CrispyFish said:Don't judge a person for how long they've been playing -- judge them for what they've done with the time.
-CF <~~~ would be rich if he didn't keep spending his 2 cents
partially fallacious thinking, imo, crispy.
the assumption is you will continue to progress at the same rate to,,,,,,,,pro level maybe? one can only reach his potential(whatever that may be), not exceed it. if your potential is to be an A+++ player, practice and hard work will get you close to it, maybe acheive it. but if you were never meant to be mike sigel, no amount of practice will change that.
hard work is important in all endeavors, but in emphasizing it, people discount gifted talent. the talent to be good-great-genius-legend, must be there for one to build on.
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Matthew, Bruin70 and I wish you no ill will what-so-ever CrispyFish. No better answer will ever be posted here to your question than Matthew posted. Get a good education and a good job. Play as much as you can, without endangering your job, and see how far you can go.
The best example of this that I can think of is a player named Mike Bandy from Joliet, IL. Mike could easily be in the top 20 players on the planet if he played every day and every tournament. Mike is smarter than that. He has worked for IL Com-Ed for 20+ years and makes much more money than the 20th player in the world makes. He also plays some tourneys and wins more than his share.
Gambling is another marker of a top player. Virtually all of the top players gamble. For big money. If you aren't gambling and winning with frequency you might fold under the pressure of the big money tournaments. Get the education that Matthew told you to, in school. Play tournaments in your spare time.
The best example of this that I can think of is a player named Mike Bandy from Joliet, IL. Mike could easily be in the top 20 players on the planet if he played every day and every tournament. Mike is smarter than that. He has worked for IL Com-Ed for 20+ years and makes much more money than the 20th player in the world makes. He also plays some tourneys and wins more than his share.
Gambling is another marker of a top player. Virtually all of the top players gamble. For big money. If you aren't gambling and winning with frequency you might fold under the pressure of the big money tournaments. Get the education that Matthew told you to, in school. Play tournaments in your spare time.
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hemicudas said:
yes.
i hope we aren't sounding harsh, crispy, though it may "read" like it. another thing is that much of a player's life is dealt with on a cash basis. and no one declares their cash, so it all has to be spent, not saved for the future, and that's where it all catches up..
Rickw said:
hmmmmmm,,,+26 posts. damn,,,,i can't even leave the computer to use the bathroom. i'm dusted.
if you know the area, great. if'n you don't, the foodcourt at the ala moana shopping center, across the street and 50 yards to the right and through the open parking area, is amazing. try the food from the the place that specializes in hawaiian food, on the right side of the food court.
and, of course, there's all that other stuff in between.
Sometimes the truth hurts:
"You got a hundred more young kids than you have a place for on your club. Every one of them has had a going away party. They have been given the shaving kit and the fifty dollars. They kissed everybody and said, 'See you in the majors in two years.' You see these poor kids who shouldn't be there in the first place. You write on the report card '4-4-4 and out.' That's the lowest rating in everything. Then you call 'em in and say, 'It's the consensus among us that we're going to let you go back home.' Some of them cry, some get mad, but none of them will leave until you answer them one question, 'Skipper, what do you think?' And you gotta look every one of those kids in the eye and kick their dreams in the ass and say no. If you say it mean enough, maybe they do themselves a favor and don't waste years learning what you can see in a day. They don't have what it takes to make the majors, just like I never had it." by Earl Weaver
"You got a hundred more young kids than you have a place for on your club. Every one of them has had a going away party. They have been given the shaving kit and the fifty dollars. They kissed everybody and said, 'See you in the majors in two years.' You see these poor kids who shouldn't be there in the first place. You write on the report card '4-4-4 and out.' That's the lowest rating in everything. Then you call 'em in and say, 'It's the consensus among us that we're going to let you go back home.' Some of them cry, some get mad, but none of them will leave until you answer them one question, 'Skipper, what do you think?' And you gotta look every one of those kids in the eye and kick their dreams in the ass and say no. If you say it mean enough, maybe they do themselves a favor and don't waste years learning what you can see in a day. They don't have what it takes to make the majors, just like I never had it." by Earl Weaver
S
Sputnik
Guest
I first went to my poolhall home in the 70's, and there are some players there who play today as if time froze on them. Still the same shot, still the same habits. The same everything except for the lines in their faces. One guy has been fixing his cue for over two decades - perennially sanding every part of his cue. Lol. But still, they probably enjoy the game more than the better players out there.
Pool is a way of life. It depends on how one lives it in pursuit of happiness. You do not have to be a pro to make pool part of your life. The only difference is that the pros call it a carreer. That is why I think skill is important, but not essential when it comes to adopting pool as a way of life. If you are not happy with skill, then do something about it. If you are not happy because you are overweight, do something about it. It's the same banana, because I think that if one tries to understand the little things in the game, he will improve.
I tell you, there are some people out there who find true happiness in life through pool.
Pool is a way of life. It depends on how one lives it in pursuit of happiness. You do not have to be a pro to make pool part of your life. The only difference is that the pros call it a carreer. That is why I think skill is important, but not essential when it comes to adopting pool as a way of life. If you are not happy with skill, then do something about it. If you are not happy because you are overweight, do something about it. It's the same banana, because I think that if one tries to understand the little things in the game, he will improve.
I tell you, there are some people out there who find true happiness in life through pool.
