[Banger]

Seems sort of like a Catch-22 situation. I mean, if everyone takes their "deep knowledge" of the game to the grave, then we will never know if this "deep knowledge" ever existed. Thus, we can only speculate.

Far out man.....this philosophy stuff is deep.

[straightline]

My take on deep knowledge is having to play guys that leave nothing for racks on end. Thankfully I don't have to actually face this enigma. I do recall a guy they call Box on POV pool talking 1P strategy almost in terms of terrain and emphasizing concepts like the wedge around the back pockets as focal strategic options.
Little too deep for me.

[CocoboloCowboy]

Originally Posted by Banger

Seems sort of like a Catch-22 situation. I mean, if everyone takes their "deep knowledge" of the game to the grave, then we will never know if this "deep knowledge" ever existed. Thus, we can only speculate.

Far out man.....this philosophy stuff is deep.

In 2020 we have so much information available to help you play poolbetter. Books, DVD's Instructors, Learnig AIDS, and even U-Tube that is almost free.

Problem is even with all this information people hate to practice, people hate the word work. People want some gizmo that will turn them into a world class player without practicing, or working on build their skills.

Truth is most people who are in the top teer of any sports, if you see how they got to be great, or best at something. Most worked real hard to achieve the high level, or greatness.

Sorry people there is no Magic Pill you can take every a.m., between 6-7 am to make you a great at,___________________ fill in the blank.


JMHO.

[overlord]

Of course there is deep knowledge and whenever you see a group of top Pinoys in a pool room they are discussing the game and the various strategies and tactics.

[sjm]

Originally Posted by lfigueroa

Do you believe there is such a thing as "deep knowledge" when it comes to pool?

I mean, stuff not found in books or generally discussed? Certainly not the science. More like the knowledge that great players come to learn after years of study, practice and experimentation, hand down from father to son, hoard, maybe occasionally share amongst themselves, and eventually take to their graves.

What say you?

Lou Figueroa

I think there may be almost as much deep knowledge as there is common knowledge. Even at the pro level, there are big gaps in the quality of shot design, and those with the deep knowledge have an advantage that surfaces several times in a typical match.

Sometimes, deep knowledge utilized is barely even noticed by either viewers or commentators. For example, certain types of two way shots seem to be the sole domain of the Filipino contingent, and the rest of the world hasn't caught up yet. Such shots are a good example of using deep knowledge in an innovative way.

There is also a lot of deep knowledge that pertains to the kicking game --- subtleties in the use of spin speed and angle to open up some additional possible good results.

Giving oneself subtle extra chances through extraordinary shot design is one of the trademarks of the elite few, and it's a consequence of superior deep knowledge, a comprehension of the game that exceeds anything ever written about the game. In the case of Efren, we called such shots "magic", but he's hardly the only one that saw extra chances by applying deep knowledge of everything going on at the pool table.

In my view, deep knowledge applies to practically every game played on a pool table.

I feel a 1,000 page book could be written called "pool theory that has never been documented in the game's history."

[MattPoland]

I think there’s a few things that come to mind.

1) There’s no knowledge to be passed down that can’t be earned on the table.

2) There’s nothing that can be earned solely by being told

3) A competitive circle is required to continuously show what’s possible and inspire you to accomplish the same (this may be family)

4) You can get great at very minute facets of the game by committing to the ideal that those facets can be mastered

5) Nobody is going to be the best in the world without starting their path to be a world beater at a very young age (something about brain development)

In other words, there is deep knowledge. It can be passed on through exposure and accomplishment but not passed on purely as information.


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[sjm]

Originally Posted by MattPoland

I think there’s a few things that come to mind.

1) There’s no knowledge to be passed down that can’t be earned on the table.

2) There’s nothing that can be earned solely by being told

3) A competitive circle is required to continuously show what’s possible and inspire you to accomplish the same (this may be family)

4) You can get great at very minute facets of the game by committing to the ideal that those facets can be mastered

5) Nobody is going to be the best in the world without starting their path to be a world beater at a very young age (something about brain development)

In other words, there is deep knowledge. It can be passed on through exposure and accomplishment but not passed on purely as information.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Wow, great post! Well reasoned and well presented.

[Tin Man]

I believe there is.

I'm sure there are many things about the game I don't know. To date whenever I spend time with a great player I pick something up. Sometimes it is a rare 'one off' situation like a one pocket move or a better way to kick. Dr. Dave's 2 kick video clarified a few adjustments I wasn't making correctly on that system and I am feeling more confident than ever. Other times there are serious boosts. I trained with Neight Mindham last weekend and while he came to train with me he showed me some things that immediately helped both my elevated shots as well as my power shots. This was black and white. I was able to consistently draw the ball two diamonds further than before, and I was able to get much further off the rail on shots down the rail with a flat angle. Jesse Engle and I talk often and I have picked up a lot of little things from him as well.

