At an age when many people have chosen to retire, Efren "Bata" Reyes continues to make the billiards world bow in admiration. There is no doubt that he is a living phenomenon in the billiards world – a legend with an inexplicable talent, a man who has changed the way the world views this sport.
In a recent tournament in Asia, Efren Reyes stunned the audience and opponents when he won an absolute victory over a series of experts with a target rate of up to 99.9%. A number that seems to only exist in video games, but is the truth for the man who owns this legendary cue.
When asked about the secret to maintaining his peak performance despite being nearly 70 years old, Reyes just smiled slightly and answered with a short but confident sentence: "I just believe in myself."
No coach, no technology, no complex data analysis – he simply relied on his instincts, experience and acumen on the table. And that made the whole world admire.
Throughout the tournament, Efren did not show any signs of fatigue or hesitation. Despite facing young, healthy players with modern training technology and agility, Reyes maintained an unusually calm style.
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He carefully observed every ball position, carefully calculated every touch and executed seemingly impossible shots. Opponents could only watch silently as Reyes executed a series of almost absolutely accurate shots, rendering all their defensive calculations meaningless.
One moment that made the whole audience burst into tears was when he was faced with an extremely difficult ball situation – three balls stuck close together at the corner of the table, seemingly impossible to rescue. While normal people would choose a defensive style of play, Reyes chose an extremely daring shot, using his legendary “kick shot” technique.
The ball moved as if controlled by hand, swerving through a seemingly impossible narrow space, hitting the ice and hitting the right spot to break the difficult situation. The whole audience exploded in cheers, while his opponents could only shake their heads, unable to believe their eyes.
Experts call Reyes the “Pizza Wizard”, not only because of his ball-hitting ability but also because of his steel-like mentality. Whether he was behind or in a dangerous situation, he never lost his composure.
Once, when he was down 3-0 in the deciding series, people thought that time had caught up with him. But Reyes woke up like a fierce tiger, turning the tables with 5 consecutive wins – each game was a lesson in skill and courage. That was when people truly understood: age to Reyes is just a number.
A 99.9% hit rate in a major tournament is not only a testament to his superb skills, but also to his perseverance and unwavering belief in himself. Unfazed by technological trends or media pressure, Reyes maintains a simple philosophy: practice hard, keep a cool head, and always believe that no one understands the game better than himself.
For Reyes, billiards is more than a sport. It is art, it is rhythm, it is breath. When he steps onto the table, all eyes are on him as if he is witnessing an artist drawing a perfect picture with his cue. He does not need to show off, does not need to show off – he simply lets his skills speak for themselves.
It is worth noting that in an era of fierce competition, where every player relies on data analysis and 3D simulations to prepare strategies, Reyes remains loyal to his instinctive and emotional playing style.
He memorized the position, the trajectory, the reflexes and even the feel of each touch. It is something that cannot be taught, cannot be learned – it can only be accumulated over decades of living with this sport.
After the tournament, the opponents all had the same respect for Reyes. One of the young Japanese players admitted: “I prepared very carefully, studied a lot of videos of him. But when I played live, everything I knew was useless. It was like he could read my mind.” This is not the first time people have talked about Reyes's strange ability to "read the table" – a talent that goes beyond common explanation.
Some say that Reyes is a person from another era, where skill is everything. But it seems that he is teaching the younger generation a lesson about perseverance, about not chasing after flashiness but always knowing yourself. In the fast-paced modern world, Reyes is slow and steady – and that’s why he’s still undefeated.
No one knows when Reyes will stop. It could be next year, or it could be when he feels he’s no longer inspiring. But until then, every time he steps onto the court, history will continue to be written. And when a 99.9% hitting rate is recorded on the scoreboard, it’s not just a number – it’s the declaration of a legend: “I just have to believe in myself.”
