Women vs: men players

[HBC]

An interesting question came up at my league last week when one of the players asked if women could "play as good as men" at the elete level. A friend of mine said no, however, I don't think I'm so sure. It may work out that way because there are a lot more men in the game at a young age. However, I think that if the same number of men and women played, that there may be as many good women players as men and that they'd be competitive. It doesn't seem to me that in pool (unlike most sports) a women would be at a disadvantage. Has anyone ever seen this discussed from the sports science point of view? Would anyone agree?

[Bruce]

I know the women are a lot nicer to look at. :wink:

[Bruce]

I know the women are a lot nicer to look at. :wink:
Hmmm, I notced that as well! And they have an active pro tour.

[Kokopuffs]

Yeah, I think that women are nicer to look at , too. I just can't seem to figure out why!

[mcneguy]

Not all of them are nicer to look at....Anyway..I think that only issue a woman would have is height, having to stretch out to reach a long shot on a 9' table

[Bruce]

WOW, I see we now have two Bruces. Hello Bruce. :D

[Kokopuffs]

Listen McNeguy, open your eyes. All women look the same in bed!

[sellis]

An interesting question came up at my league last week when one of the players asked if women could "play as good as men" at the elete level. A friend of mine said no, however, I don't think I'm so sure. It may work out that way because there are a lot more men in the game at a young age. However, I think that if the same number of men and women played, that there may be as many good women players as men and that they'd be competitive. It doesn't seem to me that in pool (unlike most sports) a women would be at a disadvantage. Has anyone ever seen this discussed from the sports science point of view? Would anyone agree?


As could be expected (what a bunch of dirty old men we are) this thread strayed quickly off topic. Let me try to address the original post I hope there are some women watching this message board so we can start some controversy here. ;-)
I think at this point in our evolution men are just plain superior to women in things athletic. Though I don't consider pool a true sport, it does incorparate enough athletic skills to give men an edge. I saw Karen Corr recently at a local tournament and she was good, very good; but she wasn't good enough to win the whole thing or even consistently beat what I would refer to as "regional pros". She has played on this particular tour quite a bit and though she regularly is in the top 10, she doesn't win.
Is this nature or nurture. Karen Corr and Allison Fischer started playing at very young ages and a lot of men pros didn't start until their mid to late teens. I think it is nature. To begin with men are bigger and stronger giving them an advantage right off the bat on the break. (Sardo tight rack not withstanding) Secondly, I think men just have better hand / eye coordination. Just as I could not have ever been a top pro even if I started at 10 (though I'd be much better, maybe even a shortstop) because I don't have the native athletic gifts, neither can the top women beat the top men unless an evolutionary change happens.
IMHO. Steve.

[Kokopuffs]

Being a chiropractor, I feel that pool and billiards are gender independent. Women play just as well as men in spite of my sexist posts. IMHO, of course. In fact, women make better riflemen than men! (Any U.S. Marines out there?) Why, think of her pelvis; it's taller, allowing the female to rest her elbow on it and shoot all day without fatiguing the arm. Sorry guys.

[Deb]

Hello ya all...I'm the new kid on the board.

I have to say that when it comes to pool playing..men and women are equal. It's not all physical (not the bodies ya perverts :wink: )...Sure Men are "stronger" and can hit ball stronger...it's not the strength...You gotta have stragety right? a game plan..a good defense....those are factors that comes into play all the time and can determine your wins/loses. I know few ladies that can really open a can of whoop ass on the dudes :wink: (I know I ain't one of the few ladies...but hey..I'm getting there..just gotta play more often :P )

Laterz!

Wacky

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[Sid]

Hello Liquibyte,
Welcome to the site.
We have a custom cue maker that does all of our work for us. KJ Simpson of KJ Custom Cues. He has been a local cue maker in our area for quite a while. It is my hope that this summer I will get a section added to the site featuring some of KJ's work not to mention some of the custom stuff he does for us. Till then, drop Rick a call and go over what it is you are looking for. We also have a great many contacts that might be able to help also.

As for the bulliten board. yea, there are some strange things that might be happening but this version of phpBB is still in beta. Once the actual release is out I think it will clear alot up. They have been great to me so far and I think we will wait and see. Besides, way to much work to do it again. :?

