pool & dedication

matthew

matthew

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was curious, How many pro level or A players have or have had regular jobs? It seems like some of them, all they ever did was play pool. For example Earl Strickland turned pro pretty young in life. So did Corey Deuel.

Basically what I'm getting at is do you think that it's possible to be a excellent player and still hold down a 9 to 5 job?
 
I don't see how. To play at the top level, even if you're loaded with natural talent, you have to spend a lot of time on the game. Just playing tournaments and holding down a regular job is tough.
 
Very true, although a chosen few seem to be able to break that rule. Two that come to mind are George Breedlove and Dee Adkins. For the most part though it is nearly impossible to compete at their level and work full time.

Koop
 
DD,

One more is Spanish Mike Lebron. He worked most of his life and became a pro after he retired. He did pretty good considering!!
 
I did not know that but it is very impressive to think someone became a solid pro so late in life. Maybe there is hope after all.
:-)
 
There was a time when I thought about leaving school and trying to play pool as a career. I no longer plan on doing that. The way I see it I play 2 to 3 hours a day now. I can keep that up for a year and then 3 years of law school.

After that. I don't know I'll have the time to do that. Plus I would still like to become a decent player and have a decent reputation and respect along with that.
 
Respect? Law degree? Do they go together? LOL Just kidding Mathew! You gotta do what's right for you, but if you were my kid, I'd suggest getting the law degree first. Then work for the AG's office so you can come in at 10:00, take a 3 hour lunch break, and go to the pool hall at 5:00. You can't beat that! Who knows, you might become one of the exceptions and become a professional pool-playing attorney.
 
I don't have to be professional, I wouldn't even mind being a shortstop. I just don't want my game to fall apart. If I can be an A level player, still hold a job and beat 90 percent of the people I play. I'll settle for that.
 
Wouldn't we all love to do this?
If I can be an A level player, still hold a job and beat 90 percent of the people I play. I'll settle for that.
Click to expand...
Now you're speaking for the majority of us!

Regards,

Ken (wanted to be an Attorney...too late now.)
 
matthew said:
I was curious, How many pro level or A players have or have had regular jobs? It seems like some of them, all they ever did was play pool. For example Earl Strickland turned pro pretty young in life. So did Corey Deuel.

Basically what I'm getting at is do you think that it's possible to be a excellent player and still hold down a 9 to 5 job?
Click to expand...

nope.
can you see tiger, or bonds, or kobe working 9-5 and having time and energy to improve their game?

to be great at ANYTHING takes total commitment.
 
And then there are some of us that are legends in our own minds! LOL I can't tell you how many times I've beaten Efren when I was practicing by myself! LOL
 
Hey Fast, I recently spoke to a few old timers who told me you are one of the best players they've ever seen. Are you still playing in pro events? If not, when was the last time you played in a big tournament?
 
I am in the US Air Force FULL TIME and I dedicate the time that I can to my game. I think the most important thing when you are working full time and try to practice as much as possible is to PRACTICE PROPERLY. By this I mean practice what you have trouble with and practice what you already know and don't waste time banging balls around, play matches that challenge you, not that you know you're going to win, and focus when you practice. I only play in tournaments 2 nights per week and that a total of about 8-10 hours each week, then I might play about 3-4 hours the rest of the week. I practice bank drills, cut drills, long/short shot drills, I play 14.1 when I practice alone also. I've only been playing pool about about 6 years and 4 of the 6 have been Overseas in Germany and this past year in Korea. I don't have much competition here in Korea, so I've been hitting the drills pretty hard and focusing when I play. About 3 months ago I started to play "99" and I can see my game improving. My last 99 game I scored a 64, that rates me as "an advanced competition player". I started playing as a solid C and I now consider myself a strong B/B+ player.
Stay focused and use PROPER PRACTICE!!!

Zim
 
I read that when Ralph practiced, he'd get upset if the ob did anything but go into the pocket clean without touching any part of the mouth of the pocket no matter what the shot was. He sounded like he was a real perfectionist. I sure wished I could have seen him play!
 
The "99" game can be found here... http://www.poolmag.com/player/ !!

It's an interesting game if you play it correctly! You basically start with a 9 ball rack. Shoot until you miss! When you break and make a ball you get 2 points, 0 points if you don't make anything. Continue to shoot after the break (even if you don't make anything) and you get 1 point for each ball pocketed. Once you miss, rerack and do it again. You will play 9 racks total! If you run a rack but didn't make anything on the break, you get 9 points. Make something on the break and run the rack you get 11 points. 11pts x 9 racks= 99! There's a points bracket that will tell you how you are rated according to you point total!

Good luck!!

Zim
 
I have never played in Taiwan or Japan, yet! I am trying to move to Japan in a couple of years, Okinawa to be more precise! I've played in German, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, England, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and of course the good ol' USofA!

Zim
 
matthew said:
I don't have to be professional, I wouldn't even mind being a shortstop. I just don't want my game to fall apart. If I can be an A level player, still hold a job and beat 90 percent of the people I play. I'll settle for that.
Click to expand...

Matt,

My brother is a lawyer. Most of them do not work 9-5 ie 40 hour jobs. many of them book 60-70 hours a week. But, hey, at least you could support yourself and still enjoy the game.

Laura
 
full time job/playing

For most of my playing career I held down full time jobs, but not always. From 1991-1996 I sponsored myself on tour as I owned two pool halls. I became a police officer during that time period, and it became too much to work 18 hour days and to find time to practice. The greatest player that I ever saw that worked a full time job and played professionally, was Bob Vanover, who sold furniture. Anyone that tries to do both is burning the candle at both ends.

In the late 1970's and early 1980's I was always taking amphetamines (not proud of that, but it's a fact that I cannot erase). I worked in radio, and for most of that time I worked at night. I would get off work, maybe I'd eat, maybe I wouldn't, and my partner, Dexter and I would meet up at 9 AM to see where we'd attack that day. It has been rumored that between 1977 and 1984 that I got one good night of sleep, possibly around March of 1980. When we were on the road, we struck either in the afternoon, or mid-evening. The rest of the time we drove. If we struck in Pittsburgh today, chances are that we wouldn't stop again until we were in Des Moines, and we would try to get there as quickly as possible.

When I was in the military, things were quite different. I would get off work at around 4PM and practice til the wee hours of the morning. I always had to be up by 4:30, so getting good practice, or having a late night money match meant sludging through the run the next morning. That was never fun, but it was a good trade off. One advantage I had in the military, was that I got to see and play guys like Ralf Eckert, Oliver Orttman, Francisco Bustamante, & Ralf Souquet long before anyone knew who they were. I met and played these guys in Germany on a regular basis. One of the greatest 9 ball players I ever played in Europe was a gentleman by the name of Tom Storm. Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, he owned Europe - and worked!

http://www.geocities.com/blkjackds12/
 
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Hey, hey, Larry I'm not accusing you of lying, I was complimenting you and curious if you played in pro events, nothing more nothing less.
 
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