Why women cant play pool. (Perception)

[Gerry]

I like women.....I hate physics....physicals by women are fine though!

What I find most interesting is one person can spend 5 hours explaining the physics involved to complete a pool shot, while another person (me in this case) can only explain what a shot feels like to execute, in about 5 words. I guess it's personality. I know there's all kinds of wonderful, exciting science going on in every collision of pool balls, but for me, to break it down to that level kinda takes some of the beauty out of the game.

Also I have 5 older sisters, so every time I said girls can't do "x" I got jumped by any number of them! I will not comment on that part of the thread for fear one of them is lurking about........Gerry

 

[Jaden]

I know exactly what you mean.

This is a discussion on the different perceptions people have of whats going on.

I should say, "why women cant play pool as well as men", but... I dont think we need to be sexist here, women cant play as good as eunics or multigendered people either. Here is why... (ok, ok, I'm JK ladies)

Women have a different perspective of reality, they cannot percieve the table or the balls as they are. In other words they dont see the "now". They are usually thinking about what COULD happen OR what HAS happened.
They also have a much harder time getting "In the zone". Women are constantly thinking, second guessing themselves, and looking for others approval. All of these deny them of "zoning in".

How many of you posters can get in the "zone"; in which you just have to stare at the object ball, never looking at the cue ball (besides from your peripheral vision); even when your setting up, and you dont have to KNOW anything you just have to go through the motions?
For me its like my peripheral vision expands to the edges of the table, so no matter what Im looking at on the table, I see all of the table. This allows me to fully understand the physics of a shot without thinking about anything.

Anyway, this post isnt just about bashing women (just a catchy title). I would be interested to know how everyone else here sees, or perceives the table when in dead stroke; do any of you notice a difference from when you start warming up, to the time your in dead stroke?.
I am the SOFA KING we Tod id man.

WHen I have played my best I get in the zone. I can just look at the OB and KNOW where to aim. I just get down and stroke and it seems I can't miss. Yes, I understand that completely.I just started reading this thread so I'm gonna go back and finish reading it now.

Oh and I also think that one of the biggest problems for advanced players is second guessing themselves and correcting perception of aim errors at the last second of the stroke,(when they do make errors).

 

[Jaden]

I think what he's saying is different than what people are percieving here.

Karren Corr won a tournament last month that was comprised of mostly men. Ms. Corr dispatched Danny Basavich. Last time I checked Danny was a man, I guess it was the thick facial hair that led me to this conclusion.

The only clear advantage that men have in sports are when strength and endurance are a factor. Neither of these things play a role in pool.

It is a little known fact that women are better marksmen than men. One of the greatest shooters ever was Annie Oakley.

I do agree that women are more deliberate at the table but I do not believe that men have a natural edge.

I would like to see you and sweet marissa play a race to 11 for 1000 dollars. Maybe someone could pitch this idea to a promoter.

ANY person can beat ANY other person on any given day. I think his point may have flaws, but come on if you take the best men players and put them against the best female players and have them play for months, who do you REALLY think will end up on top. With the chance of sounding sexist, I'll put my money on the men any day of the week. SORRY LADIES.

This is a sore subject I know, especially in todays market of everybody is equal crap. If everybody is equal, why do they have a women's tour? Sure the women pro golfers could beat ME to a bloody pulp,(on the course), but could they beat TiGER?

"Oh but that's because they are stronger!" In pool strength doesn't play as big a factor. That's probably wrong. There are plenty of men on the pro golf tour that are stronger than Tiger, but he out drives THEM. At that level of play in most sports it's gonna come down to mental advantage. I think in pool it's more of a better visual spatial ability in MOST men not all men, because that is a necesity to play great pool.