[AndyC]

I do believe that there is and always will be a slight difference in how men and women play pool.
Men are a bit more daring in general than women, and i believe that therein lies the advantage.
(Certainly in this country) men and women start to play pool at around the same age, being the age that you can legaly go into a pub and buy a drink and this (i believe) is when most people have their first true pool encounter.
I just fail to see where strength comes into the equation or height for that matter, you just gotta get good with a rest! Look at Jimmy White for example (snooker i know but to emphasise a point these tables are 12 foot long, so anything more than a couple of feet away from a cushion and he is gonna need to use a rest) Even with my girls comparatively weak break i have still seen her sink the 9 off the break any number of times, you just need to ensure a good rack

[9ballgirl]

Andy C--"I do believe that there is and always will be a slight difference in how men and women play pool."

** I believe there is and always will be a slight difference in the way 2 men or 2 women play each other...so I guess I'm missing the point. :?:

AndyC--"Men are a bit more daring in general than women, and i believe that therein lies the advantage."

** Come git ya some...big boy! :twisted:

AndyC--"Certainly in this country) men and women start to play pool at around the same age, being the age that you can legaly go into a pub and buy a drink and this (i believe) is when most people have their first true pool encounter. "

** Well Andy, it's your lucky day. My first encounter was at about the age of 7. My last encounter was yesterday. My next encounter will be in about 2 hours. Would you care to join me? :?:

AndyC--"Even with my girls comparatively weak break "

** Good....bring her too. :P


Liquibyte wrote--"Ever notice that women are nicer to play? I have never watched a woman getting into a fight because of a match. "

** In general yes we are.....but I can shark with the best of them. And I'll fight with anyone who dares to call me out. (I do prefer to keep it a gentlemans game, however.) :)

If I'm playing a man...I play and act more agressive than I would if playing a woman. This is only because most women don't shark. Some of us do...but most don't. (besides, if I can't beat her on the table...I'll arm wrestle her for it. :wink:

Wacky--"I have to say that when it comes to pool playing..men and women are equal. It's not all physical (not the bodies ya perverts )...Sure Men are "stronger" and can hit ball stronger...it's not the strength.."

**This holds true for members of the same sex as well IMO.

Wacky--"You gotta have stragety right? a game plan..a good defense....those are factors that comes into play all the time and can determine your wins/loses."

** I think you hit the nail on the head, my friend. And in the words of Grady Matthews...." Most games are won or lost before you even approach the table" :wink:

Wacky--"I know few ladies that can really open a can of whoop ass on the dudes"

** Me too. Tara Davis, Tammy Jones and even Lonnie from Adrian come to mind.

Wacky--"(I know I ain't one of the few ladies...but hey..I'm getting there."

** Keep playing, you'll do just fine. :)

Wacky--"just gotta play more often"

** You bet! And I hope we meet at the table in the future. I'd love to play ya :D

Sellis--"Let me try to address the original post I hope there are some women watching this message board so we can start some controversy here."

** I'm always up to a good bout of controversy. :twisted:

Sellis--"I think at this point in our evolution men are just plain superior to women in things athletic. Though I don't consider pool a true sport, it does incorparate enough athletic skills to give men an edge."

** I agree to an extent. Football and Hockey are good examples. But that's where our agreement ends. I do consider pool a true sport. Yes, it does incorporate athletic skills. But is that what gives men thee edge? I'd have to say no. I think that physical and mental conditioning is essential to good game play.....This is a feat that's attainable by both sexes.

Don't sell us women too short.

Sellis--"To begin with men are bigger and stronger giving them an advantage right off the bat on the break."

** Have you seen my break? When I'm gaming up with someone who knows me, I'm hard pressed to get the break. The guys would rather give me 2 on the wire or another ridiculous spot, than give me the breaks. 8)


Sellis--"Secondly, I think men just have better hand / eye coordination."

** We really ought to play sometime. :wink:

mcneguy--"Not all of them are nicer to look at....Anyway..I think that only issue a woman would have is height, having to stretch out to reach a long shot on a 9' table"

** I frequently play 9' tables and I stand 5'5''. The way I over come this very valid issue, is in my position play. If I happen to get a bad roll, I use this remarkable invention called a "bridge". You'd be suprised how many balls I can pocket without resorting to "Stretch out to reach a long shot on a 9' table"


HBC--"However, I think that if the same number of men and women played, that there may be as many good women players as men and that they'd be competitive. It doesn't seem to me that in pool (unlike most sports) a women would be at a disadvantage."

** I like your way of thinking HBC. It's all in your game and thee ability to pocket balls.

HBC--"Has anyone ever seen this discussed from the sports science point of view?"

** Well....I've seen it discussed from the diamond system point of view. Does that count? :?:

HBC--"Would anyone agree?"

