Which CURRENT pro would you recommend a beginner to emulate?

Cardigan Kid said:
I always thought cross dominant was an advantage in the your head will be slightly tilted to the inside, putting your left dominant eye naturally over the cue while your right hand strokes. Left foot naturally falls out and forward giving you the angle, and the cue is naturally on a line across the body, not held out and away like right eye/right hand shooter can do. The last time I checked Ronny Osullivan is the same cross dominant, right hand, left eye, slight left off center chin.









"Snookery" great word and completely relevant to the discussion.

Nice one.

Yes, to the beginner...it doesn't hurt to get snookery from the start.
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Hopefully Webster gives me a shoutout lol.

What you described is my eyes and stance in your first paragraph......only I straighten my head.....it fed skews vision.

Someone else mentioned their hips in another thread, my left leg needs a little weight about a half ball.....I can run in a circle or an oval like a sum betch tho....

I have always stood with a cock, that straight leg one side knee bent on the other.....

Get a load of this logic.....

I was born to get in stance


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Bavafongoul said:
It is a stupid notion to ever try emulating any player's swing........golf, baseball, pool.....doesn't matter.

Everyone's anatomy is different and look at the variety of different poses and swings of the greatest.

As long as you are consistent with your approach all the time, not most of it, you have a solid base.

Adhere to the fundamentals & own it all the time until it becomes automatic & only then personalize.

If you try copying the swing or stroke of another player, always remember you're a distinctly different person.
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In my opinion, this is the best post in the thread.
Only one person can look down your cue...and we all see different....
...not just with our eyes but with our minds.
 
pt109 said:
In my opinion, this is the best post in the thread.
Only one person can look down your cue...and we all see different....
...not just with our eyes but with our minds.
Click to expand...

I agree. However, the thread OP uses the term "Emulate" without a qualifier. So, I take that as both physical ( which, again, I agree that's not such a hot idea ) and the non-physical. Which, I think, is a valid question. So, for me, for the non-physical, I would say Ralf, for his inner calm and focus. Earl for his sheer hunger to not only win, but to annihilate. And probably Efren for his seemingly endless well of game knowledge which, to me, means he NEVER stops learning. That may be the strongest asset going.

And, oh yeah... Shane. For all the reasons listed above.
 
Fedor Gorst.
Great technique which comes from hours and hours of hard work.
He has a YouTube channel with a couple of his friends and they upload their practice routines. A beginner who really wants to improve should understand that improvement comes from hard work.
Plus he is a great player. Anyone who can beat Jayson Shaw 11-1 is a monster player...
 
Michael Andros said:
I agree. However, the thread OP uses the term "Emulate" without a qualifier. So, I take that as both physical ( which, again, I agree that's not such a hot idea ) and the non-physical. Which, I think, is a valid question. So, for me, for the non-physical, I would say Ralf, for his inner calm and focus. Earl for his sheer hunger to not only win, but to annihilate. And probably Efren for his seemingly endless well of game knowledge which, to me, means he NEVER stops learning. That may be the strongest asset going.

And, oh yeah... Shane. For all the reasons listed above.
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I meant both the physical and mental game. I sure must be a special little snowflake, because my "natural" stroke was a complete croc of sh... Chickenwing, bad bridge, always moving, jerking forward and back etc....I wouldn't be able to pot a ball if I hadn't copied the better players around me and on tv. I was completely shell shocked when I first encountered a competent opponent. Obviously my first reaction was to wonder WHY he was so much better than me, and to try to copy that as much as possible. I guess that's not how some you think? There is of course the chance that he'd been a complete freak of nature with wonky mechanics, but in my case he wasn't. He was overall pretty good, not perfect, but a good start, though I didn't know exactly what to look for at first, so it took many years and I watched others instead of just him and I got led astray many times.

I learned the bridge from a snooker video (before that my bridges were unstable). I learned the long forward pause from an excellent player in my pool hall. That alone changed my game immensly. I emulated 4 point contact stance, alignment etc from snooker players and a snooker coach. Mentally I copied the straight pool patterns of Mike Sigel, spending probably about 30 hours studying them intensively and taking notes! I was taught by an older player that he was the last link to the great players of the past as far as patterns go, and I agree. I could go through every part of my game, but you get the idea. While I obviously took bits and pieces from here and there, it would have been much more economical if I'd just copied nearly everything Steve Davis did, and had went from there as he'd been a good match for my physique at the time. I don't think I could have done much harm with him as a role model, even copying his every move on the table.
 
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Straightpool_99 said:
I meant both the physical and mental game. I sure must be a special little snowflake, because my "natural" stroke was a complete croc of sh... Chickenwing, bad bridge, always moving, jerking forward and back etc....I wouldn't be able to pot a ball if I hadn't copied the better players around me and on tv. I was completely shell shocked when I first encountered a competent opponent. Obviously my first reaction was to wonder WHY he was so much better than me, and to try to copy that as much as possible. I guess that's not how some you think? There is of course the chance that he'd been a complete freak of nature with wonky mechanics, but in my case he wasn't. He was overall pretty good, not perfect, but a good start, though I didn't know exactly what to look for at first, so it took many years and I watched others instead of just him.

I learned the bridge from a snooker video (before that my bridges were unstable). I learned the long forward pause from an excellent player in my pool hall. That alone changed my game immensly. I emulated 4 point contact stance, alignment etc from snooker players and a snooker coach. Mentally I copied the straight pool patterns of Mike Sigel, spending probably about 30 hours studying them intensively and taking notes! I was taught by an older player that he was the last link to the great players of the past as far as patterns go, and I agree. I could go through every part of my game, but you get the idea. While I obviously took bits and pieces from here and there, it would have been much more economical if I'd just copied nearly everything Steve Davis did, and had went from there...
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Btw, great thread, SP.

