Did someone say league player.....

[Club Billiards]

Great post. You sound like a good person.

Nah, I'm nothing special. I just try to keep my mind open to other people's perspectives and I realize that it wasn't that long ago that I was in their shoes.

I also used to teach private drum set lessons on the side. I've been playing for about 20 years now, and play the drums at about the same level I play pool. When I was in my lessons, I honestly think I learned more from teaching than I did from learning if that makes sense. I was forced to get back to the basics myself. The fundamentals are similar. I would teach how to sit behind the set and hold the sticks in your hand in the first lesson, just like a good instructor teaching a beginner should teach how to stand next to the table and hold a cue in your hand. That experience of teaching others made me focus on my fundamentals more and made me a better player because of that.

I also developed a teaching style where I focused on teaching my students how to learn. I wouldn't just make them play beats (shoot drills) for an hour...I'd teach them the concepts that they could take with them and practice on their own all week between lessons so they could learn more effectively while they were on their own time.

Anyway, with those ideas...focusing on the basic fundamentals and teaching how to learn, you really have to appreciate the students perspective, and I think that helped me be able to relate to those at a lower skill level than myself. I've been there already, and for me it comes natural to share the knowledge I used to get where I'm at now than to make fun of them for being where I used to be.

 

[Spantiznik]

I just stand and smile he walks off, I get out my phone go to the APA web site walk over to him and ask "whos that" pointing to my name showing him where I took 3rd in the national singles in the 6,7,8, and 9 div. smile and walk off.... Other than inviting him over once to play on my 5x10 ( wich he didnt even know were made ) I didnt talk pool with him untill the last game of the year, when I walked up ( just to make sure I had the right read on this allstar apa 5), and ask " what is Efren Reyes's nick name " and right on cue he says " whos that ".....

The beginning of the store was the best part of this post. You have a guy that is proud of the way he played/plays and found someone that was willing to listen about something that thinks he is good at.

The part that I find hard to swollow (qouted above), Is that you went out of your way to boost and burst this guys bubble. Not once, But twice you had to go back and try to prove to him that you might be better/ knowledgable then he is.

If the guy was sounding like an A$$ about it, then you could of just smiled and walked away. Going back to the guy proved what exactly ?

 

[ridinda9]

man , you might had some room to talk if ya WAS somebody, but it's just a lot of hooey coming from the 2nd loser ! Get back wit us when yer acterally the National Champeeen !

how'd that feel ? same way you tried to make him feel , I'd expekt . . .

and do ya mean what the media calls him, or what his cousins call him at the family piknik? Man might have mor'n 1 nickname . . . they call that shif 'trivia' cuz it's trivial . . .

 

[Mowem down]

Most people don’t know about top players, best cue makers, history of pool.
The lack of education on these subject is not a crime.

I know many decent players (can run a rack) that know something about the game but not that much.
They still pay their dues, buy beer, support the pool hall, have fun and go home to their real lives.
They don’t care about the professional and advanced pool. Why should they?
This is not a crime and it doesn’t do disservice to the game. Why would it?

League players have their place in the pool world.
Those that just play and have fun with the game have the right to exist.
For them pool is something you do once in a while, something you do with your woman, etc.

Personally, I don’t play leagues and don’t care about BCA, APA or whatever and that includes Vegas. Is that a crime?

Some of the posters here are hardcore pool guys.
However, to be one you have to have a pool addiction and most people just don’t. So, what.

I dont agree 100%, but this is a great point for that other thread, and one I wrote a long time ago, I might add

 

[Mowem down]

He didn't post it to say "i'm better than my kid's coach", he was telling a story about a guy who claimed to be insanely good at pool, yet just moved down a skill level in the APA. He was making fun of him for trash talking.

Holly cow man are you crazy 24 posts and your arguing with them about what they think they know I mean. lol . You, Hell, I could tell them 100 times what I REALLY ment and they will line up, to tell you, oh no thats not the truth. For being so close to spot on Ill pm you some more of it you will be rolling...

The whole thread should really be moved into the NPR section because its not about pool at all but about trash talking at its finest...We were pals by the end of the first encounter suppose to coach together next year, he wanted me to go sign my kid up on the select team his son played on...