** Absolutely, but I may be a little biased. :wink:


Great topic guys. I enjoyed your posts. And I hope you enjoyed my sarcastic sense of humor. But all joking aside. I can hang with the best of them.

Well, as a man I can say that I would much rather watch Jeanette Lee :oops: prance around the table than Cory Deuel or Efrin Reyes, but as for quality of play I would say the men still have a slight advantage in the professional class. Just my opinion though :D

Hey, I loved your reply 9ballgirl, especially the humor. We really outta play sometime.

[9ballgirl]

"Hey, I loved your reply 9ballgirl, especially the humor. We really outta play sometime."

I'd love to bang em' around with ya sometime.

Where do you usually play?

I'm pretty flexible, I can travel. No further than Kentucky unless it's for alot of cash though. :D

[dhammis]

I think it may appear that men play better only because there are more men players. One of the things that I love about pool is that it's such a level playing field for all competitors. What other semi-physical activity can you have players ranging from 6 years old to 90 years old, any gender *and* wheelchair bound or handicapped?

On my BCA league there is a british guy who is in his late 60's who has MS and is ranked a 9! He hobbles slowly around the table using his cue as a cane and then gets down and runs the rack on you.

Male or female, tall or short, fat or thin, in a wheelchair or walking tall, pool is the great equalizer. The 8-ball doesn't care.

--Damon

[9ballgirl]

Let's not forget about 9ball though. :wink:

[Easyrider]

A Reyes/Fisher match would be very interesting. I think that the men MAY have a slight advantage, but pool is gender neutral. I have to also agree that I REALLY enjoy watching the Women play. Watching Ewa Laurance pocketing balls is a real joy! :wink:

We have TWO Bruces now! Saints perserve us! :lol:

[dhammis]

Could you imagine how quiet it would be watching Mika Immonen and Karen Corr shoot against each other? They are both so stone quiet and serious when they play that it's remarkable. No emotion shown on their faces and not a word spoken unless it's a request for a time extension on a shot.

--Damon

A Reyes/Fisher match would be very interesting. I think that the men MAY have a slight advantage, but pool is gender neutral. I have to also agree that I REALLY enjoy watching the Women play. Watching Ewa Laurance pocketing balls is a real joy! :wink:

We have TWO Bruces now! Saints perserve us! :lol:

How about the Reyes-Lee match-up in the Philippines? I'd say the Black Widow was brutalized. Breaking prowess was more or less levelled off given the alternating break format. Efren was actually playing with her. Dunno if that was because it was held here. Maybe without the "homecourt" advantage, it would have been closer.

[CJK]

I have played league 8-ball for 2 years now. I'm a decent player (I can hold my own and at least not embarass myself when playing a really good player), but in last year's league, we got placed in a league with several teams of A players, two master players, and a master team. One team was all women, and two other teams had a woman on them. The women finished high in the standings every year. I have yet to see players as focused as two of the women were. If they had an open shot, the table was done -- every time. I have the utmost respect for women players, having had my head handed to me by 3 or 4 of them on a regular basis last year.

[maughanm]

I think after the top 4 or 5 rankings in WPBA, the drop off is alot weaker than the top 4 or 5 in the men. However, I would like to be at a match with Allison or Karen against one of the top men. I don't see any difference. These two seem to be in another league. 8)

[9ballgirl]

Maughnanm said--"I think after the top 4 or 5 rankings in WPBA, the drop off is alot weaker than the top 4 or 5 in the men."

** and Maughnman makes an excellent point...


But I see ALOT more up & comings in the womens ranks (ESPN ANYWAY) than in the mens.

So,the moral of the story...

Women aren't necessarily better, but we are a helluva lot brighter when we shine. :D

Come get ya some!!

[9ballgirl]

But than agian......

I can't spell "Maughanm" OR "Pool"... whatzagurltodu?

[maughanm]

It's about time you dropped back in 9 Ball Girl....you hustler.....How ya been doing in the business lately/ Hustling, that is? And when will we see you on the up and coming lists? :lol: 8) mike

[9ballgirl]

Well Mike,

Life gets in the way sometimes, but I'm hitting em' real well.

Soon my man, real soon. I see that up & coming list in my near future. (Got to, I'm getting old. LMAO!)

[parrothead]

I think that the reason men come off as better players is because they tend to be more agressive in their style. The women are very methodical and think everything through. They will almost always go for a safe instead of a gutsy shot. The men on the other hand are quicker to use masse shots or jump shots to pocket balls. They also go for the gusto more often with banks and kicks. I don't think that men are better players they are just more exciting in their styles.