bsmutz said:
I was watching the Kunihiko Takahashi/Roger Griffis semifinal from the 1998 Challenge of Champions the other night. I noticed that Takahashi had almost constant facial tics and spasms, including one that caused his eyes to close. My question is (if there is anyone out there that knows), are these tics/spasms controllable with concentration or do you have to work with them when aiming and shooting (or any other activity, for that matter)? I assume they are uncontrollable when no conscious attention is paid to them. During the shots where they showed Takahashi's face while lining up and stroking the shot, I didn't notice any of the movement I saw when they showed him standing by his chair, hence the question. I may be able to discern more tonight when I see the final.
Takahashi's facial ticks are not caused by Bellspalsy or some disease from what I've gathered. He started playing pool at age 17 and was involved in a fall sometime later that caused a pretty severe head injury that healed but those facial jerks are the remnants of that injury.
Did you know that despite that jerkiness, Kunihiko still was able to win the 1998 World 9 Ball Championship?
Rudolpho Luat, the 1996 World 9 Ball Champion, has a similar type tick with his eyes. He squeezes them shut real time for a 1/2 second or so every once in a while, but it seems exacerbated when he's being interviewed or is aware that a camera is on him. I'm no doctor, but I suspect his is just a nervous habit.
Nick Varner, one of the greatest cueists ever has a twitch in his stroking hand / arm that has been captured several times on tape. Despite that, he missed about as often as Haley's Comet comes around. And won world championships in 8 ball, 9 ball, 9 ball banks, one pocket and 14.1!
Michael Coltrain had a different ailment altogether from the guys already mentioned. His nervous condition caused him to have to retire early, which, beyond being a personal hardship for him and his family to endure, also robbed the U.S. pool fans of a really strong talent. I don't remember what the medical term was for his disease, but it was an inherited nervous disorder that caused enough shaking in his arm that he had to shut down his very promising pro career.
