Pro players who did not start playing at a very young age?

BD, JL,

I appreciate the responses and support. I brought this point up to my mentor during a Skype call last night and he said there's absolutely no reason I couldn't be a life coach and a pool player. So, I may not get to pro speed in 3 years but I certainly can get there after attaining my dream of being a life coach.

I do hope that by 25 (another 4 years and 3 months) I'll play master-speed at least. Or very high AA speed. Should be able to hit master-status in that time though.
 
Zphix said:
BD, JL,


I do hope that by 25 (another 4 years and 3 months) I'll play master-speed at least. Or very high AA speed. Should be able to hit master-status in that time though.
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Cant use those ratings anymore, now you will just be a Fargo or MyPoolStats number.:smile:
 
Zphix said:
The general consensus is that people my age are still lost and living with impossible ideologies in mind. They weigh the possible gains more heavily than the possible failures. I'm not a normal representative of people in my age group. That should be obvious because I play pool ;)

Honestly though, I have a good head on my shoulders and I'm intelligent. I won't make a stupid decision and I won't do something to sabotage my future, fellas.

I know what I want to do with my life - many people I know are still struggling to determine a major in college. I know how to get there, and I know how it will feel when I get there.

Think about it like a client wanting you to paint one of three pictures immediately but he wants the other two as you're able to find the time to paint them. You focus on the first painting first, when it's done you move on. That's what I'm doing with pool, martial arts, and life coaching. Pool just happens to be one of the paintings I'm working on but it certainly is not going to be my masterpiece.

-Richard
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In all honesty, you come off as a bit arrogant, which is expected at such a young age, with your whole life ahead of you.

You also have a few subtle contradictions in what you're saying. First, you say that your mentor told you to choose what you're most passionate about, and pursue that. You had three choices, life coaching being one of them, and you chose pool. Later you say that pool is just one of your "paintings", and that you intend to pursue life coaching as your means of income. You said this even though you also claimed you should be devoting your life to what you're most passionate about, which supposedly is pool.

So you are now essentially saying pool is just a hobby, which isn't permanent, even though you first claimed it was your true passion, not life coaching. It seems to me you are confused about what your true passion is, or you actually are being a realist and decided to choose a lesser passion as your life goal, because it's a more realistic career choice.

What seems arrogant is that you are choosing pool as just one of many "paintings" in your life, and you think you're going to achieve "pro speed" in 5 years, while contributing to many other "paintings". People devote their entire lives to pool, over countless years, and never achieve "pro speed". The fact that you claim to be absolutely certain you will be pro speed in a mere 5 years, after starting at such a late age, without devoting your whole life to it, is extremely arrogant and naive.

You seem to think you've figured out your path in life, and figured out some ultimate truth, when in reality your mindset is nothing more than what I would expect from an average 20 year old. This isn't a bad thing. I think it's a necessary phase in life that will lead to maturity. Good luck in your quest.
 
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I'm 22 and have been playing for 2 years. I play less now than I did a few months ago because my wife and I just had a baby. Anyways. I have run a 2 pack on an 8 ft table, I can break and run out on a 9 ft occasionally. I have run 6-7 several times, 8 and out a few times, with a 10 ball high run playing one pocket... I play a lot more one pocket than rotation, maybe too much. Will I be able to drop 6 and 7 packs on people in the next couple of years? I doubt it, but I am confident that I will run 8 and out more and more a couple times a night. If I dedicated my time to 9 ball like I have one pocket I'd probably run racks more often and shoot straighter.

I know that I'm not going to get to pro level speed any time soon if ever, however I am going to continue playing pool because I love it and its a passion. Ultimately I never want to stop improving, wherever that takes me is fine.

Edit: Real life stuff

I have a family of my own. I'm in sales in the oil and gas industry. I am planning on starting a new business with a group of people who know their shit. When it comes to business acumen vs. my pool game. Business gives pool me the 7 out. I have grown up around oil and gas industry and the business world. At the end of the day it comes second after after my wife and son. Pool comes last, but that doesn't mean I don't allot time to it. I still play 3-4 days a week, enjoy it, and discover little improvements all the time.
 
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Zphix said:
BD, JL,

I appreciate the responses and support. I brought this point up to my mentor during a Skype call last night and he said there's absolutely no reason I couldn't be a life coach and a pool player. So, I may not get to pro speed in 3 years but I certainly can get there after attaining my dream of being a life coach.

I do hope that by 25 (another 4 years and 3 months) I'll play master-speed at least. Or very high AA speed. Should be able to hit master-status in that time though.
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Zphix said:
At 1 year were they B players? A players? AAs in 3 years? What is the average skill-level progression for pro players?

