Can you be too smart to play good pool?

[John Brumback]

I think so. I also think that it pays to be dumb,or at least act like it.

I even came up with a saying for it,that I tell some people when I'm trying to help them.

" your too smart to learn " and the other one..." your too smart to ever play good pool"

I have never in my life seen or heard that you even have to know how to read or write to play high level pool.

I've seen it my whole life. People that can't read or people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time can play world class pool. ( yeah I know,they just practiced more than you did,well duh!! is what I say to that)

I have come to the conclusion that being or acting too smart will KEEP YOU from ever getting good at this simple game of knocking balls into a hole with a wooden stick.

This game is not complicated unless you want to make it complicated.
It's so simple.....a caveman could do it. John B.

PS: I've just been reading so much hogwash on here that I just can't help myself from trying to save some pool players from alot of the Bull shit that will keep them from ever getting good at this ever so simple game.

 

[Johnnyt]

I don't know if I was smart, but when I got good enough to beat 95% of the bar players, I got me a good job and used the pool gambling for things I wanted, it was like having a good part lime job that was fun. Welcome back John.Johnnyt

 

[Mr. Wiggles]

Smarts!

I think so. I also think that it pays to be dumb,or at least act like it.

I even came up with a saying for it,that I tell some people when I'm trying to help them.

" your too smart to learn " and the other one..." your too smart to ever play good pool"

I have never in my life seen or heard that you even have to know how to read or write to play high level pool.

I've seen it my whole life. People that can't read or people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time can play world class pool. ( yeah I know,they just practiced more than you did,well duh!! is what I say to that)

I have come to the conclusion that being or acting too smart will KEEP YOU from ever getting good at this simple game of knocking balls into a hole with a wooden stick.

This game is not complicated unless you want to make it complicated.
It's so simple.....a caveman could do it. John B.

PS: I've just been reading so much hogwash on here that I just can't help myself from trying to save some pool players from alot of the Bull shit that will keep them from ever getting good at this ever so simple game.

Correctmundo John. I try to tell people to play instinctively. Got to have some fun. Thanks for not giving up on AZB, as seems to be the norm recently. We need high level players contributing to this site which seems to be in turmoil right now. Bank on brother!

 

[victorl]

Great post JB, there's so much bickering these days about systems and terminology that people forget that the best players are the ones who put the time in and pay their dues.

Most great players might not be able to explain in words the whys and hows of pool, but they sure can make them balls dance, and that's all that really matters.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

I've just been reading so much hogwash on here that I just can't help myself from trying to save some pool players from alot of the Bull shit that will keep them from ever getting good at this ever so simple game.

Such as?

pj
chgo

 

[Swighey]

Depends what you mean by smart. Some guys with PhDs in mathematics can't put a tent up. Are they smart? Some guys are superb at pool but can't explain how they do it. Are they smart? Really, who cares if someone is smart or not. If their advice sounds good then take it on, listen to it and try it out. If it turns out to be a crock of sh1te then you were wrong to trust it. And weren't very smart.

Anyway, Ronnie O'Sullivan is never going to be able to teach anyone how to play any form of billiards. Must be a real thickie!

 

[Cameron Smith]

It's not about being too smart, it has more to do with certain personality types struggle more than others. Someone who is stubborn and overly analytical will have a rough time of it regardless of intelligence. Being trainable is aptitude like any other.

 

[Spimp13]

PS: I've just been reading so much hogwash on here that I just can't help myself from trying to save some pool players from alot of the Bull shit that will keep them from ever getting good at this ever so simple game.

Good luck John, stay strong when you read some of the replies that are bound to come in!! I do think sometimes people think too much about what they are doing instead of letting their subconscious take over. I try to do my thinking about the shot when I address the table, and then when I shoot I am not thinking...otherwise I will probably make a fundamental mistake.

 

[cardiac kid]

John,

Great post from one of the best. Always joked that some players are too smart for their own good.

My personal favorite was a great friend who asked me how I aimed. He has books, tapes, videos and took personal instruction from a few of the legends. I told him that after fifty years of playing, I just know where to aim. His answer was, "no wonder you can't play". I'm certainly no John Brumback but I can play just a little.

Incidentally, I enjoyed your first DVD. Didn't understand some of the shot choices. Once I took them to the table, it became clear. I do bank much better. Still, I avoid everyone from Kentucky :thumbup: . Thanks for posting.

Lyn

 

[BRussell]

I think there's a reason the best pool instructors and the best pool players are mutually exclusive sets.

There is a lot of research showing that verbalizing what you're doing can harm performance. Pool is such a visual task that maybe thinking too much can be bad for you.

Still, learning and using systems, and then baking them into your intutions makes sense. And many systems are very visual - I don't see how those could interfere with pool playing.

 

[Atlatlien]

There's a big difference between being educated and being intelligent or smart.

