The most naturally talented pool players that you have ever known?

[De420MadHatter]

Doug Young. Ray Hanson says that Doug started running over people from basically the first day he picked up a cue.[/QUOTE]

NO SHIT! When his mixture is right, it's crazy!! Watching him 1 stroke everything in 100mph an running out from anywhere, you would swear that no one alive could beat him.

 

[Curt]

. If anyone has EVER seen someone become a top level player without receiving proper instruction/coaching, I would love to hear about it. I've never seen it.

Jaden

Jose Garcia, Was running hundred somes as a teenager. Natural talent? Absolutely. A lot of practice to hone that natural talent? You better believe it. You need both to get to that level IMHO

 

[Stones]

Mid 80's, when I ran my first pool room in Houston, I use to give free lessons to the ladies. One evening, a pretty young lady, a chemical engineer, walked in and asked me for lessons. Told me all her male co-workers went out one night during the week and played pool and she wanted to join them.

I have never seen anyone pick up the game that fast. Everything I showed her she could execute in no time flat. Just a natural!

She started dating one of my regulars who I considered a scum bag when it came to the way he treated women. All sweet and nice at the beginning but then turned into an control freak A-hole. I asked her to stay away from him but to no avail.

Six months later, I talked her into entering a ladies pro level tourney. She made it to the semi's on the winner's side (guaranteed 5/6th) when her boyfriend decided to pick a fight with her.

She packed up her gear, crying her eyes out, and told me she was done. She didn't even pick up her prize money.

Never saw her again.


Stones

 

[Doug]

Certainly Vernon Elliott is at or near the top of this list. Another is Jack Cooney. Most people have never heard of these two but it is for sure 99% of all the players mentioned certanily knew or know them.

 

[liakos]

Truth hurts, huh? I could be much, much more truthful if i felt like it.

Ok ok, we all know you UK people are the brightest and best at everything from playing pool to your great "jihadi John" who cuts people's heads off for isis!

Anyway, stay on topic, POOL!

 

[spartan]

Just my own opinion, In modern game,
If we talk about talent as achievement in least number of years to be world class, players such as:
Stephen Hendry ( within 6 years of playing wins ranking title )
Yang (within 4 years of playing wins All Japan)
Wu (within 6 years of playing wins 2 World championships)

If we talk natural talent as in ability to play high level after laying off for some time, players such as:
Ronnie O - laid off for a while and came back to win World Snooker championship
Wu- took few years off and come back to still play at very high level

If we talk talent as in being ambidextrous with ability to use either hand to play at high level, players such as:
Ronnie O
Mike Sigel
Ko brothers and some Taiwanese top players

If we talk about sheer talent, players such as:
Efren
Ronnie O
Alex Higgins
Jimmy White
Yang
Wu
Ko Ping Chung
Anton Raga

 

[KMRUNOUT]

I know what i see with my own eyes. Others, perhaps less so.

This is almost certainly true. Other people know less than you about what *you* see with your own eyes lol.

KMRUNOUT

 

[Ron Swanson]

Ok ok, we all know you UK people are the brightest and best at everything from playing pool to your great "jihadi John" who cuts people's heads off for isis!

Anyway, stay on topic, POOL!

Lol.

So, you stop someone talking about natural ability in pool in order to crowbar something random about radical islam, then say stay on topic?

Lol.

Spotting natural ability is something not everyone possesses.

 

[Colonel]

Certainly Vernon Elliott is at or near the top of this list. Another is Jack Cooney. Most people have never heard of these two but it is for sure 99% of all the players mentioned certanily knew or know them.

He was a BEAST!! He was a friend of my fathers and used to stop in to my fathers hall when he came through town. I'll never forget the first time I saw him play when I was a kid. He'd just been sitting around talking to my old man about their road adventures and someone asked him how much he practiced and he said, "never, I already know how to play". About an hour later a guy showed up to play Vernon in a match my father had negotiated for him. Vernon didn't miss a ball for the next 3 hours. One of the most amazingly offensive displays of this game that I had ever seen to that point in my life.

 

[liakos]

Lol.

So, you stop someone talking about natural ability in pool in order to crowbar something random about radical islam, then say stay on topic?

Lol.

Spotting natural ability is something not everyone possesses.

