Reyes vs. Blomdalh videos! 9-ball and 3-cushion!

[cueman]

I like the way you capitalized the H in he when referring to Efren.

QUOTE]
Just a typo. No I ain't deifying him. I think you are right on your 9 ball list in times past, but currently Buddy would have little chance.

 

[chrstc]

You dare present us with facts?? Don't you realize we'd much rather speculate?

Seriously, maybe I gushed a little too much in prior posts about Torbjorn's 9 ball ability. The tape is edited. But it still amazes me how well he can play, given how different his game is from pool. I know that in the past there have been "crossovers" like Harold Worst, but very few, and pool seems to be something that Torbjorn just does for a fun night out. I have no doubt that Efren would win in any kind of serious 9 ball competition.

One interesting thing - Torbjorn's "billiard style" didn't seem to hurt him much. By billiard style I mean using a shorty-type billiard cue with a "billiard" taper, breaking with his playing cue, not getting very low over the ball, etc.

Anyway, thanks for posting the facts.

Lol Glad to be of some help, then. I agree with you completely and I'm sure Mr. Blomdahl would be completely lethal if he gave pool his full attention. I bet there are a few 3 Cushion players who'd love to see him choose to play pool full time instead too!!

Thanks,
Chris (Chrstc).

 

[cueman]

Bob, Ira, or some of the other players could list the names, but I'm sure there are dozens of U.S. 3C players whose games are superior to Efren's. As evidenced on the old clip, Efren plays a very good game of 3C shot-making, but he couldn't be considered champion quality-- even in this country.

It occurred to me later after watching the clip that Torbjorn did not play to leave Efren safe during their contest. Oftentimes Efren was left to start his innings with what 3C players might consider "hangers".

Efren has the talent and the mentality to excel at any cuesports game, but he'd have a long way to go to be considered champion quality at 3C.

Doc

Well I watched one of the 3 cushion events in Las Vegas. The foriegn players had many over 1 averages. I saw almost no Americans on the list with over 1 averages. Seems like there may have been one or two. I am not saying Efren is a 3-C champion. But what I am saying is that there has not been a American 3-C Champion in a long time.

 

[iralee]

Reminds me a lot of watching Jimmy White or Steve Davis play 9-ball. Some of their patterns are slightly different, but their cue control and potting ability is first-class. I find it informative and interesting to watch styles adapted from other disciplines.

I'd expect potting ability from those two to be automatic.

I agree with you that watching is informative. If you want to get new ideas, it makes a lot of sense to pay attention to Torbjorn's cue-ball patterns rather than criticize them from the beginning. His cue ball is his forte, while pocketing balls is probably his greatest weakness. Pool and billiards are much more closely related than snooker and billiards. I think I would hate to watch Jimmy White or Steve Davis play 3-cushion.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

7 years later they meet again and Blomdahl won again.

It would have been nice if that rematch was made like a Color of Money Affair.

 

[iralee]

Ira, what do you suppose Torbjorn meant by that statement? Do you think he was referring to hitting the exact spot on the object ball, or was he alluding to Efren's stroke? Thanks~

Doc

We were talking about how Efren contacts the object ball.

 

[iralee]

Creativity cannot be simply taught Iralee. creativity always relies on the imaginative capacity of a player. that why both players were invited to perform an exhibition match because of their highly regarded creativity in shot-making which is rarely seen or performed by most players. I must say that any player with a great imagination would clearly and certainly learn and master with ease any billiard game that requires it. to say it all, both Efren and Torbjorn are exceptionally creative players.

3-cushion is perhaps the game that gives players the most creative freedom. Blomdahl is regarded as among the most creative shotmakers next to Sang Lee and Semih Sayginer. Many shots commonly taken by pros in the modern game are credited to him.

 

[iralee]

I don't want to count my money out on this one yet! let us not disregard the learning ability of Reyes. some of us assume prematurely. as some of us gives the benefit of a doubt to Blomdahl's ability to become a world contender if given the chance to play and learn both 9ball and 1P full time, the same must be said of Reyes in 3C. Reyes is not only a fast learner but he is also a prodigy when it comes to any billiards game. what I meant by this, is that he does not only know the fundamentals of a certain game but he also has the capacity to reach a certain proficiency or excellence in playing it in a short span of time, given a chance to play it for a duration that he will be able to master the game, in which period depends upon his capacity to adapt it, but certainly won't take 15 years .

I'm fully aware of Reyes' ability to pick up new games. But 3-cushion is another ball of wax - unless you know the game, it is difficult to appreciate just how much wax we're dealing with here...

The 1.0 difference in avg between Blomdahl (~2.0) to Efren (~1.0) may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it is huge.

 

[billiard dave 7]

ABA Three Cushion rankings Pool and Billiard Mag Sept 85;
1. Ceulemans
2. Blomdahl
8. Efren
If Efren devoted full time to Three Cushion he could be a solid 1.4 (IMO)

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

I'm fully aware of Reyes' ability to pick up new games. But 3-cushion is another ball of wax - unless you know the game, it is difficult to appreciate just how much wax we're dealing with here...

The 1.0 difference in avg between Blomdahl (~2.0) to Efren (~1.0) may not sound like a lot, but believe me, it is huge.

I think that if Efren played a lot more 3C then his average would be increased, same as that of Torbjorn when it comes to playing 9-ball or 1P fulltime. as for now, we need to contend ourselves with myths!

 

[CrownCityCorey]

If Blohmdahl played 9-ball full time he'd be in the top ten players in the world.

Efren plays pretty good 3 cushion. From the video however it's clear that Torbjorn is leagues above Efren in 3c. Efren struggled to run 2s and Blohmdahl never opened up until the middle of the game.

I didn't think Efren was showboating in 9 ball. He really showed his class to come back and run racks, tougher outs, right back at Blohmdahl.

My take on this is that Blohmdahl is going to win all the 3 cushion matchups and a fair number of the 9 ball matchups. I don't think anyone wants a part of Blohmdahl at one-pocket either IF he has a bit of a chance to learn the game.

The 2 games were not equivilents. Since they are playing 9-Ball, they should have then played Straight Rail Billiards.

or

Played One-Pocket then played 3-Cushion.