Mentality vs a slow player

IamCalvin06

IamCalvin06

Yang "The Son of Pool"
Silver Member
Just a topic that I've been working on recently bc I play in a straight pool league and we have 2 fellas who are slow players. I thought it would be simple but until ur in the grease you don't know how ur minds gonna handle it.

I've heard others in the league struggling vs these players and the slower players aren't on the same skill level. Which brings me to the conclusion that higher level players are just getting frustrated bc they feel a false superiority vs them. Kinda like "c'mon already"

I see this alot in pro matches as well. Like SVB and Earl for instance. They are on another level but I think they are in such a high gear that they feel everyone has to be like them or think as quick as them.

Then when they get a chance they seem to be in a rush. I know that's how I feel when I get to the table.

Let's hear how everyone else deals with this issue.

I've heard of not watching the table but I don't like that one. I've been going with, "we'll if I miss I might be in the chair for awhile and it's not like the electric chair where the guy kills you and you can't do anything about it. It's like sitting there and not knowing when they are going to pull the switch for a couple of days."
 
I always used the philosophy of sitting there and deciding how I would approach my opponent's shot if I were at the table. If my opponent chooses a different shot or pattern, I try not to judge, but rather to see why they might have, and whether or not I missed something while not second guessing myself at the same time. I choose, rather, to think of it as a possibility to learn something. I don't always agree with their choices when they're different, but I consider them before just discarding them. It's a way to fill a little bit of the time. I do occasionally watch other matches if there are any nearby and my opponent is down to an obvious shot where is only one option and they're just being a tad slow about it.

If you find yourself getting 'stale' or having 'tunnel vision' after sitting there watching your opponent on a long turn, try and make sure you walk all the way around the table and look it over from different angles when you finally get your turn. This will help prevent you rushing to the table and suffering a bad miss from the aforementioned problems that haunt some players after long stretches of sitting.
 
Excellent post, Nullus ... I couldn't agree more. I guess unless you're an A+++ player who couldn't possibly have anything to learn then watching your opponent's approach to the game is a rewarding use of your time.
 
I eventually resigned to the mentality that since there's really nothing I can do about it, I might as well accept it and relax. It's not a race (speed-wise) and nobody gets more points for finishing faster. It's not ideal but it's what I had to start using to keep from getting distracted (losing my mind) playing one pocket and straight pool. They're "naturally" slower games and I've accepted that.

Concerning rotations games: I "try" to use that mentality. I will say that it's typically a little more difficult only because, in my belief, the potential shot selection tends to be quite a bit smaller.

Having said all that, one thing that drives me up the wall and makes me want to absolutely punish my opponent is when they take 5+ minutes to execute a shot and shoot it straight into a rail. Seriously? I waited five minutes for THAT???

Bottom like: There's usually not much you can do about it so you might as well accept it. You don't have to like it, though. Relax. Enjoy the game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
No need to deal with them at all...

one approach might be:
gather up all the slow players and put them in a shark tank with all the short people.
they surround us. We need to band together and rid the earth of such vermin.
We must act and the time is now!

this vermin, short slow players, even normal sized slow players, is causing countless hours of waiting around, hoping something, anything might happen. wasting precious moments of human productivity.
precious moments.

Allow me to begin a movement.

Should we be confronted with any such slow player or short person,
lure said individual into the closest back alley. Candy or a free ride home might work towards this end. wherever you might be, we shall have a group of average sized like minded steady paced players there and We shall gather this person up and dunk this person into the tank with happiness and glee.

Stay with me here...

Could you imagine a world of average sized individuals, all thinking at the same speed?
I just did.
would the world be a better place?
In a word, Yes.
however sad, these people remain. Clogging up our timing, Our values.
Our very soul.
We are all unique persons.
We live life at whatever speed we were blessed with.
everything matters.
steven
 
I always just took the approach to play like 30 speeds slower than them.... I mean REALLY take my time.

My goal is to get them as irritated as me and when they chirp and say something, I just suggest a shot clock.....which is the original pace I wanted anyways.

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Mentally decide you will take back the tempo and rhythm of the game. Instead of running out, run to a position where you can play a lock up safety on your opponent. Do this 3 times, but make sure you get your opponent locked up tight. This will annoy and irritate your opponent when done properly. This takes them out of their normal rhythm. Now they are watching your rhythm instead of you watching theirs.

Hit each ball with confidence and trust. Pocket your balls with a little extra speed. The objective here is to cause pressure.

In every match you can feel pressure or stay focused on causing it. I choose not to feel pressure, because I am too occupied with applying pressure and how to do so.
 
Sit in the chair and wait, I can play either way, fast or slow, it really doesn't bother me. I often slow my pace to get rhythm players to start taking the heat, they eventually start frothing at the mouth & at that point I own them.


Why am I the Colonel? Because I always get the chicken
 
I depends on if they are doing it on purpose or not. I just heard one person
say to play slow on purpose to mess with their head. As far as I'm concerned,
thats borderline poor sportsmanship. Maybe they just are not as highly skilled
as you are. Maybe they respect you as a known good player and don't want to make
a mistake. Maybe the only one messing with your head is you! Relax.

If you think back to when you just started on a league, you were probably that slower player. I know I was.
I'm mean really, isn't taking laps around the table creating slow play? How about getting
down on a shot, something doesn't feel right, and you stand back up to readdress? Slow play?
To some, it might be. To me its just part of the game.

