Improvement = Effort x level of opposition. Effort is a combination of average hours and mental energy you devote each week times the number of weeks you dedicate.
Now, while I write this as a formula I am not pretending this is exact or scientific. I write it this way to simplify and stress an important part of pool growth people tend to neglect. That is the importance of the level of opposition you face. To say it another way, you can't get great playing at home or against low level players. Some examples, both real and hypothetical:
When I was a kid I put in a ton of effort. Maxed out my hours/week and my energy was all devoted to pool. I did this for 5 years. How good did I get by age 17? About 10% better than the best players I competed against in my area. If they were 670, I probably got to about 680. Meanwhile there are many, many examples of 17 year old players playing world class, 780s, even 800+. Did I not have the talent? Who knows. But one thing is for sure. Those champion 17 year olds didn't get there competing against 675s. They got there by competing with and training with top flight players.
I maintain that one advantage the European players and Filipino players have over the US players is proximity. They have a more condensed player population. Filipino champs are all within a small geographical area and can compete with each other regularly. Meanwhile some of our best players are Mike D, Oscar D, and Justin B. All 15 hours apart by car. That is a big challenge for the US, and also why we many of our top players come out of the same pockets (big metro cities or places where we have more than one pro in the same area).
Now the hypothetical. Suppose Efren had, as a child, been given a pool table and as much time to practice as he wanted, but he had been denied any mentoring from top players or access to pro pool online, and could only play on his own. Would he have become the GOAT? I doubt he'd have ever learned to run a rack on his own.
My main point is too many players think they can work their way to high level in their basement and neglect the importance of their competition. Now, for those that live in small towns without top flight players, how can you overcome this? There are a variety of ways.
1) Watch pro pool matches online. Best is to listen to really good commentary. Also, pause the video frequently and analyze the racks on your own. Then listen to the commentators and watch the players. This is a great way to learn.
2) Read books/watch instructional material. This is a must. There is so much information out there, you have to learn it.
3) Get quality instruction. Once you've learned what you can from books and youtube and picking up things from pro matches on your own, it's time to get serious 1:1 training. That is what I do in my bootcamps. I don't train basics, my goal is to fill in the gaps between what I see from the 550s and the 750s.
4) Play tournaments and spar with tough players. This is the most important of all. I really believe anyone on this forum who played pro pool tournaments full time for 3-5 years would be 675 to 700 by the end of it at the low end, and some would go on to much higher levels. Now, this isn't possible for most of us. But just because we can't play full time doesn't mean we can't play any at all. Why not 2-4 tournaments a year against players that are higher level and out of your comfort zone?
Not everyone is interested in improving and I get that. But it pains me to see players who say they want to improve and put in a lot of energy for many years fail to get better and think it is because they just lack 'talent'. Or they think they don't have enough time because they have a family or a job. I'd challenge those players by asking how many top players have they played in competition in the last year and how much 1:1 time have they spent training with a pro? If the answer is they rarely play tournaments against great players and have never trained with a pro, well, then, don't tell me you lack the talent. And if your plan for the next 5 years is to keep trying to put in more effort in your basement and in your local poolroom doing the same thing you've done for the last 10 years without improvement, well, no offense, but I don't like your chances unless your local pool room opponents are way above your speed.
I wish someone had told me this when I was a kid. Maybe if when I was 15 I had started playing pro events and sparring with Corey and Mika then I would have won some majors when I was 18. But I know it now so I make a point to do this. I play pro events. Next month I myself am taking a lesson from a pro to do some 1:1 training. And I am still breaking down tape online. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.
TLDR; With effort you'll become about as good as the players you rub elbows with. Choose carefully.
Now, while I write this as a formula I am not pretending this is exact or scientific. I write it this way to simplify and stress an important part of pool growth people tend to neglect. That is the importance of the level of opposition you face. To say it another way, you can't get great playing at home or against low level players. Some examples, both real and hypothetical:
When I was a kid I put in a ton of effort. Maxed out my hours/week and my energy was all devoted to pool. I did this for 5 years. How good did I get by age 17? About 10% better than the best players I competed against in my area. If they were 670, I probably got to about 680. Meanwhile there are many, many examples of 17 year old players playing world class, 780s, even 800+. Did I not have the talent? Who knows. But one thing is for sure. Those champion 17 year olds didn't get there competing against 675s. They got there by competing with and training with top flight players.
I maintain that one advantage the European players and Filipino players have over the US players is proximity. They have a more condensed player population. Filipino champs are all within a small geographical area and can compete with each other regularly. Meanwhile some of our best players are Mike D, Oscar D, and Justin B. All 15 hours apart by car. That is a big challenge for the US, and also why we many of our top players come out of the same pockets (big metro cities or places where we have more than one pro in the same area).
Now the hypothetical. Suppose Efren had, as a child, been given a pool table and as much time to practice as he wanted, but he had been denied any mentoring from top players or access to pro pool online, and could only play on his own. Would he have become the GOAT? I doubt he'd have ever learned to run a rack on his own.
My main point is too many players think they can work their way to high level in their basement and neglect the importance of their competition. Now, for those that live in small towns without top flight players, how can you overcome this? There are a variety of ways.
1) Watch pro pool matches online. Best is to listen to really good commentary. Also, pause the video frequently and analyze the racks on your own. Then listen to the commentators and watch the players. This is a great way to learn.
2) Read books/watch instructional material. This is a must. There is so much information out there, you have to learn it.
3) Get quality instruction. Once you've learned what you can from books and youtube and picking up things from pro matches on your own, it's time to get serious 1:1 training. That is what I do in my bootcamps. I don't train basics, my goal is to fill in the gaps between what I see from the 550s and the 750s.
4) Play tournaments and spar with tough players. This is the most important of all. I really believe anyone on this forum who played pro pool tournaments full time for 3-5 years would be 675 to 700 by the end of it at the low end, and some would go on to much higher levels. Now, this isn't possible for most of us. But just because we can't play full time doesn't mean we can't play any at all. Why not 2-4 tournaments a year against players that are higher level and out of your comfort zone?
Not everyone is interested in improving and I get that. But it pains me to see players who say they want to improve and put in a lot of energy for many years fail to get better and think it is because they just lack 'talent'. Or they think they don't have enough time because they have a family or a job. I'd challenge those players by asking how many top players have they played in competition in the last year and how much 1:1 time have they spent training with a pro? If the answer is they rarely play tournaments against great players and have never trained with a pro, well, then, don't tell me you lack the talent. And if your plan for the next 5 years is to keep trying to put in more effort in your basement and in your local poolroom doing the same thing you've done for the last 10 years without improvement, well, no offense, but I don't like your chances unless your local pool room opponents are way above your speed.
I wish someone had told me this when I was a kid. Maybe if when I was 15 I had started playing pro events and sparring with Corey and Mika then I would have won some majors when I was 18. But I know it now so I make a point to do this. I play pro events. Next month I myself am taking a lesson from a pro to do some 1:1 training. And I am still breaking down tape online. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is now.
TLDR; With effort you'll become about as good as the players you rub elbows with. Choose carefully.