"We know, for instance, from observations of both humans and nonhumans that males are more aggressive than females, that young males engage in more rough-and-tumble play than females and that females are more nurturing. We also know that in general males are better at a variety of spatial or navigational tasks. How do these and other sex differences come about? Much of our information and many of our ideas about how sexual differentiation takes place derive from research on animals. From such investigations, it appears that perhaps the most important factor in the differentiation of males and females and indeed in differentiating individuals within a sex is the level of exposure to various sex hormones early in life."

quote from "Sex Differences in the Brain" by Doreen Kimura

 

[BillyKoda]

The only shortcoming a woman might have in pool is picking up the table to level it, otherwise they can compete on any level in the game. Anyone know what the percentage of men and women playing the game is? By my observations it's about 80% men, 20% women. There are more men playing the game then women.

 

[Cornerman]

I shouldn't, but I can't help it...

I have always had ideas of why the average man plays better pool than the average woman, but the discussion usually becomes too defensive and too much skim reading. If you believe pool is a sport that inherently can be competed on an equal footing across genders, then these types of threads are absolutely pointless.

If you accept the fact that given the percentages of woman players, that the skill levels and numbers don't match up with the percentages, then it should be fair game to discuss the discrepancy in terms other than social factors. Social factors are legitimate, so it's discussion is moot. Sometimes, further discussions outside the realm of social nurturing are necessary. IMO, if we're going to bring it up, we shouldn't be too chicken $hit to call it as it is.

Pool has been and always has been a physical game. Not as physical as football, but more physical than poker. It's the physical differences that make up the game's discrepancy. It's not about power or brute strength, but instead the efficient use of muscles and efficient coordination of muscles. Discussing physicality on that level rather than the misleading brute strength is where meaningful discussion has to take place.

Furthermore, the testosterone level and "fight or flight" syndrome is another major physical player in all competitive games, but certainly competitive games that require any significant physical skill. How one raises his/her game due to these situation is an area that physiologists should be able to answer.[Edit: Jaden has quoted a passage that addresses this point perfectly]

Spacial perception and basic physiology (center of balance, upper body strength, hips, breasts) could be discussed and debated, but someone would have to take a major study undertaking to give definitive answers. I've pointed to the physiological differences, but really have no idea how they affect anything. It seems like they would.

If we take a look at truly non-physical endeavors like poker, we will see that the numbers (before this poker boom) were about the same percentages as pool, which isn't surprising. Poker has the same social stigmatism. But, at last year's World Series, about 10% of the open tournaments were won by a woman. That's a remarkable number as there were much less than 10% women overall. That being said, this year, none were won by a woman. But, given the last two years combined, I think (I'm not sure) that the percentage of female bracelet winners was still about the same percentage as female participants. Someone correct me, please.

That being said, I can be beat by women. I'm not saying I can't.

Fred

 

[The Baby's Arm]

Women CANT play as well as men!

Karren Corr won a tournament last month that was comprised of mostly men. Ms. Corr dispatched Danny Basavich. Last time I checked Danny was a man, I guess it was the thick facial hair that led me to this conclusion.

The only clear advantage that men have in sports are when strength and endurance are a factor. Neither of these things play a role in pool.

It is a little known fact that women are better marksmen than men. One of the greatest shooters ever was Annie Oakley.

I do agree that women are more deliberate at the table but I do not believe that men have a natural edge.

I would like to see you and sweet marissa play a race to 11 for 1000 dollars. Maybe someone could pitch this idea to a promoter.

I'm not being sexist by any means, but it is a FACT that women can't play as well as men. I have two very good friends that aren't in the upper tier of play among men. Although they are both well know in the pool world, Stevie and Bruce aren't considered among the elite in the pool world. This being said, either of them would dominate the ladies tour. They could spot Allison or Karen the 7 or 8 and run right through them. Sure some of the top ladies might beat a male pro every now and then, but in the long run the men are far superior. This brings me to another point along the same lines. I get tired of people like Michelle Wie wanting to play in mens events. All she is doing is taking someone elses place that is trying to make a living out there. She wouldnt be considered in the top 1000 or probably 5000 men in the world. If the women want to be able to play in mens tourneys, be it pool, golf, or any other sport, then abolish the womens tours because the men sure as hell cant play in theirs because they would dominate. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, just my opinion.

