Using bowlliards to track progress?

[Chili Palmer]

Anyone here use bowlliards to track their progress.

Long before YouTube, long before Dr. Dave and the Billiards University, and long before a zillion "pros" started coming up with their "systems" we used a game called bowlliards to track our progress.

https://www.bowlliards.com/howtoplay.php (I have no affiliation)

For those that don't want to click through - in bowlliards you rack 10 balls (any 10 in random order) and break. All pocketed balls on the break get spotted and from there (depending on skill level) you can either leave the CB as is, put CB in kitchen, or take BIH. Then try to make all 10 balls in any order. If you make all 10 in one inning it's a strike. If you make two balls and miss, take BIH (if those are the rules you choose) and try making the other eight in any order. If you get all eight you get a spare, if you miss, it's an open frame - just like bowling

Clearly, Billiards University is a much more in depth way of tracking progress but let's face it - it's a PITA to setup, shoot, reset, shoot, reset, shoot...you get the point (No offense, I actually have most of his stuff printed and in a three ring binder and have had some fun, but I have zero patience and have never finished it ).

Bowlliards on the other hand - grab a pen and paper and ten balls and go to town. Takes me about 20-30 minutes for a full game if I don't mess around.

When I started back in the 80's I remember scores of 50's and 60's. Sometime in the 90's I broke into the 100's and when I got out of pool in '04 I was averaging around 150-160 and I believe I had broken 200 once or twice.

After 14 years away I got back into it and when I first played I was right back where I left off. After about a year, and after putting some serious time into practicing, my highest 10 game running average was 240'sh with a high of 257.

I'm sure there are many people on here that can get 300's all day long but I'd be willing to be there are a bunch of lurkers who could only dream of hitting 150 (one of my life-long friends has never broke 200 and I believe his average was 130's a couple of years ago when he was in town) or 200, let alone 300.

I'm sure there are many ways people use to track there progress, Someone just happen to show this game to me when I was trying to improve my play at a young age and it's stuck with through the years.

I play BIH for both break and second shot (if required), simply because I'm a firm believer in consistency - if I ever hit 300 I will stop using BIH.

 

[MattPoland]

I played tons of bowlliards during the stay home orders. I was introduced a version where pocketed balls on the break stay down. I had a buddy that would remote stream with me so we could play together. I definitely improved a lot over that time and did get a 300 once. It taught me so much about identifying problem balls and thinking about how to best get to them. It’s interesting how people can think of tied up balls as problems and overlook how some balls can be problematic just by their layout. Tight triangles. Balls in a line. Balls that look easy but are shaped like a drill. Etc. These things need to be addressed with a plan. You can’t assume you’re simply good enough to work them out when you get to them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[cjr3559]

I play the strict BCA rules, BiH in the kitchen after each break, cue ball remains in position after a miss. Much more difficult and requires some two-way thinking when I inevitably get out of shape on ball #1.

Needless to say my high score is 80 something.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I played tons of bowlliards during the stay home orders. I was introduced a version where pocketed balls on the break stay down. I had a buddy that would remote stream with me so we could play together. I definitely improved a lot over that time and did get a 300 once. It taught me so much about identifying problem balls and thinking about how to best get to them. It’s interesting how people can think of tied up balls as problems and overlook how some balls can be problematic just by their layout. Tight triangles. Balls in a line. Balls that look easy but are shaped like a drill. Etc. These things need to be addressed with a plan. You can’t assume you’re simply good enough to work them out when you get to them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Awesome and yes, it helps sort out problem balls, that's one of the best things about it.

One of the things I like about it is it allows you to "learn" to run balls. Let's say an APA 4 is playing 8B and makes 4 in a row, he's going to start thinking "wow, I made 4, I've never done that before" and bam, focus is gone and he misses. If you play this game enough running ball after ball becomes just that - ball after ball after ball and it's no big deal.

It also taught me to miss and not let it get to me as much.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I play the strict BCA rules, BiH in the kitchen after each break, cue ball remains in position after a miss. Much more difficult and requires some two-way thinking when I inevitably get out of shape on ball #1.

Needless to say my high score is 80 something.

I have played in the kitchen or as is when just having some fun competitions with others but if it's for my own tracking I always stay consistent, it's the ONLY way to track progress

No doubt, at my level I should be playing in the kitchen at the least, and should probably play CB as is. But I told myself years ago - don't change it until you get 300

 

[cjr3559]

Risk/reward

I have been trying to log my progress here and there, and seems I’m about a 70 average, which makes me a low C player probably.

