Ga-Young Kim

[over60pirate]

Wife and I made it to the Women's Challenge of Champions.
After Allison beat Kelly, and Ga-Young beat Jasmin, I went and said hello and got her autograph.
I told her, "Allison's in trouble"
She smiled and replied, "Yeah, I know"

She was right.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

I was going to create a thread to open the discussion on her.
IN the last few years, I'm leaning towards the belief that Ga-Young will be the most decorated women's player in history, not just in winnings, but in tournament wins/titles.

I don't have any hard facts to back this up, it's just a gut feeling.

When people talk about the greatest female players of all time - Jean Balukas, Allison Fisher, etc. Ga-Young Kim will end up as the greatest of all time.

She just keeps winning.

Also, I think she has worked on her game to become even more dominant. The last tournament I watched her play in (on video) I think was the China open, and she was much more methodical and deliberate in her play. She seems to have slowed down in her pace and her mechanics were much more solid. Any one know if she has been working with a new coach?

 

[Nostroke]

I was going to create a thread to open the discussion on her.
IN the last few years, I'm leaning towards the belief that Ga-Young will be the most decorated women's player in history, not just in winnings, but in tournament wins/titles.

I don't have any hard facts to back this up, it's just a gut feeling.

When people talk about the greatest female players of all time - Jean Balukas, Allison Fisher, etc. Ga-Young Kim will end up as the greatest of all time.

She just keeps winning.

Also, I think she has worked on her game to become even more dominant. The last tournament I watched her play in (on video) I think was the China open, and she was much more methodical and deliberate in her play. She seems to have slowed down in her pace and her mechanics were much more solid. Any one know if she has been working with a new coach?

She told me she hasnt had such a coach. She didnt TRY to slow herself down, it just evolved she said. Whatever the reason, she no longer has a kids game but a very mature one and no doubt in my mind the primary reason for her recent 'bump up' in speed. No more looks to the heavens when she rolls behind a ball for no reason. One or two fewer mistakes in a set for her and all of a sudden the ladies (99.9999%) seem to need a a game or two on the wire!

 

[King T]

She just won again!

I was going to create a thread to open the discussion on her.
IN the last few years, I'm leaning towards the belief that Ga-Young will be the most decorated women's player in history, not just in winnings, but in tournament wins/titles.

When people talk about the greatest female players of all time - Jean Balukas, Allison Fisher, etc. Ga-Young Kim will end up as the greatest of all time.

She just keeps winning.

QUOTE]

She just won Vivian's ProAm in San Antonio yesterday!

 

[Cardigan Kid]

She told me she hasnt had such a coach. She didnt TRY to slow herself down, it just evolved she said. Whatever the reason, she no longer has a kids game but a very mature one and no doubt in my mind the primary reason for her recent 'bump up' in speed. No more looks to the heavens when she rolls behind a ball for no reason. One or two fewer mistakes in a set for her and all of a sudden the ladies (99.9999%) seem to need a a game or two on the wire!

Very good inside info, Nostroke.

I also remember she used to let her cue come flying up when using an open bridge - that's what i was looking for when noticing the correction in fundamentals.

And yes, very cool and calm - like the chinese players (pan xiouting for example) who have an extreme poker face no matter what happens.

Take all the ladies - Pan Xiouting, You Ram Cha, Jasmine Ouchan, Kelly Fisher, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, Chen Siming, etc. Ga-Young is the most consistent over a long period of time.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

She just won Vivian's ProAm in San Antonio yesterday!

2015 Year in Review
EARNINGS AZB MONEY LEADERBOARD
$53,800 10th
PAYOUT RANK TOURNAMENT
$32,000 1st China Open Women's Div. 2015
$16,000 1st Women's T't of Champions 2015
$4,500 2nd WPBA Masters 2015
$1,300 9th Amway World Open 2015


not a bad year at all.

 

[Nostroke]

2015 Year in Review
EARNINGS AZB MONEY LEADERBOARD
$53,800 10th
PAYOUT RANK TOURNAMENT
$32,000 1st China Open Women's Div. 2015
$16,000 1st Women's T't of Champions 2015
$4,500 2nd WPBA Masters 2015
$1,300 9th Amway World Open 2015


not a bad year at all.

There are 3 tournies missing there-all wins.

 

[molinatx4206]

Very good inside info, Nostroke.

I also remember she used to let her cue come flying up when using an open bridge - that's what i was looking for when noticing the correction in fundamentals.

And yes, very cool and calm - like the chinese players (pan xiouting for example) who have an extreme poker face no matter what happens.

Take all the ladies - Pan Xiouting, You Ram Cha, Jasmine Ouchan, Kelly Fisher, Allison Fisher, Karen Corr, Chen Siming, etc. Ga-Young is the most consistent over a long period of time.

