Which of these characteristics is the most important to a pool player?
- Thread starter bomber
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Balance is the foundation of everything, if your not in balance you can't swing the cue straight and if you can't swing straight you will never come close to your potential.
But I have to pick this, since it especially applies to pool:
Avoid Distractions
Avoid Distractions
Avoid Distractions
Ok, now I feel better.
But I have to pick this, since it especially applies to pool:
Avoid Distractions
Avoid Distractions
Avoid Distractions
Ok, now I feel better.
I actually think you missed it, the most important quality for any athlete is the ability to concentrate. I really think all great athletes have the ability to shut out the world and see only the task in front of them.
I remember reading an interview with Bela Karolyi who coached Nadia Comaneci and he said he had never seen another child with her ability to concentrate and that was what made her great. He said she could be alone in a room and she would perform her routine as perfectly as she did in the Olympic auditorium. I really did not get what he meant till I started playing pool.
I remember reading an interview with Bela Karolyi who coached Nadia Comaneci and he said he had never seen another child with her ability to concentrate and that was what made her great. He said she could be alone in a room and she would perform her routine as perfectly as she did in the Olympic auditorium. I really did not get what he meant till I started playing pool.
I don't know that you can pick just one. On the physical side you're talking not just a fine motor skill required to stroke but also the ability to deliver that stroke repeatably, sense feedback and adjust to different tables, etc. On the mental side, I'd use the term "focus". Concentration or Avoid Distractions don't fully describe it because it's a matter of how you concentrate and what you concentrate on.
If you play in a tavern league it's the ability to continue to play well after consuming unnecessarily excessive amounts of beer...
If you play in a tavern league it's the ability to continue to play well after consuming unnecessarily excessive amounts of beer...
They Are All important but i would say DETERMINATION. i will use myself for example ... i wanted to learn guitar so i bought one and started playing a few weeks later i quit and wanted to learn to pick locks i got good at it but i quit again then i started playing pool and im TRYING to give it my all and not quit
If you dont have determination you wont accel at anything IMO
If you dont have determination you wont accel at anything IMO
I absolutley agree FOCUS is firstcuechick said:
Still your body and mind.
cuechick said:
To play any sport you have to be balanced to execute the shot or motion. I have never taught anyone who was first learning pool to concentrate first and I'll teach you how to be balanced properly later.
PoolSharkAllen said:
Vision? I can think of dozens of people with perfect vision if put in a room with a table for 5 years would never run more than 4 balls. Yes I understand that blind people would struggle at pool.
I'll stick with my previous choices of hand / eye coordination and big balls.
Island Drive said:
Huh ? What ? I was looking at that girl's cheeseburger.... sorry
Doug
( and fries )
Jigger said:Vision? I can think of dozens of people with perfect vision if put in a room with a table for 5 years would never run more than 4 balls. Yes I understand that blind people would struggle at pool.
I'll stick with my previous choices of hand / eye coordination and big balls.
Blind people are gonna struggle at pool
??? Pardner, it's gonna be a whole lot worse than a struggle. Jigger, given all the other attributes, how many balls do ya think a blind player is gonna run ??? When you put your blind player up against my perfect vision player w/bad hand-to-eye coordination we're gonna lay some serious green down on top of that table light 
!!!!!Maniac
Since everyone is different, certain attributes make a difference more than others.Jigger said:Vision? I can think of dozens of people with perfect vision if put in a room with a table for 5 years would never run more than 4 balls. Yes I understand that blind people would struggle at pool.
I'll stick with my previous choices of hand / eye coordination and big balls.
Since my contact lenses don't correct my vision perfectly, it really does make a difference in how I perform.
My opinion the best pick on your list is knowledge/intelligence
Everything else helps, some more than others, but none of it is worth a hill of beans without the knowledge and intelligence to know how to shoot, how to set up for the next shot, how to run out, how to avoid a scratch. Too, most of the mental characteristics we need to play pool are based on intelligence and knowledge. Impossible to have real confidence without intelligence and knowledge for example. Persistence? Smarts may be a handicap there. However it is the exception.
Hu
Everything else helps, some more than others, but none of it is worth a hill of beans without the knowledge and intelligence to know how to shoot, how to set up for the next shot, how to run out, how to avoid a scratch. Too, most of the mental characteristics we need to play pool are based on intelligence and knowledge. Impossible to have real confidence without intelligence and knowledge for example. Persistence? Smarts may be a handicap there. However it is the exception.
Hu
Jigger said:Vision? I can think of dozens of people with perfect vision if put in a room with a table for 5 years would never run more than 4 balls. Yes I understand that blind people would struggle at pool.
I'll stick with my previous choices of hand / eye coordination and big balls.
I've never even met a blind pool player, let alone one who could run 4 balls even after 20 years of practice. I get the player with bad hand-eye coordination and you get the blind guy, and I think we've got a bet.
bomber said:
I think the more "physical" attributes of your list (vision (eyes), wrist action, strength) are important, though not imperative.
My list:
Vision (mental picture/imagery). You can not accomplish what you can not "see" in your minds eye.
Perserverance.
Determination.
Patience.
Mental Stamina and Endurance.
Focus/Concentration.
Common Sense.
Self-Esteem.
That was just a few.
P.S. Your mention of "Spatial IQ" reminded me of this: I have always understood that Men generally posess an innately superior ability to determine spatial relationships than Women for some reason. Maybe that has something to do with the Men vs. Women threads in pool?
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bomber said:
I vote spatial IQ then. The ability to judge where to hit the CB to put the OB in the hole, exactly how "thick" of a hit this will be, what angle the CB will come off at, how much speed it will retain after the hit, and what angle it will take off the rails are all things that most players judge by "feel", and it sounds like this "feel" is mostly what you're terming spatial IQ. I think this is clearly the singlemost important thing to being a good pool player, although clearly most of the other things on the list and that others have posted are very important too.
-Andrew