High Praise for John Schmidt - Player Review

[Williebetmore]

I had the privilege to spend some time recently with Mark Wilson (instructor from near St. Louis); and was quite surprised to hear what he had to say about John Schmidt (and I was so struck by his impression that I demanded permission to report this to the fanatics here).

Evidently John ran 170-something at Derby City, and was asked to do a player review of the tape with Mark as a co-commentator.

Now, for those that don't know Mark, he is a straight pool fanatic extraordinaire. He has dedicated his life to pool; but his greatest goals and accomplishments have always been single-mindedly focused on straight pool. As he developed his game, he was surrounded with old-school greats like Sailor Stellman (?sp?), Dallas West, Jerry Briesath, Nick Varner, and Steve Mizerak - players who have thousands of 100 ball runs, and were really a threat to run 100 any inning that they stepped to the table (a very select group of players).

Mark reported that he was totally surprised and impressed with John's knowledge of the intricacies of the game, and his super-professional approach to straight pool. The surprise centered around the multitude of insights that John offered into his strategies for maximizing his consistency and safety play, and on his super analytical approach to the game.

Too often, we hear the description of many of the modern 9-ball guns being "all shotmaking" and "no knowledge of strategy" when it comes to the almost lost art of old-school straight pool. According to Mark, John is certainly NOT one of those players (though obviously his shotmaking skills ARE champion caliber). Mark reports that John offered multiple tips and strategies that were simple for all players to follow, incredibly sensible and valuable, and THAT MARK HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE FROM ANY OF THE WORLD BEATERS LISTED ABOVE. Maybe they knew but wouldn't say, maybe they knew but lacked the ability to describe it, maybe they didn't know....but John does. Extremely high praise considering Mark has been aggressively collecting straight pool tidbits from the greatest players in the world for 34 years.

Mark stated that my number one priority now as a straight pool student (and I AM a fanatic for those that don't know) is TO GET A STRAIGHT POOL LESSON FROM JOHN SCHMIDT. His knowledge and skill at this game far exceeds most; and he offers insights unavailable from any other "instructor" (gee, as I read this I have NO IDEA if he even gives lessons....that could be a problem).

If anyone is ever going to break 526, it seems John is the most likely candidate. It also seems that this player review Accu-Stats DVD is going to be a "must-have" for the members of this select forum (anyone know if it's out???). End of unabashed JS advertisement.

 

[sascha]

John truely is one of the best to ever play the game, maybe the best today. He gave lessons for 1000/ 2 days. I asked him too teach me some, too when i will be in Vegas, hope he finds the time..like he promised

 

[dmgwalsh]

John Schmidt

So the secret is finally out. :thumbup:

John seems to instinctively know the best way to approach a straight pool rack. The speed at which he figures out what to do is mind boggling. I have sometimes heard John talking about what he is doing as he is doing it and why he did not do something else. Marop has been soaking up this instruction for years now. When Marop posts a video, he and John go over it and John tells him what he did right and what he did wrong. Invaluable stuff.

I feel very lucky to get some of John's insight second hand. Marop goes over my runs with me and we go over his runs and he tells me what John told him.

I've talked with Frank "Sailor" Stellman for hours and had lessons with him and know how he is about straight pool and I know Mark is a very devoted student of Sailor's. Sailor learned from Joe Diehl and Charlie Cacciapaglia out of Rockford, a couple of guys that helped teach Dallas West. A very fine line of 14.1 knowledge coming out of the Midwest and it is high praise indeed for Mark to anoint John Schmidt in the way that he did.

Oh, yeah, John does give lessons. ( johnmr400@yahoo.com )

The dvd from the Derby City is available for ordering right now but delivery expected at the end of March. http://www.accu-stats.com/Derby12.pdf

 

[Blackjack]

I give John a lot of crap about home insulation and tossing perfectly good putters in the pond on the 18th green - but there is NOBODY that I respect more when it comes to the game of 14.1.

His insight and knowledge will definitely leave you speechless. His mind operates in a completely different dimension - and I am not surprised that Mark was surprised.

The funny part is that John is a very humble person. He is completely unaware of just how incredibly gifted he is at times - as a player and as a teacher.

To top it all off, you won't find a nicer, more generous person in the game of pool. IMO, we're extremely blessed to have this guy as part of this forum - sharing his ideas and insights.

Ok, John... that'll be another $50.