 

[NaClBandit]

You're using physics principles to describe what is happening after your shot not using phyics in your shot. I guarantee that you're not doing any velocity, momentum, elasticity, friction, or vector analysis calculations to make any shot.

I'm not sure if I understand what you mean in your post.

From what I've read regarding billiards, the "physics of pool" are simplified down to things like ball action, acquired english, transfered english, throw, friction, etc. By no means would anybody need to break things down into a more classical physics perspective to understand the concepts of pool. Generalities, trends and approximations are acceptable in doing the loosely quantitative calculations that go into a shot. Now of course the more accurate those are, the better the result, but it wouldn't be practical to spend 5 minutes on each shot.

I think what the OP may have been trying to say is that once that mental peak ("zone") is reached then such adjustments and solutions become intuitive and there is an elevated understanding or (to be cheezy) "oneness" with the game. Perception is increased, both visual and mental...maybe even spiritual who knows?

 

[Snapshot9]

Oh boy ....

I think part of the reason why women are playing catch-up
is because of sports psychology. Boys and men learn basic
psychology in sports that is needed to win, and they adjacently
apply this to new sports they try. This gives them a leg up
on girls and women, because women have not been as competitive
in sports in the past. Now, girls are competing in their own sports
more, and more and more mixing it up with men in the same sport,
either in practice or competition. The girls are catching up today,
and they are learning how to overcome their weaknesses in a
particular sport, making them more competitive. But, I do notice
that the better and better women become in Pool, the more they
shoot like men players, part of that reason is they are mastering
the psychology involved, and henceforth, the execution of it.

My opinion of women players has changed a little over the years.
Back in 1971-72, I was working in a Pool room part time in Houston
and going to college. Dorothy Wise and her boyfriend came in.
The boyfriend was playing the draw, and Dorothy was the hammer.
I watched them go through a couple of guys, and then they approached me to play. I played the boyfrined, on a big table, first and I won 2 little sets,
and then I got the game from them for Dorothy to play me. I accepted
the offer, and played her. I was aware that she had just won a BIG
tournament in Vegas, but didn't really keep up with women's Pool at
the time. Long story short, I took $400 off of her, and she quit.
They left shortly after that. So that experience has shaped my opinion
about women's Pool for quite a few years.

 

[ridewiththewind]

Pool is the great equalizer: old/young, fat/thin, rich/poor, male/female, ethnicity, height; conceivably we're all equal when it comes to pool potential.

Other women: do you agree with me that it's easier to compete against men than it is against other women? I mean, not only does "she" play so damned slowly, but we also have a distracting sense of how "she" feels?

I do agree with you in that, with a few exceptions, I really rather prefer playing against men. Since I play in a womens league and a co-ed league, I can tell you that our womens' league matches generally run about 45 min to 1.5 hrs longer than the co-ed league does. That is because most of the women just play slower. They take more time to read the table or line up their shots. There are few women, sadly, who actually take the game seriously enough to actually study the mechanics of the game. I want to learn! I want to be the absolute best I can be, and that is why I read and watch alot of games. I can read a table immediately...but still will walk it, mostly to get in focus, lower the heart rate, etc. If I am in a defensive position, I am looking for the shot-safety...always!
I feel that older women have a slight advantage over younger women...not so much becuase of experience, although that is a factor...but because as women get older, they begin to have reduced estrogen levels and increased testosterone levels...the 'killer' instinct becomes easier to acheive.
When I hit the 'zone', there is nothing that can get me back out of it, except me. I don't hear anything, I don't even know there is anyone else in the room...it's just me and the table and the fluidity of moving from one ball to the next. I am seeing just the object ball, and it's path not only to the pocket, but INTO the pocket.

As far as men having a better ability to see things in 3D...any women who has spent any time sewing, or even designing their own patterns, knows visualization in 3D.

I also find it very interesting upon reading this thread, that the majority of the posts addressed have been those made by men. It's like the womans' voice is being ignored here. No matter, we're used to it, and it is precisely that attitude that makes women all the more dangerous....you simply do not take us seriously. Works for me, I love playing arrogant, young bucks...I will take the game 95% of the time. I am patient and I don't 'rattle'... you make a mistake, and I am going to go after you like a barricuda!