Just because someone can't read doesn't mean they're not intelligent.

 

[hang-the-9]

Here is something I noticed.

The players that need to work on playing and don't get to high levels of play, those that are stuck at B, low A level, tend to be more educated and have more knowledge in general than the real top players.

Almost all of the better players in leagues (at least in my area) are engineers, computer programmers and such, doctors, lawyers, high level trades people, those that travel a lot, etc, but there are no really top regional or pro players like that.

I don't know why that is, but I'm guessing those smarter and/or more educated people put time in to get better and try to learn all they can, but are missing the natural talent and time needed to get really good.

I think so. I also think that it pays to be dumb,or at least act like it.

I even came up with a saying for it,that I tell some people when I'm trying to help them.

" your too smart to learn " and the other one..." your too smart to ever play good pool"

I have never in my life seen or heard that you even have to know how to read or write to play high level pool.

I've seen it my whole life. People that can't read or people that can't walk and chew gum at the same time can play world class pool. ( yeah I know,they just practiced more than you did,well duh!! is what I say to that)

I have come to the conclusion that being or acting too smart will KEEP YOU from ever getting good at this simple game of knocking balls into a hole with a wooden stick.

This game is not complicated unless you want to make it complicated.
It's so simple.....a caveman could do it. John B.

PS: I've just been reading so much hogwash on here that I just can't help myself from trying to save some pool players from alot of the Bull shit that will keep them from ever getting good at this ever so simple game.

 

[3andstop]

I certainly think we can be overly analytical while shooting, which gets in the way of allowing the shot to happen.

All those dummies out there never even consider all the things that could go wrong with a shot. :grin:

 

[Okie]

Here is something I noticed.

The players that need to work on playing and don't get to high levels of play, those that are stuck at B, low A level, tend to be more educated and have more knowledge in general than the real top players.

Almost all of the better players in leagues (at least in my area) are engineers, computer programmers and such, doctors, lawyers, high level trades people, those that travel a lot, etc, but there are no really top regional or pro players like that.

I don't know why that is, but I'm guessing those smarter and/or more educated people put time in to get better and try to learn all they can, but are missing the natural talent and time needed to get really good.

I agree with you. But I think you might be overlooking the fact that these people have more options than playing pool for a living. My point being that they aren't missing natural talent. They are missing the time required to master the game.

Ken

 

[BRussell]

Here is something I noticed.

The players that need to work on playing and don't get to high levels of play, those that are stuck at B, low A level, tend to be more educated and have more knowledge in general than the real top players.

Almost all of the better players in leagues are engineers, computer programmers and such, doctors, lawyers, high level trades people, those that travel a lot, etc, but there are no really top regional or pro players like that.

I don't know why that is, but I'm guessing those smarter and/or more educated people put time in to get better and try to learn all they can, but are missing the natural talent and time needed to get really good.

That's my experience in the leagues I play in too.

But here's a simpler explanation: Highly educated people spent more time getting educated and making money doing their jobs.

 

[DAVE_M]

John, I look at it this way:

You can have the knowledge of how to hit a baseball, but only experience tells you when to swing.

 

[hang-the-9]

I agree with you. But I think you might be overlooking the fact that these people have more options than playing pool for a living. My point being that they aren't missing natural talent. They are missing the time required to master the game.

Ken

Yes, likely that too. But on the other hand, the lower level league players, low Bs, Cs, tend to be less educated / less smarter (yes the two may not be the same, but you can tell when someone is dense or not LOL). The less educated may play as much as the more educated but they don't get to that same level of knowledge and/or skill and it will likely take them longer to reach that same level.

I think there is a innate curiosity in those that go after more education and are smarter, which causes them to grab all the information and technique that they can from anything, not just pool. And if those players get into pool, they can get to a decent level, only stopped by their ability to line up the shot properly due to eyes, whatever, and how long they can spend playing.

 

[pt109]

Well, John, I disagree with you.
I think any good player is pretty smart.
There may be good shot-makers who ain't too swift....
...but good players beat then in the long haul.

I have found boxers to be the same way....the good ones are smart...
....the dumb ones are punching bags.

I read a long time ago that there are two kinds of people that can make an intelligent decision....

A - Some can say this is going to happen using logic, math, physics, et al...

B - Some say they feel this is going to happen.

They can both be right.

In a perfect world, the ones with slide rules and protractors can enlighten themselves and
other players.
But the great players take feel and passion to the table.

So A should learn from the B thinkers to stop practicing when they play....
...and B thinkers have much to learn from A thinkers....when they practice.

 

[putt-putt44]

Willie Mosconi Once Said,,''I Never Met a Pool Player'' That Was Good at Math,!!!!

 

[Fast Lenny]

We are all geniuses depending on the room we are in and the people in it but the flip side is we can all be idiots too depending on the room we are in and the people in it. We are all good at things and bad at them too.