why are the british the best in the world?

R

Ron Swanson

Banned
Anyone watching the snooker world championships, the only pro cue sport game there is, cannot fail to notice the greatest players are all british. Sure, robertson is incredible, but he flatters to deceive a bit and, besides, aussies are virtually british anyway. Ding looks the same as ever - a monster until he hits a brit. The chinese invasion has stalled. The euros consistently fall short. Corey deuell battles with 8 year olds.

The breakthrough player at this this year's championships was anthony mcgill, a scotsman. Even yesterday's nearly man, matthew stevens, showed moments of class, enough to make his welshness forgivable at any rate. The final 4 are all english. Murphy and trump are SHEER class, playing well beyond what mere pool players could ever dream of.

So why are the british the greatest cueists? What do they have that the rest of the world lacks?
 
Ron Swanson said:
Anyone watching the snooker world championships, the only pro cue sport game there is, cannot fail to notice the greatest players are all british. Sure, robertson is incredible, but he flatters to deceive a bit and, besides, aussies are virtually british anyway. Ding looks the same as ever - a monster until he hits a brit. The chinese invasion has stalled. The euros consistently fall short. Corey deuell battles with 8 year olds.

The breakthrough player at this this year's championships was anthony mcgill, a scotsman. Even yesterday's nearly man, matthew stevens, showed moments of class, enough to make his welshness forgivable at any rate. The final 4 are all english. Murphy and trump are SHEER class, playing well beyond what mere pool players could ever dream of.

So why are the british the greatest cueists? What do they have that the rest of the world lacks?
Click to expand...

I don't think it is an accident. I have only spent a small amount of time in England but they are very organized. I was in a number of what were more like clubs and they have an interest in players getting better.

I was at one place and I wanted to play by myself. There were tables open and they had what they called "Train time" It came to like $1.00 an hour. In the US if a kid wants to improve his game he needs to get a second job just to pay the table time.

Bottom line, they care about the game over there, In the US I have been in a zillion rooms that didn't care one bit about the game, even owners who don't even play. It may also be cultural, the game is more rooted in their culture. Even people who don't play do know the game.
 
I think it's mainly because of their hair. Having lighter, fluffier, and cleaner hair makes it easier for them to keep their head over the centre of the cue. Our greasy hair weighs us down.
 
It could also be that there are almost no snooker tables in the US. The I live in doesn't have a single one that I know of. These questions you are asking, does it relate to 9-ball and 8-ball as well? Is the difference the type of game that is involved? Do all other areas of the world get discredited because their cue sports professionals decide that snooker isn't the game they WANT to play and excel at?
 
RioSevario said:
It could also be that there are almost no snooker tables in the US. The I live in doesn't have a single one that I know of. These questions you are asking, does it relate to 9-ball and 8-ball as well? Is the difference the type of game that is involved? Do all other areas of the world get discredited because their cue sports professionals decide that snooker isn't the game they WANT to play and excel at?
Click to expand...

I include all cue sports, it's just snooker is the pinnacle and everyone would be playing it if they were good enough. But, as you mention it, daz is pretty much the best in the world at american pool, despite virtually no one in britain playing it. It would be akin to shane going to britain and monstering english 8 ball, and that ain't ever going to happen.
 
On a related note, has anyone noticed that Americans are the best at American football? I wonder why that is.
 
I'm going with discipline.
Since pool started here it was played often and great players come about, but times have changed and the mentality and attitude along with it.
Americans tend to have this sense of entitlement and don't feel the need to work hard for, that along with it not being as much of our culture anymore. In a few more years when the cycle goes around USA will fall even further behind, the youngster the were coming up when our greats were playing are here now, there are many young ones being produced everywhere but here so when the appeltons and shane become the efren, earl and siegal of today we will only be left with maaaybe Sky being shane and the rest of the world with a fresh batch of neil, mika, Ko, DAZ

the difference is clear in the playing styles who puts in the most time at a structured routine verse "YOU NEED TO GAMBLE KID IF YOU WANT TO GET BETTER"
 
Quite simple - The British have been playing Snooker the longest. For centuries now (pun intended)

The rest of the world are catching up now and quick! :thumbup:
 
The limeys have one good thing going for them : professional organization ( with standards)

Where professional organization is solid, the level of play skyrockets for a number of reasons, primarily because of the time spent and the number of players involved.

