Is billiards the toughest sport?
- Thread starter storke
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Golf would be right up there too, in fact there are far more top competitors (pga and lpga) than in billiards, and thats not even considering the euro tour, nationwide tour and seniors tour . But you have to take Tiger out of the mix, he is in a league of his own.
auto racing is much tougher. there are way more professionals and even to get started is tough. whereas in pool all u have to do is pick up a cue and get started. also, the thing with pool is, anyone can run out and if u can do that then u have a chance at winning. the master the game is hard but to learn to play it is easy with dedicated practice. auto racing on the other hand is very very hard, u slip up once and it could end ur race or career. it's also a lot harder to be competitive in racing than in pool. it's also a tougher sport to play/participate in. might be the toughest sport. looks easy but theres so many things that make it very very tough.
storke said:
I'm a bit confused... if what you are saying is true, and there are so many great players... wouldn't that make the sport not so tough?
(just so you know, I think the opposite. I think there are a lot of players who play on a very high level... but not that there are an over-abundance of "GREAT" players. To acheive pool greatness requires soooooo much time and practice and dedication and natural ability... and most people who try to acheive that greatness won't make it... and that's what makes it such a tough sport)
Kim Davenport said that Golf is the most difficult sport.
Then comes Billard.
And i have to agree. Not only because of the competitors. I think Billard is so hard to play of various reasons.
You have to be physically AND mentally in top form.
Your whole body must be relaxed. Your movements has to be like a ballet dancer. The precision of your stroke etc has to be over the top.
And your will, your imagination etc has to be like a silent assassin killer to execute your plan and beat your Opponent AND the table.
The hardest thing of all is that you will NEVER..and i mean NEVER have one and the same constellation of balls to run out in your live twice again.
I think Billard is so very tough.
Then comes Billard.
And i have to agree. Not only because of the competitors. I think Billard is so hard to play of various reasons.
You have to be physically AND mentally in top form.
Your whole body must be relaxed. Your movements has to be like a ballet dancer. The precision of your stroke etc has to be over the top.
And your will, your imagination etc has to be like a silent assassin killer to execute your plan and beat your Opponent AND the table.
The hardest thing of all is that you will NEVER..and i mean NEVER have one and the same constellation of balls to run out in your live twice again.
I think Billard is so very tough.
golf for sure...
I do not know what is in 2nd place but in my opinion, to play golf at the highest levels makes it the toughest sport going. In golf, the athlete has to many uncontrollable variables to account for and overcome. These are combined with the known quantities to make for a real challenge on a hole by hole, round by round basis.
What billiards and golf share in common and what separates them from a lot of other sports is that they are not reaction sports (e.g. tennis, baseball, basketball). They both require a mental toughness that allows the athlete to work through times of self-doubt yet perform at very high levels. The thought processes of golfers and pool players are very much alike which I thinks contributes to the fact that they are primarily solo sports as opposed to team sports.
I do not know what is in 2nd place but in my opinion, to play golf at the highest levels makes it the toughest sport going. In golf, the athlete has to many uncontrollable variables to account for and overcome. These are combined with the known quantities to make for a real challenge on a hole by hole, round by round basis.
What billiards and golf share in common and what separates them from a lot of other sports is that they are not reaction sports (e.g. tennis, baseball, basketball). They both require a mental toughness that allows the athlete to work through times of self-doubt yet perform at very high levels. The thought processes of golfers and pool players are very much alike which I thinks contributes to the fact that they are primarily solo sports as opposed to team sports.
The way I'm reading this thread is that on any given day, a pool tournament can see a different winner. That is to say, if you had an identical field of the top 200 players in the world and played the event 50 different times, you'd likely see 50 different results.
Well, that has as much to do with the game as it does the participants. Afterall, we are playing short races in 9-ball. Once a degree of competence is reached, any player can be beat in a race to 9.
Well, that has as much to do with the game as it does the participants. Afterall, we are playing short races in 9-ball. Once a degree of competence is reached, any player can be beat in a race to 9.
I think skateboarding would be pretty high on the list of difficult sports too. It is very technical, requires lots of coordination, carries risk, and so on.
Knowing pool and skateboarding, to me they feel like they are probably the most difficult sports but that's at least partially because I don't have an appreciation for what goes into some of the other sports. For example, with auto racing as someone mentioned, I'm clueless, so I just can't grasp its difficulty.
Also, in order to figure out which sport is the most difficult, some definitions need to be established as to what factors are used to measure the difficulty level of a sport.
Otherwise, we could just say something like competitive blindfolded bomb diffusing with a beer pounding requirement is the most difficult because it carries the highest risk out of any other sports. (Although I'm sure someone more creative than I am could come up with a more dangerous hypothetical or real sport.)
Knowing pool and skateboarding, to me they feel like they are probably the most difficult sports but that's at least partially because I don't have an appreciation for what goes into some of the other sports. For example, with auto racing as someone mentioned, I'm clueless, so I just can't grasp its difficulty.
Also, in order to figure out which sport is the most difficult, some definitions need to be established as to what factors are used to measure the difficulty level of a sport.
Otherwise, we could just say something like competitive blindfolded bomb diffusing with a beer pounding requirement is the most difficult because it carries the highest risk out of any other sports. (Although I'm sure someone more creative than I am could come up with a more dangerous hypothetical or real sport.)
Right again!!!!!!
Don't you get tired of always being right!! I will PM you a lengthy disertation on why you are right. Bottom line, If you take 100 kids at their most formative years,put them with a professional tutor for that particular sport here's what you'll wind up with when they reach their prime. Golf, 25 scratch golfers, Bowling,50 200+ avg. bowlers. Pool you will probably not wind up with 1 or 2 top notch pool players.lodini said:I'm a bit confused... if what you are saying is true, and there are so many great players... wouldn't that make the sport not so tough?
(just so you know, I think the opposite. I think there are a lot of players who play on a very high level... but not that there are an over-abundance of "GREAT" players. To acheive pool greatness requires soooooo much time and practice and dedication and natural ability... and most people who try to acheive that greatness won't make it... and that's what makes it such a tough sport)
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Nice
man that pic is killing me! And women should have their own category not fair to the rest of the field. They would be the hardest by a long shotBPG24 said:Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Golf would be #1 by a longshot. It is unreal how many great players can't even get on the PGA Tour
I might even put women #2
1) Billiards/Pool
2) Golf
Mental preparation is roughly the same for both. Golf requires that you strike a round sphere and send it to a specific distant area. Billiards requires that you strike a round sphere into another round sphere to send it to a nearby area... a touch more difficult.
Games such as Soccer, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, and Hockey all have the element of the action happening so fast that the mental game is not half of what Billiards or Golf is. These sports use the unconscious controls of the mind more than Billiards or Golf. Many times they have to react in split seconds that requires no conscious thought thus it is indeed easier.
In Billiards and Golf we have all the time in the world to strike the sphere. Being human the mind endlessly self talks to ensure the correct course of action is taken. It lays down the blueprint of success, then it is supposed to shut up, so the unconscious controls can take over and carry out the finely laid plans of the conscious mind. It never does... (Go ahead right now and think of nothing...blank mind...time yourself, very tough to do.) Thus the conscious interferes with every happening of the game. That same banter of the mind can be judgmental and create a bigger obstacle in lost confidence.
In Summary Golf and Billiards are games that mental preparedness is more paramount to be successful in that field. More so than other Sports or Games.
2) Golf
Mental preparation is roughly the same for both. Golf requires that you strike a round sphere and send it to a specific distant area. Billiards requires that you strike a round sphere into another round sphere to send it to a nearby area... a touch more difficult.
Games such as Soccer, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, and Hockey all have the element of the action happening so fast that the mental game is not half of what Billiards or Golf is. These sports use the unconscious controls of the mind more than Billiards or Golf. Many times they have to react in split seconds that requires no conscious thought thus it is indeed easier.
In Billiards and Golf we have all the time in the world to strike the sphere. Being human the mind endlessly self talks to ensure the correct course of action is taken. It lays down the blueprint of success, then it is supposed to shut up, so the unconscious controls can take over and carry out the finely laid plans of the conscious mind. It never does... (Go ahead right now and think of nothing...blank mind...time yourself, very tough to do.) Thus the conscious interferes with every happening of the game. That same banter of the mind can be judgmental and create a bigger obstacle in lost confidence.
In Summary Golf and Billiards are games that mental preparedness is more paramount to be successful in that field. More so than other Sports or Games.
Very well put. I like your point on "reaction sports" however in golf (WhichCatahula said:
I thorougly love and is my #2 addiction)to be technical it's similar to bowling, in that ONLY YOU are playing the course or the lanes.
In the game of pool you are up against an opponent who's job it is to leave you with the least possible chance to succeed.
BPG24
Banned
renard said:
What makes you think billiards is tougher? Please explain
you stated that the mental aspect was equal, I won't argue that part. kinda pointless on a pool forum.
but the physical aspect of golf is so much tougher. you have to know more types of shots, you have to battle the conditions, the terrain, and there aren't many repeatable shots in golf like there is in pool. Not many 1/2 ball hits etc.
Imagine a pool table with huge slopes.
Putting and pool are about the same physically. Golf overall is a much tougher physically
surfing is the toughest sport in the world