Pace of Play

Pangit · Jan 27, 2012

Some folks deliberatey Slow play...maybe it frustrates the opponent? "Crap or get off the pot"...U took that long to "think" about the shoot...and that's the best U can do????

I play really fast... ala Rodney Morris...U either know what to do...or U don't. Stay down long...stay down wrong.. Trust your instincts...It's "daunting" to play someone that makes almost every shoot with position seemingly without a second thought.

U can often times break their will in warm-up's before you even play a game.

bender_lu · Jan 27, 2012

once i get comfortable at the table my pace comes naturally; i dont run around the table but i walk calmly, analysing the situation. i watch my shot and position while chalking (always with the but on the floor), then i got down, 2 to 3 small swings, slowly swing back and then i shoot. its neither fast nor slow but just my way. a friend of mine just goes aroung,goes down and shoots. works perfectly for him :thumbup: every1 has his pace where he feels good. the only thing i HATE are players that take longer for 1 shot then chessplayers for a hole game (like johnny archer, i cant even watch his youtube videos......man)

Grapenut · Jan 27, 2012

There are times when anyone in league play would gladly welcome a Marshall in a golf cart to bump a slow player out into the parking lot. Slow play is not tolerated at most popular golf courses. It should be a consideration in league play, as well.

Nut

DallasHopps · Jan 27, 2012

I haven't figured out how to play well when I play someone who takes forever doing everything. We're talking close to 3 minutes to rack, grab a break cue, and break. I have no problem with a reasonable thought process, but to need to stare at a shot on the 8 for a minute to conclude that a stop shot will leave you straight on the 9, and then spend 20 seconds shooting the shot, and starting the process again for the only ball left on the table... I'd rather punch myself in the junk than play that guy ever again.

Chopdoc · Jan 27, 2012

I always had a fast pace. If somebody else plays slow, I don't really care.

TheThaiger · Jan 27, 2012

Slow play is the death of pool. It is up to all of us who care about the game to drive it out.

mbj · Jan 27, 2012

slow play brings out the worst in me no doubt ... not outwardly, but unfortunately in my game. My opponent last night was taking over a minute or two for seemingly ever shot. It just wore me down (which is admittedly my problem to fix) and I ended up surrendering a 4-1 lead to lose 7-6. I was a completely different player in the last 5 or 6 games. Found myself checking my phone for the time, dreaming of a shot clock, rushing shots when I did get to the table, etc ... ugh It just wasn't any fun at all, and not just because I lost.

Mickey Qualls · Jan 27, 2012

We had a few slow players when I played league...

Now, I can empathize when somebody breaks and wants to take a minute to look at the layout of the table. Heck, I've done it myself when I played BCA league and tournaments. Particularly when that game could mean the difference between winning or losing the round, match or money. In those situations, it didn't bother me when my opponent took a moment or two to assess the table after the break.

That being said, it was after thier first shot, when they would have to take another two or three minutes for the next shot (and so on) !!! And you KNEW that the player doing it is more than capable of putting together a few racks...

Cardinal_Syn · Jan 27, 2012

I myself hate slow play. But I guess everyone has their own pace or "comfort zone". Although I think the problem is not with slow play, it's me not being able to adapt to their speed. I start to shoot faster when I play slow player just to "catch up" with time lost and I make mistakes.

dr9ball · Jan 27, 2012

We can't control our opponent. If you want to play fast then do so. Complaining will only frustrate you and possibly your opponent. If you don't like your opponents rate of play, don't play them again. Most of the time I hear people talking about slow players, they are complaining (I.e. making excuses) about why they (the faster player) lost.

Donny Lutz · Jan 27, 2012

Slow play as learning process

TheThaiger said:
Slow play is the death of pool. It is up to all of us who care about the game to drive it out.

For me, playing slowly was part of my learning process. As a youth I played rather quickly. But when I began to learn more about the game, and saw many options on shots, it took me longer to read the table and plan my run or safety. Then, as my knowledge increased, I found my game speeding up again, as I saw my options more quickly.

Some players think that the pros who play quickly don't have to think about their plans. It's really more that their minds work quickly, sorting and choosing options, so it appears that they aren't doing much thinking.

Some forty years ago, I had the rep of being a very slow player. In a national team event, an opponent complained about my slow play. His team captain, Willie Munson, replied, "Yeah, but he runs most every rack!"

There's a big difference between slow play and deliberate play. Stalling drives me nuts, too. Unnecessarily slow play is rude. This is one reason why I like coaching in league play (with a strict time limit!), it actually can help speed up a match!

