Is Shaw's game different?

A

arcstats

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cardigan Kid said:
Bingo on this one too. Jayson has a safety game that is out of this world.
He punished both Ko brothers on some safeties that required a surgeon's touch that were spectacular. And the safety he played on Kaci when he left the 6 ball at far rail, cue ball hidden was a 9 foot touch shot that was so difficult it should have been replayed twice.
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I also believe he is currently one of the best rotation game players around. But I question your safety comment.

The week prior to the US Open Jason played in the American 14.1 straight pool tournament, of which he finished 9-16. In his round robin flight, he lost to Alex Pagulayan 100-26, lost to Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 100-21, was all out to beat Bobby Hunter 100-89, and coasted past the E and F players. That got him seeded 23rd in the 24 man single elimination process. He rallied to beat Rodney Morris 125-123, and lost to Bandon Shuff 125-95. This is the 2nd straight year he has yet to reach the quarter finals. His safety play is a major detriment to him going deep in straight pool competition. Seems strange with all his pocketing and cue ball management skills, but the numbers speak for themselves.
 
Cardigan Kid

Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
arcstats said:
I also believe he is currently one of the best rotation game players around. But I question your safety comment.

The week prior to the US Open Jason played in the American 14.1 straight pool tournament, of which he finished 9-16. In his round robin flight, he lost to Alex Pagulayan 100-26, lost to Francisco Sanchez Ruiz 100-21, was all out to beat Bobby Hunter 100-89, and coasted past the E and F players. That got him seeded 23rd in the 24 man single elimination process. He rallied to beat Rodney Morris 125-123, and lost to Bandon Shuff 125-95. This is the 2nd straight year he has yet to reach the quarter finals. His safety play is a major detriment to him going deep in straight pool competition. Seems strange with all his pocketing and cue ball management skills, but the numbers speak for themselves.
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We are talking rotation here, 9 ball.
Jayson never was dominant in straight pool, and I don't think he's trying to be.

Watch any rotation matches from Jayson Shaw 5 years ago and then watch any match he played in last week's US Open.
The most glaring difference will be his safety play. It is stellar now.

Kaci's first 5 attempts at the table that were all kicks/jumps from safeties Jayson left, that was a gigantic part of going up 8-0
 
boogeyman

boogeyman

AzB Silver Member
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Jason Robichaud said:
After reading various post about how well Shaw was playing at the US Open, I'm curious - what is he doing differently? A few players over the years reach invincibility. Mika, Shane, and now Shaw seems to be a force. Their game doesn't look any different but the records show otherwise.
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There's no secret.
Shaw's game looks no "different" from everyone else because on the surface, it isn't.
Beyond the numerous hours of practice from an early age,
he has that something "extra" that many, many players never achieve -- the ability to get properly aligned on his shots so that he is hitting the cueball and, by definition, stroking the shot, straight.

Obviously, when you couple (or triple) this with good hand-eye coordination, good eyesight, and little-to-no-worries in life, you get the occasional player who is able to make the game look easy.

That's with any endeavor in life.
Don't be impressed with Shaw's ability to play well, rather be impressed with his ability to maintain it and improve on it as he has shown us for the last few years.
 
Celtic

Celtic

AZB's own 8-ball jihadist
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Jason Shaw is the closest thing the world has seen to the "next" Earl. Effectively a guy with a killer break, powerful stroke, insane accuracy, fearless attack at the table that simply overpowers his opponents, and the honest belief that he truly "is" better than everyone else and noone beats him if he plays his best. Shaw believes he actually controls his fate in his matches, he wins or loses based on his own play regardless of his opponent. Few players in the history of pool could actually think that ever in their career. I am talking count on one hand. Earl had that, Mosconi had that, when these guys had their A game going everyone played for second. Efren never had that in rotation (he did on 1-pocket), Archer never had that, Hall never had that, SVB got close in 10-ball.

There has not been a guy out there since Earl that does what Jason does, not SVB, not Archer, not Mika, not Appleton. Earl destroyed opponents, he ran over champions when he was on and he made it look like they were not quite in his league. Most champions battle to win the title, rarely we see a phenom arise who simply destroys everyone and makes second place in the US Open look like an "also ran".

Noone in the world atm has the firepower to beat Shaw if he is at his peak, noone. I am not a guy to say that lightly either because I think guys like Ko and Chang and Wu are machines, but I dont think they could keep up in the long run if Shaw hit his top gear, I dont think they can match it. It is like Earl in his prime, when he was at his best noone could keep up with his top gear in rotation pool. Shaw reminds me a lot of Earl in the early 90's. Noone since that Earl has done that.
 
W

westcoast

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
LHP5 said:
Corey Deuel commented on one of his streamed matches this past open. He said something along the lines of “Shaw’s average distance from ball to ball is probably longer than most other pros”. It was something to that effect and is probably true. Personally, I don’t think that’s a style that will age well, but Shaw seems to be a special talent. Earl Strickland was the same when it came to pocketing balls and his game where it is now is miles from his peak.

