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BGonline.org Forums
OT: BG vs Pool )long post)
Posted By: Pete In Response To: OT: BG vs Pool (Rico)
Date: Sunday, 5 August 2012, at 5:24 a.m.
Rico asked: Which is more difficult?
Taking a new student and getting them to play a 5pt match w PR <2, or
taking a new student and getting them to run a rack in 9-ball ?
What is Rico's definition of a new student? Someone totally new to each game for the very first time or someone with some knowledge and experience and teaching them from there? There is a difference between the two.
I will assume the former. Was never introduced to bg or pocket billiards. And I will assume achieving both results with some constancy. Doing it once is not enough because anyone can get lucky in both disciplines.
In order for the student to learn how to play bg to a sub 2pr or run 9 ball racks he must have a teacher who is capable of doing it him or herself on a consistent basis. This teacher must not only be a great player, but (s)he must be able to teach effectively. The student has to have the mindset to process the game in order to apply the strategies and tactics consistently. And let's assume the student has the proper time to study and practice as if he was going to do this professionally for a living. This last point is very important. If (s)he is to achieve this goal they must put in the time to do it.
Both games require discipline, confidence, balls of steel, and the ability to handle extreme pressure.
BG is purely a mental game. A person without hands can play bg as long as they have the mental capacity. Pocket Billiards is both mental and physical. A player must have a solid stance, fluid stroke, and the eye sight to play pool along with the mental capacity. This in itself makes pocket billiards a harder game to play.
The bg player, if they have the mental capacity can work with the teacher and the aid of a bot to become an effective player with a very low pr in time. I dont have to explain to the bg players in this forum what one must learn to be a great player. You know that already. However, if you are not an accomplished pocket billiards player then perhaps you do not know what is required to play and run 9 ball racks.
The pocket billiards player must first learn the physical aspects of the game before learning the mental parts of the game. A solid stance and a fluid mechanical stroke the can be repeated every time the player gets over a shot without fail. The player must learn how to pocket balls without missing. Then the player must learn the physics of the game; how spin on the cue ball effects the object ball, how distance between the cue ball and the object ball magnifies flaws in the mechanics of the stroke, and a vast shot selection of force shots, kiss shots, carom shots, combination shots, bank shots, the diamond system, and believe me I can keep going discussing room conditions, table conditions such as cloth, rails, and player equipment. Mind you these are only the physical aspects of the game that is not part of bg. BG as I said earlier is not a physical game.
After all this, the pocket billiards player must learn and practice drills for at least 8hrs a day to understand cue ball control and develop a feel that must be able to be repeated with every shot. What good is pocketing balls if you cannot put the cue ball where you want it to make the next ball? Let the cue ball stop 1/2 roll before you wanted it to stop and it could be the difference is running a rack and sitting back down in the chair.
The pocket billiards player must learn how to break a 9 ball rack in order to leave the cue ball in the center of the table and have a shot on the 1 ball. Oh yeah there is also one more point, they must pocket a ball on the break to continue playing. Without this you are not running a rack with any kind of consistency.
And finally after all this has been learned the pocket billiards player is ready to learn cue ball to object ball angles and run out patterns.
(S)he is now ready to play 9 ball and have some success at hoping to run a rack from the break.
I do not know if a sub 2pr for bg is fair or not. Only you guys can determine that. For me, having played pocket billiards on a high level I know what it takes to learn to run a rack from first being a new student to the game. You can have all the mental capacity in the world but if you cannot perform physically you will not run a rack.
To prove my point how hard it is to run 9 ball racks from scratch I will bet any player (non road players or top pro players) they will not break and run out. They can keep trying as much as they like. At the end of the day I will walk away with a suitcase full of money.
For me, given equal students with the mental capacity to play both games and the effort it takes to learn the games, I would say it’s harder for the pocket billiards player than the bg player. And this is true only if the sub 2pr is realistic.
Pete
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