I am by no means an arrogant person. I have just worked very hard at my game and am now at the point where I have 'confidence' in my abilities. And that may well be the one area that men may have the advantage, overall, against women in pool...confidence.

Lisa

 

[tom haney]

I for one think you are right.

The top women are an
exception. Most women get caught up in details
and it is difficult to get into a zone when you are
doublethinking everything. The majority of the women
I've played start out by saying " you're going to give
me a chance, aren't you?' Then they play defense
the rest of the way while trying to talk you out of
shots & hoping you scratch. It's rarely a shootout
when I play women. They LIMIT themselves by trying
to con their opponent. JMO.

This is a discussion on the different perceptions people have of whats going on.

I should say, "why women cant play pool as well as men", but... I dont think we need to be sexist here, women cant play as good as eunics or multigendered people either. Here is why... (ok, ok, I'm JK ladies)

Women have a different perspective of reality, they cannot percieve the table or the balls as they are. In other words they dont see the "now". They are usually thinking about what COULD happen OR what HAS happened.
They also have a much harder time getting "In the zone". Women are constantly thinking, second guessing themselves, and looking for others approval. All of these deny them of "zoning in".

How many of you posters can get in the "zone"; in which you just have to stare at the object ball, never looking at the cue ball (besides from your peripheral vision); even when your setting up, and you dont have to KNOW anything you just have to go through the motions?
For me its like my peripheral vision expands to the edges of the table, so no matter what Im looking at on the table, I see all of the table. This allows me to fully understand the physics of a shot without thinking about anything.

Anyway, this post isnt just about bashing women (just a catchy title). I would be interested to know how everyone else here sees, or perceives the table when in dead stroke; do any of you notice a difference from when you start warming up, to the time your in dead stroke?.
I am the SOFA KING we Tod id man.

 

[Solartje]

there are less woman then man in the top 50 cuz there are just less girls playing. less girls playing = less % chance to find a female efren reyes. thats all. dont think it counts as a argument.

the only thing a girl has a disadvantage is the stand. there breasts are in the way (if they are big sized). check my post on jen's side of the forum.

girls dont got that macho feeling, that makes them angry and miss balls if they are losing vs a lesser player.

girls rock,
girls own,
i love them,
i hate them,
but most of all, i cant live without them.

big xxx to all the lady's out there, respect from solly

 

[Jaden]

I understand completely.

I think part of the reason why women are playing catch-up
is because of sports psychology. Boys and men learn basic
psychology in sports that is needed to win, and they adjacently
apply this to new sports they try. This gives them a leg up
on girls and women, because women have not been as competitive
in sports in the past. Now, girls are competing in their own sports
more, and more and more mixing it up with men in the same sport,
either in practice or competition. The girls are catching up today,
and they are learning how to overcome their weaknesses in a
particular sport, making them more competitive. But, I do notice
that the better and better women become in Pool, the more they
shoot like men players, part of that reason is they are mastering
the psychology involved, and henceforth, the execution of it.

My opinion of women players has changed a little over the years.
Back in 1971-72, I was working in a Pool room part time in Houston
and going to college. Dorothy Wise and her boyfriend came in.
The boyfriend was playing the draw, and Dorothy was the hammer.
I watched them go through a couple of guys, and then they approached me to play. I played the boyfrined, on a big table, first and I won 2 little sets,
and then I got the game from them for Dorothy to play me. I accepted
the offer, and played her. I was aware that she had just won a BIG
tournament in Vegas, but didn't really keep up with women's Pool at
the time. Long story short, I took $400 off of her, and she quit.
They left shortly after that. So that experience has shaped my opinion
about women's Pool for quite a few years.

My experience from pool playing women doesn't quite go that far back. It's more from the nineties. In the mid nineties I would've put myself up against any woman player although I had an aversion. for those of you who saw the thread where I posted what happened to my game about 9-10 years ago I guess now, you might know what I'm referring to. It wasn't anything to do with women and pool so much as relationships and me, but I'm getting off subject here. I have noticed in the last feq years that it appears that the discrepancies between women and men players has lessened, but most of that is based on TV and that can be completely misleading.

