Practice or Books Which is Best?

DeeDeeCues said:
I'm an engineer and know/worked with many engineers. I've never known a competent engineer who doesn't fervently read on every subject that interests them and every game they play. I'm not even saying good engineers, just the barely competent ones. Generally, the better the engineer, the more they read on many subjects.
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Any of them make it to the professional level or high finishes in the US Amateur?
 
DeeDeeCues said:
I'm an engineer and know/worked with many engineers. I've never known a competent engineer who doesn't fervently read on every subject that interests them and every game they play. I'm not even saying good engineers, just the barely competent ones. Generally, the better the engineer, the more they read on many subjects.
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Also an engineer, probably not a good once since I’m reading pool stuff on AZB instead of working right now.
 
Bob Jewett said:
A couple of years ago I saw a current world champion and a possible future world champion discussing a shot. A complete system for the shot was in a book 40 years ago. Pool players don't read, so of course they didn't know the shot. Pool players are often as stupid as stumps. That doesn't keep them from playing pretty well, but books can help them get there faster.
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Bob Henning's book and his ~16 Reference Shots for 9-ball helped my game improve tremendously. I agree with you Bob that players can play well without books, but in terms of practicing it is the books (or lessons with certified instructors) that can show you what you need to practice in order to get better quickly.

I'll also give a shout-out to the great George Fels's book and his "How would you play this?" diagrams. That's another concept that helped me get better quickly, being able to visualize a runout properly before taking a single shot.

We shouldn't be so arrogant to think that we can become great without anyone else's help or insight.

-Brian
 
Bob Jewett said:
Do tell.... But sometimes the results can be quite entertaining.

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LOL, nothing that spectacular, and not trying to hijack, just watching the architects discuss drawings they have received from the engineers or how certain people interpret the codes to create drawings, that's a big one. We get into discussions all the time about how the code says X yet the engineer draws Y with no explanation. This could be drawings from mechanical (HVAC), civil, electrical, structural, etc.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Willie Mosconi taught me how to play. He did it through a book.

A couple of years ago I saw a current world champion and a possible future world champion discussing a shot. A complete system for the shot was in a book 40 years ago. Pool players don't read, so of course they didn't know the shot. Pool players are often as stupid as stumps. That doesn't keep them from playing pretty well, but books can help them get there faster.

Jean Balukas said she had never read a pool book but she had the tremendous advantage of seeing someone run 200 balls any night of the week she wanted to watch.
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And who did she see run 200 balls any night of the week? I'm assuming it was Eufemia?
 
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