how bad can you beat a new player of the game?

LegitStick1234

LegitStick1234

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
 
Lol!!!

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LegitStick1234 said:
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
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If they quit over losing they weren't going to make it anyway.
 
LegitStick1234 said:
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
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Even first place teams take a licking sometimes. I'm pretty sure everyone can relate when their team was in first place and the wheels just fell off one week, everyone shot a little or a lot below their speed, and then the other teams gets a few more rolls, shots a little better then their speed, and you have an upset in the making.
 
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Give them something to remember...

He didn't give me a shot..

Wow, can that guy play

etc.

There were a few players that really impressed me the first time I participated in the SD State Tournament. I still remember some of their shots.
 
LegitStick1234 said:
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
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This all depends on the person. MANY people go into a league or a turnament thinking they are better than they really are (since they can beat their other drunk friends usually) or go into it thinking they are going to be hanging out and drinking with a side of pool.

If they are weak willed or have fragile egos, they will quit in a week. The ones that actually want to play will see how your game is so different than theirs and would want to start working to get to your level.

Don't know how many times I've seen a guy come in and be all gung-ho about playing, gets his butt handed to him by a B player and we never see him again. My son beat a new player by breaking and running the last rack on him to win 3-0, by the look of the guys face and how he was acting I though my son did something wrong like make fun of him or not shake hands. Turned out my son shook hands and all, but the guy was just stunned that this 15 yr old ran out the rack on him and he just sat there. Have not seen him again for the tournament since.

On the other hand, there was a youngish kid that I played that was new to our weekly tournament, I ran out the first rack I played with him, he said "wow, I've never played anyone like this before", BUT he came back over and over, and got good enough to get in the finals one week. I love teaching and explaining shots to people like that, and it helps grow the room and tournament when those players stick around.
 
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LegitStick1234 said:
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
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Please read my signature LegitStick :thumbup:
 
hang-the-9 said:
This all depends on the person. MANY people go into a league or a turnament thinking they are better than they really are (since they can beat their other drunk friends usually) or go into it thinking they are going to be hanging out and drinking with a side of pool.

If they are weak willed or have fragile egos, they will quit in a week. The ones that actually want to play will see how your game is so different than theirs and would want to start working to get to your level.

Don't know how many times I've seen a guy come in and be all gung-ho about playing, gets his butt handed to him by a B player and we never see him again. My son beat a new player by breaking and running the last rack on him to win 3-0, by the look of the guys face and how he was acting I though my son did something wrong like make fun of him or not shake hands. Turned out my son shook hands and all, but the guy was just stunned that this 15 yr old ran out the rack on him and he just sat there. Have not seen him again for the tournament since.

On the other hand, there was a youngish kid that I played that was new to our weekly tournament, I ran out the first rack I played with him, he said "wow, I've never played anyone like this before", BUT he came back over and over, and got good enough to get in the finals one week. I love teaching and explaining shots to people like that, and it helps grow the room and tournament when those players stick around.
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That pretty much sums it up. Some players don't want to put in the time to get better, they think it's easy and want to be #1 right off the bat. Others have the work ethic to get better and want to improve.
Reminds me of my nephew. He was going out with his buddies and beating them regularly. So he decided to come down to the pool hall and enter a tournament and try his luck. He was really cocky and thought he "was all that and a bag of chips". Well,........I don't have to tell all the details but suffice to say, he never came back after that day. As a matter of fact, I never heard him even talking about pool after that. Just goes to show, some skills take a long time to develop and character is one of these.
 
LegitStick1234 said:
So last night my buddy asked me to sub on his team. It is a handicapped league and his team is pretty good. We were playing a team of people I had not seem before. Well we absolutely destroyed them. It is a close race for 1st and 2nd in that league so our team really needed to get all the rounds. These people were new to the game and I wonder if it helps them to want to get better or just quit when they get beat real real bad? A person almost feels bad, but they did put themselves on a league where competition is part of it. Am I wrong?
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I'm of the mindset that when you get beaten, you'll go one of three ways.

1) You will give in to the idea that you will never be that good.

2) You will make up excuses for your loss, and won't improve yourself.

3) You make it your goal to be better than that player.