Allow me to explain why. If say the Women's tour uses looser pockets or the televised version is edited, anyone who's watched it live and then watched it on tv later knows what I'm referring to here, then the public perception and the actual performance difference can be completely different.

Now, the actual experience. I haven't played any pro women players, so I can't say for sure how good they necesarily are and for what I'm about to say I wish that I could remember names. This happened a couple of years ago.

For a couple of years I played out of or rather practiced out of College billiards in San Diego. Anyone who's been there knows that it is, or atleast was until recently, a road hustlers nightmare, i.e. LOTS of excellent players.

No chumps or very few anyways. I was practicing one day and there were a couple of women pros playing $500 a set in the table next to me, I don't know names sorry. One was asian and one was a bullish looking woman.

Well, I occasionally break nineball from center and was doing so at the time and the bullish one said "You break like a girl", obviously trying to goad me into a game. "I think she had just lost" I just continued to play. Then a little while later she says "You know what you could do to play better?"

And me being the occasional smart ass replied, " Yeah...., I could try." She replied, "Most people don't think you should practice without trying" Then I went on to break and run the next three racks. She didn't say another word.

 

[allie]

Is this thread really about the nature/nurture argument regarding men and women's differences in pool?

As far as being in the 'zone,' isn't that just pure concentration you are talking about? Who is to say that women cannot concentrate just as intensely as men? One could actually argue that pool requires being able to multi-task (do you know where your feet are placed, is your arm in alignment, are you gripping your cue too tight, stay down, keep your eye on the ball, follow through,where does the cue ball need to go, what english do you need, etc), and it has been said by many that women are actually better at multi-tasking.

I think a few touched on this already, but what the heck, here goes anyway:

1. Men in general start playing at a much earlier age than women. (Do you think Tiger Woods would play as well if he had first hit a golf ball at the age of 21?)

2. Men spend way more time in the poolroom than men. Just look around. Whether they are actually hitting balls or just watching (and I definitely believe you can learn so much from observing), they invest more time. I don't know about everyone else but I know way more poolroom male 'bums' than women 'bums'. With the exception of maybe six women that I know, all of those who don't hold down a job and hang out in poolrooms all day are men.

3. The sheer numbers and percentages of men to women in the poolroom is staggering. The larger the pool from which to draw talent, the greater number of 'better' players there will be. If you had to bet on a high school football team, would you rather place your money on a school with say 3000 students, or one with 300 students?

4. Competitive practice. When I first started playing, there were very very few handicapped or women's tournaments for me to enter. I played in all the open tournaments I could afford, and also gambled. Gambling provided me with the competitive practice that I could not find elsewhere at the time. I actually believe that it was what helped me to improve at a much faster rate than other women. But men in general gamble much more than women...(I don't know if this just means that women are more responsible with money or if men just have more heart)!

Even with so-called differences in perception, are women so far off that we can't see a shot or figure out at all where the cue ball is going? In other words, if it is truly a biological thing with regards to perception, than anyone that lacks male anatomy should not be able to EVER run a rack.

JMHO.

 

[Jaden]

Typical women fashion(J.K.) sensitive.

Is this thread really about the nature/nurture argument regarding men and women's differences in pool?

As far as being in the 'zone,' isn't that just pure concentration you are talking about? Who is to say that women cannot concentrate just as intensely as men? One could actually argue that pool requires being able to multi-task (do you know where your feet are placed, is your arm in alignment, are you gripping your cue too tight, stay down, keep your eye on the ball, follow through,where does the cue ball need to go, what english do you need, etc), and it has been said by many that women are actually better at multi-tasking.

I think a few touched on this already, but what the heck, here goes anyway:

1. Men in general start playing at a much earlier age than women. (Do you think Tiger Woods would play as well if he had first hit a golf ball at the age of 21?)

