Delta-13 Interview with Florian 'Venom' Kohler

Delta-13 Interview with Florian 'Venom' Kohler, Professional Pool Trick Shot Artist, World Cup of Trick Shots winner, ESPN Trick Shot Magic winner and Guinness Book World Record holder.

Delta-13: Florian, can you tell us something about yourself you think everyone may not know about you?

Florian: I started playing Trick shots directly. I never had a teacher. I am also a black belt in Judo.

Wow, we didn’t know that about you! Awesome. So, what would you say is your greatest pool accomplishment?

This is a tough question. I am proud of many things such as my win on ESPN Trick shot magic or other titles but I think the greatest accomplishment is that I’ve compiled more views on the Internet than any other pool player.

That is a great accomplishment. Florian, what are your "billiard career goals" for the next say 3-5 years?

I would love to develop my career outside the billiard industry and try to reach a younger crowd in the hope they gain interest in pool. You can also expect more and more crazy videos over the next few years...

Haha we love your videos and have been honored to be apart of them! Florian we’d like to talk a little about your game and how you began. Aside from your professional career, do you have another occupation?  If not, at what point and how were you able to make the transition to being a professional trick shot artist as a full time career?

I studied optometry when I was younger and I am a licensed optician. However, I didn't work long as my pool travels made having a job very difficult. I moved to the US only 4 years ago and pretty much "gambled" I could make a living with trick shots. If that didn't work out I would have just gone back to my normal job.

It sure did work out! How much time do you spend on average a week perfecting your craft?

Recently I have been traveling a lot, more than 80 plane trips in 2015 for example. When I am traveling and doing shows, I can't actually practice much but if I am home for a few days, it is not rare that I practice more than 5 hours a day. If a tournament is coming up than that amount can pretty much double. In any sport if you want to be good, you have to practice a lot and pool trick shot is the same.

What age were you introduced to pool?

I first picked up a cue at the age of 18.

Who introduced you and are they still part of your game?

I am self taught so not much influence on that side but I did look up for every trick shot artist that had videos on the internet back then. My biggest influence is definitely my friend and to a certain degree my mentor, Mike Massey.

Florian, we’d also like to talk about success in the game. What would you say is the best part of your game?

My creativity by far. It isn't so hard to recreate a shot if you have talent and patience but inventing it is a much different story ;)

What motivates you in your craft?

My need to create. I just can't stand not to evolve. I constantly want to improve my shots and am never satisfied with the results. I am also a practice animal and contrary to a lot of people, I truly love practicing.

What would you say is the most critical moment in the game/tournament/trick shot event?

That depends on several factors but the hardest moment is always after you realize you can win and to not choke under pressure!

Do you have a technique you use that specifically helps you?

Not really, I am all based on this motto: " The more you practice the better you will become.”

Excellent motto and very true. How do you stay “in the zone” during a tournament/trick shot event?

Again, it is all practice related. In a tournament or even a show you do not want to doubt yourself.  If you’ve practiced enough and made the shot a thousand times, it will take some stress away and you will also better know the adjustments needed.  If you have the pre-tournament work done well, your stress level reduces a lot. To the contrary, if you are unprepared and rely only on your talent at the first problem, it will be hard to turn the situation in your favor.

Thanks so much for visiting with us, Florian! 

Delta-13 sponsors Florian 'Venom' Kohler because he brings talent, excitement, honesty, reliability, hard work, precision, ambition, innovation and uniqueness to the sport of Billiards. His creativity is shown by his 2 DVD's that are marketed worldwide. Florian has world exposure through tournaments and exhibitions in Korea, China, Dubai, Germany etc. Not to mention, he has a strong desire to help manufacturers get maximum exposure. We are ecstatic about the great possibilities the future will hold with us partnered together.

Check out Florian on Facebook and Youtube.

If you are interested in having your own Delta-13 rack that Florian plays with click here!