Siming Chen is gonna be getting there soon .. She still yôung but was traveling with GYK for a while and it shows that se learned a lot from her

 

[sjm]

Ga Young Kim, Siming Chen, Han Yu, and possibly Rubilen Amit have separated themselves from the pack in women's pool.

From what I have watched, and that means a lot of WPA matches, I rate Han Yu as the best of them, but she certainly doesn't have the playing resume of Ga Young Kim, who must now be counted as one of the all time greats. Ga Young, however, is not mentionable with Allison Fisher quite yet.

With these four top women at the height of their skills, WPA cinderella stories will be few and far between in the coming years.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

Ga Young Kim, Siming Chen, Han Yu, and possibly Rubilen Amit have separated themselves from the pack in women's pool.

From what I have watched, and that means a lot of WPA matches, I rate Han Yu as the best of them, but she certainly doesn't have the playing resume of Ga Young Kim, who must now be counted as one of the all time greats. Ga Young, however, is not mentionable with Allison Fisher quite yet.

With these four top women at the height of their skills, WPA cinderella stories will be few and far between in the coming years.

Glad to hear your input, Stu....

While we are on the topic, a couple of questions I'd like to hear you're views on...

1. What will it take for Ga-young to be on Allison Fisher level? Is it longevity or world championships? Or both?

2. Is Jasmine Ouchan limited by her region where the women talent is not to scale with ladies from Asia? And if she were ever to climb into the upper echelon of players, what should she do from here that is different?

 

[buddha162]

Ga Young, however, is not mentionable with Allison Fisher quite yet.

Different eras, but I think it's a bit much to say one can't mention GYK with Allison. Allison dominated the first half of her reign virtually unopposed; then it was a 2 woman show for the last few years. GYK, among the first of the "new wave" of Asian women pros, is holding her own and improving her game.

I remember thinking Okay, here's evidence that the girls can play with the boys...only after watching GYK's game for the first time. Her break is phenomenal (less important now with template racks but still handy), her kicking game is in a league of its own among the women, and her safe game is also up there.

Btw, tho Ga Young is Korean, she trained/turned pro in Taiwan, and dominated the local tour for awhile. I'm not sure where she's based now, maybe Nostroke can tell us.

 

[Playin4Dinner]

In final 16 of Open 10 ball now... (tornado open)

Lost 1st round and has rattled off 6 straight wins to make final 16. Next match vs Danny Smith

This is a very tough field... Rest of final 16 consists of mika, efren, orcullo, gomez, biado, morra, sky, dechaine, shaw, jj, bautista, davis jr, and both oscar and ernesto...

 

[sjm]

Glad to hear your input, Stu....

While we are on the topic, a couple of questions I'd like to hear you're views on...

1. What will it take for Ga-young to be on Allison Fisher level? Is it longevity or world championships? Or both?

2. Is Jasmine Ouchan limited by her region where the women talent is not to scale with ladies from Asia? And if she were ever to climb into the upper echelon of players, what should she do from here that is different?

I think it will take a lot more major titles to put Ga Young in the conversation with Allison. Allison's title count is in the stratosphere and includes World Championships, Amway Cup titles, dozens of WPBA titles and even a US Open 14.1 championship (let alone her numerous World Snooker Championships). Because the competition was so much stiffer than anything Jean faced, I rate Allison's career above that of Jean Balukas, and that's coming from somebody who has watched and played both.

Where Ga Young has both Allison and Jean is in the break. I think Jean might have had a little more power than Ga Young, but Ga Young, when she's in dead stroke, dominates with her break more than either Allison or Jean.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The matter of Jasmin is a bit more complicated. About eight years ago, I'd say that Jasmin was moving into the conversation for the world's best woman player with Kelly Fisher and Ga Young Kim, with all three setting their sights on Allison Fisher and Karen Corr.

I think it's inaccurate to say that Jasmin's geography has held her back, as she has played so much pool on the Eurotour. In my opinion, the reason she developed less than Kelly Fisher and Ga Young, both of whom went on to a lot of WPA titles, was her failure to develop in three areas 1) pattern play, 2) defense and 3) kicking, while Kelly and Ga Young developed impressively in all three areas. Jasmin was always one of the greatest pocketers, always had one of the best breaks, and always had one of the livest strokes, but her game wasn't well rounded enough to mas produce titles at the very highest level in recent years.

Of course, it's entirely a matter of opinion, but that's mine. What's not a matter of opinion is this --- Jasmin is and has always been a credit to the women's pro game and I'm always pleased when she wins anything.

 

[djyadj]

Lost 1st round and has rattled off 6 straight wins to make final 16. Next match vs Danny Smith

This is a very tough field... Rest of final 16 consists of mika, efren, orcullo, gomez, biado, morra, sky, dechaine, shaw, jj, bautista, davis jr, and both oscar and ernesto...

