Topic: I am one of the Top 3 Players in the World and I don't Practice.

[thebodygroove]

Hey Tuna,

I think this is a very interesting thread, and I've been wondering about the passion-question myself. The analogy to music is particulerly interesting, but I guess this comparison is problematic. Music is art, and art means that you feel something inside that needs to be expressed, whatever the costs may be. For an artist, there's simply no other way of living. I'm not sure if you can get the same out of a game like foosball, even though it can be quite addictive. After all, it's just a game. I'm not saying your personality can't be expressed through playing foosball, but I think the competitiveness of the game makes a difference. It's about playing and winning. You still feel good if you win even if you weren't able to express your thoughts and feelings through your game.

[bbtuna]

foosball is one of the greatest games...maybe not from a spectator's perspective (though I can't say for sure if that is proven because no one with production cabability and creativity has tried to market it)

I love music and I have very ecclectic tastes, Blues, Jazz, Rock, Alternative, classical, etc  - I am inspired by greatness, originality, and emotion...music often inspires me to work at my foosball game from a purely art side

what makes foosball great in my mind is the combination of things that make it such a compelling game/sport ... foosball is all at the same time

physical coordination/athletic capability (at least upper body)
physics
strategy
competition/mental toughness
and ART/creativity

I am aware much of the time of the creative expression of the game and how, if our game is matured enough, it can be a unique expression of our creative personality...I often go to the table to practice with this in mind

I am aware that full expression can't come without full control and that is a VERY VERY BIG job...it is like a muscian who works on the basics and studies other musicians before they fully develop their own unique style...eventually, if you can get beyond the basics, which takes significant dedication, you will have a totally unique game

if you filmed the top players but only showed the table (no picture of hands or body) you can identify the player by their unique style...no one illustrates this point better than Tony Spree , no one's game is more creative and unique - still, i could tell Rico, Todd, Rob, Terry, Billy, Brandon, etc...

[foosinaround69]

Tuna,
 
      I do think the passion is gone as you say...I sometimes feel that I am one of the only ones who still has the passion. I think about foosball all the time. I think of trying to improve my backpin..how I could slow it down..how I could move it around and take my time..how I could do all kinds of things I don't do in a match cause I wasn't thinking the way I should have. Wishing I could go to the bigger tournys but can't cause of the money.

  I was in our local paper about 25 yrs ago and I said that I dream of foosball and dreaming up new ways to shoot. Well here it is years later and I still do. I may not be a PM in points because I don't have the money and the ability to go to these big tournys and earn the points, but I can tell you I am one of those guys who really loves this game to the fullest and ability wise I feel if I could afford to go and be a part of the tour I know I have the skills that it takes and I could be. But then what.....you hit a wall...I was at our state tourny and talking to some PM's there and they were saying that sometimes it's not worth coming cause they are only able to play 1-2 events....and it was more fun to be at the lower level cause they were able to play more events..That's not to say they don't want to be PM's but you see where I'm going. I have about as much passion in this game as there is I truley do...When I did have a table I practiced 5-8 hrs a day everyday and won for two months straight...and was on cloud nine!!!! I too wish there was this PASSION for the game as we have obviously it Tuna but until it is something where people can see it as a sport that other people can watch and be interested in I don't see the peope in this sport caring enough to be so passionate about it. The money shouldn't be the deciding factor but I think it is for most...and that's too bad....cause I too think the world of this sport (game).



 

[pablofoos]

bbtuna what you play foosball because of music? like art?do you like pink roses too? gay just plain gay...sniff..sniff

post whore....

[bbtuna]

I will let that go since you misunderstood my original post but that was more my fault than yours...I thought about prefacing it with an explanation but I "assumed" this thread would show you I am behind your committment

it is very very rare these days for anyone to put that kind of time into developing their game and much less who sustain it over a long period of time

I would do nothing to dampen your enthusiasm (at least on purpose) and more importantly, I would do whatever I could to encourage you to keep after it

Keep us updated on how it goes and what kind of progress you make accordingly...I challenge you to keep after that for at least 6 months and then evaluate the impact then and then I hope you will be a practice freak for the next couple years and then we will see your name often in the winners circle of tournament accross the country

practice by yourself
play with friends
play local dyp's
play regional and national tournaments

all of these need to be there if you want to be a top player...it takes a ton of money and time to make this happen because the tournaments are so darned expensive but if you can sustain it for 2-4 years you will be a top player

[SpinningJoe]

I´m sorry to say this, but this thread makes me angry.
I´m sure you have passion for the game bbtuna, but why haven´t you sacrificed everything to be the greatest fooser ever? Until you can´t come up with a real good answer I would take back the insults against several PMs. I´m sure Billy Pappas sacrificed more than anyone else here on the board for this sport and he achieved everything possible in this sport. It´s easy to talk about people not practicing anymore and how they have no passion for the game while your sitting on your couch with your laptop on your legs. You make "becoming the sports greatest" sound like a beautiful fairytale, in which people sacrifice everything to become a legend in this game no matter how many obstacles he has to overcome.