 

[Marop]

It looks like the cats out of the bag. I have been privilaged enough to sit and watch run after run from John while he is explaining what he is thinking about and why. It it truly amazing, his mind works so much faster than the average straight pool player. Whats even more amazing is that he dosen't play very much straight pool, maybe a couple of days a month when he is at home. A couple of times a year he comes to my house and he will play for 4 or 5 days straight. Its hard to believe he has that much straight pool knowledge for being a part time straight pool player.

I have seen him come in from an entire day of riding his dirt bike, no shower, no food and run 225 in his first inning, hard to believe but true.

It would have been interesting if he was born 20 years earlier. Watching him play all the the greats in the 60's would have been something. I can only imagine what his high run would be if he played this game daily.

John is my best friend so this post is probably a little biased, but so be it, I've been around straight pool for a long time and I still can't believe what he can do with a pool cue sometimes.

Bill

 

[john schmidt]

thanks.

thanks for all the compliments guys.
i consider mark wilson to be extremely smart about pool and life and having him talk about me like that is very flattering.
also my best friend bill is one of the most improved players ive ever seen and im proud of him. to reach your level bill is very rare.you would have been a world class player if you wanted too im sure.you almost are anyway.

anyhow thanks again guys and im just like all of you ,i like 14.1 its a great game and im glad you guys let me hang around and sound like i know what im talking about.

 

[kingman33]

Bobby Hunter ?...

 

[sausage]

John: are you going to be in the Dallas area any time soon? it would be great if you could get together with Dick Lane for an exhibition match.

 

[sfleinen]

John: are you going to be in the Dallas area any time soon? it would be great if you could get together with Dick Lane for an exhibition match.

He can't -- Dick is still pondering his next shot from last year's match.

J/K,
-Sean

 

[JimS]

thanks
anyhow thanks again guys and im just like all of you ,i like 14.1 its a great game and im glad you guys let me hang around and sound like i know what im talking about.

Your record indicates that you DO know what you are talking about and if Mark says you know how to describe it as well then you DO have some unique and valuable gifts. I'll be looking to buy more of your self-commentated DVD's.

Sorry for my part in the head-butting we did a few months back and my thanks to mutual friend Dennis who tried to make it right for both of us.

I'm back to being a fan of yours ... not that it matters. :groucho:

 

[john schmidt]

thanks jim

when i got mad at you jim i was just talking to a computer and not really sure who im telling off ,i was just mad.
now that i know who you are i realize i was way to hard on you and im sorry.

any friend of dennis is a friend of mine.
also it does matter to me that your a fan of mine again ,thanks and take care

 

[Schlosser Cases]

A true talent of the game. He is a true student of billiards, and sounds like a truly honest man. Hope to meet him some day and hit some balls with him!!

 

[JimS]

when i got mad at you jim i was just talking to a computer and not really sure who im telling off ,i was just mad.
now that i know who you are i realize i was way to hard on you and im sorry.

any friend of dennis is a friend of mine.
also it does matter to me that your a fan of mine again ,thanks and take care

That was NOT a good day for either of us.

I, like you, think that anybody that Dennis says is ok, IS ok. He says you're much more than ok so that's more than enough for me too. We'll meet up one of these days. See ya.

 

[Steve Lipsky]

We are indeed lucky to have John's input on the forum, as well as his participation and enthusiasm in general for 14.1.

In the main forum a few months ago, someone said something like "does anyone even play straight pool anymore?" It's nice to be able to point to a guy like John, a guy in his absolute prime, and say, "yeah, you know, not only do people still play it, but people like John Schmidt play it."

One of the great things about having John around this forum is that, no matter your place on the totem pole here, you are lower than John. lol. I kind of feel bad for him; he'd practically need Greenleaf's ghost around here to say the same... And even then it's probably a 6:5 pick 'em.

- Steve

 

[Ratta]

After my long break from pool i read almost every day here on AZ. And every time if it was about 14.1 ....it was about this *young John Schmidt*- so i searched a bit- watched some videos i was able to get and was really really impressed. And when i saw what some guys (let me call them *wanna-be s*) were talking about *this John Schmidt* i immediatley remembered Oliver Ortmann in his *early* days. Oliver came up strong as a very young player and soon has beaten all german top players- and so many wanna-be-players or *wanna-be-pro-commentators* talked bullshit about his abilites, strange kind of game-play blablabla. - I saw Ortmann several times- and was never able to understand how someone could talk any negative word about Oliver. His game is excellent- his shooter-abilities are feared world-wide (still i believe^^) and his straight-pool is still amazing. Funny is-after he won the worldchampionship all shut up -hu? strange,isn t it?