Oh wait that isnt totaly true in the story I did want to make the point I think its a shame someone that involved in any game really, wouldnt know one of the greatest ever.... Not a good sign...

 

[justadub]

Nah, I'm nothing special. I just try to keep my mind open to other people's perspectives and I realize that it wasn't that long ago that I was in their shoes.

I also used to teach private drum set lessons on the side. I've been playing for about 20 years now, and play the drums at about the same level I play pool. When I was in my lessons, I honestly think I learned more from teaching than I did from learning if that makes sense. I was forced to get back to the basics myself. The fundamentals are similar. I would teach how to sit behind the set and hold the sticks in your hand in the first lesson, just like a good instructor teaching a beginner should teach how to stand next to the table and hold a cue in your hand. That experience of teaching others made me focus on my fundamentals more and made me a better player because of that.

I also developed a teaching style where I focused on teaching my students how to learn. I wouldn't just make them play beats (shoot drills) for an hour...I'd teach them the concepts that they could take with them and practice on their own all week between lessons so they could learn more effectively while they were on their own time.

Anyway, with those ideas...focusing on the basic fundamentals and teaching how to learn, you really have to appreciate the students perspective, and I think that helped me be able to relate to those at a lower skill level than myself. I've been there already, and for me it comes natural to share the knowledge I used to get where I'm at now than to make fun of them for being where I used to be.

What???? No paradiddles? :wave3:

(A "used-to-be", or more accurately a "never-was" drummer...)

 

[Derek]

Not knowing top players is not a surprise. Especially when you consider how much exposure there is of the pros to a normal pool player (none). A lot of players in my region don't even know who the top shooters are in their area.

I play competitive volleyball and there's nothing unusual about volleyball players not knowing the top pros. I've always paid attention to the names of top players in whatever sport I'm involved in, but most common players do not. Heck, casual football fans would be hard-pressed to name 20 star NFL players.

Now if you had asked that same question in Manila or in Europe . . .

 

[Club Billiards]

What???? No paradiddles? :wave3:

(A "used-to-be", or more accurately a "never-was" drummer...)

Of course! I could 'diddle all day!

 

[manwon]

i wish that people had to pass a test to post on this forum.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion & should not feel shy about expressing it.
I enjoy discussing topics with people that have different opinions than i do.
Usually everyone takes something away from it.

But posting to show disrespect for someone is just bull$hit.
There are people out there who have more knowledge and/or could shame the original poster with their pool skills.
Maybe they should post about how much more they know or how mush more skill they have than him.

Sorry for the rant, but this kind of crap gets me going.

Slim

Slim, I agree with you completely it seems that many members choose to single out the league players because they are easy targets. However, those same League Players are also the people who fill the seats at many Pro-events, and spend a great deal of money on equipment / instruction and make up the largest percentage of people who support this industry. Without the League players the small bubble that currently makes up tournaments both pro and local along with the entire Billiards industry would collapse and fade away.

I own a room and I have number of league teams that play out of establishment both APA and BCA, along with an APA Junior's league that is the only one in Washington State. I also wish people would be more positive than negative about this subject I see the value of these players five days a week, and I for one appreciate their support and understand how valuable it really is.

JIMO

 

[leehayes]

Slim, I agree with you completely it seems that many members choose to single out the league players because they are easy targets. However, those same League Players are also the people who fill the seats at many Pro-events, and spend a great deal of money on equipment / instruction and make up the largest percentage of people who support this industry. Without the League players the small bubble that currently makes up tournaments both pro and local along with the entire Billiards industry would collapse and fade away.

I own a room and I have number of league teams that play out of establishment both APA and BCA, along with an APA Junior's league that is the only one in Washington State. I also wish people would be more positive than negative about this subject I see the value of these players five days a week, and I for one appreciate their support and understand how valuable it really is.

JIMO

You are correct sir!!!! Without league players the sport of pool would have been dead long ago.

 

[TX Poolnut]

I was going to tell this tale when it happened but I skipped it just because they way things go on here but seeing that its a topic at hand heres my last " pool league story "......

