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Shane and mike updates
- Thread starter Jpowell7575
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Agreed. Mike dogged more makeable shots, sold out more kicks, and several times played what seemed to be a risky position route whereas shane almost never plays 'window shape' or 'let's send it in this direction and hope it sneaks past the traffic'.
Shane's speed control is worth mentioning again. Jeremy has a comment about how shane always 'finishes his stroke' while mike seems to be 'punching' and 'shouldering' the balls. Most players are afraid to overrun shape and as a result they end up like 10% longer than they really want to be on most shots. Shane doesn't seem to have that fear. He'll get 2 feet from a ball. And if falling straight in on a side pocket shot would make everything easy... he somehow gets perfect every time.
I don't think even once shane hooked himself playing shape tonight, maybe not last night either. Mike did it at least twice that I can recall.
If Justin breaks for both Mike cannot fade Shane's game. He was so out played, there is no way the break was the only factor, sorry...Mike plays the struggling pattern game and Shane plays the right way, period..Mike should have just said Shane played an awesome set of pool, not just Shane breaks good, that's ridiculous. He got crushed, period..Thanks Justin and TAR for another great show!!! Commentary once again was amazing. Jeremy Jone's gives so much valuable information...Fantastic pool!!! Thanks to Shane for showing us how it looks when it's great..:grin-square:
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He did miss a couple of two-way bank shots at the opening of the rack, where he had no cut on the 1 and was basically looking to get safe more than make the ball. I don't recall him missing any standard shots that weren't banks/kicks/etc. Last night he dogged a ball or three but tonight he was unstoppable.
That's some fine insight CD, worth mentioning again. JJ mentioning of "shouldering it" could warrant a whole new thread.
Yea tx that's what I meant, any nonbank or kicks.. His shotmaking on those brutally long tough 1's the last couple days was sick.
It was interesting watching this match after also watching the podcast on Thursday night - when asked where he thought he was ranked among American Pros, Mike mentioned that according to the points he was at #3 or something, but in his mind, he was #1. He also mentioned not practicing that much at all, other than a few days leading up to this match.
I'm wondering if this will motivate Mike to practice more going forward - obviously the talent is there, but if you want to compete with someone like Shane in a race like this where you need to be able to maintain a high gear and string racks together for multiple hours, you'll need to have razor-sharp focus and I didn't see that in Mike tonight. He started great but once Shane tied the match and then pulled away it was gone until there at the end when it was too late.
Thanks to JCIN and the TAR team for putting it together and to Jeremy and Robert for the commentary - I think a lot of others have already mentioned but I thought JJ was excellent in his analysis of what the players were thinking and explaining why they should do this or that - great stuff and very helpful! :thumbup:
-Brian
I'm wondering if this will motivate Mike to practice more going forward - obviously the talent is there, but if you want to compete with someone like Shane in a race like this where you need to be able to maintain a high gear and string racks together for multiple hours, you'll need to have razor-sharp focus and I didn't see that in Mike tonight. He started great but once Shane tied the match and then pulled away it was gone until there at the end when it was too late.
Thanks to JCIN and the TAR team for putting it together and to Jeremy and Robert for the commentary - I think a lot of others have already mentioned but I thought JJ was excellent in his analysis of what the players were thinking and explaining why they should do this or that - great stuff and very helpful! :thumbup:
-Brian
What I am wondering is...Does Mike have the mental ability to overcome this? Given it obviously is not the first time he has been beat, but like many, I truly believe that he thought he was going to beat Shane this weekend. I truly believe he thinks he is the best player in the United States and possibly world. So does he have the ability to get a horse f***ing like that and realize that he is not even close to the best in the states and learn from it, or will he go into a long and possibly permanent "give up" mode? Many many many greats in all walks of life and many different talents go away early because someone just totally and completely out-classed them at what they thought they could not be out-classed in and they just give up and become chumps. In this instance a quote from Pool Hall Junkies comes to mind even thought I obviously am not calling Shane a chump but when Nick says "pretty soon the only people that you will be able to beat, are people who think they are bigger losers than you". If Mike doesn't try to over-come this really quickly, I don't think he has the mental strength to get over it in the long run.
I'm not too sure if it's all that obvious. Not just talking about this match, but I've never quite understood the hype behind Mike's game.
I think what you're saying asks about commitment/dedication. Is Shane's that far above the rest? Is that the difference IYO?
No, it is not commitment, I really don't believe Mike has the mental ability to be shown as a huge loser, especially with all the shi* talking he was doing and come out better for it. I really honestly think this might be the start of Mike's downfall in the pool world. Even if he does show the dedication, I think his mental game is going to start wearing him down very quickly and soon that will turn into his physical game and soon he is gone...Name that comes to mind...Danny Basivich. (sp) Perfect example of how the mental side can end the physical side.
Playing Shane magnifies the mistakes. One miss and you're down two or three games.
If Mike's a winner, he uses this whipping as a way of self-motivation. Pool players all get drilled and they all need to bounce back afterward.
If nothing else, he needs to bring his break and banking up to speed. Shane made a lot of outs because he took the bank shot, made it and played position. Also, Mike needs to get his head into the game and not be distracted by negative thoughts. He tightened up, cinched shots and left himself short too many times.
Mike is
A good shot maker, but lacks the position skills to be great. You can't be consistent with his game. He can compete in short races, but the longer races will amplify his faults
A good shot maker, but lacks the position skills to be great. You can't be consistent with his game. He can compete in short races, but the longer races will amplify his faults
Agreed, Mike should play Shane Races to 3 and his chances would improve!!
TAP CITY!!!!!:grin:
cueporn
Banned
The physical side wasnt too strong either for Danny.
Pool is a one at a time game. If you've never been horse****ed, well you've never played anybody.
No need for the usual hating on Mike. He gives the game the effort he says he does and expects a lot of himself everytime. The consistency isnt there today, but he can still handle himself with anybody in the world.
I am looking for SVB to play Orcollo or Bustamonte, they have all the game to matchup and win.
Simple but effective
We have all been there. When you are better then your opponent you are relaxed and things just work.When your opponent is better then you....then things just don't work the way you drew it up on paper and the excuses start flying.
You keep thinking damn I am usually better then this and you trudge on thinking you will snap out of it, but it never comes.
Actually, Mike doesn't yet have the firepower to handle anyone in the world.
SVB has played Busty and Orcullo many times. He doesn't duck anyone. He has lost some and won some.
Mike needs to reall commit to the game and put in the hours that Shane does. The comment about working 10 hours on the break is correct. Shane once made a comment that he worked one day 18 hours straight on his break. Obviously that kind of fanatic devotion pays off.
Walter Lindrum the greatest English Billiards player who ever lived spent the first three years of his training only allowed to use ONE BALL. He had to be able to put that one ball any where on the table with pinpoint precision. The result was that he was so far ahead of his opponents that he had to spot ALL the other world class players big blocks of points just to make the games fair.
Now, Shane isn't that far above the other world class pool players like Orcullo but he is that far above all the US players in his age bracket.
Mike simply doesn't have the same skill set. Yet.
Indeed. It is kind of comical that when asked why he would not bet his own cash against SVB he stated that this was how he makes his living, his "job", but what he needs to comprehend is that a job is something that everyone has to actually "work" at and if he is not putting his 40 hours a week+ into the game then he is not truly treating pool like a career.