Same is a bit about John- i just changed some words/pm s with him- and he is so extremly nice-and always willing to give an info if asked. So imo he MUST be a humble guy *hugs* :thumbup:
And all the guys who were talkin crap like *he s only a shooter-not a good 14.1 player*.......they should think about playin *Pong*...it s perhaps easier to understand. If somebody who spends his time on Billiards and especially on 14.1 and doest not understand what an amazing player and STILL A TALENT John is......-then i m speechless-lol.

And like we all read dayly here on AZ- he is still acting like one out of the crowd- he s still normal - and still a great personality and for sure the type of human and player our loved sport needs!

every time impressed if watching his game,

lg from overseas
Ingo

 

[sascha]

After my long break from pool i read almost every day here on AZ. And every time if it was about 14.1 ....it was about this *young John Schmidt*- so i searched a bit- watched some videos i was able to get and was really really impressed. And when i saw what some guys (let me call them *wanna-be s*) were talking about *this John Schmidt* i immediatley remembered Oliver Ortmann in his *early* days. Oliver came up strong as a very young player and soon has beaten all german top players- and so many wanna-be-players or *wanna-be-pro-commentators* talked bullshit about his abilites, strange kind of game-play blablabla. - I saw Ortmann several times- and was never able to understand how someone could talk any negative word about Oliver. His game is excellent- his shooter-abilities are feared world-wide (still i believe^^) and his straight-pool is still amazing. Funny is-after he won the worldchampionship all shut up -hu? strange,isn t it?

Same is a bit about John- i just changed some words/pm s with him- and he is so extremly nice-and always willing to give an info if asked. So imo he MUST be a humble guy *hugs* :thumbup:
And all the guys who were talkin crap like *he s only a shooter-not a good 14.1 player*.......they should think about playin *Pong*...it s perhaps easier to understand. If somebody who spends his time on Billiards and especially on 14.1 and doest not understand what an amazing player and STILL A TALENT John is......-then i m speechless-lol.

And like we all read dayly here on AZ- he is still acting like one out of the crowd- he s still normal - and still a great personality and for sure the type of human and player our loved sport needs!

every time impressed if watching his game,

lg from overseas
Ingo

you hit the nail right on the head, no more to say about it.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

I had the privilege to spend some time recently with Mark Wilson (instructor from near St. Louis); and was quite surprised to hear what he had to say about John Schmidt (and I was so struck by his impression that I demanded permission to report this to the fanatics here).

Evidently John ran 170-something at Derby City, and was asked to do a player review of the tape with Mark as a co-commentator.

Now, for those that don't know Mark, he is a straight pool fanatic extraordinaire. He has dedicated his life to pool; but his greatest goals and accomplishments have always been single-mindedly focused on straight pool. As he developed his game, he was surrounded with old-school greats like Sailor Stellman (?sp?), Dallas West, Jerry Briesath, Nick Varner, and Steve Mizerak - players who have thousands of 100 ball runs, and were really a threat to run 100 any inning that they stepped to the table (a very select group of players).

Mark reported that he was totally surprised and impressed with John's knowledge of the intricacies of the game, and his super-professional approach to straight pool. The surprise centered around the multitude of insights that John offered into his strategies for maximizing his consistency and safety play, and on his super analytical approach to the game.

Too often, we hear the description of many of the modern 9-ball guns being "all shotmaking" and "no knowledge of strategy" when it comes to the almost lost art of old-school straight pool. According to Mark, John is certainly NOT one of those players (though obviously his shotmaking skills ARE champion caliber). Mark reports that John offered multiple tips and strategies that were simple for all players to follow, incredibly sensible and valuable, and THAT MARK HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE FROM ANY OF THE WORLD BEATERS LISTED ABOVE. Maybe they knew but wouldn't say, maybe they knew but lacked the ability to describe it, maybe they didn't know....but John does. Extremely high praise considering Mark has been aggressively collecting straight pool tidbits from the greatest players in the world for 34 years.

Mark stated that my number one priority now as a straight pool student (and I AM a fanatic for those that don't know) is TO GET A STRAIGHT POOL LESSON FROM JOHN SCHMIDT. His knowledge and skill at this game far exceeds most; and he offers insights unavailable from any other "instructor" (gee, as I read this I have NO IDEA if he even gives lessons....that could be a problem).