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl

63Kcode · Jan 27, 2012

I am a slow player. Sorry(not), if that bothers other players. My turn at the table is MY turn. If my playing speed effects yor game. That's your problem to deal with.

Larry

TheThaiger · Jan 27, 2012

Donny Lutz said:
For me, playing slowly was part of my learning process. As a youth I played rather quickly. But when I began to learn more about the game, and saw many options on shots, it took me longer to read the table and plan my run or safety. Then, as my knowledge increased, I found my game speeding up again, as I saw my options more quickly.

Some players think that the pros who play quickly don't have to think about their plans. It's really more that their minds work quickly, sorting and choosing options, so it appears that they aren't doing much thinking.

Some forty years ago, I had the rep of being a very slow player. In a national team event, an opponent complained about my slow play. His team captain, Willie Munson, replied, "Yeah, but he runs most every rack!"

There's a big difference between slow play and deliberate play. Stalling drives me nuts, too. Unnecessarily slow play is rude. This is one reason why I like coaching in league play (with a strict time limit!), it actually can help speed up a match!

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl

Do you guys have stop clocks for league matches over there then?

Being able to read a table quickly, as well as execute the shot and run the table swiftly, is a skill in itself. I like to see skill and excitement, and feel slow play drives both out of the game, which is a shame.

Those that are slow generally use it as a device to win. That's fine, but the game is more important than winning. Too few people put the game ahead of themselves and very few players give anything back to the sport.

derangedhermit · Jan 27, 2012

The faster a player's pace, the more often their game seems to suffer when they don't get to pull the trigger every 10 seconds.

If my opponent gets in a good fast-paced rhythm, they get a little break each time I'm up. Many fast players can't consistently pick their rhythm back up.

It seems harder to throw slower players off their rhythm. Sometimes they will start hurrying themselves.

TheThaiger · Jan 27, 2012

63Kcode said:
I am a slow player. Sorry(not), if that bothers other players. My turn at the table is MY turn. If my playing speed effects yor game. That's your problem to deal with.

Larry

And when you've driven away all the other players, what then?
And when you've caused all the poolhalls to close down, what then?
And when the game finally dies, what then?

You'll always have those memories.

Donny Lutz · Jan 27, 2012

Stop clocks?

TheThaiger said:
Do you guys have stop clocks for league matches over there then?

Being able to read a table quickly, as well as execute the shot and run the table swiftly, is a skill in itself. I like to see skill and excitement, and feel slow play drives both out of the game, which is a shame.

Those that are slow generally use it as a device to win. That's fine, but the game is more important than winning. Too few people put the game ahead of themselves and very few players give anything back to the sport.

No stop clocks. The league that I run allows two time-outs per game with a one minute time limit. Most players have no problem with this, and it moves things along better than leaving the novice on his/her own.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl

Banks · Jan 27, 2012

TheThaiger said:
And when you've driven away all the other players, what then?
And when you've caused all the poolhalls to close down, what then?
And when the game finally dies, what then?

You'll always have those memories.

OMG, the world's about to end!

If slow play is a problem for you, find somebody else to play or stop letting the person to the table..

If it were me, I'd just start tapping my fingers on the table or I'd go have a smoke.

Still trying to figure out which of you two is Pocketpoint.

timseal · Jan 27, 2012

The better players are usually quite brisk, because they have played that layout/shot before and know what to do. For 95% of shots, twenty seconds is plenty of time.

I was recently in a straight pool match, and was getting my brain very tangled. Indecisiveness was slowing me right down, and I was losing the game. My opponent started grumbling and said I should play faster. So I did - and immediately I ran a few racks and won the game easily.

The last time I played a slow player, he was so slow I was almost laughing. Two minutes per shot, sometimes more. This was nine-ball. Luckily for me, he couldn't run two balls and so I won 6-0 despite having less than 10% of the table time.

There is no moral, but I do think that slow players get left behind.

quadrary · Jan 27, 2012

I dont think of myself as a slow or fast player just about avg i guess but all the complaining about slow players tells me thta some people have trouble adapting their game. I have only played one player that bothered me by being slow and that was because a race to 5 took over 2 hours with ab average of him studying the table close to 2 and 1/2 minutes between every shot.

Black-Balled · Jan 27, 2012

63Kcode said:
I am a slow player. Sorry(not), if that bothers other players. My turn at the table is MY turn. If my playing speed effects yor game. That's your problem to deal with.

Larry

but if you had only a couple of balls to run, and they were all shoot/ stop, would you still be 'slow'?

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