It’s not the league
- Thread starter Willowbrook Wolfy
- Start date
Definitely no buyer's remorse. Nope...Well thats gota happen to just to make sure you take his advise!
Well the sandbagging is epic and out of control
But there are plenty of high level 7s and 9s to try in the singles competition and the masters
Both no handicap
The ones that complain about slop haven’t played too much apa then cause it rarely leads to you losing
And the handicapped format makes it hard, who wants to play a hard game, not a pool player lmao
But there are plenty of high level 7s and 9s to try in the singles competition and the masters
Both no handicap
The ones that complain about slop haven’t played too much apa then cause it rarely leads to you losing
And the handicapped format makes it hard, who wants to play a hard game, not a pool player lmao
I'm finding that to get better, you need not only a drive to improve, but a willingness to try a different way, if that makes sense. And a component of critical thinking needs to be a part of it.
As an example, last night in 9-Ball league, a SL3 got ball in hand following a scratch on the break. I can't tell you how many times I've pushed that they need to be able to make 2 or 3 balls after getting ball in hand, so figure a way to make your ball that puts you in position for the next ball. The one and two balls are at different ends of the table, with every other ball still on the table. She puts the cue 6" behind the one, directly in line with the corner pocket, and taps it in, leaving the full length of the table to hit the 2 ball. When I asked why she didn't angle the cue more to get down table, and have something better to work with, I got the "what the hell are you talking about" look. She is a good shooter, but doesn't think past her current shot, and more importantly, doesn't correlate that she can control that. I find that to be a very common thing with lower skill levels, and it's just something that has to be accepted.
As an example, last night in 9-Ball league, a SL3 got ball in hand following a scratch on the break. I can't tell you how many times I've pushed that they need to be able to make 2 or 3 balls after getting ball in hand, so figure a way to make your ball that puts you in position for the next ball. The one and two balls are at different ends of the table, with every other ball still on the table. She puts the cue 6" behind the one, directly in line with the corner pocket, and taps it in, leaving the full length of the table to hit the 2 ball. When I asked why she didn't angle the cue more to get down table, and have something better to work with, I got the "what the hell are you talking about" look. She is a good shooter, but doesn't think past her current shot, and more importantly, doesn't correlate that she can control that. I find that to be a very common thing with lower skill levels, and it's just something that has to be accepted.
Although there is some truth to what you are saying, it is the league as well. You have to remember your time is valuable and the people you associate with are influential on your game. Suppose you spend your whole pool life in the APA bubble on a subpar team vs. competing against the Mosconi cup players of each decade, which would be more valuable to you? Seeing the patterns, decision making, their practice decipiline, and getting instructions and insights from the Pros would, in the long run, be so much more valuable IMO. Life is about attraction and whether you know it or not, you attract people of like minds toward you. Each of those people can be of positive or negative influence to you...as well as you are on them. Setting your bar and raising it will eventually weed out the losers around you and they will be replaced by others of a different caliber. Don't misinterpret what I mean by losers. They may be wonderful, smart, kind and intelligent people, but have zero ambition or talent to get better at pool and therefore bad for your game. You may replace them with a seasoned, skilled hustler who sells drugs for a living, but your game will probably get better. I guess the lesson here is to find value in everyone you meet and try to learn from their strengths and make them your own.A lot of people knock APA. Even I knock APA sometimes because it’s not very competitive. I’d even say it can slow your progression slightly. But people forget the fact that it’s got nothing to do with what league you’re in if you want to get better. The only way to get better is to practice. You know, actually play by yourself for a while from time to time. Put in some hours to get better by yourself. If you can find time that there’s not a league going on.(that’s the kicker)
If you can’t find that time, you are never gonna get as good as you’d like to be. Unless you have really low expectations.
As long as you enjoy the company!!
You are the player APA is built around. Find a pool hall or bowling alley that hosts a league, and watch. You can spot the better players easily enough, but watch closely for coaching.
The best coach is the guy you ask if his team will have a spot for you.
The thing that makes APA a better choice for a learner is coaching in game, which BCA does not allow.
Good luck
One of the cheapest and fastest ways to get better is to take lessons from a good teacher and take notes. I mean literally takes notes and read over them time and time again.
Many players that are capable of grasping an idea, don't really understand how far or often that idea goes.
Also it takes a really long time to get better and oftentimes when we get better we don't even notice it.
Many players that are capable of grasping an idea, don't really understand how far or often that idea goes.
Also it takes a really long time to get better and oftentimes when we get better we don't even notice it.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
Hey guys, I don’t feel bad for anybody that’s a slow learner. Just stick with it it takes time.
I’ll throw in a little story just to bore you. I had about 10,000 hours in by the time I started going to the pool hall.. but I didn’t know how to use left or right. Crazy right? It’s the truth. I didn’t even know how to play nine ball. I could make any shot on the table that didn’t need English. Once I learned left and right, it took another 5000 hours of practice before I was able to use it for all the shots efficiently. Not that that’s all I was practicing. I was incorporating it into my practice. If you don’t want to put in the time, I don’t feel bad for you. I’ve spent two or three yrs of my life only practicing.