Meanwhile I have some understandings of pattern play that most players don't see. The more I teach the more I see it clearly and the better I get at explaining it. The general idea is that while there are many ways to move the cue ball from point A to point B, some are far easier to execute and far more consistent in terms of cue ball direction and speed. Those are my core shots. I've found a group of core shots that accommodate 95%+ of my needs in terms of cue ball transitions provided that I set my self up for them.

It's like when a beginner plays they shoot balls but don't play shape so have many hard shots. They'll never be consistent. But then they learn to play shape and the shots are easier to make. Well, I have a group of core shots that I lean on, and I play shape so that I ONLY use those shots to get through the rack. Now, this is super tough to do because it requires great cue ball positioning, but the great news is that because I always have easy shots with core shot transitions, I am usually confident about making my ball and I am using a shot that is really easy to control, so I am actually able to do this.

I've talked about this when I watch Ralf play. You hardly notice it because it just looks so natural and they aren't tricky shots. But I am super dialed in on this stuff right now. When you watch a player you can learn a lot about how they read the table. Their choices of whether to accept a difficult shot or risk moving the cue ball, whether they risk shooting hard to force the cue ball off the rail from a flat angle or whether they shoot the next shot half elevated, whether they risk getting hooked to get closer with a better angle or whether they lean on a stroke shot. Every decision tells you a ton about how that player weighs percentages. When I watch Ralf play I see what he is doing and what he is choosing not to do and what looks boring to so many players is mesmerizing to me. JL Chang as well.

So yes, learning which positional shots are the most consistent, learning the subtleties of those shots, and learning how to connect them to navigate through racks with minimum necessary force (keeping them as easy as possible) is my passion. I'm not the best in the world at it but I understand it. And when I watch anyone non-elite play they look silly. Just like a beginner that shoots the one ball then looks around to see where the two ball is looks silly to everyone here, I see people accepting and trying things so difficult in their run outs I ache in compassion for their struggles. But they've seen the videos and know the shots and on their best days they run tables so they think they know how to play. To them it's because they have a job, or lack talent, or they have poor fundamentals that they can't play more consistently. But they need to not just play shape for their next shot, but to play shape for their shape.

That rant over, I'll say I do wonder how much more I'm missing. I enjoy where I'm at and what I'm able to do at the table, but it's such a rich game I just love it when the pieces come together more and more clearly.

[Charlie Hustle]

Corey Deuel def comes to mind. Even watching his matches today, I learn something that I've never would shoot at myself. And I've been playing for 20 years or so. If I recall correctly, he recently kicked into a cluster of 2 or 3 frozen balls playing 8 ball, and the way the ball reacted to the cluster, it shot straight into the side pocket. I would have never seen that ball reacting the way it did. Now this may not be deep knowledge for most advanced players, but lets just put it this way, you don't see too many guys, if not very few shooting shots like that.

[lfigueroa]

Some really great, well thought out posts -- thank you to all.

So yes, I believe there's much deep knowledge out there. That's why Earl can describe a certain technique that a player will use on an up coming shot, or why a 14.1 or 1pocket specialist can accurately predict what the player will select to do when there are multiple choices but really only one correct choice.

Many years ago I was hanging out with JoeyA and he set up a particular shot and showed me something that a pro, who shall remain nameless (BH), showed him with the caveat of not spreading it around. And I was surprised because the answer to the question, "How would you choose to shoot this shot?" wasn't obvious but once shown and explained, one way was clearly preferable to the other.

I also believe there are techniques that fall under the category of "deep knowledge" because they are not self-evident and are only learned after literally years spent on the table with a keen eye and a lot of self-awareness.

So what I think this means is that if you have access to an actual or potential mentor you should try to become a student, if you trust what they might have to share. And maybe that topic is best for a separate thread.

Lou Figueroa

[The_JV]

What exactly qualifies as "deep knowledge"..?

When I first started reading the thread, the first things that popped to mind were those shots that the vast majority don't consider for their arsenal. Like flattening out a cut by throwing the OB with inside, or hopping the edge of a obstruction with the OB by jacking up on the cueball.... things of that nature. ...But then that's not really deep knowledge if you're exposed to those shots early on I suppose.