What's really funny is that was her very own boyfriend she drew on her first round lol
And consider his game is below her (according to her own account) I wonder if it's intentional (Perhaps she's so confident in her game, which is now proved by her loser side streaks) :grin-square:

 

[Cardigan Kid]

What's really funny is that was her very own boyfriend she drew on her first round lol
And consider his game is below her (according to her own account) I wonder if it's intentional (Perhaps she's so confident in her game, which is now proved by her loser side streaks) :grin-square:

Is that the same Lee Junho who was in the south Korean boy band 2PM?
He's like the south Korean Justin Timberlake. Has a hit CD out in Japan, Can play pool, and is dating Ga Young Kim?

What a life that dude has!

But of course I could be wrong, it could be another Lee Junho

 

[sjm]

Different eras, but I think it's a bit much to say one can't mention GYK with Allison. Allison dominated the first half of her reign virtually unopposed;

This is really not very accurate. In the first half of Allison's WPBA career, she had to beat fields that included Lori Jon Jones, Ewa Mataya, Robin Dodson, Jeanette Lee, and likely future HOFer Vivan Villareal. Still, Allison won more than half the WPBA titles from 1996-2000. She was so brilliant that she may have seemed unopposed, but the truth is that she had to beat out five future HOFers to win every single title she won in that period.

Allison's great run of titles came against very worthy competition, and Ga Young has never dominated the major tournament scene like Allison did, and in my estimation, never will.

 

[Johnnyt]

Lee, Ewa, Webb, Lori and Vivian were good American players but as soon as Allison, Corr, Ga Young Kim, and Kelly F hit U.S soil, that was more or less the end of any American winning the WPBA tour stop. Before that most thought American women were best in the world.

Back to this thread. Ga Young Kim belongs in the same sentence and is still gettig better every year.

PS: I tried to get Ga Young Kim to play me at Wally's in Lakeland, FL back when she had to qualifie for the womens tour. It was translalated to me that she said, "I don't know who he is or how good he plays". I say today...thank God she said no. LOL Johnnyt

 

[denzilla171]

Saw a two hour interview with Ga Young Kim on Korean TV awhile ago and it was super interesting. Her father is a three-cushion billiards player and that's how she got her start at the table, but when she realized that there was really no place for a female three-cushion player to compete, she switched to pool.

Her father stayed her coach, and was a very strict disciplinarian, and it was driving her crazy. He told her that he would stay her coach until she was the best in the world. Part of the reason she went to Taiwan was to get away from the old man, and also to play her idol in Taiwan. Said she played 12 to 16 hours every day in Taiwan.

After she won the world championship she called her father and said, "Guess who the best female pool player in the world is?

She said there was a long silence and then... "My, my daughter?"

That was the end of dad's coaching career.

 

[TheLoneSilencer]

I think it will take a lot more major titles to put Ga Young in the conversation with Allison. Allison's title count is in the stratosphere and includes World Championships, Amway Cup titles, dozens of WPBA titles and even a US Open 14.1 championship (let alone her numerous World Snooker Championships). Because the competition was so much stiffer than anything Jean faced, I rate Allison's career above that of Jean Balukas, and that's coming from somebody who has watched and played both.

Where Ga Young has both Allison and Jean is in the break. I think Jean might have had a little more power than Ga Young, but Ga Young, when she's in dead stroke, dominates with her break more than either Allison or Jean.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The matter of Jasmin is a bit more complicated. About eight years ago, I'd say that Jasmin was moving into the conversation for the world's best woman player with Kelly Fisher and Ga Young Kim, with all three setting their sights on Allison Fisher and Karen Corr.

I think it's inaccurate to say that Jasmin's geography has held her back, as she has played so much pool on the Eurotour. In my opinion, the reason she developed less than Kelly Fisher and Ga Young, both of whom went on to a lot of WPA titles, was her failure to develop in three areas 1) pattern play, 2) defense and 3) kicking, while Kelly and Ga Young developed impressively in all three areas. Jasmin was always one of the greatest pocketers, always had one of the best breaks, and always had one of the livest strokes, but her game wasn't well rounded enough to mas produce titles at the very highest level in recent years.

Of course, it's entirely a matter of opinion, but that's mine. What's not a matter of opinion is this --- Jasmin is and has always been a credit to the women's pro game and I'm always pleased when she wins anything.

I respect your opinions a lot but I have to disagree on Allison being rated over Jean. Men pros existed that did not want to play Jean or have them in their tournaments. I doubt pros felt the same about Allison as decorated of a champion as she is.

What sets GYK apart from every other woman player is her aggressiveness that is more reminiscent of a man's game especially in the power department compared to the finesse of other top women players.

 

[meister2u]

Jean Balukas has won the US Open 7 years in a row...I think that speaks for itself....But when ranking present players Ga Young Kim is tops in my book. Give her some more years and she will definetly top Allison on pool scene titles..:wink: