Is the level of play at a all time high

Johnnyt said:
Most old guys like me will tell you the top pros played as good as top pros today. IMO Shane would beat Buddy Hall easy. There were a few that could hold there own with todays top pros, but today there are 10 times or more great players. Johnnyt
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This is spot on. A player can only be the best or among the best of their time. Everything evolves and improves through time. That's not to say the greats of the past could not compete and improve but strength in depth always increases.
 
I think if you take just two factors, the jump shot and breaking ability of today's top pro's, those two factors alone separate today's top pro's from those of yesteryear. These are huge advantages that today's players would have, even if all other things were equal (which I don't think they would be). I think the mechanics of the stance/stroke have improved, just like in any other activity. But EVEN if all else were equal, the break & jump would be decisive advantages.
 
mike sigel just came to my mind, would he or someone else win majors today with his techniue? somwehow i doubt it.......
 
PoolBum said:
Are you just saying that there are more good players today, or that the level of play at the top is higher today than in the past?

It's obvious that there are more good players in the world of pool today than ever before, but that doesn't mean that the top players of today play better than the top players of the past.
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I think you said it perfectly. Covers the OP and the tangential comments.
 
PoolBum said:
I thought it was obvious that I meant who's a better kicker than Efren, besides Black-Balled!

The question is, did Efren see you kick in the 3 balls and, if so, did he learn anything about how to kick?
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Kicked 2 good ones in tonight.

No Efren.
 
PoolBum said:
It sounds like you're just talking about something different when you talk about the "highest level of play" than I am. When I talk about the highest level of play I'm talking about the very best players and their level of play, not the average level of play.

I agree that the average level of play today (if we're talking about, say, the biggest tournaments in the world) is higher today than it's ever been.

But pool is not a team sport, and the highest level of play in my sense (not the average level of play, but the level of play by the very best players) is determined by how well the very best individual players play. If the best individual players are not playing today, then the highest level of pool is not being played today.
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I see what you're saying, but I don't think that's a useful way to look at ANY activity or sport.

Let's say that Isaac Newton was the greatest physicist of all time. Does this mean that the study of Physics was in a "higher" state in the 1650's than today? It may be possible that Bobby Jones was the most talented golfer of all time, does this mean that the state of Golf in the 1920's was higher than today?

Of course not. These are obviously absurd conclusions. You said it yourself, that we're talking about the very best players (players is plural). Not the most talented individual in the history of an activity. The single most talented individual could be born in any time period, could have been 200 years ago, this fact doesn't say one single thing about the state of the game, or the ability of the very best players (players, plural).

I'm not talking about the average level of play per se, if we are both talking about the level of play of the very best players (players plural), the the level of play today is higher. Take today's top 10 or 20 and compare them to the top 10 or 20 from the 80's. No contest IMO, in just breaking and jumping alone, huge, huge difference.

Although I think you're right in that we differ a little bit on what criterion to use. Which is cool.
 
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Todays game has been dummied up.

Less skill and almost no power is needed to play at very high levels..
Today is putt putt pool.
On old cloth most players levels would drop. And not a little.
How many players today can pretend to have the ability to stroke with a 21 oz Cue? Skill level higher?
No.
Putting better?
There is that.
Some of the old straight players that didn't weigh 150 lbs soaking wet and were not able to compete in 9 ball because they did not have a powerful enough break might have run racks for days on the cloth used in this modern version of putt putt pool..
Days.
Nick :)
 
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