The third type is rare, and I think it's safe to say most of AZB feels like this. When I started league, those 7s and 9s crushed me but now I beat them. Now the masters and high AAs are beating me, in a few years I'll be beating them.

I think it's your job as a good player to show them your stuff and let them decide which of the 3 people they want to be.
 
They were a good bunch of guys just getting started. They were stunned that we had 3 table runs in the match. I hope they keep coming back! We need more players in our small town.
 
LegitStick1234 said:
They were a good bunch of guys just getting started. They were stunned that we had 3 table runs in the match. I hope they keep coming back! We need more players in our small town.
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As long as things are friendly and they were not *****ing there is hope hehe.

Depending on the person, a good idea may be to go over some things they did that can be worked on.

Although most of the players I play with I know as regulars, I almost always note some situations they make a mistake in (say playing wrong pattern or picking a funky position play) and go over it with them after the match.

If the new players get help with things it may be better for them.

Heck, I've coached players that look like they need a lot of help during my match them with, like if someone is placing ball in hand 1 inch from the ball and straight in when the next ball is on other side of the table or just plays stop shots no matter what the situation is. I actually have seen other players in my room do that also, which is great. It's not like that D player will beat a B player even with coaching, so there are a few of us that help out the new players with things during games. Never had anyone tell us to shut up yet LOL
 
Give your opponents part of what they came for. Losing badly is always going to suck, but if the winning team shows courtesy, good sportsmanship and a bit of compassion to the losing team, it won't be the end of the world for them.

When I started playing foosball I got smoked horribly by everyone who played the tourneys and league I played. The second worst player would definitely win every game against me. That never bothered me because the other players showed interest in helping me along and being friendly.
 
I play in a league with a pretty huge skill range and I'm right in the middle so I've been on both sides of this. I've played teams where we got beat pretty bad, where I had only a couple trips to the table and none where with a remotely decent shot to get started. I've also played teams where we just ran over them pretty good.

For me, I think first is to just keep it fun and friendly. I always try to do that, especially when we're winning easily because I want the other team to still have fun. I'm not going to take it easy on them, but I'll make sure to complement any of their good shots and find good points to their game to mention to them, if applicable. I'm also always willing to provide pointers if asked after the match.

When I'm on the loosing side I've had other teams do the same for me and I think it really helps. They compliment some of my good play which is always encouraging, they are friendly which keeps it fun, and they are willing to share tips after the match so I feel like I can learn something.

I'm a committed enough player that if I get slammed by someone who doesn't do any of that stuff I don't really mind, I just try to learn whatever I can from the experience. But it's nice when they do and it's appreciated even by the more committed beginner like myself. I don't expect it of anyone, but I think it's a nice idea to make sure the people who are just learning the game will keep coming back. We need more pool players and trying to make sure they aren't having a miserable time while you're beating them can only help to encourage them to come back.

But none of that should be any part of taking it easy....bring your best game to the table every time and if that means they don't get a chance to shoot, then that is how it is that night, it happens.
 
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You are in a league for competition. You owe it to your teammates and your competition to play your best every game.

We are lucky enough to have two leagues where i play. The Wed CCS league is more competetive. The Thursday in-house one less so. The more inexperienced players are encouraged to join the latter.

Sent from my GT-S7560M using Tapatalk
 
LegitStick1234 said:
They were a good bunch of guys just getting started. They were stunned that we had 3 table runs in the match. I hope they keep coming back! We need more players in our small town.
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As others have said, if you guys were cool with them, it should be ok. Anyone that has any sense of competition is gonna realize that when you play very strong teams, you're gonna get beaten up sometimes. And hopefully you get a chance to get better, and get another chance at them.

The few times that I've been in that situation, where my team really needed the points, I made it a point to tell the other team captain that we really needed the points for the standings, and we were gonna go hard. In a casual shrugging sort of way. Cuz its obvious when you look at potential lineups that you can play versus who you actually play... Like if I have a stronger player left at the end of the night, and all they can play is a lower level, beginner sort. Often times I'll play one of my lower level players in such a situation, to get my lower level players some more matches. But if its coming down to the end of the session and we need the points......

If you're encouraging them and everyone is sociable, it shouldn't be an issue. At least that's how it works here.
 
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