Regarding not taking BiH on the second ‘throw’:

It forces me to think twice about taking a low percentage shot and leaving nothing vs shooting safe into a good setup to get the spare. Especially critical during frames when getting down to 2-3 balls remaining.

Because some rough math showed that getting spares in every frame could potentially increase my total score by 100%..

Not saying anything groundbreaking here but open frames are killers; don’t care if I shot a 9 and missed or got two 4’s

 

[muskyed]

We play that every year at our league banquet. Everyone chips into the pot, 32 people in our league, and pot is split into two based on skill level of players. Lot of fun for our final night. Our banquet comes up in a couple weeks, and Wife and I are really looking forward to it, it's a fun night, pizza, beer, some serious prize money, and oh yes, bowlliards.

 

[garczar]

We play that every year at our league banquet. Everyone chips into the pot, 32 people in our league, and pot is split into two based on skill level of players. Lot of fun for our final night. Our banquet comes up in a couple weeks, and Wife and I are really looking forward to it, it's a fun night, pizza, beer, some serious prize money, and oh yes, bowlliards.

Forgot all about bowlliards. Cool game. Great practice or comp. game. I think my high score might have been 200 once. tough action.

 

[middleofnowhere]

There used to be a national compitition with pretty good money.

 

[dquarasr]

Risk/reward

I have been trying to log my progress here and there, and seems I’m about a 70 average, which makes me a low C player probably.

Regarding not taking BiH on the second ‘throw’:

It forces me to think twice about taking a low percentage shot and leaving nothing vs shooting safe into a good setup to get the spare. Especially critical during frames when getting down to 2-3 balls remaining.

Because some rough math showed that getting spares in every frame could potentially increase my total score by 100%..

Not saying anything groundbreaking here but open frames are killers; don’t care if I shot a 9 and missed or got two 4’s

Thanks for bumping this thread. I either missed it originally or forgot about it.

Man, that tenth “money ball” of a frame sure piles on the pressure. Make it and it’s a strike if first inning of the frame or spare if second inning.

Also makes you really bear down when you get to the last few balls of a frame; there are fewer insurance balls to bail you out if you get out of shape. Pattern play applies to get you to that magic tenth ball. Teaches how to focus on the money ball of other games like 8-, 9-, or 10-ball.

Great idea. I’m going to try it seriously next extended session at the table. Sounds fun!

 

[Bob Jewett]

There used to be a national competition with pretty good money.

I don't recall bowlliards, but there was an Equal Offense national competition in the 1970s. Pool & Billiard Magazine ran it, IIRC.

 

[Tooler]

Looks like the scoresheet link is dead.

Here's a copy.

 

[middleofnowhere]

I don't recall bowlliards, but there was an Equal Offense national competition in the 1970s. Pool & Billiard Magazine ran it, IIRC.

This was around 1980. A friend of mine won a regional event and went to like NY for the big tournament. Sort of like the Miller Lite tournaments. It was played all over the country at once. "BUT", maybe it was equal offense and I am not remembering correctly, I can't be sure.

 

[cjr3559]

For those that take BiH in kitchen, do you have any particular break strategy.

I break with medium-hard power and hope the back two corner balls rebound out of the kitchen and stop mid table.

 

[skip100]

looks like a cool solo game!

 

[alphadog]

It is a great practice game if you reset and work on your weaknesses or denote them and practice them at another time.

 

[mrpiper]

This is a fun game I enjoy from time to time. It's MUCH harder than you would think. I wonder how many of the current top players could run a 300? It seems a lot easier than 14-1

 

[hotelyorba]

Looks like the scoresheet link is dead.

Here's a copy.

there's also a ton of apps for your phone to score bowling. (works same for bowlliards, obviously)

I played a lot of bowlliards with some of my friends years ago, but I forgot about it in recent years. I do remember though, that the break seemed to be the most important: you want a nice spread (most balls on one half of the table), no clusters, no balls on the rails, and max 1 ball dropping on the break. If you achieve that, then the run out is relatively easy most of the time.
I got a 300 once, several 200+.

 

[hang-the-9]

I've been suggesting this game to people that are trying to learn in addition to playing the ghost and adding balls as you progress. It's very easy to score, easy to play without having to play a lot of position so helps newer players, and easy to see progress with the average score. It's also a good game to play with more than two players, just like bowling.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... we used a game called bowlliards to track our progress.

https://www.bowlliards.com/howtoplay.php (I have no affiliation)

For those that don't want to click through -...

The site lists rooms with bowlliard leagues, but the links to them go nowhere. I wonder if leagues still exist and if the site is active.