The difference between Alex & Shane.

JoeyA

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
It is apparent to most that they are both true champions and I was wondering what the difference was between them.

When two players are very close to each other in skill level, they will say things like, Player A just wanted to win the match more than Player B.

Other times, you will hear, "Player B just needed the money".

Sometimes you hear stuff like, Player B, just dogged it or he got tired or some other reason/excuse.

YOu sometimes hear, "he" just has more heart or "he" wanted it more.

OR: He is simply a better player.

Some of these things might be true at different times in different tournaments but one thing that can be a constant is your equipment.

I was just wondering if it were possible if the difference were something as small as a low deflection shaft. Myself I have not been able to make the switch but I was wondering about the mental energy it takes to adjust for cueball deflection and how it may take it's toll on the player over a long period of time.

Is it possible that the low deflection shaft user does not have to expend the same amount of energy and focus to make the shots and that this is what separates them in the long run?

What are your thoughts?
JoeyA
 
Alex doesn't believe that he's better player than Shane...he KNOWS it. To me, the most impressive thing about him winning (other than being 22 racks down at one point) was the fact that he played this long match right after winning the Masters title. This shows total confidence.
Alex does have more experience playing super tough Filipino opponents for cash. That has got to help.
Alex plays other games great...one pocket very near Efren level and at 14.1 took down John Schmidt for cash...
Alex is a world 9ball champion too...
 
Right now the difference between them is five hard years of experience. As good as Shane is Alex has been there and done that more times in more spots against tougher opponents.

This is why Alex couldn't wait to get back in the box after losing at Derby. You don't see Corey hunting down Shane, or any other player.

Even if Alex had lost he would be ready to go again. For the same reason that Bustamante offered to raise the bet after Archer ran a 13 pack on him, namely the knowledge that no player on planet Earth is better every set than he is.

So the way I see it is that Alex simply has more experience and more heart. Shane has a lot of heart too but let's not forget that just two years ago he was still asking for weight from players. I don't know that Alex has ever gotten weight from anyone since he was 15.

Alex is 29 now - I saw him beat the 12 ball ghost at JOB's when he was like 19 or so and he was ALL IN on his own money. That same tournament he spanked Coltrain for $500 a game and made Coltrain quit after five games. Coltrain won the tournament. I think Alex was too young to play in it :-) (seriously)

So that's my take on it between these two champions it's a matter of experience and heart.
 
the main difference between the two of them is experience. alex has been at the top of the game for a long time now and Shane has only just established himself. Experience is a huge factor.

Heart comes into it too but it's not that much of an issue. Although Alex is probably the benchmark for a player's heart to be judged by, Shane has bags of the stuff also and is a very composed character.

another thing that occured to me is the player's styles. Shane has this huge free flowing beautiful stroke, whereas alex's is very compact and short. Shane is arguably the bigger 'flair' player of the two.

When the heat is on in these pressure situations, it's probably a bit easier for alex to keep his stroke under pressure and also fatigue because it's a bit more textbook, whereas Shane probably is a bit more reliant on feeling good.
 
JoeyA said:
It is apparent to most that they are both true champions and I was wondering what the difference was between them.

What are your thoughts?
JoeyA
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Joey,
Perhaps it's just possible that 9-ball/10-ball is NOT a way to differentiate players of near equal ability. The probability thread today is very cogent in predicting what would happen.

I believe if they played long race straight pool (to at least 1000), one of them would win 95% of the time (I have NO idea which one based on their rotation-game results). In a rotation game, it will be 50-50. They are both champion players, and the results will depend on the random spread of balls left after the power break; and will not depend on slight differences in skill level. JMO.
 
Shane just seemed to run out of gas. I heard that he did not eat anything after 4:15. I don't know if that is due to nervous stomach or what, but the brain has to have nourishment to think at a high level for long periods of time. Also, maybe due to the excitement of the match he might not have rested well the night before. Who Knows?
I guess both these factors might be overcome thru more experience.;)

I was wondering if either of the players had cornermen and who they were??
 
I think Alex's experience in going to battle against Orcollu and Alcano in the islands toughened him up.
Before this match, Alex put a good whuppin' on Alcano for $25K . Alex had half the action.
 
I think than shane did more break and running than alex did. Maybe someone could count them when the dvd comes out. I remember at one time shane had a 4 pack. Obviously alex can run out too, but I think shane is better at that part of the game. Alex excells in other areas above shane as well.
 
JB Cases said:
Right now the difference between them is five hard years of experience. As good as Shane is Alex has been there and done that more times in more spots against tougher opponents.

This is why Alex couldn't wait to get back in the box after losing at Derby. You don't see Corey hunting down Shane, or any other player.

Even if Alex had lost he would be ready to go again. For the same reason that Bustamante offered to raise the bet after Archer ran a 13 pack on him, namely the knowledge that no player on planet Earth is better every set than he is.

So the way I see it is that Alex simply has more experience and more heart. Shane has a lot of heart too but let's not forget that just two years ago he was still asking for weight from players. I don't know that Alex has ever gotten weight from anyone since he was 15.