I was telling Freddie yesterday, I leaned my 9ball break from Jimmy Rempe, via Billiard Digest, or some other pool magazine, circa 1974 or so. So much to be learned, so little time... When I ref'd Grady's All-Around in Tampa in 83, Rempe was there and I actually walked up and told him I learned my break from him. I forget what he said, but he gave me a WC Fields look "You bother me, kid... go play in the traffic." I took the hint and slinked away...

:grin: :grin-square: :grin:
 
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pt109 said:
In my opinion, this is the best post in the thread.
Only one person can look down your cue...and we all see different....
...not just with our eyes but with our minds.
Click to expand...

Yes, we can interject our thoughts into any thread, but the topic was about pro players for a beginner to emulate.
No different than the way I used to learn to play the blues like Jimi Hendrix & Jimmy Page.
Like not being a pro pool player, I didn't exactly live the blues, so I would slow my
record player down to 16 speed, count the notes, and practice the riff until I could play it like Jimi.
That's how I learn, so I'm not spinning my wheels while practicing.
Figuring out how Efren did things helped me become a better shot maker.
English is English, sometimes it's confusing, so watching Efren make a 90 degree
cut up the rail using centerball taught me something.
 
I can think of a lot of Different players for different reasons.

Mechanics and pure stroke. Ralf Souquet or John Morra

Body Movement and stance. Karen or Allison

Sportsmanship. Ralf Souquet

Strategy and Tactics. SVB
 
ChrisinNC said:
Now that Morra has switched to playing lefty, his stance, alignment, and stroke now looks to be perfect. I also second both Melling and Feijen.
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Interesting you say this. After watching John play Alex, I thought he looked rather awkward and uncomfortable playing left handed. He still played well but looked like he was struggling.

I would vote for Jayson Shaw.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
While I obviously took bits and pieces from here and there, it would have been much more economical if I'd just copied nearly everything Steve Davis did, and had went from there as he'd been a good match for my physique at the time. I don't think I could have done much harm with him as a role model, even copying his every move on the table.
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I might be getting side tracked by semantics...but I had trouble with the OP’s “emulate”.
To me, it implies being a clone.
I’m not discouraging anyone from learning fron players...that’s how the game progresses.
...the trick is to learn what you can....and fit it into your perspective.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s hero was Steve Davis....he watched everything he could...
...but you’ll notice that Ronnie doesn’t LOOK like Steve when he plays.

I’ve always loved the way Buddy Hall stroked....I felt that style could win a snooker
tournament also....no nonsense, no flourishes....modern version...the Lion.

When travelling when I was younger, I would judge a player by how the cue looked between
his bridge hand and the cue ball....that’s where the rubber hits the road....
...stance is just getting your balance on every shot..and hitting from your toenails.
The man who passes this test for me with flying colors is Francisco Bustamante...
...don’t let all those moving parts fool you, his final stroke is just excellent.
 
I do know this, when the great Pinoy Champions Efren and Busty play at SMHB they have to respect the fact that the pockets are under 4 inches. So the stroke flourishes get dialed back.

I always loved to watch Parica play. We don’t see him around as much. Jose has a great stroke. Mika has a unbelievable stroke. He has played in our room a lot.

Even world class players have to get used to the tables.
 
overlord said:
I do know this, when the great Pinoy Champions Efren and Busty play at SMHB they have to respect the fact that the pockets are under 4 inches. So the stroke flourishes get dialed back.

I always loved to watch Parica play. We don’t see him around as much. Jose has a great stroke. Mika has a unbelievable stroke. He has played in our room a lot.

Even world class players have to get used to the tables.
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I used to like playing in there before the tables went "full Ernesto!" Having corner pockets that are under 4" is overkill imo. Now you have to roll every ball at pocket speed because anything that you put a stroke on will just get spit out. It reminds me of how you have to play Liability on the 6x12 at Hard Times. Pool becomes a different game on those gaff pockets. You can throw out more than half your normal shots. They won't work here. 4.25" would be fine for One Pocket. 3.75" is fine if you like Snooker. :rolleyes:
 
Shane's 10 ball break. Or Big Ko ...
Shane's tempo.
Wu Chia Ching 9 ball break.
Chang Jun Lin preshot routine.
Chang's stroke pattern and cue delivery.
 
For fundamentals, Feijen would be a good one to emulate.

For pattern play, it's Ralf Souquet, the best pattern player of the last twenty years.

For defensive and tactical play, it's Alex Pagulayan.

... but for all-around play, it's Dennis Orcullo, who contends in every discipline because of his extraordinary blend of superior conceptualization and execution.
 
Well

Big or Little Ko. They shoot great, make lots of money and win lots of money playing darts.

I would say Efren, as I don't know any one that made more money in tournaments then him or was a better all around player. But, those big tournament money days are gone.

Niels Feigen is a great player, rock solid and stable like many Euro players.

About a dozen Chinese or Taiwan players, take your pick if playing 9 or 10 Ball.

One Pocket, ya got me and it changes often.

In America, Shane is the guy. Level headed, invests money wisely and wins in the six figures every year.


Most money is Ronnie for Snooker and Chinese 8 Ball maybe?

There ya have it!
 
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