But that´s not quite how it is. People need to EARN MONEY. That means practicing in the evening, most of the time being tired from work, having lost the energy over the day. I have a lot of passion for this game and I´d love to live the beautiful fairytale you describe, but it´s simply not possible unless you have rich parents/won a million dollars/practice under a bridge.

I´m practicing everytime I have a free minute, but I don´t blame anyone for not doing so, especially not those who already sacrificed a lot in their lifes for a sport that has nothing more to offer than fame in a small community of crazy fooslovin people.

Greets,
    Jonny

[bbtuna]

Jonny,

I am respectful to the Pro-Masters I mention, I am not blaming them.  I am entitled to an opinion good or bad and regardless if I can do it.  I am 51 years old and my opportunity for this greatness has passed and I like all these others, let life take over from my passion for foosball.

more shortly, gotta run

[bbtuna]

Jonny,

Billy accomplished more by age 13 than I am likely to ever...there are two points I am making, the first is that there is a trend among players to brag about not practicing and regardless of how great the players are, I do not respect that

I am a HUGE fan of Billy's and others mentioned and I know the potential they have and that brings me to my second point...as a fan, not as a player, and not as someone who will show you how, as a fan I am disappointed that the game doesn't have one or more people who are totally sold out

I understand the obstacles – people have to earn a living, marriage, family…all the same reasons I stopped in 1980…I am a dreamer and idealist and I love to see talent that rewrites a sport…MJ and Tiger being examples but I could list many many from various sports

In the end, foosball doesn’t allow people to make a living…maybe one or two could eek out a living but that is it out of all the players in all the world…that is another problem for another thread

My point here is history is replete with examples of people who redefined their area of interest apart from money…many lived and died without fully realizing the impact they made you see it in art, music, sports, etc

I long for someone who rises above all the barriers…the players I named have all gone far beyond me, no question about that and I have learned a lot watching them and have enjoyed seeing the amazing things they have done

But that does not stop me from wishing for more…I can tell you with great regret, that if I had it all to do over again, I think I would have kept my passion alive and driven forward…but whos to say really, even knowing what I know today, maybe I would cave in the pressures of life but in that case, I would still wish for someone stronger and better than me to reinvent foosball as we know it

[foozkillah]

yes, I agree but there are people throughout history who pursed something with great unparalleled passion just because they loved what they did and/or they were captured by the vision of seeing what could be accomplished in their field of interest
the money and fame aren't there, but that doesn't mean the passion for greatness has to be missing, it just means when it is there, it is more pure.
Where is the passion?

BBT,

I thought you knew!  I've met and played with dozens of potential lifetime devotee up'n'comer beginners and rookies, showing them drills, practicing with them for hours at a time.  Maybe 30-40 minutes a day...

Then they go home and pick up their Nintendo Playstation or WII controllers and play for about 3 hours .... then, they knock off, exhausted,  Then they go to their rooms, turn their internet on and send a million e-mails, play online poker & SMS text's for the next 12 hours.  That's where they and all that passion went.

[bbtuna]

FK,

you can obviously smell what the Rock is cookin...you forgot Guitar Hero dude, I am so disappointed

those things hold you like a zombie and foosball takes a serious act of the will

I am old and fat and way past my prime but after a nearly 25 year layoff I still force myself to get up and work at the table everyday and have for 4 years...I am 51 and continue to improve

even now, I am motivated to see if I can get in 2 hours a day again like I was doing the first 2 years back and I long for 3, 4, 6, and 8...I miss the 8 hour sessions I did for a while first time around

this doesn't make me good and this doesn't make me a better person or player than anyone else, but it is the reason i am passionate about passion

those who can play post...no, I mean, those who can play practice...ah, I mean well, I am a nobody who loves the art and science of the sport and would can't wait to see someone totally reinvent the game

that person is out there

[foozkillah]

FK,

you can obviously smell what the Rock is cookin...you forgot G***** **** dude, I am so disappointed
those things hold you like a zombie and foosball takes a serious act of the will

No BBT!!!