We’ll have to wait and see how long Shaw will stay on top.
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Earl still plays great- he beat Souquet and Melling in the US Open. He can play with anybody still at age 56- he just isn't as consistent due to the inability to control his emotions and the higher level of competition than when he was younger. He certainly isn't miles off of his peak.
 
jasonlaus

jasonlaus

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Celtic said:
Jason Shaw is the closest thing the world has seen to the "next" Earl. Effectively a guy with a killer break, powerful stroke, insane accuracy, fearless attack at the table that simply overpowers his opponents, and the honest belief that he truly "is" better than everyone else and noone beats him if he plays his best. Shaw believes he actually controls his fate in his matches, he wins or loses based on his own play regardless of his opponent. Few players in the history of pool could actually think that ever in their career. I am talking count on one hand. Earl had that, Mosconi had that, when these guys had their A game going everyone played for second. Efren never had that in rotation (he did on 1-pocket), Archer never had that, Hall never had that, SVB got close in 10-ball.

There has not been a guy out there since Earl that does what Jason does, not SVB, not Archer, not Mika, not Appleton. Earl destroyed opponents, he ran over champions when he was on and he made it look like they were not quite in his league. Most champions battle to win the title, rarely we see a phenom arise who simply destroys everyone and makes second place in the US Open look like an "also ran".

Noone in the world atm has the firepower to beat Shaw if he is at his peak, noone. I am not a guy to say that lightly either because I think guys like Ko and Chang and Wu are machines, but I dont think they could keep up in the long run if Shaw hit his top gear, I dont think they can match it. It is like Earl in his prime, when he was at his best noone could keep up with his top gear in rotation pool. Shaw reminds me a lot of Earl in the early 90's. Noone since that Earl has done that.
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Nailed it!
Jason
 
L

LHP5

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
westcoast said:
Earl still plays great- he beat Souquet and Melling in the US Open. He can play with anybody still at age 56- he just isn't as consistent due to the inability to control his emotions and the higher level of competition than when he was younger. He certainly isn't miles off of his peak.
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That’s the scary thing with Earl Strickland. He is older and has emotional, maybe mental, issues and can still compete with top tier pros. He just cannot consistently beat them like he would in the past. I say he is miles from his peak where he would of flattened his competition. I say that more in an admirational way.
 
S

Swighey

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
LHP5 said:
Corey Deuel commented on one of his streamed matches this past open. He said something along the lines of “Shaw’s average distance from ball to ball is probably longer than most other pros”.
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Interesting! At the level many "serious" players play at, that kind of player is called a "banger". Clearly not the case with Shaw - maybe there's a lesson in there for all of us.
 
LeonD123

LeonD123

AzB Silver Member
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I'm looking for a replay of the final.

I think someone posted a FB link last week, can't find it.

Thanks
 
S

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
the take away from Jason's play simple,

improve your shot making to decrease dependancy on perfect position

the trend for years now has been the opposite

"angles" always trump "distance"
 
Cracktherack

Cracktherack

AzB Silver Member
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I believe anyone thinking they're going to beat Shaw, is delusional. He is very similar to Shane.
Oscar commented in a stream not long ago was asked about Shane. He replied "If you're sitting in the chair as his opponent and you're expecting him to miss, you're going to be disappointed."
 
B

barrymuch90

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speaking of "different" Eklent Kaci impressed me personably more so than anyone especially considering his age and his tempermant at the table and his ability to stay calm and focused in the middle of struggle and adversity. On top of everything the thing about him that stood out the most, and I kept bringing it up to whoever would listen, was the amount of time he stayed still and down on the shot before actually pulling the trigger and finally shooting the shot. I mean countless times I thought my stream had frozen only to realize he was staying completely still after his couple practice strokes but before his final backswing and follow through. Again this is something that stood out because it seems extremely difficult to stay down on each shot so long(I know for myself I'd start to sway and the swaying would negatively effect the outcome). Also regarding him staying still and down on the shot so long, the guy is 6 foot 5 and I feel like it would be harder for someone of that stature to do what he does. However, he looks completely comfortable and makes it look incredibly smooth and routine.
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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One of the biggest differences I see in Jayson now as compared to a few years ago is his maturity. He carries himself with the confidence of a champion and no longer looks or acts immature when he's in a match. Boys don't win pool tournaments, but men do!

Jayson has that lean and hungry look about him, and you know he isn't out there just to bang balls into the hole. He is playing a far more thoughtful game then before, playing the simplest position possible and not making any careless errors, which I used to see him occasionally do. As someone else said, he's slowed down his game, allowing him to focus more clearly on each successive shot.

Put all this together with his superlative shot making ability and you have what we see now - a U.S. Open Champion! We have a new sheriff in town! :thumbup2:
 
C

Cezar Morales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jay helfert said:
One of the biggest differences I see in Jayson now as compared to a few years ago is his maturity. He carries himself with the confidence of a champion and no longer looks or acts immature when he's in a match. Boys don't win pool tournaments, but men do!