Talking with one of my sons baseball coaches at the start of the season (new coach this year, know nothing about the guy ). We start off talking baseball of course, I find out he was one of the greatest players to come out of his part of town ( back in his day of course ). Pool comes up when Im telling him my son eats and writes right handed but plays pool left handed thus hits from both sides of the plate... ( yea hes a stud...at 10 :grin::grin: )... Anyway, the guy starts to tell me how most of his trophys are from playing pool (apa and tap ), he always crushes people at league and now that hes really paying attention to his cue ball control hes REALLY going to crush people... Oh yea and he was a 6 but they just moved him down to a 5... I just stand and smile he walks off, I get out my phone go to the APA web site walk over to him and ask "whos that" pointing to my name showing him where I took 3rd in the national singles in the 6,7,8, and 9 div. smile and walk off.... Other than inviting him over once to play on my 5x10 ( wich he didnt even know were made ) I didnt talk pool with him untill the last game of the year, when I walked up ( just to make sure I had the right read on this allstar apa 5), and ask " what is Efren Reyes's nick name " and right on cue he says " whos that ".....

Did someone say pool league.......... I miss my future exwife more........

This post was a breath of fresh air. I hope your son's baseball team CRUSHES them all this year.

 

[juspooln]

HAHAHAHA
Go to any major tournaments and NOT ONE of the spectators will be primarily league players. NOT ONE. NOT ONE.

Sure they might play in a league in addition to being a regular player, BUT NOT ONE SINGLE SPECTATOR WILL BE PRIMARILY A LEAGUE PLAYER.


Go to the US Open, go to Derby City, go to Turning Stone.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, AT VALLEY FORGE THE LEAGUE PLAYERS PLAY AT THE SAME VENUE AS THE PROS, BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CROWD FOR THE PRO EVENT. YOU'LL RECOGNIZE ALMOST EVERYONE, AND THEY'RE NOT LEAGUE PLAYERS. IT'S LIKE THE LEAGUE PLAYERS DON'T EVEN KNOW THE PROS EXIST!

I'm sure it's the same for bowling leagues softball leagues etc if it is something to do one night a week for them to get out of the house why does that have to be a bad thing,they are usually the one's that will buy a few drinks eat food and bring a couple friends with them to the pool room/bar which in the long run benefits all pool players I for one am glad they choose my sport to be involved in as little or as much as they so choose

 

[Tony_in_MD]

Nothing is better then spreading good Karma......

Good post.:thumbup:

i was shooting with some friends one evening & a young (mid 20's) guy came up to me & stated that he heard i had several old pool tables & started talking to me about a table he had just purchased.
Wondering if he had paid too much for it, what it was really worth, would i be interested in it if he decided to get rid of it.

I asked him what model it was & if he knew how old it was.
He wasn’t sure of the model but he knew it was from the early 1970’s.

Instead of trying to make him feel bad & telling him that i collected tables from the early 1900’s i just told him he had made a good purchase & offered to help him set the table up if he needed it.

There is no reason to belittle someone because they feel good about themselves or criticize them for not knowing as much as you, or not being as good at something as you are.
Because there is someone right around the corner who could do the same to you.

SLIM

 

[Tony_in_MD]

Did you change your mind, in your other thread you said not 1 percent of the specators at these major events are league players.

Maybe there are more of us out there than you think.

HAHAHAHA
Go to any major tournaments and NOT ONE of the spectators will be primarily league players. NOT ONE. NOT ONE.

Sure they might play in a league in addition to being a regular player, BUT NOT ONE SINGLE SPECTATOR WILL BE PRIMARILY A LEAGUE PLAYER.


Go to the US Open, go to Derby City, go to Turning Stone.

 

[manwon]

HAHAHAHA
Go to any major tournaments and NOT ONE of the spectators will be primarily league players. NOT ONE. NOT ONE.

Sure they might play in a league in addition to being a regular player, BUT NOT ONE SINGLE SPECTATOR WILL BE PRIMARILY A LEAGUE PLAYER.


Go to the US Open, go to Derby City, go to Turning Stone.

FOR GOD'S SAKE, AT VALLEY FORGE THE LEAGUE PLAYERS PLAY AT THE SAME VENUE AS THE PROS, BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THE CROWD FOR THE PRO EVENT. YOU'LL RECOGNIZE ALMOST EVERYONE, AND THEY'RE NOT LEAGUE PLAYERS. IT'S LIKE THE LEAGUE PLAYERS DON'T EVEN KNOW THE PROS EXIST!

