What is Handicapp Management in APA?

For those who do not understand APA lingo, an sl-7 in 8 ball is the highest rank. Depending on how good of a 7, they are, the person could be an A or a B player, but usually a strong B, an sl6 is a c+ to B-, sl5 is a c, sl4 is c-, sl2-3 are Ds.

Last night was the playoffs, and we lost. In two more weaks, the next session starts. Some of us spun off to form a new team and added other players we know to be winners.

this is the line up, sorry if this is boring

sl7 very good 7 who has taken a team to vegas before
sl6 very good probably the best six in the poolhall league
sl5 very good at shooting, shape just needs to learn when to play safe, which the seven will teach him
sl5 very good shooter, was a scratch handicap golfer , just does not know how to play safe but would learn quick, very smart
sl4 good shooter, shape and good safety player
sl2 guy who will go 3 because he is too good a hooter to stay 2
sl2 me but within 2 wins of being 3

Now, this is what they want to do with me. Play me 50% of the time against players llike 2-3, the other 50% against much better players that I am not expected to beat but will still have a chance with the huge spot I have.

They also know I have beaten players 2 ranks above me before, so it would not be a guarantee loss for me.

Their attitude is it would be great to keep me a two but if I go up I go up. My attitude is that it would be fine to stay at my rank. I want to play better players so that with my practice I can improve as a poolplayer.

Noone is telling me to try to lose, I will always be playing my best.

So considering that, in respect to me, do you think that is handicap management, since I have requested to play better players anyway.

I guess to me it would be great to go to vegas and am excited to have this very good team and to be on it. But, regardless of rank, i just want to keep getting better at pool. So in my mind, if I stayed a sl2 or went up, I wouldnt care as long as I am getting better at pool.

So what do you think ?

Laura

Rich R. said:

As long as you are not trying to lose, as in dumping, there is nothing wrong with playing you against higher ranked players.
That is good for you and, if you win, it is good for the team.

As for your team, assuming you discriptions are acurate and they are improving, you will be in trouble soon.
From your discriptions, at least one of your sl5's will move up to a sl6, your sl4 will move to a sl5 and both you and the other sl2 should move to sl3. This will make it much more difficult to field a team of 5 players and stay under the limit of 23.

Rich R.

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Much truth here. It looks like the six will remain a six. One five will stay a five, one may or may not move up depending on how fast he lerns shape and safe;right now is just a very good shooter, the sl4 will become an sl5 but probably not this next session because his w/l is too low. So a 6,5,5,3,2 or 7,5,4,3,3 is how it looks in the nera future. Or something like that. .If everyone goes up or looks like they are going up then in the fall we may need to recruit some other players.

We are going to try to let each player play every other week and to be fair, especially to those who have to get up at 5, to not have the same person always playing first or last. We had this situation last session where I nearlly always had to play last which was not fair to my hubbie who gets up at five. he has to stay until i play for a seizure disorder I have. often we were 2-2, and putting me up as a wild card, hoping i could beat a higher sl player, and pull it off for the team. Weird position to put a two in, huh. We also had a person who would leave if we did not play her first.

That is part of the reason for the new team. Also we know each other very well for a long time and know what each persons strengths and weaknesses are. My apa7 hubbie additionally knows the strenghts and weaknesses of virtually all players in the league, which is also an asset.

Lalura

if they do move up then play 6,5,5,3,3 or if one of the threes becomes a 4, then 7,5,4,3,3

Laura

I am sooo happy with my new team. All of them are good at whatever apa rank that they are. It is so good to be on a team with people who know what they are doing and we all get along so well. I am looking forward to a season of fun, while i get better at pool.

Laura

Porter said:

Handicap Managment in APA?

OPINION

IThere is an art to it.

They aren't dumping, but they are padding there handicap.

I think of it as sandbagging. But in APA it is a fact of life.

If you are there for the weekly games, it is great. If you want to go to Vegas I suggest looking for a BCA league. I like the BCA handicap system in 8 ball much much better.

"If you wanna play, Practice"
"If you wanna win, Practice Harder"

Porter

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I have seen the apa formula. Each sl can only be alloted so many innings regardless of how many they played. Also, if the score keeper is doing their job, they are marking defensive shots, which are then subtracted from the innings.

When a person has a certain w/l % they go up regardless of how much they pad their innings. If the person is winning with less innings than expected for their sl, they can go up sooner.

For instance, a sl3 is alloted 7 innings. Based on their w/L they are given a certain rank within their handicap. The things that will cause them to go up are: less innings than typical for a 3, a high w/l or at handicap review, when the captains meet together, they recommend that the person go up. This review is done typically once per session.If the three is padding their innings, or playing safes that are not being counted resulting in 10 innings, it does not do them no good because the system allots them a maximum of 7 for that sl.

There are always people who get around the system. There is sandbagging , regardless of the league, although some areas might have fewer sandbaggers.

Laura