Ronnie O'Sullivan vs American Pool Player?

[Pidge]

Ronnie's stroke would hold up just fine in pool. No instructor in their right mind would teach anyone to cue like Ronnie. It isn't a straight back and forth like say, Judd Trump. It is up and down similar to Mika's, just not as pronounced. He can generate stupid amounts of cue power. I've seen him hit shots on club tables where he has like a 10ft gap between CB and OB and screw back to baulk and back out of baulk to make the cue ball draw back a total difference of 13ft or so. Anyone who can do that doesn't have a problem with cue power to make it on the pool scene.

Someone mentioned his banking and kicking..has anyone seen how accurately he kicks in snooker? Nestling upto a ball going a couple of rails is the norm for him. He very very rarely misses a kick. All he would have to do is get used to the rails on pool tables. The same with banking. I've seen him practice them on snooker tables and he is world class at it. So again, he just has to get used to banking on a pool table.

The strategy is his biggest weakness in pool. But I've not seen him play pool since he started working with Dr Peters. His snooker game has matured and has improved imo since working with Peters. No reason why his pool game wouldn't have matured. His frame of mind is more stable and thinks things through and is more willing to play safe instead of trying to pot his way out of trouble.

His biggest downfall would be lack of motivation to do well in pool and not playing with a proper cue. From what I've seen of him playing pool he doesn't give a crap if he wins or loses. Its more if just an appearance instead of a match for him. Just some PR. And playing with a snooker cue limits him to what he can do.

Of course this is all speculation. We will never ever see him competing full time in pool. More chance of seeing Selby compete full time imo. And imo also, Selby would destroy the pool game much like he destroyed Appleton in UK8B. He's a more complete pool player than Ronnie and would put more into making a success out of pool.

 

[SakuJack]

Ronnie's stroke would hold up just fine in pool. No instructor in their right mind would teach anyone to cue like Ronnie. It isn't a straight back and forth like say, Judd Trump. It is up and down similar to Mika's, just not as pronounced. He can generate stupid amounts of cue power. I've seen him hit shots on club tables where he has like a 10ft gap between CB and OB and screw back to baulk and back out of baulk to make the cue ball draw back a total difference of 13ft or so. Anyone who can do that doesn't have a problem with cue power to make it on the pool scene.

I agree with this, although I also think the importance of cue power is overrated in discussions like this one.

 

[Pidge]

I agree with this, although I also think the importance of cue power is overrated in discussions like this one.

Yeah I agree cue power in pool is massively overrated. But still people question his power because he gets all the way down and stands like a snooker player so I thought id share his cue power abilities that everyone can relate to. The way people make out on here its as if they're playing with boulders.

 

[coco9]

I agree with this, although I also think the importance of cue power is overrated in discussions like this one.

It certainly is on professional tables where the pockets are tight and the cloth so fast. no real cue power needed anymore. shame.

 

[real bartram]

What's funny is that everybody keeps mentioning players that aren't from America except Shane. Lol.
He has a chance playing their game, they have NO chance playing his.

1 pocket is the big game over here .
He has no chance to beat good 1 pocket players .

 

[SakuJack]

Yeah I agree cue power in pool is massively overrated. But still people question his power because he gets all the way down and stands like a snooker player so I thought id share his cue power abilities that everyone can relate to. The way people make out on here its as if they're playing with boulders.

Yep, in can help you out of a jam (in the same way playing bank shots well can) but having a lot of cue power is way down the list of the most important skills for playing high level pool.

It certainly is on professional tables where the pockets are tight and the cloth so fast. no real cue power needed anymore. shame.

I think it's overrated on any modern table. The tables I play on don't have particularly tight pockets and the cloth is dirty as hell (but still pretty fast), and there aren't many situations where you need anything more than decent cue power.

1 pocket is the big game over here.

In what sense? Most amateurs play mainly eight-ball, the more prestigious tournaments are in nine-ball or ten-ball. If you're talking gambling then fair enough, but I think pool needs to stop measuring itself by standards like that one.

 

[one stroke]

1 pocket is the big game over here .
He has no chance to beat good 1 pocket players .

Yes this is true , because the strategy in one pocket is Chess and the other games are Checkers ,, it takes far much more time to learn chess ,, aside from that he would need meds to play a game that slow

1

 

[Cardigan Kid]

The snooker stance is much more open than the traditional pool stance. This gives the shooter a better visual perception of the shot, however, it's a trade-off when it comes to cue ball maneuverability.

I recommend positioning the left foot parallel to the line of the shot and further forward than the typical snooker stance. Also, it helps power shots to have the hip slightly closed, which is vital for a top level pool game.

Even if you choose to stand differently you should identify your feet's positioning, and make sure to stand that way as much as possible. With your "foundation" (feet) set consistently it also sets your right/left side properly (for consistency).

This is essential to develop the feeling that you're shooting the same type shot time and time again.

Yes, sir. That's exactly what I took your video as. The left for parallels the shot line.
You and also Lee Brett have what a see as a pool modified snooker stance compared to what I've seen from other instructors.

For example Mark Wilson advocates the right foot toes on the shot line and the left foot parallel to shot line but two feet out in front. When I practiced this I was shown that I was off balance. By just stepping on the shot line with right and stepping out and slightly forward with the left (pointed parallel to shot line), I felt much more comfortable and stable.

