This happened in January, 2008, at the only Derby Classic I've attended. It's not the most riveting story ever, but I saw something tonight that prompted me to share. I saw a clip from the "2014 highlights" thread of Efren shooting a kick shot. The title was "Efren Reyes Classic Kick Safe" or something like that. It featured him shooting a 2 rail kick shot and hitting half a ball with just enough speed to lay down a safety.
My first reaction when I see stuff like this is rather dismissive. He's a great player, sure. But it's mostly stigma. It's like everyone wants to believe he is otherworldy so much that they celebrate every kick shot he makes as if it's proof he's pool's Bruce Lee. I mean, my impression is that he IS about the greatest player ever, but c'mon. Half of the clips I see of him on Youtube are just flukes or desperation shots that work out every so often. I could probably dig through footage of any top player and find an equal amount of kicks that were just as good.
That's how I thought until I played him.
I was 6 rounds in and had used my rebuy. I was playing very well and felt like I was the favorite against anyone but a true elite player, and even then I felt like I could get there if they didn't do something special. I drew Efren. He was still competing a lot and I was a bit torn. On the one hand I was excited to play him. How could I be a pool player and not be? On the other hand, there were still 30-40 players in the tournament left and I would've gambled even with 25 of them, so it was a tough draw. Nonetheless, I prepared for my match.
He was the one player that DID intimidate me. I had visions of his Z kick and force follows that I had seen on an Accustats highlight reel again and again when I was 14 running through my head. I remember hearing about how he ran out the set on my friend Jimmy Wetch in the same tournament a couple of years former. I heard the echoes of other elite players who normally don't hesitate to proclaim their supremacy instead lower their voices and acknowledge that no one does exactly what this man does at the table.
I shook it off. After all...I was only playing nine ball, one race to seven. This wasn't a highlight reel. This wasn't rotation. This wasn't a race to 121. This was a short set, and with new cloth and tapped balls it really was anyone's game. Yeah, he can do some pretty amazing things, but in one set that's not what's going to be decisive. It's not like he's going to be making multiple Z kicks and sweeping masse's during our match!!! It's going to come down to running out when you have the chance, breaking well, coming with a couple of hard shots, and getting a roll or two.
With that pep talk I accepted my challenge, shook hands, and the action began.
What happened next is a little blurry. It happened so fast. One second I was up 2-1 and breaking, feeling a bit silly that I had been so spooked by this aging man's reputation.
The next minute I was breaking my cue down trying to figure out how I had just lost 7-2.
What happened?!?
I couldn't have been more wrong. Simply said, all of it came up.
Yes, he made a plethora of multirail kick safes. Correct angle, correct speed, creating distance and obstacles. Again. And Again.
Yes, he made some amazing cue ball plays. I remember one in which the ball he was shooting and the ball he had to play shape for were frozen on the same long rail. There was NO way to get shape because of traffic. UNLESS you went rail first with low inside, the shot where you go STRAIGHT across table after contact with the object ball and then spin up from the opposite side rail. He made this shot and spun through a stupid window to get ball in hand shape in a position that I felt had me at an advantage.
I can't remember them all, but I do remember there must've been 5-10 times I shook my head and said to myself "only Efren..."
So I'm sure that as the game evolves others will do things he can't do. Jump shots. Solving the break in 10 ball. Honestly I just got stuck expanding that list but I'm sure someone somewhere will surpass him in some other area. And yes, there are a lot of goofy clips celebrating Efren's kick shots that are obviously just a good roll. But I will tell you this: The man could flat out play. And I will always remember fondly the match we shared.
My first reaction when I see stuff like this is rather dismissive. He's a great player, sure. But it's mostly stigma. It's like everyone wants to believe he is otherworldy so much that they celebrate every kick shot he makes as if it's proof he's pool's Bruce Lee. I mean, my impression is that he IS about the greatest player ever, but c'mon. Half of the clips I see of him on Youtube are just flukes or desperation shots that work out every so often. I could probably dig through footage of any top player and find an equal amount of kicks that were just as good.
That's how I thought until I played him.
I was 6 rounds in and had used my rebuy. I was playing very well and felt like I was the favorite against anyone but a true elite player, and even then I felt like I could get there if they didn't do something special. I drew Efren. He was still competing a lot and I was a bit torn. On the one hand I was excited to play him. How could I be a pool player and not be? On the other hand, there were still 30-40 players in the tournament left and I would've gambled even with 25 of them, so it was a tough draw. Nonetheless, I prepared for my match.
He was the one player that DID intimidate me. I had visions of his Z kick and force follows that I had seen on an Accustats highlight reel again and again when I was 14 running through my head. I remember hearing about how he ran out the set on my friend Jimmy Wetch in the same tournament a couple of years former. I heard the echoes of other elite players who normally don't hesitate to proclaim their supremacy instead lower their voices and acknowledge that no one does exactly what this man does at the table.
I shook it off. After all...I was only playing nine ball, one race to seven. This wasn't a highlight reel. This wasn't rotation. This wasn't a race to 121. This was a short set, and with new cloth and tapped balls it really was anyone's game. Yeah, he can do some pretty amazing things, but in one set that's not what's going to be decisive. It's not like he's going to be making multiple Z kicks and sweeping masse's during our match!!! It's going to come down to running out when you have the chance, breaking well, coming with a couple of hard shots, and getting a roll or two.
With that pep talk I accepted my challenge, shook hands, and the action began.
What happened next is a little blurry. It happened so fast. One second I was up 2-1 and breaking, feeling a bit silly that I had been so spooked by this aging man's reputation.
The next minute I was breaking my cue down trying to figure out how I had just lost 7-2.
What happened?!?
I couldn't have been more wrong. Simply said, all of it came up.
Yes, he made a plethora of multirail kick safes. Correct angle, correct speed, creating distance and obstacles. Again. And Again.
Yes, he made some amazing cue ball plays. I remember one in which the ball he was shooting and the ball he had to play shape for were frozen on the same long rail. There was NO way to get shape because of traffic. UNLESS you went rail first with low inside, the shot where you go STRAIGHT across table after contact with the object ball and then spin up from the opposite side rail. He made this shot and spun through a stupid window to get ball in hand shape in a position that I felt had me at an advantage.
I can't remember them all, but I do remember there must've been 5-10 times I shook my head and said to myself "only Efren..."
So I'm sure that as the game evolves others will do things he can't do. Jump shots. Solving the break in 10 ball. Honestly I just got stuck expanding that list but I'm sure someone somewhere will surpass him in some other area. And yes, there are a lot of goofy clips celebrating Efren's kick shots that are obviously just a good roll. But I will tell you this: The man could flat out play. And I will always remember fondly the match we shared.