I don't say any of this to bash anyone, just pointing out people are different. When I hear
people doing things on purpose to get in opponents head, it makes my stomach turn.
The game is diminished. You as a player and a person lose my respect. You end up being
Just another a**hole on my list. If we were all the same, billiards would be a boring game....wouldn't it.
 
buckshotshoey said:
I depends on if they are doing it on purpose or not. I just heard one person
say to play slow on purpose to mess with their head. As far as I'm concerned,
thats borderline poor sportsmanship. Maybe they just are not as highly skilled
as you are. Maybe they respect you as a known good player and don't want to make
a mistake. Maybe the only one messing with your head is you! Relax.

If you think back to when you just started on a league, you were probably that slower player. I know I was.
I'm mean really, isn't taking laps around the table creating slow play? How about getting
down on a shot, something doesn't feel right, and you stand back up to readdress? Slow play?
To some, it might be. To me its just part of the game.

I don't say any of this to bash anyone, just pointing out people are different. When I hear
people doing things on purpose to get in opponents head, it makes my stomach turn.
The game is diminished. You as a player and a person lose my respect. You end up being
Just another a**hole on my list. If we were all the same, billiards would be a boring game....wouldn't it.
Click to expand...

Are you for real? In the world of gambling it's often about gamesmanship, I don't want your respect, your cash will do just fine.


Why am I the Colonel? Because I always get the chicken
 
I feel slow play has been one major chink in the armor of pool AND especially 14.1 for years! How many times have we all watched accu-stats with a time clock and the players play better?! Abafrigginjillion maybe?

14.1 is NOT a slow game IMO.....yes you must think and consider options, but to take an inordinate amount of time only to fire a ball into the center diamond is no good for anyone. I feel newer players should play faster to dogproof it anyway :)

If I'm in the chair playing a slugspeed player, I usually work out patterns in my head, or cure world hunger, and one time I came up with a cold fusion generator, but forgot to take notes.....but then I ran a nice 50!


G.
 
Colonel said:
Are you for real? In the world of gambling it's often about gamesmanship, I don't want your respect, your cash will do just fine.


Why am I the Colonel? Because I always get the chicken
Click to expand...

Yes, some of us are for real and sportsmanship is more important than gamesmanship, the latter of which is also why pool isn't a more widely accepted sport on TV and in the media and general public. As for the respect/money thing, I'm guessing you wouldn't get either in most cases against good players. I doubt you'd get either of mine. Your arrogance is off the charts, so be proud in that if it's what makes you tick. We're all different.....
 
Nullus said:
Yes, some of us are for real and sportsmanship is more important than gamesmanship, the latter of which is also why pool isn't a more widely accepted sport on TV and in the media and general public. As for the respect/money thing, I'm guessing you wouldn't get either in most cases against good players. I doubt you'd get either of mine. Your arrogance is off the charts, so be proud in that if it's what makes you tick. We're all different.....
Click to expand...

Thank you. According to the post time stamp, you were a little quicker then me. Sorry
For my slow play. Lol
 
driven said:
No need to deal with them at all...

one approach might be:
gather up all the slow players and put them in a shark tank with all the short people.
they surround us. We need to band together and rid the earth of such vermin.
We must act and the time is now!

this vermin, short slow players, even normal sized slow players, is causing countless hours of waiting around, hoping something, anything might happen. wasting precious moments of human productivity.
precious moments.

Allow me to begin a movement.

Should we be confronted with any such slow player or short person,
lure said individual into the closest back alley. Candy or a free ride home might work towards this end. wherever you might be, we shall have a group of average sized like minded steady paced players there and We shall gather this person up and dunk this person into the tank with happiness and glee.

Stay with me here...

Could you imagine a world of average sized individuals, all thinking at the same speed?
I just did.
would the world be a better place?
In a word, Yes.
however sad, these people remain. Clogging up our timing, Our values.
Our very soul.
We are all unique persons.
We live life at whatever speed we were blessed with.
everything matters.
steven
Click to expand...
Obviously offended. Well I just asked how players deal with it. I don't have a problem with a slow player. I treat them as fairly as a fast player. I just want to know how other ppl keep from boredom.
 
IamCalvin06 said:
Just a topic that I've been working on recently bc I play in a straight pool league and we have 2 fellas who are slow players. I thought it would be simple but until ur in the grease you don't know how ur minds gonna handle it.

I've heard others in the league struggling vs these players and the slower players aren't on the same skill level. Which brings me to the conclusion that higher level players are just getting frustrated bc they feel a false superiority vs them. Kinda like "c'mon already"

I see this alot in pro matches as well. Like SVB and Earl for instance. They are on another level but I think they are in such a high gear that they feel everyone has to be like them or think as quick as them.

Then when they get a chance they seem to be in a rush. I know that's how I feel when I get to the table.

Let's hear how everyone else deals with this issue.

I've heard of not watching the table but I don't like that one. I've been going with, "we'll if I miss I might be in the chair for awhile and it's not like the electric chair where the guy kills you and you can't do anything about it. It's like sitting there and not knowing when they are going to pull the switch for a couple of days."
Click to expand...


There's all kinds of slow, both sides of the fence.
 
It depends if you are playing league night or just practicing with a friend. I personally can't stand when I go out with a friend to shoot some pool and they are either consistently leaving the table or just not paying attention to the game and I have to keep reminding them its their turn (huge pet peeve of mine). On a league night or in a tournament I could completely understand why someone would want to take a little more time on their shot because it actually counts towards something. But even in league nights and in a tournament they have shot clocks for the most part. I believe that this actually levels out the playing field a little bit because everyone has the exact same amount of time to take before their shot granted the extension you may get 1 rack. If you're playing a serious game I think you still shouldn't need more than 1-2 minutes at the very most.
 
Calvin,
I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone.
My post was intended as humor.
nothing more, nothing less.
sorry
steven
 
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