My observations after two APA sessions..

O

offaxis

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Actually 2 1/2 sessions as I came in half way...Besides the obvious the I still have a ways to go. Not that I am aiming to be the best. Their is a lot of very Sore losers and Winners to. A lot of the people are the type who where picked on in School and now have over inflated ego's cause they can shot a little pool. Seems that winning at Pool makes them feel better about themselves. Nerves are an evil that I need to somehow manage better. I have to try and make every shot count as they certainly will make me pay. Unlike the very Casual Players that i play at Bar, Lounges etc. Apparently I cant have my Bluetooth on because I set up a Camera and Im getting instructions from someone outside.:rolleyes: .....Their are a lot of Crybabies, ignorant SOB's and some people are just few fries short of a Happy Meal. The word Sportsman or fairness even for a (simple mistake) needs not to apply. However I have met some Genuine nice people who have pointed out things that I am doing wrong and for every one of them I can easily swallow 5 of the other types of people. It has encourage me to get out their and practice more. Before joining I was god awful at long straight in shots. I have since become more proficient since I started practicing more.
 
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I, too, just started playing league this year (Illiana APA in South Suburban ChicagoNorthwest Indiana. I'm impressed by how FEW sore losers and bad sports there are. Most people are very cool, and it brings together people from all walks of life. My only beefs are with some of the rules, such as slop counts and table isn't open after the break. Overall, having a blast. I am only a 3, and can see how some more serious players aren't into it. I'm still at the stage where my learning curve is steep and I'm benefitting from matching up with all different sorts of players.
 
APA is a big joke i havent lost in three sessions and even as i high skill level player(7 in eight ball 9 in nine) i still dont enjoy it. a lot of the lower skill level players enjoy playing because of the spot, and can never make it though three rounds of a tournament. the best thing you can do is quit apa and practice every day. stay low key and dont let anyone know who you are, then get in them wallets. thats what i did and trust me it pays off real quick. you will be robbing everyone that thinks they can pplay even with you, but you know they cant even get there with the five ball. hit em good and practice well...
 
The funny/sad thing about it is that it seems to get worse as you get better. No one ever wanted to fight when I was a 3 but it seems everyone has something to prove when you are a 9.
 
poolgod1984 said:
APA is a big joke i havent lost in three sessions and even as i high skill level player(7 in eight ball 9 in nine) i still dont enjoy it. a lot of the lower skill level players enjoy playing because of the spot, and can never make it though three rounds of a tournament. the best thing you can do is quit apa and practice every day. stay low key and dont let anyone know who you are, then get in them wallets. thats what i did and trust me it pays off real quick. you will be robbing everyone that thinks they can pplay even with you, but you know they cant even get there with the five ball. hit em good and practice well...
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If you're having a good time what does it matter?
 
I play in APA and I have a good time playing in it. I don't take it serious and in the time I have played I have only encountered one team that I absolutely loathed playing.

The longer I play this game the more I am starting to think that pool players are the most self-loathing creatures in sports today. I hear about how more money needs to be put into pool etc etc etc. At the same time I hear more bad things about the APA than even Charlie Williams and yet the APA puts more into pool than all of the naysayers on here combined.
 
The APA in it's current state is just a training ground that doesn't matter really. For one or w/e amount a days a week, you get to go out and be involved in low level competition. That's what it's all about.
 
paksat said:
The APA in it's current state is just a training ground that doesn't matter really. For one or w/e amount a days a week, you get to go out and be involved in low level competition. That's what it's all about.
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Actually the level of competition can be quite high. Those that are rated 7 or above will be competition enough to keep it fun even if your at pro level. Perhaps your league doesn't have a great number of high level players.....but that is not the case throughout the league....I assure you.
 
I don't mind the APA , this past session I only had one lost and it was to a banger , I'm a 4 but there are a few things that get under my skin .
 
I have peen playing APA for 4 yrs. Last summer I took my first team to Vegas. It is what you make of it. You can have a night out for beer with friends attitude or you can be as competative as you like. I've run into a few poor sports, but the teams and the players we faced in Vegas were all good sports. There weren't any issues at all. It was great.

You'll have poor sports in every endeavor. It's how you behave that's important.

:cool:
 
danquixote said:
Actually the level of competition can be quite high. Those that are rated 7 or above will be competition enough to keep it fun even if your at pro level. Perhaps your league doesn't have a great number of high level players.....but that is not the case throughout the league....I assure you.
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a 7 in one part of the country might be a 4 in another part. Just so you know - I played in the APA in a different town over the summer as a 5. I lost once and all I played were 5's and 6's and most of the games weren't even close..

They might be 5's and 6's over there, but over here they're 4s if that.
 
I am done with the APA. I just played my last match 2 nights ago. I hate the revised rules, short races and the handicaps. A race to 2 or 3 is a joke. The whole idea of limiting a team to 21 points breeds sandbaggers. If a few people on a team work hard and get better, it can destroy a team that has limited room to grow.

I think the APA is great to get people involved in the game, but that's about all.
 
Debbie R said:
I am done with the APA. I just played my last match 2 nights ago. I hate the revised rules, short races and the handicaps. A race to 2 or 3 is a joke. The whole idea of limiting a team to 21 points breeds sandbaggers. If a few people on a team work hard and get better, it can destroy a team that has limited room to grow.

