I just spotted this 14.1 video gem on youtube. The match was originally streamed online *live* 5 years ago. Oliver Ortmann vs. John Schmidt in the 2008 International Pool Tour (IPT) Ultimate 14.1 Championship. Both players (two of the world’s best at 14.1) are
capable of literally “raining” 100-ball runs. They’re playing to 125 points.
Nearly everything that can go wrong in Straight Pool does so during this match, and this one definitely "ain't over till it's over." Quite aborbing throughout.
Sigel as usual, unrelentingly egoistic, but so tuned into every nuance of Straight Pool, its unique pressures and its highly instructive nature that rounds out any player's overall skills.
This is fairly clear video someone uploaded to youtube (probably from their 2008 same-day home recording), so it was definitely a treat to me to have spotted it today.
The opponents had to have extreme concentration to play as well as they did with the adverse prevailing conditions -- nappy, somewhat slow cloth making the position play and pack/cluster breakouts marginally different than on regulation Simonis cloth; unusually tight Diamond table pockets; and the major distractions of being surrounded by a *very* up-close “token” audience of about 50 spectators (half of them are the models hired by IPT's Trudeau,in the black cocktail dresses).
And *the* most distracting factor of all: the cameraman being ordered to move directly in front of nearly every foot-end corner pocket the shooter is aiming for (I believe Ortmann's miss at 17.23 into the video was almost entirely due to the camerman closely hovering and moving directly in Ortmann’s line of sight.
Fine overhead and table height camera results however, and Mike Sigel’s superbly informative commentary (for the benefit of the tournament’s producer, Kevin Trudeau -- who knows next to nothing about 14.1 -- and of course for the benefit of people at home in 2008 watching perhaps their first 14.1 being streamed live).
There’s a good 6 minutes or so of introductory comments by co-host, Mike Sigel about the importance of the game of 14.1 as a player's skill-set foundation and plenty of comments about the respective abilities of the opponents we’re about to see playing. The actual lagging for the break starts at about 9 minutes into the telecast.
If you enjoy 14.1 or you think it’s time you tried it, don’t miss this video -- ones like this help anyone’s game, not least because of world champion Sigel’s expert commentary and "inside" professional strategy tips. Lots of pressure on the players for the above mentioned reasons. Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqxvJaPABW0&list=UUZ78STeEOTB5Sy98PHwSz7A&index=2&feature=plcp
You'll notice that Ortmann has a very unconventional (previously discussed) sidearm stroke that he adopted protectively as a means of taking some of the pressure off his upper back vertebrae (and associated nerves) that, pre-surgery, caused him lifelong pain. Surgery cured the chronic pain, but he kept the sidearm stroke which had become deadly accurate for him.
Btw, at the end of the match, you’ll note quite amusing evidence of Ortmann’s ordinarily great powers of concentration in the almost superhuman way he keeps his eyes focused strictly from the neck up on the ultra-provocatively-dressed post-match interview hostess fairly popping out of her dress. ( I think he knew his wife was glued to her computer screen in Germany, watching the *live* online streaming of the match.)
I greatly enjoyed the whole match.
Arnaldo
capable of literally “raining” 100-ball runs. They’re playing to 125 points.
Nearly everything that can go wrong in Straight Pool does so during this match, and this one definitely "ain't over till it's over." Quite aborbing throughout.
Sigel as usual, unrelentingly egoistic, but so tuned into every nuance of Straight Pool, its unique pressures and its highly instructive nature that rounds out any player's overall skills.
This is fairly clear video someone uploaded to youtube (probably from their 2008 same-day home recording), so it was definitely a treat to me to have spotted it today.
The opponents had to have extreme concentration to play as well as they did with the adverse prevailing conditions -- nappy, somewhat slow cloth making the position play and pack/cluster breakouts marginally different than on regulation Simonis cloth; unusually tight Diamond table pockets; and the major distractions of being surrounded by a *very* up-close “token” audience of about 50 spectators (half of them are the models hired by IPT's Trudeau,in the black cocktail dresses).
And *the* most distracting factor of all: the cameraman being ordered to move directly in front of nearly every foot-end corner pocket the shooter is aiming for (I believe Ortmann's miss at 17.23 into the video was almost entirely due to the camerman closely hovering and moving directly in Ortmann’s line of sight.
Fine overhead and table height camera results however, and Mike Sigel’s superbly informative commentary (for the benefit of the tournament’s producer, Kevin Trudeau -- who knows next to nothing about 14.1 -- and of course for the benefit of people at home in 2008 watching perhaps their first 14.1 being streamed live).
There’s a good 6 minutes or so of introductory comments by co-host, Mike Sigel about the importance of the game of 14.1 as a player's skill-set foundation and plenty of comments about the respective abilities of the opponents we’re about to see playing. The actual lagging for the break starts at about 9 minutes into the telecast.
If you enjoy 14.1 or you think it’s time you tried it, don’t miss this video -- ones like this help anyone’s game, not least because of world champion Sigel’s expert commentary and "inside" professional strategy tips. Lots of pressure on the players for the above mentioned reasons. Here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqxvJaPABW0&list=UUZ78STeEOTB5Sy98PHwSz7A&index=2&feature=plcp
You'll notice that Ortmann has a very unconventional (previously discussed) sidearm stroke that he adopted protectively as a means of taking some of the pressure off his upper back vertebrae (and associated nerves) that, pre-surgery, caused him lifelong pain. Surgery cured the chronic pain, but he kept the sidearm stroke which had become deadly accurate for him.
Btw, at the end of the match, you’ll note quite amusing evidence of Ortmann’s ordinarily great powers of concentration in the almost superhuman way he keeps his eyes focused strictly from the neck up on the ultra-provocatively-dressed post-match interview hostess fairly popping out of her dress. ( I think he knew his wife was glued to her computer screen in Germany, watching the *live* online streaming of the match.)
I greatly enjoyed the whole match.
Arnaldo