Yup. I referred to him obliquely above. A 10,000-hour believer.Anyone else reminded of Sam Lambert when reading this thread?
Here is an example of an OK player but no champion. I mean the older guy in the video, not the younger one.Just looking for prospective to share with my buddy's. Would you say the a good player, having played in good competition would have a Fargo Rate of.., 600-650?
I don't buy into the natural talent thing. To me that's an excuse for those who aren't great. Like it's some mysterious gift that only certain people have and if you weren't born with it, you'll never be that great. Bullsh!t. It also imo, disrespects the person that is great. It diminishes the time, hard work and passion they put in the game.
This can apply to anyone at any age, but what do you feel are the most important aspects to create a great young player, and prioritize them in the order of importance. This is not my particular order, but just listed as they came to mind to me. If there are other aspects you guys can think of to add to this list, please include.
1) Natural talent/gift for Pool - varies for all of us.
2). Solid fundamentals - stance/alignment/stroke, that either come to them naturally or have been properly taught to them at a very early stage.
3) Motivation/desire/opportunity to practice and play as much as possible particularly for the first five years
4). Playing with as well as watching and learning from the best players they possibly can in their home pool room.
5). Playing in smaller tournaments and starting to play for $ (within their means) as soon as possible.
6) Observing top pro players perform as much as possible – either live in person or by viewing matches on YouTube, etc.
7) An extremely competitive and absolutely hate to lose instinct/attitude that drives them, that you are likely either born with or learn very quickly. Some have it and some just don’t. This is characterized by an inner drive to never give up in any match situation, regardless of the score or the strength of your opponent.
8) A player that continues to improve every year as opposed to stagnating/leveling off at a certain skill level. Even some players that are really good will level off and reach their max potential at a certain skill level and never get any better - that’s just the way it is.
9) A player that is willing to travel out of town/state to challenge himself against better and better competition, either gambling or tournaments, at the point that he no longer has competition in his own geographical comfort zone.
Of course there is such a thing. How a person is built, the muscle and nerve structure, reflexes, hand to eye coordination and a hundred other things are traits we are born with. Just like a person can be particularly adept at doing complex math, learning new languages, singing, jumping high or almost any athletic endeavor.No such thing as natural talent. Motivation, desire, hard work and hard meaningful practice=great athlete.
You should read "The Sports Gene." It might change your mind. It is a most excellent read, and you can get a hardback copy delivered to your house for $6.No such thing as natural talent. Motivation, desire, hard work and hard meaningful practice=great athlete.
So how do you explain a young player whose played / practiced 20-25 hours a week for his first 10 years playing who is still a “C” ranked player, whereas another young player whose played / practiced 10-15 hours a week his first 5 years has advanced from a “C” player to an “A” player? We have two such players in our pool room - playing on the same tables, against the same opponents, in the exact same environment. To me it’s obvious - natural talent for the game.No such thing as natural talent. Motivation, desire, hard work and hard meaningful practice=great athlete.
Hey Bob, what about spatial perception? Aren't some people's brains just, for lack of a better term, "wired better" for the game? Some people just don't compute the 3D part of playing pool/billiards as well as others.You should read "The Sports Gene." It might change your mind. It is a most excellent read, and you can get a hardback copy delivered to your house for $6.
Briefly: you're wrong.
Nobody is born able to play pool at a high level but we all have different traits that either limit or accelerate our ability to improve with hard work.
.
Seems to be a number of people who have posted on this thread who beg to disagree with this premise.This one sentence sums it up quite nicely.
I remember Shannon Dalton waling into Rustys about 12 years old
with bermuda shorts and PF flyers,socks hanging down
he beat some great player at one pocket,he was in the far corner with his cue ball
I mean the crows nest ,way way up table, he back cut the object ball on the spot.
Not once but in two games in a row.Same shot,12 years old, pocket speed
I had some old newspapers with poctures of little Willie Mosconi,6 or so years old
The story tolds about him running 15 balls on the 10 footer his first month of playing
No instruction ,no long routine of playing
If a player can't beat everybody in his home town ,by the time he has played a year
i doubt he will ever be any good
Back to Shannon,what did he do when he was not gambling on the pool table?
Playing poker
He was not practicing,he was not shooting drills, he was not worrying abo
ballance point on his cue, he was not herpo worshipping Jack Cooney asking how to play this shot
Desire.
People often underestimate desire and overestimate everything else. Desire is the foundation upon which everything else is built. With it amazing things are possible despite deficits in other areas, without it the most amazing constructions of technique and strategy will crumble.
Of course there is such a thing. How a person is built, the muscle and nerve structure, reflexes, hand to eye coordination and a hundred other things are traits we are born with. Just like a person can be particularly adept at doing complex math, learning new languages, singing, jumping high or almost any athletic endeavor.
Nobody is born able to play pool at a high level but we all have different traits that either limit or accelerate our ability to improve with hard work.
Sent from the future.
Splitting hairs is very much a talent.Physical attributes is not talent. If I play basketball, being 6'5" is not talent in any way.