Differences between amateurs and pros

the biggest things I see pros do that amateurs struggle with are:
1) Preshot routine
2) strong cueball control
3) composure under pressure
4) killer instinct
 
I think the biggest difference is that most pros, (probably 99%) devote their entire lives to playing pool...Most amateurs play a little here and there, but they have jobs and lives outside of pool.

I've known several guys that probably have pro quality strokes and knowledge, they just don't want to spend their lives in pool halls...and playing in tourneys where you have to beat 10 world champions to make as much money as a plumber makes.
 
The difference between pros and amateurs is that the pro on a bad day will run out because he has the ability to make 95% of all the shots that arise in a game of pool. His cue ball may be a little off but not enough to stop the run. Every one has an idea where the cue ball will be in the best position for the next 2 balls, a pro will be within 18 inches of this every time, usually longer than he wanted or too strait or too much angle but always at the angle going to the next ball. Even when he is completely out of line he has the knowledge and the stroke to create a new cue ball direction to complete the out. The biggest weapon of the pro is inside English for killing the cue ball and creating angles that cannot be made with center ball. Out side spin will cut balls that cannot be made with center ball and will also keep the shot in control with out hitting it hard. Then there is safeties that really give the pro a huge advantage because he gets ball in hand many more times than the amateur. Here is the biggest difference of the pro to an amateur is that when the lesser player watches the pro get out every time with precision and the cue ball is doing exactly what and where they want, it makes the dog come out because they are thinking of the inevitable, if the pro does not faint they cannot win.
 
Speed control is the biggest difference in my opinion. Of course I mean not just the initial speed of the CB (how hard they hit it), but really their judgment of how thin/thick the cut is and therefore how much speed the CB will retain, exactly how much the spin will make the CB run or check, and exactly how much draw or follow "juice" is needed for straighter shots.

Some people think playing for the proper angle at all times in a rotation game is about smarts/knowledge, but it isn't. I can tell you what the proper angle is about as well as any pro. I can even tell you what sort of english will get you there, about as well as any pro can. But actually getting the precise angle you want to have (the angle for the angle, as Danny Diliberto would say), can't be done without great speed control. And that's what makes the position they get infinitely better than the position I get. It's what makes their runouts look so easy and mine look so hard (and often failed).

In addition to that, I would say ball pocketing consistency. Simply put, the frequency of "dogging" balls is much lower. An easy shot that I will unexpectedly miss once out of every 15 times it comes up, a pro might only miss once out of 100 times it comes up. A lot of people think that the pros don't pocket balls that much better than a good amateur, but they really do when you factor in the dogged ones. They might not be much more accurate, but they're much more consistently accurate.

-Andrew
 
This is what I have noticed:

Break - Find ways to make balls.

Safeties - seem to play the proper safe every time and get the hook

Kicking - they hit everything.

Scramble (table management) - They clean up their mess to get back in line.


I have been lucky enough to enter a few pro events and those are the areas I have to improve to compete. The break, I can go 100 times and make nothing, these guys can make adjustments in a couple racks to make balls. Safeties, I can almost hook anyone (always a little nose peeking just enough to make ball). Kicking, they reverse or make many hooks. They give way less ball in hands. Scramble, they can run out of line and make great shots to get perfect shape or accept the error and play great safe to gain control.

Add to the above, they can play their practice pace against the best under pressure.

Next to that the only differences are free cues and tables for some
 
On a bad day, a pro usually still shoots better than an amateur.

And as someone pointed out, most amateurs have jobs and other life obligations that prevent them from spending 40 to 50 hours a week at the table.

Steve
 
A good player knows where the cue ball will stop before he shoots.

A poor player only knows where the cue ball stops after he shoots.
 
I certainly agree with the majority of these posts, but what fine details of the stroke do you see commonly lacking in an amateur vs. a pro. Ex, a noticeable pause, staying down on the stroke, finishing the stroke etc. The majority of amateurs I watch don't have a stroke that even "looks" like the stroke the pros use, let alone the end result. I would imagine the instructors here would have good insight as they have seen many amateur and pro strokes.
 
Pros get paid more when they win.
Amateurs watch pros perform.
Pros that play well and win get sponsors.
Amateurs purchase sponsors products
Pros have Cases by Whitten and Justis
Amateurs purchase JB cases (sorry, couldn't resist) :smile:
 
I think most of the things that have been mentioned here are true, at least to some degree. I think the best players on the planet do all things, related to playing pool, at least a little bit better than those of us who are not the best players on the planet.

I think there are 2 primary reasons for this, Skill and Consistency.

Skill comes from eye hand coordination, physical aptitude etc. Whatever it is that lets one get better faster than another.

Consistency, probably just another part of skill, is something often overlooked. I once read an article about golf where they measured the foot position of pro golfers for many many shots. The pattern would amaze you at how often they put their feet in almost the exact same place. When they did the same thing for the amateurs, it was a different story. I this applies to pool also. The Pros come to the table and assume the almost exact same stance each time. Their bridge length is the same, their feet are the same, they bend over the same, all of it. Let's face it, this makes being consistent allot easier!