I believe deep knowledge exists but in imo it is solely in the realm of shot selection and/or pattern play. I'd also venture to say that that the deepest part of it is in safety play. Usually this is the last aspect of the game that people embrace. I'll include the "two way" shots mentioned early in this category.

[Pete]

I think there is. Wish I knew and understood it...

[xradarx]

Deep knowledge is an in-depth conversation and not for those in a hurry. One might pick up a tidbit here and there from posted articles and commit it to memory for recall when necessary. It is usually for sale in some form or fashion in the market place. To place it openly in a forum, would likely be seen as plagiarism.

[sjm]

Originally Posted by Tin Man

I believe there is.

I'm sure there are many things about the game I don't know. To date whenever I spend time with a great player I pick something up. Sometimes it is a rare 'one off' situation like a one pocket move or a better way to kick. Dr. Dave's 2 kick video clarified a few adjustments I wasn't making correctly on that system and I am feeling more confident than ever. Other times there are serious boosts. I trained with Neight Mindham last weekend and while he came to train with me he showed me some things that immediately helped both my elevated shots as well as my power shots. This was black and white. I was able to consistently draw the ball two diamonds further than before, and I was able to get much further off the rail on shots down the rail with a flat angle. Jesse Engle and I talk often and I have picked up a lot of little things from him as well.

Meanwhile I have some understandings of pattern play that most players don't see. The more I teach the more I see it clearly and the better I get at explaining it. The general idea is that while there are many ways to move the cue ball from point A to point B, some are far easier to execute and far more consistent in terms of cue ball direction and speed. Those are my core shots. I've found a group of core shots that accommodate 95%+ of my needs in terms of cue ball transitions provided that I set my self up for them.

It's like when a beginner plays they shoot balls but don't play shape so have many hard shots. They'll never be consistent. But then they learn to play shape and the shots are easier to make. Well, I have a group of core shots that I lean on, and I play shape so that I ONLY use those shots to get through the rack. Now, this is super tough to do because it requires great cue ball positioning, but the great news is that because I always have easy shots with core shot transitions, I am usually confident about making my ball and I am using a shot that is really easy to control, so I am actually able to do this.

I've talked about this when I watch Ralf play. You hardly notice it because it just looks so natural and they aren't tricky shots. But I am super dialed in on this stuff right now. When you watch a player you can learn a lot about how they read the table. Their choices of whether to accept a difficult shot or risk moving the cue ball, whether they risk shooting hard to force the cue ball off the rail from a flat angle or whether they shoot the next shot half elevated, whether they risk getting hooked to get closer with a better angle or whether they lean on a stroke shot. Every decision tells you a ton about how that player weighs percentages. When I watch Ralf play I see what he is doing and what he is choosing not to do and what looks boring to so many players is mesmerizing to me. JL Chang as well.

So yes, learning which positional shots are the most consistent, learning the subtleties of those shots, and learning how to connect them to navigate through racks with minimum necessary force (keeping them as easy as possible) is my passion. I'm not the best in the world at it but I understand it. And when I watch anyone non-elite play they look silly. Just like a beginner that shoots the one ball then looks around to see where the two ball is looks silly to everyone here, I see people accepting and trying things so difficult in their run outs I ache in compassion for their struggles. But they've seen the videos and know the shots and on their best days they run tables so they think they know how to play. To them it's because they have a job, or lack talent, or they have poor fundamentals that they can't play more consistently. But they need to not just play shape for their next shot, but to play shape for their shape.

That rant over, I'll say I do wonder how much more I'm missing. I enjoy where I'm at and what I'm able to do at the table, but it's such a rich game I just love it when the pieces come together more and more clearly.

Nice post encapsulating that the deep knowledge is out there but that you have to make a special effort over a long period of time, paying more attention to the details of shot design than all but a few ever have if you expect to attain much of it.

When it comes to the shot planning process in pool, keeping it simple, one gradually comes to realize, actually is stupid. The most insightful players, as you wisely point out with regard to Ralf Souquet, only look like they are keeping it simple, but there are more ingredients in their decision making processes than meets the eye.

As you suggest, watching the masters is your best shot, but you have to have the passion to study and review all aspects of how they go about their business. To your credit, you have it, and that's why your comprehension of the game's finest points continues to develop so impressively.

[Black-Balled]

Originally Posted by MattPoland

I don’t think he was talking about new knowledge. I think he was talking about hidden secrets passed on from master to apprentice over the ages. Like the dragon scroll in Kung Fu Panda.


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I think he was talking about if I actuall knew the fantastic shot I claimed to.

It was a brilliant post, any way you look at it.