Reno said:
i know someone,,,very good player, who had dreams to turn pro. he asked jean balukas to evaluate his game and she said he had no chance. he was devasted. he got over it. of course, she was right,,,she knew right away.
pool is so unforgiving, that if someone said to me i should forget any aspirations i carried, i would thank god i was spared the agony.
pr
H
halhoule
Guest
ALMOST WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE REFRAIN FROM PLAYERS IS, IF I PRACTICE HARD ENOUGH, AND LONG ENOUGH I CAN BE A GREAT PLAYER. THE QUESTION IS, ARE YOU PRACTICING THE SAME METHOD OF PLAY THAT THE TOP PROS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF? BY THAT, I MEAN, ARE YOU PRACTICING THE SAME METHOD THE TOP PROS USE TO POCKET AND BANK BALLS? THE METHOD THEY USE THAT GOT THEM TO THE TOP, AND IT KEEPS THEM THERE. THERE IS A GOOD REASON WHY YOU SEE ALL THE SAME NAMES WINNING MOST OF THE TOURNAMENTS. IT IS NO ACCIDENT. THERE ARE MENTORS WHO CAN SHOW YOU EXACTLY HOW IT IS DONE. PRACTICING IS FINE, BUT PRACTICING THE BEST METHOD KNOWN IS WHAT WILL GET YOU TO YOUR FULL POTENTIAL.
C
CrispyFish
Guest
No, I realize you don't wish me any ill will.hemicudas said:
I do have a great education, and a great job to boot. I play pool on the side, as a hobby. I try to make the most of my time at the table, doing drills to improve in skills I don't have.
If I can become a B player and win a couple low-level tourneys, believe me, I'll be happy -- and I will never quit my day job to get there! But you have to admit, that's an opportunity that most sports don't offer, to start winning as you get older!
I have to agree with Hemi and Rick.
To be a top pro you have to be born with "it". Whatever that is.
And don't confuse a top rate player with a pro. The pros are head and shoulders above the rest.
With hard work, practice and training all you can hope to achieve is the top of your ability scale.
Want to be a pilot in the Air Force but you don't have 20-20 vision - forget it. Or your depth perception is a little off - forget it. Or your heart beats too fast, or too slow, or skips beats, or your blood pressure is too high - forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it.
Now that doesn't mean you can't learn how to fly - you just ain't going to fly with the best.
And of course YOU know if you have that ability or not.
And, even though you may be blessed with a super talent for pool you still have to work at it. Three hours once a week just ain't going to cut it.
Jake
To be a top pro you have to be born with "it". Whatever that is.
And don't confuse a top rate player with a pro. The pros are head and shoulders above the rest.
With hard work, practice and training all you can hope to achieve is the top of your ability scale.
Want to be a pilot in the Air Force but you don't have 20-20 vision - forget it. Or your depth perception is a little off - forget it. Or your heart beats too fast, or too slow, or skips beats, or your blood pressure is too high - forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it.
Now that doesn't mean you can't learn how to fly - you just ain't going to fly with the best.
And of course YOU know if you have that ability or not.
And, even though you may be blessed with a super talent for pool you still have to work at it. Three hours once a week just ain't going to cut it.
Jake
I truly believe that you can become a top notch player without being "born to it". Billiards does not require a specific body type, you don't have to be in shape, you don't have to be male. In short, as long as you have two arms and some vision you can be a top notcher (actually, forget the arm...you can still play super). Aragon plays from a wheelchair. Varner and Lane play with a tremer. Rodney Morris plays super with subpar vision after leaving prison.
Playing excellent pool depends totally on the fundamentals and on you're mental discipline! The rest comes with practice and repitition. The problem that most average players face is a reluctance/inability to change what are bad habits. Give me an average player who is willing to accept advice and will, with dogged determination, practice what they learn, and I can turn that person into a player. As Instroke said...it really helps to find a mentor and to play other good players. Don't forget that Buddy Hall may have some natural talent, but he ate, breathed and sh*t pool his whole life. You will get out of it what you put in.
Regards,
Doug
Playing excellent pool depends totally on the fundamentals and on you're mental discipline! The rest comes with practice and repitition. The problem that most average players face is a reluctance/inability to change what are bad habits. Give me an average player who is willing to accept advice and will, with dogged determination, practice what they learn, and I can turn that person into a player. As Instroke said...it really helps to find a mentor and to play other good players. Don't forget that Buddy Hall may have some natural talent, but he ate, breathed and sh*t pool his whole life. You will get out of it what you put in.
Regards,
Doug
Hey Danny, do you really mean to say that someone is just "stuck with the skills their born with" or are you sust trying to piss off Zim
I dont mean to keep useing the same person as an example, but Jennete lee didnt start playing pool until she was in her twenties, Im not totally disagreeing with you, but Ive seen some people go from pretty crappy to pretty good really quick, and these were people that played pretty crappy for awhile. It just comes real easy to some people, then the put some work in and there champs, other people have to put work in just to hang at the local pool hall, those are the people that put enough gas in your tank to make it to the next town, If you just keep telling them they suck and there always going to suck than the wont want to play anymore, The more you play, the better you get, the better you get, the more fun you have, the more fun you have the more you want to play. I dont know exactly how true that is or where to throw gambling into there, but generaly thats the flow of things, dont screw it up by telling people they cant get better
R
rackmup
Guest
Sound like someone who knows you Mr. D?
Regards,
Ken (in town RIGHT NOW at the house of one of his "friends.")
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