Alex is 29 now - I saw him beat the 12 ball ghost at JOB's when he was like 19 or so and he was ALL IN on his own money. That same tournament he spanked Coltrain for $500 a game and made Coltrain quit after five games. Coltrain won the tournament. I think Alex was too young to play in it :-) (seriously)

So that's my take on it between these two champions it's a matter of experience and heart.
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That's very good assessment JB but good equipment enhanced his abilties.
Ask Alex the story behind the cue and his conquests after he got it.
 
Experience. Everytime Shane started on a streak Alex would call for a smoke break.

When Alex got on a run Shane just sat there and took the punisment in his chair.

At the end Alex never took a break when he made his run to win, I'm talking about the final 20 games or so.
 
Neil said:
I think the mind can only maintain a consistent level for a certain period of time. (Which can be extended through practice). Eventually, the mind will wander at least a little. As soon as this happens, quality of play will drop. How much it drops depends on the loss of focus.
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I'm 75392 levels behind SVB and Alex last time I checked, but all players not bangers but players have similar traits, strengths and weaknesses and how they handle them partially determine how good they play under certain circumstances. Talent is key as well.

To my point the mind wandering thing for me is a huge problem, awalys has been, the more I have bet the less it happens but that only helps to a certain point. In recent thread I said I dont like to play more than 5 hours at a time which is a relitativly short period of time. My mind starts to go other places after about 5 hours some days less some more. The worst thing is when I have alot bet and it starts to wander off and there is NOTHING I can do about it, that has happened to me in the past alot of times when I was in action almost everyday 20 years ago in Sacramento. I suppose the champions can get re-focused and I cant. This is just one example of the difference between good and greatness. And probably my weakest link as a player, infact it is, other than not being born with much talant.

Its funny I can me in the moiod to play and my mind still wanders off-pisses me off.:mad:
 
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Fatboy said:
I'm 75392 levels behind SVB and Alex last time I checked, but all players not bangers but players have similar traits, strengths and weaknesses and how they handle them partially determine how good they play under certain circumstances. Talent is key as well.

To my point the mind wandering thing for me is a huge problem, awalys has been, the more I have bet the less it happens but that only helps to a certain point. In recent thread I said I dont like to play more than 5 hours at a time which is a relitativly short period of time. My mind starts to go other places after about 5 hours some days less some more. The worst thing is when I have alot bet and it starts to wander off and there is NOTHING I can do about it, that has happened to me in the past alot of times when I was in action almost everyday 20 years ago in Sacramento. I suppose the champions can get re-focused and I cant. This is just one example of the difference between good and greatness. And probably my weakest link as a player, infact it is, other than not being born with much talant.

Its funny I can me in the moiod to play and my mind still wanders off-pisses me off.:mad:
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Honestly, I have the same problem. I played on a tour where the races were to 9 and I had a problem holding peak concentration the whole time. Its something VERY hard to work on aswell. Ive been practicing playing longer races for money and I hope this will do the trick for me to finish better and improve (mentally).

Good post Eric!
 
The difference? Shane's been used to being the front runner, and when he usually get a big lead, his opponents just falls apart and SVB will cruise his way to an easy victory. He never felt this kind of heat from anyone, and I've seen funny things happen when the shingles and the shakes hit you, that's when frustration and desperation to stop the bleeding sets in.

Alex is the ultimate pool grinder. He will always find a way to let you know that he's still alive and will always be breathing down your neck even though he's in deep pooh-pooh. You will never ever see any negative vibes from this man even though you already dug a deep hole for him to climb.
 
JB Cases said:
Right now the difference between them is five hard years of experience. As good as Shane is Alex has been there and done that more times in more spots against tougher opponents.

This is why Alex couldn't wait to get back in the box after losing at Derby. You don't see Corey hunting down Shane, or any other player.

Even if Alex had lost he would be ready to go again. For the same reason that Bustamante offered to raise the bet after Archer ran a 13 pack on him, namely the knowledge that no player on planet Earth is better every set than he is.

So the way I see it is that Alex simply has more experience and more heart. Shane has a lot of heart too but let's not forget that just two years ago he was still asking for weight from players. I don't know that Alex has ever gotten weight from anyone since he was 15.

Alex is 29 now - I saw him beat the 12 ball ghost at JOB's when he was like 19 or so and he was ALL IN on his own money. That same tournament he spanked Coltrain for $500 a game and made Coltrain quit after five games. Coltrain won the tournament. I think Alex was too young to play in it :-) (seriously)

So that's my take on it between these two champions it's a matter of experience and heart.
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IMO it really isn't fair for everyone to dub Shane Superman just yet. This young man has many lessons to learn yet and they aren't learned overnight.

Things have changed so much in the past few years and trust me, the game is different. There really isn't that much action going on I don't see how some of these guys stay in stroke without it.

Pressure for one is not the same as it is for the other. Shane seemingly handles this part pretty well. He is still, just young and is only ging to get better and better. Think about it, he has 7 years to get to the age of Alex and many bridges to cross in that period.

Focus? He does seem to lose focus a bit here and there which is obvious by some of the balls he misses. Again, he is 22. Experience is going to help with this too. He will remember those and recognize them next time just like everyone else.

Shane is the brightest star in American pool right now, but not Superman, yet. Buddy, Keith, Billy I, Wade, Craig, and on and on, all had days where they lost for all sorts of reasons and only got better and better. Shane breaths the same air they did.
 
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