Jayson has that lean and hungry look about him, and you know he isn't out there just to bang balls into the hole. He is playing a far more thoughtful game then before, playing the simplest position possible and not making any careless errors, which I used to see him occasionally do. As someone else said, he's slowed down his game, allowing him to focus more clearly on each successive shot.

Put all this together with his superlative shot making ability and you have what we see now - a U.S. Open Champion! We have a new sheriff in town! :thumbup2:
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One young fat boy did lol
Nite b4 he won his world 9ball title at 15, an annoyingly fat adorable kid was running around the hotel screaming like a little kid, little did everyone knew that this chubby kid was going to to play for a world title tmr and win it, displaying maturity beyond his light years.

But i get ur drift Jay !
 
jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Cezar Morales said:
One young fat boy did lol
Nite b4 he won his world 9ball title at 15, an annoyingly fat adorable kid was running around the hotel screaming like a little kid, little did everyone knew that this chubby kid was going to to play for a world title tmr and win it, displaying maturity beyond his light years.

But i get ur drift Jay !
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I thought of Wu when I wrote the above. There are exceptions to any rule! And he was 16 when he won the world title. :thumbup:
 
A

AtLarge

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Cezar Morales said:
One young fat boy did lol
Nite b4 he won his world 9ball title at 15, an annoyingly fat adorable kid was running around the hotel screaming like a little kid, little did everyone knew that this chubby kid was going to to play for a world title tmr and win it, displaying maturity beyond his light years.

But i get ur drift Jay !
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Wu was born in Feb. 1989. His world championships in 2005 were in July and November. So he was 16 for both of them.

[I saw him the next year, 2006, and he was still chubby. But he sure isn't now!]

Edit -- I see Jay already posted that he was 16.
 
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M

mrinsatiable

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Celtic said:
Jason Shaw is the closest thing the world has seen to the "next" Earl. Effectively a guy with a killer break, powerful stroke, insane accuracy, fearless attack at the table that simply overpowers his opponents, and the honest belief that he truly "is" better than everyone else and noone beats him if he plays his best. Shaw believes he actually controls his fate in his matches, he wins or loses based on his own play regardless of his opponent. Few players in the history of pool could actually think that ever in their career. I am talking count on one hand. Earl had that, Mosconi had that, when these guys had their A game going everyone played for second. Efren never had that in rotation (he did on 1-pocket), Archer never had that, Hall never had that, SVB got close in 10-ball.

There has not been a guy out there since Earl that does what Jason does, not SVB, not Archer, not Mika, not Appleton. Earl destroyed opponents, he ran over champions when he was on and he made it look like they were not quite in his league. Most champions battle to win the title, rarely we see a phenom arise who simply destroys everyone and makes second place in the US Open look like an "also ran".

Noone in the world atm has the firepower to beat Shaw if he is at his peak, noone. I am not a guy to say that lightly either because I think guys like Ko and Chang and Wu are machines, but I dont think they could keep up in the long run if Shaw hit his top gear, I dont think they can match it. It is like Earl in his prime, when he was at his best noone could keep up with his top gear in rotation pool. Shaw reminds me a lot of Earl in the early 90's. Noone since that Earl has done that.
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I think Jayson..needs to win a lot more titles than what he has now to be compared to Earl.

SVB, Darren Appleton and Mika all have multiple wins at the U.S. Open.

Shaw clearly played well above the competition. An almost perfect Fargo in some of the matches minus the match with Ko Pin Yi...(11 - 10).

In the last few years Shaw's confidence has risen to championship levels.

This years U.S. Open was one of the most difficult in recent history and he's made it deep into several international level tournaments but let's hold off and let history take place before we crown him the next Earl.

This is only the beginning.

For X-mas i'd love to see him race to 100 vs: SVB, Alex Pagulyuan, Ko Pin Yi, ,Dennis or any of the other top 10 worlds best.
 
jasonlaus

jasonlaus

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mrinsatiable said:
I think Jayson..needs to win a lot more titles than what he has now to be compared to Earl.

SVB, Darren Appleton and Mika all have multiple wins at the U.S. Open.

Shaw clearly played well above the competition. An almost perfect Fargo in some of the matches minus the match with Ko Pin Yi...(11 - 10).

In the last few years Shaw's confidence has risen to championship levels.

This years U.S. Open was one of the most difficult in recent history and he's made it deep into several international level tournaments but let's hold off and let history take place before we crown him the next Earl.

This is only the beginning.

For X-mas i'd love to see him race to 100 vs: SVB, Alex Pagulyuan, Ko Pin Yi, ,Dennis or any of the other top 10 worlds best.
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Shaw has been running people over for a while now. No amount of time is gonna make him look more like the old Earl than he already does, probably better.
Jason
 
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