I’m sure an instructor would’ve been a good thing for me though. But I’m so damn stubborn I had to learn myself.
I’ll throw in a little story just to bore you. I had about 10,000 hours in by the time I started going to the pool hall.. but I didn’t know how to use left or right. Crazy right? It’s the truth. I didn’t even know how to play nine ball. I could make any shot on the table that didn’t need English. Once I learned left and right, it took another 5000 hours of practice before I was able to use it for all the shots efficiently. Not that that’s all I was practicing. I was incorporating it into my practice. If you don’t want to put in the time, I don’t feel bad for you. I’ve spent two or three yrs of my life only practicing.
I’m sure an instructor would’ve been a good thing for me though. But I’m so damn stubborn I had to learn myself.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
In short on that last post. I practiced for fun those first 10000 with no real goal in mind, then the next 5000 on a path. I didn’t miss many shots back then. Except for kicks. I was never the best kicker. Was more about ball contact at the time….. Any pocketable shot/bank on table I was favored to make it. No matter the difficulty. With some guidance could’ve probably got there in 7500 hours. Still a lot of time practicing. And a lot more to learn. For reference . 7500 hours is approximately. eight hours a day for three years.
So when I say practice to get better I’m not talking 1000 hours practice I’m talking 5000 hours practice
So when I say practice to get better I’m not talking 1000 hours practice I’m talking 5000 hours practice
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Sounds like life and ones expectations as you go from preschool to middle to HS and on.A lot of people knock APA. Even I knock APA sometimes because it’s not very competitive. I’d even say it can slow your progression slightly. But people forget the fact that it’s got nothing to do with what league you’re in if you want to get better. The only way to get better is to practice. You know, actually play by yourself for a while from time to time. Put in some hours to get better by yourself. If you can find time that there’s not a league going on
If you can’t find that time, you are never gonna get as good as you’d like to be. Unless you have really low expectations.
Everyone in every enviornment evolves quite different.
Thank god were not ALL the same.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
My new thing when an SL 3/4 in APA wants to learn. I see how they’re shooting first. Then tell them how many hours they need to shoot in a straight ball before I can teach them anything. I told my one friend he’s about 100 hours just shooting a ball straight in before I’d be able to teach him a thing. If you can’t shoot it straight in, what’s the point of learning how to bank and kick and all the other stuff. it takes precision to do those things correctly. Just being able to shoot a ball straight would get a lot of threes to fours.
Fully agree that's how to develop most effectively. However, I end up taking a different approach. It's important to know whether someone wants to "be the best they can be" or are they mostly ok with being on a long slow crawl to being a lifetime SL-5.
Assuming the APA 3 drives themselves to the pool hall after work and orders a beer, at their age their lifetime skill cap (as is mine), is to maybe be a decent SL-7 who can have fun at a local tournament every once in a while. But even this is up to how much spare capacity the player has to practice.
If a person's allowable pool time consists of 1x league night and 1 hour per week of table access, no one is realistically going to just shoot straight balls for 2 years every chance they get at a pool table to get their 100 hours in. They'll quit leagues before doing that, and their cap is just going to be a slow crawl to SL-5 no matter what.
However, basic pattern play and kick/bank principles can help newer players understand what they see watching pool on their phone or TV, and that has its own benefits. It will also help them win some racks as their stroke comes into line - even if the stroke takes much longer to get in line than working on stroke alone.
If your first 100 times at the table you did nothing but stroke drills until you had it perfect, you'd quit pool right there as that is just not a reasonable expectation of (most) humans. It took most of us learning something more advanced just to get us interested in the game to begin with, whether it was learning that you can apply draw to a cue ball or learning basic patterns.
Twocylndr
Well-known member
I added one extra to shooting a ball straight in...shot OB straight in with follow; shot don't count unless you scratch in same hole as OB.
Willowbrook Wolfy
Going pro
What I’m trying to emphasize is getting a bit lost in translation. The main point of the post is in regards to leagues and practice. The high level players recommending certain leagues didn’t just become that good in league. Maybe a rare few. But most highs have put in 1000’s of hours of playing/practice time to get there. Thats the point that doesn’t get emphasized as often when people are talking which league is better/worse than others. So for lower skilled players or mediocre ones looking to be better. Players usually need 1000’s of hours of table time to get real good no matter what league they are in.
oscargrouch
Member
LOL that's a massive difference.
Twocylndr
Well-known member
Then, instead of following, I draw it back.
I see a parallel from back when I was much more active shooting Bullseye Pistol. Guys would get into that activity and as much as you wanted to help them, they were not at the point where much of the finer detail things would make a difference. Stop adjusting your sights. First show that you can shoot a group and that is a huge step forward. Being able to perform a task reproducibly is a demonstration of precision. Mostly, that comes from trigger time. It's the HAMB philosophy, but you need to have developed consistency. Even golf. Can you hit your 7 or your 8 iron reproducibly to within 5-7 yards? That, in and of itself, is a must have for moving forward in almost any activity.