YOU mentioned the FORBIDDEN NAME from the UNHOLY ONES!!.

WE are all disappointed!!!

More young foosers are now DOOMED !!

Ohhh, dah Howwah .... dah Howwah!![/color]

[gitablok]

those who can play post...no, I mean, those who can play practice...ah, I mean well, I am a nobody who loves the art and science of the sport and would can't wait to see someone totally reinvent the game

that person is out there

BB, dude, give it a rest will 'ya. You're giving life to dead thread for no reason. Maybe if you were on tour, you would realize what was going on and who really had the passion. What you should do is laugh at statements like that because reading between the lines it means they have set in place a reason for not winning the big matches and have become satisfied with placing 2,3, or 4. So for me when they complain about losing, their excuses fall on deaf ears. If you've got the talent, put the time in it takes to win. Now a fully practiced player that gets BEAT, I'm all ears.

Like I said earlier, if you were on tour, you would realize these people are out there and they are right under your nose.

Six months before Worlds, a player has a fall and BREAKS his back. He is told by doctors he will be down for a year. Two months out, he is at a tourney playing in a full back brace. Not only does he show up at Worlds, he beats everyone including the World's best player, Rico, to claim the Open Singles Championship. He also wins the Masters Singles Championship. He did this with unmatched intensity and unrivaled ability that amazed everyone. And oh yeah, HE HAS REINVENTED THE GAME.

You ask where is the Passion, where is the work ethic? I ask, where the hell have you been?

Do I need to mention his name? Really do I?

TONY SPREDERMAN.

The most unique, focused, driven, and hardest working player out there. PERIOD.
And there are many others like him.

So BB please, direct this negative energy elsewhere. The player you so yearn for IS HERE AND PLAYING. For some reason, you have forgotton about him.

PLEASE, LET THIS THREAD DIE FOR PETE'S SAKE.

P.S. Who in the hell is Pete,lol.

[SpinningJoe]

> MJ and Tiger being examples but I could list many many from various sports

List one that doesn´t have millions on his bankaccount.

I totally agree with ICE. Tonys one of the best examples. And there are far more out there.

I´ve been doing all kinds of sports, but never have I played a game where the people are so crazy and addicted then in foosball. The passion of the foosers is unmatched by any other sport I´ve been playing. To be honest, I don´t know how it is in the USA, but I´m sure the players are burning just like they do here in Europe.

[TSR_Brad]

BB, dude, give it a rest will 'ya. ... Maybe if you were on tour, you would realize what was going on and who really had the passion.

Uh oh. Now you're in trouble! HAHAHAHAHA!!

[bbtuna]

whoaa now I guess I touched a nerve or two...I guess there are a couple of people who can not smell what the rock is cookin

ICE, now simmer down friend... I didn't bring this thread back although I won't apologize for it because I am right

and if Tony is that guy then I am thrilled to the max, he definately has the unique game, and spirit, and having met him before he is a super class act I would be proud to call him friend or son in the case of our age differences (he is actually 4 years younger than my son)

and don't bring up if I tour or not, it is not relevant...you didn't say anything I didn't know even though I wasn't on tour...by the way, I went to MO States just for you

main point of my post originally was around those who say they don't practice like it is a badge of honor...I don't care if they win, it is insulting to me and I don't like it ...I have a right to not like it...they are saying this in public...not once but many times over the last couple of years

God bless Tony and Ryan and others who are on the front end of their careers and are still putting in the time to be the best...Tony's recovery and preformance after his back injury has not been given nearly enough attention, it is an accomplishment that ranks historically with the best sports stories ever - we could make a movie about it... I am Legend, The True Story of Tony Spredeman

On Tony - there are not "many others like him" there are a handful of up and comers ...You can not say Tony is "The most unique, focused, driven, and hardest working player out there. PERIOD." and then say in the next sentence "there are many like him"  these are self-defeating statements

your comments almost come accross like I am saying there aren't any great players playing and that is not true...there are phenominal players in the game today who are in or will be in the hall of fame Todd, Terry, Billy, Tommy, Robert, Dave, Tracy, Tom, and Louis....all of them at one time or other put in long hard hours of practice and tour time to get to where they are today and NO one respects them more than me - I have loved watching them play and have learned from everyone of them and any one of them have done more than I ever will...my complaint isn't about them or the quality of their games or what they have meant to the game historically

my complaint is with high profile players who act like not practing is something to be proud of and I have seen a trickel down in my own experience with lower level players

if you can not relate to what I am saying then we may just have to respectfully agree to disagree...no big deal, wouldn't be the first and won't be the last