So now you saying that UK people spot natural talent better than US! If this is the "truths" you spoke of then I am sorry for going off topic. But something tells me you were trying to say something else

But then again, you are from the UK, I guess in your little head that makes you think your the greatest! Well guess what, all of us "here" in our little heads feel we are
Good luck

 

[Ron Swanson]

So now you saying that UK people spot natural talent better than US! If this is the "truths" you spoke of then I am sorry for going off topic. But something tells me you were trying to say something else

But then again, you are from the UK, I guess in your little head that makes you think your the greatest! Well guess what, all of us "here" in our little heads feel we are
Good luck

But america is the laughing stock of the pool world. Why are you unaware of this?

 

[Seth C.]

When I think of natural talent in a sport, I think about the ability to make exceptional plays, or great shots, repeatedly. I don't necessarily think about consistency, or avoidance of mental errors. To the extent that the question asked about the best natural talent that each of us has personally witnessed, well, I have never traveled in high level pool circles, and I've only had two short stints in pool room environments, but the guy who has stuck in my mind as a player who was perhaps raw, but was super talented, and could make the cue ball really dance -- pulling off shots that just made you shake your head -- was a young (circa 1981), lanky left-hander who played at Towne Billiards in Morristown, NJ, named Randy Bennett. I thought that be might go somewhere in the sport, but I guess he didn't. Not sure why. See this link for the only thing that I found on the web about him. Does anyone know his story? I'd be interested to learn what happened to him.

http://www.sfbilliards.com/accustats/V2_N01.pdf

 

[Jaden]

YEah...

But america is the laughing stock of the pool world. Why are you unaware of this?

I'm sure that everyone who draws Shane, Archer, Rodney, Mike Dechaine, etc... are just laughing their asses off...


Jaden

 

[GreenFeltguy]

Buster Merchant

Never practiced, never hit a ball, could play with any cue ball, extremely talented, just made a decision that pool wasn't worth it, and guess what, he was right !!!!!!!

 

[liqimp]

Here's some pure unfiltered talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CniPRkwqteI

 

[cubswin]

Went to college with a guy named Monty that had true talent. Remember being at a tournament, and two guys who played high A speed mentioned him. Thought he could beat about anyone if he wanted to. No idea what happened to him, or if he even still plays. But I still remember shots he'd pull off, the way he moved the cue ball, and did things I've never been able to do on a pool table even with 30 years of playing.

Another guy I know, probably could have competed with anyone. Just didn't care after he turned 20 or so. More ability than any of the players I've seen, but no desire to really play.

 

[justinb386]

I learned through observation. I never had any good coaching/training, but I never became a champion player. I wish that I could have afforded a good top level teacher (like Mark Wilson, for example). I know that I had the natural talent to maybe become a champion, and maybe that is because I never learned through a great teacher (only learned through observing other very good players in my local area). I imagine that Skylar Woodward would not have become the champion that he is without the training (teaching) that he has received.

Depends on what you mean by "receiving proper instruction/coaching".

I would guess many of the top Filipinos simply learned through observation, as opposed to someone actually formally instructing/coaching them.

 

[justinb386]

Yeah, I think that it takes a combination of both natural talent and a great teacher to become a champion level player. Proper instruction only gets you so far if you do not have much (if any) natural talent. That is just my opinion.

And I hate hearing about the proper instruction thing.

Some people have lessons for 20 years and still can't shoot....:lol:

 

[poQet trainer]

Me. What? You don't think I could have been a great pro if I had the support of lack of responsibility? Trust me, plenty of guys here could have been good pros If they were screwed up in the head. Plenty of " AZers" have the talent. But they also have common sense

 

[justinb386]

Yeah, Danny Harriman is a great natural talent, and an amazing player. I seen him play in a game where he had to switch player hands after every shot (from right handed to left handed and then back to right), and he played great in that game. He is an awesome player. Always love seeing him play.

Without a doubt my vote goes to Danny Harriman.
Danny started playing pool when he was eight years old. His dad would drop him off at the pool hall, on his way to his office, where Danny would play and learn.
Not only is he very talented, but he has the look of a professional pool player, as well. Tall, thin, dark features, and long fingers that can make one of the best bridges I've seen.
After Danny, I would have say that Tramp Steamer would be my second choice. Handsome, articulate, generous, and someone who can appreciate low-cost car insurance.