I watched some of the stream, and he looked smooth and comfortable, cued the ball nicely. But, there is a world of difference between the play I saw on the stream, including Isaac, and an amateur player in any of the major countries that support snooker; Australia, India, China, Hong Kong, various European countries.
I've played snooker for about 15 years in Australia(although I haven't touched a snooker cue seriously for about 5 of those), and am a century break player in both English billiards and snooker (high break in a match of 128 in snooker). None of the players I saw in the US Open could compete with the top Australian amateurs, and we're at the bottom of the wrung in terms of the major snooker countries.
I'm not being a snooker dick, I have total respect for pool players and the skills and knowledge they bring to the table, but it's a different world on a snooker table, as it is on a pool table. I recently started playing pool after a long lay off from snooker, and I've had to learn a lot of stuff to compete at a high level, but fundamentals are not one of them. That's the biggest difference between snooker players and pool players. I'm not not talking about the timing of the cue, pool players time the ball beautifully, I'm talking rock solid cueing that has been developed over thousands of hours spent on a table as unforgiving as a snooker table.
Corey wouldn't just have to learn tactics and positional play, that would be the easy part. Remember, Corey has been training his cue arm for years, with hundreds of hours spent on pool tables, and his cueing was not good enough maintain a decent potting percentage. He would have to tighten things up considerably.
Not saying it's not possible, but saying someone cues the ball well does not mean their cueing is suitable for a snooker table, or a pool table for that matter. I've had to loosen my arm a bit for the heavier balls on a pool table, and I've had to spend hours working on my break because that element of the game is absent from snooker.
I wish Corey all the best with his endeavors. I would absolutely love him to make a break through and bring the game to a country as large and populous as the US.
It is nearly impossible for US top pool players to win major snooker tourneys in UK, it is not cuing skill the issue as much as maintaining focus for the long run; Darren A would be 1st one to go after the $ 300k yet he is not even considering it, even though he played the black ball on snooker like table, i would love to hear it from him why he is not attempting snooker or has he and failed, is it his focus deteriorates after few frames or simply gave up, or is it very expensive only rich people can afford it?
It's absolutely cueing, and I don't mean skill. The necessities of your cue action in the two games are different. It's not a matter of more or less skill, just years spent honing your action for what the table and balls demand.
And I believe pool players have the focus. Some of the races to 25 and beyond last for hours, where snooker players usually get a break every 4 frames.
Darren started playing pool in England. Yeah he dabbled in snooker, and his highest break is something like 135? So he's clearly a good player, but even he would have to spend a considerable amount of time on a snooker to be at all competitive.
In the case of Mizerak, at least, weren't even the "old" guys over there at least 10 - 12 years younger than him? Makes a difference.
There seems to be a conventional wisdom that Americans are genetically incapable of playing snooker at a high level.
Hint: there is one snooker table in Las Vegas in a public room and it isn't really in good shape. Probably 90% of the pool players in the US have never seen a snooker table live.
Once again, zero chance, unless they took up snooker at age 6! :wink:
If Corey wants to learn how to do something in pocket billiards -- bird break, soft break, hard break, 10-ball break, shooting with mechanical bridge, shooting one-handed, et cetera -- Corey has the uncanny abillity to master whatever the endeavor.
I have no doubt in my mind that Corey will do well in snooker. If Corey wants to, he will. That's Corey Deuel!
I agree, I think he always needs a challenge and snooker may be the new challenge.
I don't agree. Having a table installed in your house is way different than getting properly coached and putting in the time in a snooker environment.
The modern game with coaches and competition is way different now than in Rempe's time.
I doubt that Rempe or the Miz went to England and lived and trained there for year. To me that is what constitutes a real good shot.
I mean at the end of it it's balls and a stick man, balls and a stick, you just line it up and shoot it in
I look at another way, I see Rempe's limited success as proof that with REAL dedication and immersion the pool player could have a pretty good shot at getting high on the ranking list.
I guess we would need to hear from Rempe but I doubt he got a full time coach and learned the game the right way against tough competition in England.