Take American (mainstream) sports for example; the rest of the world cant touch the u.s.a. in these fields. Its not that they couldn't, but they aren't devoting the time and resources to develop top players like we do.

And snewkah is just like that. We don't try, so we don't succeed.

Oh well.




By the way...Mosconi wasn't British.
Just sayin:cool:
 
I think US players would be better than British players except Americans have been too busy fighting all the Brits' wars for them since they are too neutered to do it themselves. Thus for a century we haven't had time to practice. But hey, bailing them out was the least we could do since it's our fault they can't fight. We are, after all, the ones who neutered them by obliterating them in the Revolution and in 1812. Take a guys nuts away and your kinda obligated to fight his battles for him.

In all seriousness though, snooker is indeed a tremendous cueing game. I'm amazed by all the pros, Brit or otherwise. I wish we had more snooker interest over here in that I actually began with snooker when I started cue games as a kid.

Lastly, since this thread is an obvious jab poking from a piece of garbage troll with multiple alias AZ accounts I will just throw down the gauntlet and say if Mr. Swanson (or Thaiger or whoever the hell he claims to be) wants to see if his British game can hang with my American one I'd be glad to play. Snooker, English Eight, American Pool, 3 Cushion, doesn't matter. Say, $10,000 sets?
 
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Ron Swanson said:
Anyone watching the snooker world championships, the only pro cue sport game there is, cannot fail to notice the greatest players are all british. Sure, robertson is incredible, but he flatters to deceive a bit and, besides, aussies are virtually british anyway. Ding looks the same as ever - a monster until he hits a brit. The chinese invasion has stalled. The euros consistently fall short. Corey deuell battles with 8 year olds.

The breakthrough player at this this year's championships was anthony mcgill, a scotsman. Even yesterday's nearly man, matthew stevens, showed moments of class, enough to make his welshness forgivable at any rate. The final 4 are all english. Murphy and trump are SHEER class, playing well beyond what mere pool players could ever dream of.

So why are the british the greatest cueists? What do they have that the rest of the world lacks?
Click to expand...


Because snooker is part of the British culture, just as baseball, NFL football, and basketball are part of ours.

Snooker is so demanding that I believe one must start at an early age and dedicate themselves to the game to have any chance at greatness. It is, to me, the most difficult billiards game. It requires skill and accuracy far beyond pool. There can be no weakness in your game, error in your stroke, or loss of nerve to have any chance against the champions. I marvel at the skill I see in snooker competition and ask myself how these players do it.
 
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ExilePreacher said:
I think US players would be better than British players except Americans have been too busy fighting all the Brits' wars for them since they are too neutered to do it themselves. Thus for a century we haven't had time to practice. But hey, bailing them out was the least we could do since it's our fault they can't fight. We are, after all, the ones who neutered them by obliterating them in the Revolution and in 1812. Take a guys nuts away and your kinda obligated to fight his battles for him.

In all seriousness though, snooker is indeed a tremendous cueing game. I'm amazed by all the pros, Brit or otherwise. I wish we had more snooker interest over here in that I actually began with snooker when I started cue games as a kid.

Lastly, since this thread is an obvious jab poking from a piece of garbage troll with multiple alias AZ accounts I will just throw down the gauntlet and say if Mr. Swanson (or Thaiger or whoever the hell he claims to be) wants to see if his British game can hang with my American one I'd be glad to play. Snooker, English Eight, American Pool, 3 Cushion, doesn't matter. Say, $10,000 sets?
Click to expand...

Ooo 'ark at barton, 'ere. Ten large a set - as if. :rolleyes:
 
TATE said:
Because snooker is part of the British culture, just as baseball, NFL football, and basketball are part of ours.

Snooker is so demanding that I believe one must start at an early age and dedicate themselves to the game to have any chance at greatness. It is, to me, the most difficult billiards game. It requires skill and accuracy far beyond pool. There can be no weakness in your game, error in your stroke, or loss of nerve to have any chance against the champions. I marvel at the skill I see in snooker competition and ask myself how these players do it.
Click to expand...

I'm not just talking about snooker here. You name it, E8B, A8B, C8B, 9 ball, 10 ball, billiards, snooker...we smash the lot.

Why?
 
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