2. Men spend way more time in the poolroom than men. Just look around. Whether they are actually hitting balls or just watching (and I definitely believe you can learn so much from observing), they invest more time. I don't know about everyone else but I know way more poolroom male 'bums' than women 'bums'. With the exception of maybe six women that I know, all of those who don't hold down a job and hang out in poolrooms all day are men.

3. The sheer numbers and percentages of men to women in the poolroom is staggering. The larger the pool from which to draw talent, the greater number of 'better' players there will be. If you had to bet on a high school football team, would you rather place your money on a school with say 3000 students, or one with 300 students?

4. Competitive practice. When I first started playing, there were very very few handicapped or women's tournaments for me to enter. I played in all the open tournaments I could afford, and also gambled. Gambling provided me with the competitive practice that I could not find elsewhere at the time. I actually believe that it was what helped me to improve at a much faster rate than other women. But men in general gamble much more than women...(I don't know if this just means that women are more responsible with money or if men just have more heart)!

Even with so-called differences in perception, are women so far off that we can't see a shot or figure out at all where the cue ball is going? In other words, if it is truly a biological thing with regards to perception, than anyone that lacks male anatomy should not be able to EVER run a rack.

JMHO.

You blew what was said WAYYYY out of proportion. No one said that women can't run racks. It's been proven that they can. I know several who can. No one said that women can't beat men. I've said in multiple threads multiple times that anyone can beat ANYONE on any given day. That's not what we're saying here at all.

I (capital I), RARELY if ever play for money any more, and most of the tournaments that I have been in within the last ten years have been extremely small. So I wouldn't say anything about fact. In fact I just said that it appears that the disparity is growing smaller by the day! So don't get your panties in a bunch and calm down.

As it stands right now women can't compete with men, maybe that'll change, we're just throwing out possible reasons why it has remained that way up until now. O.K.????

Maybe it's just a matter of fewer women playing, although women participation in cue based sports has gone up dramtically in recent years. Maybe that's also why the disparity between women and men appears to be dwindling. I don't know. I'll play anyone in any game, and sometimes when I can get a stakehorse, I even play for money LOL

 

[allie]

As it stands right now women can't compete with men, maybe that'll change, we're just throwing out possible reasons why it has remained that way up until now. O.K.????

That's all I was trying to do too.

 

[Jaden]

O.k. ....

As it stands right now women can't compete with men, maybe that'll change, we're just throwing out possible reasons why it has remained that way up until now. O.K.????

That's all I was trying to do too.

KEWL

 

[Mr. Wilson]

The physics is the simplist (sic) part of pool.
Your on a flat hard surface; all the balls are the same size, weight, deminsion (sic) (or close enough). There is a limit on the english you can use (being the phisical (sic) dimension of the cueball + throw/deflection.)

Wow. I guess I'm pretty simple.

Stephen Hawkings can use mathematics to postulate the existence of a black hole and how big it would have to be.

Would you mind showing me the equation for the statement you made above?

I'd love to have a theorem with which I could understand the physics of pool at a glance.

 

[5aheadforpinks]

Good discussion.

Henho - Nailed my point on the head. That is what I was talking about and didnt even know it! Men have a better perception of rotating 3-dimensional objects in thier head. When Im not in the zone, I walk up to the OB and look at it to give me a mental perception of how it rolls into the pocket, when Im in the zone, I do not need a visual aid (although I usually look anyway when Im in a tourny because I have a routine).

Evolution of female players? Sorry not valid, women who cannot play pool can still pass on thier non pool-playing DNA. There is no evolution here because they are not excluded from the gene pool.
Social standards may have something to do with it; maybe women feel out of place?
Fact is; the best women player might not have ever picked up a cue in her life due to social upbringing. But that is a moot point, we are only talking about women who try.

NaCIBandit/Cornerman - Exactly! Its about efficiency/endurance not strength... "I played so much pool that day I had to take off my shoes".

