They are both completely different animals, in my opinion. I've come to the conclusion that I have a preference for the extended long session 1-on-1 $$ matchups against an evenly matched competitor. Obviously (of course depending on how much $$ you're playing for) you can potentially lose far more $$ in the heads up session than in a tournament, which is why many players who may not be able to afford the heads up sessions prefer tournament play.
The biggest advantage I find for myself is that in a 1-on-1 session, you are constantly in action - playing multiple sets over multiple hours, so even if you start out slow and lose the first set or even two, you will eventually have the chance to find your game and your stroke, to start playing closer to your potential skill level that you know you've proven you can play in your solo practice sessions. Of course, physical endurance and remaining mentally focused can be an issue in a marathon session for some players, particularly as we get older, which I find as a challenge.
In a tournament, you have little opportunity to warm up and you have to bring your best game for one set, which is not easy to do and in many ways, places more pressure on you, even though you may be potentially risking far less $$ than in the heads up sessions. If you happen to lose any set (assuming a double elimination format) the next loss will end your tournament. A few lucky breaks for your opponent or an unlucky break or two for you can be the difference in winning or losing that one set/match, whereas that will rarely make the difference between being the overall winner or loser in an extended multiple set 1-on-1 session. Also, in tournaments, the time breaks and waits between matches, in which you rarely are able to have a table to practice on, keep you from being able to get in stroke and/or to stay in stroke, which is frustrating. Even for a well attended weekly tournament, if you make it in to the late rounds, you may be at the poolroom for 5-6 hours, but only having actually been in matches for less than half that time.
I feel very lucky that I've recently been matching up once a week, playing even, against a similar skill level opponent. We both take it very seriously and there is enough $$ at stake that we both bear down hard every shot, every game, with many safety battles that ensue - we are both conservative players and we play on a table with 4-1/4" corners and 4-3/4" sides. There is virtually no verbal communication to speak of while we are playing - personally that's the way I like it and I'm sure him as well. We both highly respect each other's games and we take pride in our performance. We play 4-5 long race sets per session, as we generally take around 2 hours per set. Neither player has yet to win 3 straight sets and neither player has ever been shut out of winning at least one set in a session. We do it on our weekly tournament night here, starting mid afternoon and lately we've decided to just keep playing and forego playing in the tournament, as the heads up playing is far more rewarding and likely more beneficial to our games than playing in the handicapped tournament.
Opinions as to which you all prefer and why? - Thanks
The biggest advantage I find for myself is that in a 1-on-1 session, you are constantly in action - playing multiple sets over multiple hours, so even if you start out slow and lose the first set or even two, you will eventually have the chance to find your game and your stroke, to start playing closer to your potential skill level that you know you've proven you can play in your solo practice sessions. Of course, physical endurance and remaining mentally focused can be an issue in a marathon session for some players, particularly as we get older, which I find as a challenge.
In a tournament, you have little opportunity to warm up and you have to bring your best game for one set, which is not easy to do and in many ways, places more pressure on you, even though you may be potentially risking far less $$ than in the heads up sessions. If you happen to lose any set (assuming a double elimination format) the next loss will end your tournament. A few lucky breaks for your opponent or an unlucky break or two for you can be the difference in winning or losing that one set/match, whereas that will rarely make the difference between being the overall winner or loser in an extended multiple set 1-on-1 session. Also, in tournaments, the time breaks and waits between matches, in which you rarely are able to have a table to practice on, keep you from being able to get in stroke and/or to stay in stroke, which is frustrating. Even for a well attended weekly tournament, if you make it in to the late rounds, you may be at the poolroom for 5-6 hours, but only having actually been in matches for less than half that time.
I feel very lucky that I've recently been matching up once a week, playing even, against a similar skill level opponent. We both take it very seriously and there is enough $$ at stake that we both bear down hard every shot, every game, with many safety battles that ensue - we are both conservative players and we play on a table with 4-1/4" corners and 4-3/4" sides. There is virtually no verbal communication to speak of while we are playing - personally that's the way I like it and I'm sure him as well. We both highly respect each other's games and we take pride in our performance. We play 4-5 long race sets per session, as we generally take around 2 hours per set. Neither player has yet to win 3 straight sets and neither player has ever been shut out of winning at least one set in a session. We do it on our weekly tournament night here, starting mid afternoon and lately we've decided to just keep playing and forego playing in the tournament, as the heads up playing is far more rewarding and likely more beneficial to our games than playing in the handicapped tournament.
Opinions as to which you all prefer and why? - Thanks
Last edited:
