realpooltalk
realpooltalk is a blog, written by Marco Tschudi, that talks about various subjects and issues of the world of pool billiard. There is no intention to discredit any players but some might be included in an example to show a certain deficit.
Donnerstag, 19. Januar 2012
I Need A Dollar
So this blog is called realpooltalk and if you don't like to hear the „other“ truth you might want to exit now.
To be honest, the first thing that happened after I read the articles on AZBilliards was me having a big smile on my face. On one hand I mentioned in previous blogs the lack of activity by the BCA as the governing body of the American pool. On the other hand the details of the articles made me think of the „CEO quality“ inside the BCA itself as an organization.
Let me add the articles so everybody is updated on the topic:
2012 Official Contributor to International Competition Opportunity Overview
The Billiard Congress of America is requesting the support of association member companies who recognize the significance of supporting international competition.
As the North American representative to the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), the Billiard Congress of America is the governing body for cue sports in North America. As such, the Billiard Congress of America plays an active role in international competition, including the player selection process for international events, rules and specifications issues, supporting and overseeing international events in North America and participating in timely topics paramount to the sports and the industry.
In the future, the Billiard Congress of America would also like to identify strategies for providing American player travel stipends for international events.
Partnership Opportunity: Demonstrate your company's support of international competition by supporting the Billiard Congress of America's membership in the WPA.
(read all...)
I really think it's time that the BCA is trying to find a way to support their pros. The pros that pull junior players into the world of pool. Pros that are icons and pros that dedicate(d) themselves to a sport due to their love towards this wonderful game. They travel around the globe hoping to perform well enough to finance their next trips.
That the BCA is behind on tasks is a sure thing. The Asian countries like Japan and Taiwan, Iran and Qatar, European countries like the Netherlands, Croatia, Austria and many more send their players to the World Championships (WC), paying for their hotel expenses, airfares and sometimes even add some pocket money for the trip in the name of their countries. That big pool nations like the USA and Germany is not able to provide the same treatment for their representatives is a shame! I have to add that most European countries are also supporting their players 100% when they play under the national flag at the European Championships (EC) which usually cost each federation somewhere between $20'000-80'000 per year (all categories; girls, pupils, juniors, women, men, seniors and wheelchair). So the costs for the Wcs is just an add on the list.
“But how do they all do that” you might be wondering right now. It's not about how they do it, it's about how the BCA is NOT DOING it. The biggest pool nation in Europe is Germany with around 40'000 pool players. This includes all players that actually join any kind of competitive pool event. Other countries like Switzerland have somewhere around 200 players. They all manage it, some better than the other, to have a business concept to get the money together for the mentioned positions (WCs and EC) in the budget.
But let's do some math at this point:
An average WC per player costs around $1'500-2'000 for the airfare, $250 for the entry fee and about $500 (double rooms). There are WC in 8ball, 9ball and 10ball, so three events per year. That equals costs of $2'500 x 3 (events) = $7'500 per player. So if the BCA wants to send only three players to all events they would need to get at least 23 companies to sign up for this contribution offer because none of them will pay more than asked, that's for sure.
… CSI has also committed $1,000 towards the BCA goal.
Please see press release in news column on front page.
This compliments what CSI as been preaching for a long time.
Who else will step forward?
Mark Griffin
(http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=260719)
On one side I think: well, which company wouldn't pay 1K for that? If I was a registered company with my blog I probably would do it since it's maybe the cheapest way to be a sponsor of the pro squad of a whole pool nation! On the other side I just have to question the value of the product I am investing in. Companies invest, they don't donate money. They want exposure and ads so they can refinance their invest to at least a certain percentage. It doesn't have to be money that comes back. Sponsorships are always tough to valuate. But why would I invest in a product that is valuated so small by it's owner? Let's have Andy Roddick call a serious company asking for $5'000 in sponsorship – answer: no, thanks. Let him ask the same company for $5mio – answer: let's talk about it.
To me this action by the BCA is comparable with a guy on the intersection asking for a dollar! Some give one to feel good for the rest of the day. Most people ignore him. Some people have pity and some people think “he should have been doing his homework”!
As I did question the WPA I questioned the BCA a few times in the last 2 years. This “governing” body of the biggest pool nation in the world seems to be run by a board that tries to avoid work: “We need money to support our pros?... Let's find people that give it to us”. That's not a solution. Sponsorships money should be an add for a federation and not the base on which something is built. The BCA has so many players, pool halls and industry contacts – they should definitely be able to raise a system with which they have enough cash flow that allows them to finance the pros. But to reach anything like that you NEED TO WORK! You can not just sell your ad space, hoping for good and pat yourself on the back. You need to build up assets and a system that is stable and sustainable without being reliant on the generosity of the industry itself. Once you reached this goal the time has come to strive for more... but that's a long way to go!
Side notes:
I also wonder when the BCA is actually also posting this “great news” on their website. They must have known before AZBilliards did... right? ;)
Is the money the industry puts in the pro players restricted to the male pros? Who would get the subsidy? To which events? Do the players have a code of conduct?
Dienstag, 13. Dezember 2011
Technique matters
Montag, 28. November 2011
The Color of Money
- 64 player field
- 8 groups of 8 players in the first stage
- 1st stage:
- round robin
- 45 minute play time max or best of 17 games
- just the games won and not the match won counted
- “Magic Rack” in use
- 2nd stage:
- single knockout last 16
- the promoter/poolhall can follow an exact time schedule
- players also have an exact time schedule
- the Amateurs can play at least 7 matches
- slow play doesn’t punish the average players that would have to wait but will punish the slow player himself.
- “Magic Rack” to avoid loss of time
- every game counts – never a reason to give up
- race to 7 max in the group stages to avoid the hectic atmosphere of rushing your play
- a match won is 3 extra points, while a draw match is 1 extra point for each player
Freitag, 8. Juli 2011
Back to the Roots!
I am proud to announce this new article written by realpooltalk's first "guest writer". First I knew him as one of Europe's finest players, then as the pool instructor that changed so many people's game with "Modern Pool" and the PAT-system. And now Ralph Eckert came together with realpooltalk to release this article. At this point I'd like to thank Mr. Eckert for his interest and support for this blog but also for the pool world. Enjoy it!
Should you be interested in Mr. Eckert's books you can contact him directly by visiting his webiste. Some cover example:
only available in German |
Tremendous changes in table size specifications were made in 1949! How about going back to those roots?
Hasn’t it just been announced in the January 2008 edition of the Billiards Digest that 9-Ball had died? Soft-breaks, rack machines, break zones, tapping and alternate break, all being cited as reasons for declaring the fall of this discipline, are only causes to some extent.
Now I would just like to iterate once more what already has been published in detail. Tournament hosts wanted the hard breaks, but due to new triangles or the tapping of the tables, the hard breaks were not necessary any more. Of course, the players immediately switched to soft breaks. No need to say that the professional players, training on a good (hard) break over years, complained about losing this advantage they had worked on for such a long time!
Then the first reactions were rule-modifications to enforce the hard break. So the break box was established (mostly in the USA), the triangle was moved up a bit above the spot (WC 2001 and Euro Tour 2008) and the rule of how many balls must cross the headline after the break (Euro Tour 2007) was modified. Not to mention the decrease of the actual intended pocket size, that organizers initiated (WC 2005)! As a result of that, the WPA specifications were re-mediated afterwards. All these changes ought to make the break (like above) along with the game (tight pockets) more challenging.
More challenges, also to avoid the shoot-out of whole matches, were significant for the increase of the playing abilities. It probably would have looked too easy in handling and too boring in TV, just watching one player at the table, leaving no chance for the opponent to show his competence.
Accordingly, the change of break had been put to test. Not the winner of a game was able to make the next break, but the player who's turn it was – either after each or after three games.
“The Billiard Encyclopedia” by Victor Stein & Paul Rubino (from 1994)
Donnerstag, 16. Juni 2011
Pool - what a sport
Samstag, 21. Mai 2011
Dog Eat Dog
”I think this post is the bottom line.
Corey was forfeited under much worse circumstances...
..his match was changed after he checked...
..that was the time he threw a punch at CW.
He had showed well before the time posted.
Why should he take the worst of it both ways?”
- entry fee: 500.-
- added money: 50'000.-
- field: 128
- total purse: 114'000.-
- average invest: 500.-
- average profit: 890.-
- entry fee: 500.-
- added money: 50'000.-
- field: 128
- total purse: 114'000.-
- average accommodation costs: 250.-
- average travel costs: 500.-
- food and drinks: 100.-
- average invest: 1350.-
- average loss: 460.-
Sonntag, 8. Mai 2011
Dress-Up and play
Having played many tournaments in Europe and also in the US I have realized a huge difference in the appearance of the players at tournaments. While in Europe you have to be dressed in black trousers (no jeans), black shoes and a shirt with a collar for most tournaments. However, even in regional tournaments you can play in shorts, flip-flops and a tank top in the US. And to be honest – I like both sides. On one hand it is kind of cool to be dressed-up nicely and representing the sport as serious and clean. On the other hand it is also not only nice but especially comfortable to wear whatever you want to do your hobby. So as a player I have two opinions about whether I should be able to feel comfortable only or if I also want to represent my sport to the, sometimes only a hand full, spectators.
A very interesting observation is that people that are dressed-up for the competition not only play more serious but are also more successful. In my opinion this has a lot to do with the subconsciousness of the players, the dressed-up one as well as his opponent. “Clothes make the man” and this is also the case in sports. When Rafael Nadal came up he suddenly had that huge left biceps and of course also showed it. And it is even the same with cars – you can see the front light of a Porsche 911 in your rear mirror for just a part of a second and you instinctively get out of his way. And I strongly believe it is quite the same in pool.
Secondly it gives you as a player an extra boost because you feel better and more confident! By this the effect doubles and increases the gap between you and your competitor. And hey, if this is what it takes to have your rival missing one or two extra shots – I definitely will go with that! Or as one of the pool industry's slogan says: “looks can kill!”
The reason why I brought up with this subject right now is the recent tournament in Dallas, the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship. The promoter decided that the dress code is more strict than 99% of all the other events. With the vest added to the DC it all came close to the snooker style. While some players complained “that is soo European!” other players told me their experience over the tournament as following: “I never had that many compliments about my outfit during a pool tournament in my whole life as in the last two days of the competition.”
This leads me to the last part of this post: representing our sport!
The times of pool in a smoky back-door pool hall are close to being over, there is less gambling than ever and pool players around the world took the “game” a level up and made it a “sport” over the last decade. I really call out to everyone out there – let's enjoy our sport, let's enjoy the game and let's dress up. It is our duty to give our sport this new image and also represent it to the spectators and public. Of course it is comfortable to wear a loose shirt with baggy pants but this will never make anyone from other industries, neither TV channels nor producers, really investing money in pool.
POOL IS COOL – BE SMART, DRESS UP!