Girlone1/Straybullet - you right, I DO know some damn good women pool players; Michelle Rakin is one of the toughest Ive ever seen. But Girlone1... you made one of my points also, your thinking about your opponent..
POOL IS A ONE PLAYER GAME!
This is NOT synchronized swimming, this is NOT dancing; it is ONLY you, all alone in the universe that is shooting; you have control of your future.

Now for ALLIE!!!! - You made my point obvious! That multi-tasking is what im talking about! YOU CANT STOP YOURSELF! ROFLMAO!
I NEVER think about, "(do you know where your feet are placed, is your arm in alignment, are you gripping your cue too tight, stay down, keep your eye on the ball, follow through,where does the cue ball need to go, what english do you need, etc)," EVER!!!!
What you are talking about is muscle memory, not a thought process.
The less you think, the simpler everything becomes. I use the "KISS" system... Keep It Simple Stupid.

Why are most of the female pro players... how you say? "gay"?

 

[ridewiththewind]

Women can't compete with men in pool....football, basketball, golf, baseball, hockey, soccer, track, skiing, snowboarding, surfing...ad infinitum. And the primary reason for that is: it is still a male dominated society...period. Until most recently, men have dominated the money in business...and let's face it, they are the one's pumping the dinero into professional sports. Now, granted, there are some sports that most women will likely not make inroads into, for obvious reasons. But there are other sports where mental skill and accuity have no real bearing on gender...poker comes to mind, as well as pool.
I, personally love to watch professional poker when there are women present. It makes for some very entertaining tv. You can tell that the male players at the table are having a harder time 'reading' the female player than they have 'reading' their male counter-parts.

It could well be that this separation of the sexes in sports boils down to the fact that men just don't understand women...in the boardroom, the bedroom, or the poolroom. And being the analytical types, men tend to fear what they do not understand.

Lisa

 

[Jaden]

visual spatial acuity

Henho - Nailed my point on the head. That is what I was talking about and didnt even know it! Men have a better perception of rotating 3-dimensional objects in thier head. When Im not in the zone, I walk up to the OB and look at it to give me a mental perception of how it rolls into the pocket, when Im in the zone, I do not need a visual aid (although I usually look anyway when Im in a tourny because I have a routine).

Evolution of female players? Sorry not valid, women who cannot play pool can still pass on thier non pool-playing DNA. There is no evolution here because they are not excluded from the gene pool.
Social standards may have something to do with it; maybe women feel out of place?
Fact is; the best women player might not have ever picked up a cue in her life due to social upbringing. But that is a moot point, we are only talking about women who try.

NaCIBandit/Cornerman - Exactly! Its about efficiency/endurance not strength... "I played so much pool that day I had to take off my shoes".

Girlone1/Straybullet - you right, I DO know some damn good women pool players; Michelle Rakin is one of the toughest Ive ever seen. But Girlone1... you made one of my points also, your thinking about your opponent..
POOL IS A ONE PLAYER GAME!
This is NOT synchronized swimming, this is NOT dancing; it is ONLY you, all alone in the universe that is shooting; you have control of your future.

Now for ALLIE!!!! - You made my point obvious! That multi-tasking is what im talking about! YOU CANT STOP YOURSELF! ROFLMAO!
I NEVER think about, "(do you know where your feet are placed, is your arm in alignment, are you gripping your cue too tight, stay down, keep your eye on the ball, follow through,where does the cue ball need to go, what english do you need, etc)," EVER!!!!
What you are talking about is muscle memory, not a thought process.
The less you think, the simpler everything becomes. I use the "KISS" system... Keep It Simple Stupid.

Why are most of the female pro players... how you say? "gay"?

Visual spatial acuity or the ability to mentally project spatial relations between shapes. I.e. the ability to rotate 3d objects in your head.

This is exactly what I was referring to, and it has been well documented that the average man has a better ability in spatial acuity than the average woman. If this is necesary to play great pool, and I say that it is, then this could be a reason why women aren't as good as men at pool.

I really get tired of P.C. crap. "OH let's be CAREFUL what we say we might offend someone!!!" get off of it already. I speak my mind. I might not agree and I might try to be considerate, but I will call it like I see it, and I'll try to back up what I say also.