an overall "quality" to how the ball is hit, too
that contributes to how we feel about it
now what about the players that play great position?
they play the rock so good
that they don't usually have to play hard shots
and they might appear less impressive because of it
and I'd still like to see accuracy stats on all players
and compare
but when any player's got a tough shot
when the heat is on
who's the coolest?
just my initial thoughts, but again, I agree this is a topic worth discussing
thanks all for the replies-
Buddy also got out when he was supposed to more than any player (imo) which is why he was "the man" for so long
For the amount of balls he pocketed i'll also opine that he shot the lowest % of "hard" shots
Of todays players CHANG is the closest to having similar tools at his disposal
For the amount of balls he pocketed i'll also opine that he shot the lowest % of "hard" shots
Of todays players CHANG is the closest to having similar tools at his disposal
Absolutely agree 100%
poolcuekid3275
Banned
In my viewing experience, snooker players outclass pool players for uncanny accuracy.
But in pool, three people stand out to me: Johnny Archer, Jayson Shaw, and Joshua Filler. These three split center pocket and have laser-like trajectories that boggle the mind. I love watching all three play.
But in pool, three people stand out to me: Johnny Archer, Jayson Shaw, and Joshua Filler. These three split center pocket and have laser-like trajectories that boggle the mind. I love watching all three play.
I watched a Johnny Archer interview once and he was ask the same question of who was the straightest shooter he ever saw, and his answer was without a doubt
Earl Strickland .
I agree !
i think the definition "the one you'd want shooting a real tough shot for your money" is fair. and it's earl, filler, shaw for my money.
sharpshooters aren't necessarily the best position players or most complete pool players though. for earl and filler it seems the stars aligned. shaw is somewhat lax in his position play imo.
sharpshooters aren't necessarily the best position players or most complete pool players though. for earl and filler it seems the stars aligned. shaw is somewhat lax in his position play imo.