I think the APA is great to get people involved in the game, but that's about all.
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The 21 rule thing is designed so it acts like a pyramid scheme. You put a team together and eventually people get better and their handicaps go up and they cant all play together anymore. Now 3 people break off from that team and start a new one with some new players and it just keeps going on and on like that. It really is quite genius. Of course they dont market it that way for obvious reasons.

I moved a few years ago and have been playing the last 3 sessions in a new division and it is very different from my last one.I dont really see much in the way of sandbagging out here but in the other division it was brutal. I have heard captains tell people that if they win the match they are off the team. That just sucks the fun right out of it. I have always made it very clear to any team I play for that I play to win every time I step to the table, thats just how I roll. One thing I will always remember was a tip from an old timer I used to practice with a lot - he said, "Look kid, if you are playing your Grandmother in a race to 50, you better try and beat that old broad 50-0". If they are looking for someone to dump matches to keep numbers down I am not their guy. Of course it is a dead issue for me now since reaching the max skill level.

I play because I like to play and I like to compete. I am more in it so that I can participate in the singles competitions. One thing that I didnt even know about until recently that sounds really cool is the APA Masters Division, that is something I might look into in the future as it would definitely up the competition level and do away with the handicapping sillyness. It looks like it is just something that takes place at the National level but if it were to ever take off in the local venue I would put a team together for sure.
 
I have or havent seen anyone on my team throw a match. However my buddy is listed as a "3". He is probably a "5" or so im estimating. We both started playing pool about 3 years back on a whim. He has been in the league for 1 1/2 year or so. He took off with it and i sort of just followed. He has taken it more serious and has improved a bit. However he decided to join a local bar tournament recently. Which of course drew in some of the same folk from the league. Without giving too much information out it was suggested by someone to be careful in such events. For the reason that other people will take note and realize he is much better. Nothing else was said more of a read in between the line thing. I do this for fun and just to learn a new Hobbie. I have beaten 5 and 6's and have lost to 2's and 3's. I have a good time for the most part and that's what matters. The only slightly irritating thing is to drive across town and not get to play. Or the opposing team not showing up but we still have to pay a fee. Since joining it has given me more a kick in the butt to improve my game and I see as it a good thing.
 
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I don't play on APA, but do play BCA. Everyone on my team has a good time, but we try to be competitive at the same time. We are playing for cash so some do take it very serious....too serious.
We had one guy that put a team together and is paying all of the weekly dues for all 5 of the guys on his team....it isn't working out so good as they are in 5th or so place. I find that amusing as they are very serious.
By the way, the team I play on that is there to be competitive, but have a heck of a lot of fun at the same time is in 2nd place. Whne the game stops being fun, I will look for another avenue of entertainment.
 
Excellence

Pool is about excellence, as is any sport. Nothing should impede excellence, it should be the goal of every Poolplayer. Limitations on handicaps is self-defeating for the sport.

There should be no limitations on handicaps ... period.

Let the 3,4,5's play in a league. and let the 6,7, & 8's play in a league. BCA already does this kind of with their handicapping system. (regular vs advanced leagues).

Punishing the better players for being better is kind of stupid if you ask me, after that's the main reason people play, to get better.
 
offaxis said:
However my buddy is listed as a "3". He is probably a "5" or so im estimating. .
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Unfortunately, it's this type of misleading statement that gives amateur pool a bad rap. IMO, if he's 'probably a 5," then he's not good enough to truly be able to sandbag. You need to actual have a high level of skill to truly sandbag.

If he's a "good 3," that means he should play as poorly as a SL-2 some days, and often play like a decent SL-4. Maybe once in a while, look like an SL-5. But, as I said above, it's not easy to sandbag and not be noticed. If he's been in the league for a while, and he's an SL-3, then he's probably an SL-3, possibly SL-4. But, he probably would have a very difficult time without a lot of hard work to get to an SL-5.

And why bother continuing to sandbag in an open tournament? To keep low in the APA??? You mean, you'd rather risk losing money in a tournament just so you can keep losing in the APA to keep your handicap low, just so you can "go to Vegas"??? Couldn't he use the tournament winnings to go to Vegas? j/k.

As I said in other threads, not only do most players have an inflated idea of what their actual game is, but inherently due to a handicapped league, if you lose, people will think you're sandbagging. Probably that's because they've seen you win before and don't remember that people win and lose. If you win, then people will look at your handicap and assume you have been sandbagging before. It's a vicious misconception and a nice excuse people use for losing.

Fred
 
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poolgod1984 said:
the best thing you can do is quit apa
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Or get thrown out by your local league director, like I did. Still not 100% sure why, but I know the word "ringer" was floated around. But I NEVER sandbagged. I went from an unranked 4 my first night right to a 7 (8-ball) the following week, and our team went from a cellar dweller to winning the following session (my first full session with the team). After coming in 2nd in one of their "money shoot" tournaments, our captain got a call from the local director saying to either get rid of me or he was throwing the whole team out.

I had also won the 6-7 bracket of the local singles tournament, but couldn't advance any further due to being thrown out.

Needless to say I will never play APA again. And needless to say that team is right back in the cellar again.
 
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