HA Ha HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can certainly be an annoying little Crumb snatcher, you have never been anywhere and you think you are wise, how old are you 12 or 13 be honest if that is possible.



Oh and by the way clean up you cave, it's getting a little messy.

Have a nice day young one!!!!!!

 

[lorider]

HA Ha HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can certainly be an annoying little Crumb snatcher, you have never been anywhere and you think you are wise, how old are you 12 or 13 be honest if that is possible.

View attachment 185577

Oh and by the way clean up you cave, it's getting a little messy.

Have a nice day young one!!!!!!

my vote for best post of the year !!!

 

[cuesblues]

I was going to tell this tale when it happened but I skipped it just because they way things go on here but seeing that its a topic at hand heres my last " pool league story "......

Talking with one of my sons baseball coaches at the start of the season (new coach this year, know nothing about the guy ). We start off talking baseball of course, I find out he was one of the greatest players to come out of his part of town ( back in his day of course ). Pool comes up when Im telling him my son eats and writes right handed but plays pool left handed thus hits from both sides of the plate... ( yea hes a stud...at 10 :grin::grin: )... Anyway, the guy starts to tell me how most of his trophys are from playing pool (apa and tap ), he always crushes people at league and now that hes really paying attention to his cue ball control hes REALLY going to crush people... Oh yea and he was a 6 but they just moved him down to a 5... I just stand and smile he walks off, I get out my phone go to the APA web site walk over to him and ask "whos that" pointing to my name showing him where I took 3rd in the national singles in the 6,7,8, and 9 div. smile and walk off.... Other than inviting him over once to play on my 5x10 ( wich he didnt even know were made ) I didnt talk pool with him untill the last game of the year, when I walked up ( just to make sure I had the right read on this allstar apa 5), and ask " what is Efren Reyes's nick name " and right on cue he says " whos that ".....

Did someone say pool league.......... I miss my future exwife more........

What does this have to do with pool or baseball?
If you are so cool, why don't you take the time out of your busy pro pool player schedule and coach your son's team.
What you need to do is get you son on a competitive baseball team, coached by Earl Strickland, then you won't be able to belittle his coach about playing on a 5 x 10.

I make sure that everyone I meet in pool knows that my son played for 3-years on John Elway's Cubs baseball team, yes he's a stud.
10-year olds playing a 90-game schedule, then I "just smile and walk off", as if anyone cares.

 

[onepocketron]

Typical league player..... slowly killing pool

I would think the guys throwing matches and the back room antics that we all know happen from time to time are killing pool. Not you every day league player.

 

[capnstabn]

You can look at it that way...or you could say steadily providing new interest in the sport.

Look, we all start somewhere, and although we laugh at guys like this now that we know so much more, we all start somewhere. Did you guys come out of the womb not only knowing Efren's name, nickname and favorite meal on the road, but how to hit his Z bank? Nope.

Unless you're in that top elite half a percent that seems to be good the instant they first pick up a cue, you were a banger at some point too, and had to learn the what's what and who's who.

Give these guys a break (pun). Instead of bashing them for what they don't know, why don't you teach them a thing or two that might help their game. Why don't you take that opportunity to remember what it was like when the game was simpler and you could take much pride in that elusive run-out instead of expecting it every time you come to the table and beating yourself up over what you did wrong if you don't get there.

I remember being very proud of what I'd learned at that point in my game, and sometimes wish it was still like that. Back then, I remember feeling like I was GOOD at this game! Now, I even though I play much better, I feel like I play ok, but I know my potential, so I'm not as excited about how I play all the time. I still love the game and love to play, but that newness has some what gone away for me.

Along the way, I've been very grateful to the few guys who will actually take the time to help me out, or show me a shot, or help analyze a pattern...all for their love of the game and the knowledge they have. Be that guy, don't be the "I know something you don't know" guy.

This guy who you claim is "killing" pool is just sharing his excitement for the game and for what he's accomplished. Hardly reason for bashing.

I totally agree with CB. Aside from pool I play golf, run, and play basketball. Am I ruining those sports for wanting to be some type of competitive amateur? And do I really need to learn every pros name in each sport to enjoy it? I think its this "elitist player stigma" that does more harm to the game than leagues.