Again, my goal isn't to be a pro player but I would like to play open tournaments at pro speed. That is my goal, and I'm 2 years into this game and am currently around A speed, and above A speed when I'm calm and collected.

-Richard
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Bro, you're all over the place. In the above post you claim to be at an A level, and even above A level when you're "calm", so why would it take you 4 or 5 more years to get to an AA? Either you plan on taking a long ass break from pool or you're not really an A player right now like you claim if it will take you 4 years to get from an A to an AA.

In the first post, you say that you will become an AA in 4 years. But in the next post from 6 days ago you claim to already be a very high A player. Doesn't make sense.

And let's not forget the millions of threads you have created asking for advice on things such as pattern play and shot choices, only like 2 months ago. If you're already an above A level player, why would you need help in that department? Just doesn't add up.

Example of threads:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=404467

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=402136

I don't feel like going further but I'm sure I can find a couple thousand more posts of you saying you're a 20 yr old A player. I'm 22 but I don't mention it in every single post nor do I try to lie about my skill level. Just be real with yourself bro.
 
Kris_b1104 said:
Bro, you're all over the place. In the above post you claim to be at an A level, and even above A level when you're "calm", so why would it take you 4 or 5 more years to get to an AA? Either you plan on taking a long ass break from pool or you're not really an A player right now like you claim if it will take you 4 years to get from an A to an AA.

In the first post, you say that you will become an AA in 4 years. But in the next post from 6 days ago you claim to already be a very high A player. Doesn't make sense.

And let's not forget the millions of threads you have created asking for advice on things such as pattern play and shot choices, only like 2 months ago. If you're already an above A level player, why would you need help in that department? Just doesn't add up.

Example of threads:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=404467

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=402136

I don't feel like going further but I'm sure I can find a couple thousand more posts of you saying you're a 20 yr old A player. I'm 22 but I don't mention it in every single post nor do I try to lie about my skill level. Just be real with yourself bro.
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Yeah something doesn't add up here Kris. Then again he might be a big fish in a small

pond. I remember when I played 9 ball and 8 ball at a shitty pool hall and thought I

was a prodigy because I was one of the top players. Then I went to a real pool hall

and had to face reality. I had no clue what I was doing with my cue ball. I was used to

playing on buckets. Fast forward to now where the 8 fts are cut like pro tables, the 7ft

diamonds are real tight, and the 9ft tables are 3 7/8-4.5". Sure for the amount of time I

have been playing I am probably in the .75 percentile among my peers. For one pocket

specifically I'm probably higher but that is among my peers. Playing A speed means

you can drop a 2-3 pack on somebody on a 9 ft table and not be shocked (to me

anyways). That would make me about a B-.
 
Let's remember there are plenty of players that just plateau out. They get to a certain level and just remain there.


B+ after 2 years. 5 years later still B+ with some days playing A speed when they're in gear. It's not as easy as just constantly adding a + or ++ with each year of practice/play.
 
Zphix said:
Nope. I refuse. It's disappointing to see so many people say "get a good job" and not "follow your heart." I don't subscribe to that school of thought anymore.
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You can do both... get a good job and play pro level pool. It's hard... you wont do it in 5 years... but it's definitely the right way to go.
 
gxman said:
Let's remember there are plenty of players that just plateau out. They get to a certain level and just remain there.


B+ after 2 years. 5 years later still B+ with some days playing A speed when they're in gear. It's not as easy as just constantly adding a + or ++ with each year of practice/play.
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Exactly. Playing the same games, doing the same things with same people will not help you improve as much as mixing things up will. 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, One Pocket, 14.1, etc all offer different things. Most people plateau because the have either reached their ceiling or they are lazy (not doing everything possible to improve).

PoolPlayer22 said:
new to site and the lingo. What is a 2-3 pack?
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Welcome to the wonderful world of AZB and pool! If you have joined you have problem become addicted to pocket billiards. Just remember not to feed the trolls and ASS.

Angle
Speed
Spin

I barely know what those 3 things mean still but if you can learn them, you can play.
 
I sure am glad I wasn't on any forums at age 20. I'd have died of embarrassment years ago.
 
Zphix said:
Depends. When I'm working I play at least 20+ hours weekly, probably closer to 30+ actually. Right now, I play league Friday nights (that's about 5 hours of practice usually), and again on Mondays because I go with my sister to help her team out (anywhere between 1 and 5 hours depending on my access to a table), and again when I'm working I'll grab a special (6 to 10 hours) twice a week, and may play a few hours outside of that.

Seriously, when I've got free time all I want to do is play.
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Just curious, what's your definition of "Pro speed" because I never knew there was a test a person could take to gain "Pro status" as a pool player.
 
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