 

[Cardigan Kid]

Nuh uh, King Kong got that flame retardant fur bro!

:rotflmao1:

I can't trump that one.

 

[jasonlaus]

1 pocket is the big game over here .
He has no chance to beat good 1 pocket players .

I would still bet on him if sets of each were played, and yes, the window is open.

 

[jburkm002]

What size pockets would american tables have to be to have the same margin of error as a snooker table? Without playing with the smaller balls. No snooker expert but aren't the tits rounded on a snooker table. Does that make the pocket play easier or harder?

 

[Pidge]

What size pockets would american tables have to be to have the same margin of error as a snooker table? Without playing with the smaller balls. No snooker expert but aren't the tits rounded on a snooker table. Does that make the pocket play easier or harder?

Middle pockets easier, corner pockets much harder.

 

[AngryTurtle]

Ronnie's stroke would hold up just fine in pool.... He can generate stupid amounts of cue power. I've seen him hit shots on club tables where he has like a 10ft gap between CB and OB and screw back to baulk and back out of baulk to make the cue ball draw back a total difference of 13ft or so. Anyone who can do that doesn't have a problem with cue power to make it on the pool scene. ...

.

Impressive to be sure. The equipment is slightly different between pool and snooker, cloth, ball size, rails, cue. Does the equipment make it easier to do long power draw shots in snooker or pool?

 

[shinobi]

There is an interview with Ronnie floating around somewhere where the reporter asks him directly how he would do in the US playing 9 ball, and If my memory serves me he said he would struggle because there are subtleties to the game like banks and kicks that he has virtually no knowledge of, and would take years to learn.

He is an amazing champion and a force of nature to watch, but In my opinion the "greatest cueist of all time", or at least in my lifetime (41), is Reyes.

I think Ronnie was being humble and polite. He banks and kicks incredibly well. It would take him time to learn, yes, but if he was motivated it would not take him years.

I'm leaning towards Ronnie being the greatest pure cueist of all time, but I can't argue against Reyes because he has played so many different games at the highest level.

 

[CJ Wiley]

We all have our own, unique style, although there are several common denominators.

Yes, sir. That's exactly what I took your video as. The left for parallels the shot line.
You and also Lee Brett have what a see as a pool modified snooker stance compared to what I've seen from other instructors.

For example Mark Wilson advocates the right foot toes on the shot line and the left foot parallel to shot line but two feet out in front. When I practiced this I was shown that I was off balance. By just stepping on the shot line with right and stepping out and slightly forward with the left (pointed parallel to shot line), I felt much more comfortable and stable.

I've heard of Lee Brett and been around him a time or two, just never saw him play pool. He has a snooker background so I'm sure this has influenced his pool game.

Balance is the key, I don't think anyone would want to emulate what Mark does, it's very unorthodox. Mark was a pretty good player, however, like Dick Lane, he was tough to watch for long. We all have our own, unique style, although there are several common denominators.

It's tough to just change your stance without understanding what has to take place to make it most effective. There's a reason you stand the way you do, and chances are it's not because it's the best way.....it's usually because of comfort, or listening to those that really don't know how it's actually done.

 

[Ron Swanson]

Middle pockets easier, corner pockets much harder.

I wouldn't say middle bags are easier, far from it. You can dead weight it from a more acute angle, but the side pockets are generally also quite tough in snooker. You can make middle pocket shots from quite remarkable angles in E8B, as you will know.

 

[Ron Swanson]

1 pocket is the big game over here .
He has no chance to beat good 1 pocket players .

Please. Top English 8 ballers and snooker players would make the transition to 1 pocket wih ease. These games are HIGHLY strategic. Van boening is a great 1 pocket player yet got raped by club players when he tried E8B.

 

[Pidge]

Impressive to be sure. The equipment is slightly different between pool and snooker, cloth, ball size, rails, cue. Does the equipment make it easier to do long power draw shots in snooker or pool?

I find it easier to do lengthy draw shots in pool. Purely because of the size of the table. My max draw is probably the same on both types of tables, its just on a pool table because of its size, my max draw for say a 6ft CB-OB distance isn't really needed because it would be back to the short rail and back down towards the middle/bottom of the table. On a snooker table its needed more for shots to nothing when you are in baulk and have to draw back into baulk off a red down by the pink or black. So its hard to say which equipment makes it easier.

One thing I would say is the technology and standard of cues and tips are generally greater in pool so that helps with shots like these.

 

[Pidge]

I wouldn't say middle bags are easier, far from it. You can dead weight it from a more acute angle, but the side pockets are generally also quite tough in snooker. You can make middle pocket shots from quite remarkable angles in E8B, as you will know.

I still say they're easier and much more forgiving. A pink off the spot into a side is relatively easy and has a decentish margin for error with accuracy and I can power shots in like that. On a pool table with a ball on the foot spot say, shooting with power into a side pocket is a last ditch shot for me. Accuracy has to be pin point, touch the near point and its never going in, touch the far point and its not going in with power.

 

[real bartram]

Please. Top English 8 ballers and snooker players would make the transition to 1 pocket wih ease. These games are HIGHLY strategic. Van boening is a great 1 pocket player yet got raped by club players when he tried E8B.

I'm sure your a big gambler.
I'll play him 1 pocket see how he does .