peace azb. been lurking, excited to participate in a different way.
I love pool/billiards, but have only begun to appreciate it on another level over the past little while, so thanks in advance for bearing with me.
I'm also a big tennis fan, and in tennis, the serve is generally considered the most important/most difficult shot in the sport. the serve is where the point begins, and the server, more often than not, has the advantage in winning the game where he/she is serving. it is considered the most difficult shot in tennis for several reasons, not least the fact that so much of the body is required to come together to execute the serve often with power, but certainly with control.
watching efren play old dcc the other night, I got to thinking, is the break not unlike the serve in tennis, in terms of consistent importance, and difficulty factor?
the one historical knock on old man magic seems to be his break- why is that? why has a man who over time, has proven himself to be a master of his mind and body everywhere else, had so much (relative) trouble with the break?
I've seen him break good before (making balls, controlling the cue ball), but doesn't it seem strange that a man with his skill sets should have so much trouble executing that shot?
efren philosophy aside, the break shot itself is one that also seems to require a great physical continuity- from the feet all the way up to the hand, and eyes- does the break require more from the body itself than any other shot?
and knowledge- how hard, how fast, where, and with what spin- these are considerations that can be applied to all shots, but with cue ball in the kitchen (and sometimes break box, etc.), and the balls/rack- triangle, magic rack, what gaps or not, etc.- the break isn't just physical, there's a lot to potentially think about, too!
of course there are plenty of fancy shots out there that require fancy thinking and stroke, but is there a shot in pool more regularly attempted, more important to the outcome of the game that is more difficult to hit well?
I'm over here debating myself, but where's the fun in that..would love to hear y'all thoughts on the subject :smile:
cheers,
sean
I love pool/billiards, but have only begun to appreciate it on another level over the past little while, so thanks in advance for bearing with me.
I'm also a big tennis fan, and in tennis, the serve is generally considered the most important/most difficult shot in the sport. the serve is where the point begins, and the server, more often than not, has the advantage in winning the game where he/she is serving. it is considered the most difficult shot in tennis for several reasons, not least the fact that so much of the body is required to come together to execute the serve often with power, but certainly with control.
watching efren play old dcc the other night, I got to thinking, is the break not unlike the serve in tennis, in terms of consistent importance, and difficulty factor?
the one historical knock on old man magic seems to be his break- why is that? why has a man who over time, has proven himself to be a master of his mind and body everywhere else, had so much (relative) trouble with the break?
I've seen him break good before (making balls, controlling the cue ball), but doesn't it seem strange that a man with his skill sets should have so much trouble executing that shot?
efren philosophy aside, the break shot itself is one that also seems to require a great physical continuity- from the feet all the way up to the hand, and eyes- does the break require more from the body itself than any other shot?
and knowledge- how hard, how fast, where, and with what spin- these are considerations that can be applied to all shots, but with cue ball in the kitchen (and sometimes break box, etc.), and the balls/rack- triangle, magic rack, what gaps or not, etc.- the break isn't just physical, there's a lot to potentially think about, too!
of course there are plenty of fancy shots out there that require fancy thinking and stroke, but is there a shot in pool more regularly attempted, more important to the outcome of the game that is more difficult to hit well?
I'm over here debating myself, but where's the fun in that..would love to hear y'all thoughts on the subject :smile:
cheers,
sean