I know that when I watch John Schmidt or any of the other top ranked pros, the balls seem to go into the very center of the pocket much more often than with amateur players. This is subtle, but amazing!

They really do play ALLOT better!

Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
 
alstl said:
Pros control their cue ball better.
Click to expand...

Its definitely that^^^


Also they hit and make the hard shots more consitantly. If you hit a kick shot 85 % of the time then there's a 6-8% difference with a top pro that hits it WITH control. I would say 3-4% difference in overall skills is the difference between winning and losing.

Sure you shoiot around the high 700's to the low 800's. Not bad at all but most pros are shooting in the high 800 to low 900 range. That might not seem like a lot to most but like i said before even a few % points is the difference.
 
ShootingArts said:
Mostly smarts. A good amateur might take the best shot 85% of the time, meaning right pattern and moving the cue ball around the safest way. The pro will choose the right shot over 95% of the time. He or she sees trouble coming well in advance and avoids most of the gotchas that the amateur doesn't recognize is coming until they have few options.

Hu
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I agree - Pros just make better decisions at the table.
 
Secaucus Fats said:
Here's what I think separates the pros from us lesser mortals.

1.) Excellent all around skills
2.) Excellent eye/ hand coordination
3.) The ability to consistently choose the right tactical or strategic move
4.) Consistent, repeatable mechanics
5.) Heart of a fighter / mental toughness
6.) Sheer amount of time / experience at the table. (More time at the tables in a year than most of us would spend in four years)
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that is the best long answere I have seen.


the short version is Pro's make less mistakes(using the word 'mistakes' in the broadest sence)


Best
Eric:smile:
 
Jimmy M. said:
1. Job
2. Paycheck


Ba da da chaaaaaa.

Thanks, I'm here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitress.
Click to expand...

You forget the third one:

3. 401k

Off topic, how the hell can you be semi-retired? Who do you think you are, Brett Favre??? :grin::eek::grin:

Don't tell me that Al "The Glove" has gotten you playing semi-regularly again. Because if he has, he might have single-handedly saved pool here in the Phoenix metropolitan area. :wink:

"Help us OB-1 Mendoza, you're our only hope!"

Back on topic - pro's play better pool than amateurs for one reason, and one reason alone: at some point in their lives, they spent more time practicing/gambling than amateurs do sleeping. It is my opinion that during these intense practice/gambling years, they developed all the skills necessary (all talked about in this thread - cue ball control, patterns, etc...) to reach that next level of pool. So when it comes to the differences, you should/can see differences in almost every aspect including cue ball control, ball pocketing, safety play, patterns, and breaking... My .000002 cents.

Ray
 
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they spend a lot of time at the table. This is the biggest point. I have seen pros who have very bad stroke and win tournament. Obviously you must have atleast a decent stroke to go on a good level then experience and knowledge make the difference. Totally different situation is snooker. In snooker the knowledge is less important ( i don't say it is marginal, it is still important ), because on a snooker game a player find always the same path.
If you play pool you can play a lot of games with totally different skills involved ( break, path, safeties).
Simply in pool if you have a good stroke and really big knowledge you can be a real high level player, in snooker if you have a good stroke and big knowledge you can't be one of the best players, you must have a great stroke to be one of greats
 
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The main difference between a pro and amateur...

I think the main difference between a pro and amateur (and I think this would apply to other sports like golf and bowling as well) is not that they make more good shots. They make fewer bad ones.
 
RBC said:
The Pros come to the table and assume the almost exact same stance each time. Their bridge length is the same, their feet are the same, they bend over the same, all of it. Let's face it, this makes being consistent allot easier!


Royce Bunnell
www.obcues.com
Click to expand...

Consistency comes from doing the same things the same way every time. That is probably the most obvious difference between pros and amateurs. It is probably also the most difficult to develop.

Watch a pro shoot 50 shots, and 49 of them look identical. Watch an amateur, and you might see a half a dozen that look the same.

Amateurs spend a lot of time trying to make things happen.
Pros spend most of the time letting things happen to their advantage.

Steve
 
I think y'all need to reconsider what a "Pro" is, because to me it's someone that has a bank account, has a consistent income that can be borrowed from to....buy a house if one wanted to, or a car...or at least SUPPORT themselves on such PRO income without the need of someone else doing the supporting. That's one of the MAIN differences between being an amature...because they can't AFFORD to play pool all the time...because they need their job to pay for their way of life, and support of their family's.

How many PRO players have you ever really seen with any money in their pockets? Sponcers?????...give me a break!

I'm a "Pro" table mechanic, and make more money than 99% of the "Pro" pool players of the world...on a regular basis....day in and day out!

So, to make the comparison between the two levels...I guess you'd have to define what makes a "PRO"...a Pro!?

Glen
 
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