Sklansky slammers argument skewered!

[doormat]

One thing unmentioned is the ability to communicate. You can KNOW more about a game than anyone else on the planet, but if you cannot explain it clearly and understandably, you will never be a great teacher. Great teachers also have the ability to identify a player's faults and work from there instead of using the same approach with every student. There are many other intangibles that separate good teachers from great ones, like patience and the ability to identify a person's strengths and weaknesses and maximize their results given those limitations. If you are teaching someone with a photographic memory how to play stud, your approach would be completely different than if you were teaching someone who had trouble remembering their hole cards but had excellent instincts for putting people on strong or weak hands, etc.

doormat

[JTG51]

I don't really think golf takes that much physical talent that any regular person doesn't posess.

You've obviously never played much golf, because this is a ridiculous statement.

[J_V]

Chess trainers are top-level grandmasters. To write books for the top level players, you must be a top-level player.

No one can teach the best in the world about chess as a whole. He can specialize (openings and endings) and improve the World Champions knowledge in this area.

I agree with D. Sklansky up until he started making some brash claims (which I applaud) but disagree with.

[brad]

well it doesnt mean anything but checkers has been 'solved' by computer i think (ie, perfect play)

[Daliman]

anyone paying attention would have noticed that I said good coordination was necessary. Don't kid yourselves into thinking these people are all great athletes, because they're not. There's 70-year old guys who can barely walk out there that can shoot par, and save me the "Walking the course" crap, cuz walking around outside is nothing thrilling in the athleticism department. Skilled? Sure. But so are pool players, and I don't see them ever being called athletes.

[JTG51]

Skilled? Sure. But so are pool players, and I don't see them ever being called athletes.

As far as I can tell, you are the only one here using the word athlete. We (at least I) am just pointing out that you are way off the mark when you say golf doesn't require that much physical talent. That's absurd.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't kid yourselves into thinking these people are all great athletes, because they're not. ... pool players, and I don't see them ever being called athletes.

[/ QUOTE ]

and from your previous post
[ QUOTE ]
I don't really think golf takes that much physical talent that any regular person doesn't posess.

[/ QUOTE ]

There's the crux of it. Nobody told you golfers were great "athletes", but that doesn't mean that golf doesn't require great physical talent. Pool is a good analogy. Some guys could work at it 10 hours a day their whole life, and never be more than a good player. That is, they could kick any regular guy's butt at the game, but not even come close to professional level. Golf is the same. You need some physical talents that you were either born with or not to make it to the top levels. Without that natural talent, you'll only be very skilled, but never a winning professional amongst professionals.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[ACBob]

This gets down to the age old question of best player of them all!

But, what is the criteria? Davdid sets forth a game condition which is neither likely nor realistic. Further, he surely does not mean for one session, say 8-10 hours but more like infinity as the game(s) has too much short term luck factor.

I like David Sklansky's work and the S&M method is the fundamental of my game with Abdulian aggression/play for my style.

Saying that, I ask David if you can outplay the rest in two areas:

1) Reading other players
2) Stamina to play for days with only short breaks

Thanks.

Bob Lewis

[Daliman]

Now, the stamina and fortitude to play for days on and is what I just don't get. I played for 15 hours straight once and felt like i'd been through a wringer, although I lost big, so I'm sure it's a different feeling altogether when you're winning, or especially crushing.