If anyone is ever going to break 526, it seems John is the most likely candidate. It also seems that this player review Accu-Stats DVD is going to be a "must-have" for the members of this select forum (anyone know if it's out???). End of unabashed JS advertisement.

Great post about a super player who is also a pool hero to many.

 

[Dan Harriman]

My take on Shmidtty

My Mom allways said if you cannot say anything nice then don't say "" at all, (Good advice for anyone) especially when they feel their ego is threatened and there is a great chance of suffering a loss. While we were playing our last match (TAR) he felt threatened, and began to say some things to me, I asked him if he was without sin himself and he said "yes I'm perfect, and the more you realize this the better off you will be." I don't think he is perfect and some of his major blunders may have not become public knowledge as much as mine.

I do not owe John an apolagy for any of my poor choices, if he wanted to ask me why I have behaived poorly away from the table, he should have chose a better time other than when he felt threatened while competing against me. I have much respect for his game, and I will end it there. I will say that I try hard to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and do not give much credit to those who show there ass when there ego is threatened. Again it's how a person behaives when the heat is on that shows true grit character, to me John is just a character and probably a good one most of the time.

Ionce played Johnny Archer and after I won he would not shake my hand, his reason was that he didn't like the rule where I could get up on the table. He later told me it was his way of scolding me for not having one foot on the floor - even though these were the official rules. Some players think it's their duty to scold or reprimand other individuals, maybe cause they don't agree with their lifestyle. This is wrong and the scolding will never appear unless they feel a scolding heat that their opponent is putting on them.

Danny Harriman

 

[JimS]

My Mom allways said if you cannot say anything nice then don't say "" at all, (Good advice for anyone) especially when they feel their ego is threatened and there is a great chance of suffering a loss. While we were playing our last match (TAR) he felt threatened, and began to say some things to me, I asked him if he was without sin himself and he said "yes I'm perfect, and the more you realize this the better off you will be." I don't think he is perfect and some of his major blunders may have not become public knowledge as much as mine.

I do not owe John an apolagy for any of my poor choices, if he wanted to ask me why I have behaived poorly away from the table, he should have chose a better time other than when he felt threatened while competing against me. I have much respect for his game, and I will end it there. I will say that I try hard to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and do not give much credit to those who show there ass when there ego is threatened. Again it's how a person behaives when the heat is on that shows true grit character, to me John is just a character and probably a good one most of the time.

Ionce played Johnny Archer and after I won he would not shake my hand, his reason was that he didn't like the rule where I could get up on the table. He later told me it was his way of scolding me for not having one foot on the floor - even though these were the official rules. Some players think it's their duty to scold or reprimand other individuals, maybe cause they don't agree with their lifestyle. This is wrong and the scolding will never appear unless they feel a scolding heat that their opponent is putting on them.

Danny Harriman

You couldn't resist the temptation to reach out and try to hurt someone could you. You don't show much class Danny.

 

[john schmidt]

good job

My Mom allways said if you cannot say anything nice then don't say "" at all, (Good advice for anyone) especially when they feel their ego is threatened and there is a great chance of suffering a loss. While we were playing our last match (TAR) he felt threatened, and began to say some things to me, I asked him if he was without sin himself and he said "yes I'm perfect, and the more you realize this the better off you will be." I don't think he is perfect and some of his major blunders may have not become public knowledge as much as mine.

I do not owe John an apolagy for any of my poor choices, if he wanted to ask me why I have behaived poorly away from the table, he should have chose a better time other than when he felt threatened while competing against me. I have much respect for his game, and I will end it there. I will say that I try hard to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and do not give much credit to those who show there ass when there ego is threatened. Again it's how a person behaives when the heat is on that shows true grit character, to me John is just a character and probably a good one most of the time.

Ionce played Johnny Archer and after I won he would not shake my hand, his reason was that he didn't like the rule where I could get up on the table. He later told me it was his way of scolding me for not having one foot on the floor - even though these were the official rules. Some players think it's their duty to scold or reprimand other individuals, maybe cause they don't agree with their lifestyle. This is wrong and the scolding will never appear unless they feel a scolding heat that their opponent is putting on them.

Danny Harriman

good job danny at least you hit the space bar a few times for once.
normally your insults towards me are so bunched together i about go blind reading them.
you know one of these days your going to realize life is short.
sitting there thinking about how much you hate me and how you can convince the rest of the poolworld to hate me and see that your a great guy is really unproductive for you.
i think your a super talented player and if you just go out and do the best you can in life and let people you hate like me not bother you ,i think good things will happen for you.

anyway thats my take.