Overcoming Limitations

B

Bluewolf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I haven't been playing pool very long, really about 9 months seriously. I have tried very hard in practice and taken lessons but have also had to adapt to some minor physical irritations which were affecting my stroke. I was able to figure a way around these but I do think that this slowed my progress a little at first.

I know that there is a talent factor also but am very encouraged by people like Nick Varner who plays so well in spite of a severe hand tremor.

I am wondering if there are others who have become very good pool players in spite of different challenges that they had, even major challenges.:p

Laura
 
boarwolf said:
Fast Larry shoots straight with one eye. Just ask Jo.
BW
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FAST LARRY???? I just had a lesson with him. If this is the same person and we email and talk on the phone almost everyday. I will ask him myself!!!

Laura
 
Blackjack said:
Laura,
Despite my own physical limitations over the past few years, my maladies are insignificant compared to the journey of WPBA player Maureen Seto.



http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1001041

She is the epitome of strength, courage and perseverence in our sport.
Click to expand...

Thanks David. Quite a story

I do not know what your limitations are but mine were minor. One ended up being an alignment problem. It is almost hilarious. My hand was cocking out and I could not keep my wrist straight and it was making my stroke go crooked. I was determined to have a good stroke, would have gone to any lengths. I even bought a brace which kept my hand froom going out. You guessed it, a quick fix, and then back to a crooked stroke. After months of trying to fix something that was not broke, one day 'duh', I realized my alignment was off.

There is another minor thing but that was corrected by making sure I have a smooth, fluid stroke delivery and taking out the backswing pause.

I guess lots of players have things they have to overcome.

Laura
 
I have problems with my eyes. I had surgery in the service and experienced double vision as a result. I adapted by blocking the image of one eye alternating between eyes based on what I'm doing. When I play pool, I use my right eye. When I read, I use my left eye.

I also had, and sometimes still do, the problem you mentioned with cocking my wrist or throwing my elbow out. Part of that is alignment. Sometimes, it's just a bad habit you get into without realizing it untlil it starts breaking your game down. It's a real killer of a problem, right up there with jumping up on a shot!

On another post, I talked about stroke and how everyone is a little different. We all have limitations or problems that we have to overcome. Never accept the notion that you can't do something. Keep trying until you get knocked down, then get up, brush yourself off, and get back in the saddle!
 
Tom Brown, a professional player from Florida lost one of his eyes to cancer. He had no depth perception, but played on the pro tour in late 1980's and was as tough as they come.
 
I know several players that have only one eye. They all play rather well. Well enough that I have thought about buying a patch. ha ha

I am right handed but my left eye is my strong eye. When I line up under my left eye my stance and body position feals wrong.

How is depth perseption important?

Porter
 
Limitations

I've been shooting so long without depth perception, I'm not sure what it would be like to have it. I think this is an example of not having depth perception, before I line up on a shot where the ob is 1/2" off the rail, I have to walk over and verify just how far it really is from the rail. It doesn't seem like a big deal to me. I think enough practice will help to compensate for most obstacles. I like that word "obstacle" better than limitation. Obstacles can be removed, limitations indicate a person can only go so far.
 
I get what you are saying.

The reality is that I do have a seizure disorder. If I 'blank' out in my preshot, I start over, so am perhaps taking 6 preshot strokes instead of three. So in one sense I am kept from always just taking three. I am limited in that respect. It does not keep me from being a good pool player, though, or becoming one in my case, so is a minor limitation in that respect.

My husband cannot get low over the ball as well as I because he has low back problems which I do not have. Considering that he is an apa7, it certainly does not hold him back. He will never be able to go low on the ball in the same way that I may never be seizure free.

IMO it is both an obstacle and a limitation. A limitation does not mean you cannot do a thing in most cases. It usually just means doing it in a different way. To me, an obstacle denotes something temporary. Like I had poor health for 5 months this year, it was temporary, thus an obstacle. A man in our pool hall had a stroke and learned to stroke off handed. It is not temporary, he will never stroke dominant handed again. That is a limitation, but he found a way to compensate, to get around this, like you did, and like you, he no longer thinks anything of it.

Well really though, to me it is semantics. If using the word obstacle feels better to you, then by all means, use that word, my new friend. ;) ;)

Laura
 
Professional player, Mike Coltrain, has a condition that makes his hand shake so badly, at times, that you think he is going to drop the cue stick. It seems to get worse under pressure.
He is still a fine player and very able to run with the big dogs.

A few months ago, one of the pool magazines ran a short story on Coltrain. You may be able to find it, if you still have the back issues of Inside Pool or Billiards Digest. I forget which one it was in.

Rich R.
 
David

I know what depth perception is. My question is how it applies to a pool player.

My point is, A one eyed person with no depth perception that walks over to judge the distance correctly is doing what the two eyed person should do.

Is being one eyed an obstical or an advantage? Or should I rethink what I said before and try a patch?

As I get older I have had to learn to play with glasses, or try anyway. No line bifocals. Without glasses I cannot see the aim point. I also play much better on a brighter lit table, because the darker balls are harder to see the aim point. As I get tired, after 5 or 6 hrs, I tend to see the cue ball hit to the right of my aim point.
I blame this on my strong eye taking over. Does that make any sence?

Maybe one good eye is better than two older so so eyes.

Porter
 
Just like you said earlier, it does not seem to bother people that have this "obstacle". The best advise I can give you is to probably ask Tom Brown yourself. I believe he runs a room in Florida now. He is the most successful player, and he would be more than capable of answering those questions than I am.
 
Limitations

Porter,

The way you describe your problem, it sounds more to me like a stroke problem. If you're hitting the ball to the right of your aim and you know this, it's probably not your eyes. I too have a problem with light. As I get older, I seem to need more light. After you play 5 or 6 hours, as someone to come over and watch your stroke. You might find the answer to your problem.

Rick
 
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