Just a couple of quick thoughts after watching the streams of the World 9 Ball. While I have had these types of thoughts for a while, I feel more confident in them now after watching the World 9 Ball Tournament.
1. After watching the "best" in the world play at this competition, I am pretty confident that the best players in the United States can hold their own against the rest of the world. In other words, if we had a bigger field of Americans including: Archer, Morris, Mills, Bergman, Hall, Woodward, Duel, Hatch, Oscar, etc……… I think we would be right in the mix with the worlds top competition. So I'm saying, I don't think we are as far behind the world as I believed before watching the international competition. This isn't a slam to the international competitors, but a statement about our players.
2. Its sad that we don't have some type of a system that helps to promote/fund our top players to play international events. I do recognize that getting that type of experience would be beneficial for our players to reach top form because it would put them in challenging situations mentally etc….. at that level the game is much more mental than physical, everybody is better than the table… the question is are you better than your opponent.
3. Finally, I think the lack of funding etc…. is what hinders our players much more than a talent deficit compared to the rest of the world. In other words, there is very little incentive to practice and improve because there is no long term reward in the minds of the players. I remember when the IPT kicked up, it brought a lot of players out of retirement (semi) because it gave them a reason to practice/play.
4. I think there are some good things happening in the United States right now that is getting overlooked a little. For example, I think the reason the Filipino players players have progressed so much is based on their cultural context. In other words, there is a pecking order in their country that drives them to climb to the top (within their country). This creates a situation where people are trying to climb the ladder and knock Dennis or Efren off etc….. This forces the guys at the top to stay sharp and the guys at the bottom something to aspire towards. So, the internal competition is the driver that propels these players to be the best that they can be, hence they have become one of the best pool cultures in the world (if not the best). I think the same thing could be said from the Chinese players etc… I said that to say this… I see this type of culture developing a little in the United States right now and we are slowly starting to see the fruit of that environment. While the US tournaments are fairly small in comparison, their is a culture of internal competition between guys like Bergman, Woodward, McMinn, etc… that is starting to generate the level of challenge it takes for our players to be driven to be better. I think some of these players have their eyes on Shane thinking that they can catch him etc…. This is the mentality that will increase the level of play in the United States.
Just my thoughts!
1. After watching the "best" in the world play at this competition, I am pretty confident that the best players in the United States can hold their own against the rest of the world. In other words, if we had a bigger field of Americans including: Archer, Morris, Mills, Bergman, Hall, Woodward, Duel, Hatch, Oscar, etc……… I think we would be right in the mix with the worlds top competition. So I'm saying, I don't think we are as far behind the world as I believed before watching the international competition. This isn't a slam to the international competitors, but a statement about our players.
2. Its sad that we don't have some type of a system that helps to promote/fund our top players to play international events. I do recognize that getting that type of experience would be beneficial for our players to reach top form because it would put them in challenging situations mentally etc….. at that level the game is much more mental than physical, everybody is better than the table… the question is are you better than your opponent.
3. Finally, I think the lack of funding etc…. is what hinders our players much more than a talent deficit compared to the rest of the world. In other words, there is very little incentive to practice and improve because there is no long term reward in the minds of the players. I remember when the IPT kicked up, it brought a lot of players out of retirement (semi) because it gave them a reason to practice/play.
4. I think there are some good things happening in the United States right now that is getting overlooked a little. For example, I think the reason the Filipino players players have progressed so much is based on their cultural context. In other words, there is a pecking order in their country that drives them to climb to the top (within their country). This creates a situation where people are trying to climb the ladder and knock Dennis or Efren off etc….. This forces the guys at the top to stay sharp and the guys at the bottom something to aspire towards. So, the internal competition is the driver that propels these players to be the best that they can be, hence they have become one of the best pool cultures in the world (if not the best). I think the same thing could be said from the Chinese players etc… I said that to say this… I see this type of culture developing a little in the United States right now and we are slowly starting to see the fruit of that environment. While the US tournaments are fairly small in comparison, their is a culture of internal competition between guys like Bergman, Woodward, McMinn, etc… that is starting to generate the level of challenge it takes for our players to be driven to be better. I think some of these players have their eyes on Shane thinking that they can catch him etc…. This is the mentality that will increase the level of play in the United States.
Just my thoughts!
