Advice for new APA SL 6?

R

RichSchultz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
...besides those who will say, best advice is leave the APA.

Ok, so I went up to an SL6 in 9 ball, and immediately lost 17-3 to a strong 4! I couldn't get my game on gear...guess I bought into my own hype of moving up and got bitten. I tried all the tricks I know to try and relax, to no avail. Anyone have some good, helpful advice to calm me down? I usually play D untill my nerves settle, but no luck with that either.:o
 
Yes what helps me when things are going badly is to become focused on my process. I start deliberately slowly executing my pre shot routine. I walk completely around the table frequently and make sure I really understand the position of the balls. Nerves then to miss lead my perception of ball paths. That intense focus leaves no room for nerves. Occupy your mind.

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RichSchultz said:
...besides those who will say, best advice is leave the APA.

Ok, so I went up to an SL6 in 9 ball, and immediately lost 17-3 to a strong 4! I couldn't get my game on gear...guess I bought into my own hype of moving up and got bitten. I tried all the tricks I know to try and relax, to no avail. Anyone have some good, helpful advice to calm me down? I usually play D untill my nerves settle, but no luck with that either.:o
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from a recently raised to a 6 myself. calm down...take a deep breath and relax.

remember ...you were raised to a 6 for a reason.just keep playing like what got you raised . sure you are gonna lose a few that you would have won if you were still a 5. dont let it get to you ...if you do it will affect your game.

next thing to remember is ...there are gonna be nights where you play a lil below your norm and your opponent is gonna play a lil above his norm. that is why we are amateurs .:grin:

since i was raised my toughest game was against a 3 where he only lost by 1 point.

my easiest game was against a 7 where i won 46-36. i would drive my self bonkers trying to figure out the difference between those 2 games so i just go with the flow.
 
Very interesting! And I am a rhythm player, so I feed off my confidence. If I lose it, I use defense to gain it back. But I guess some days you are the bug, not the windshield.
 
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Maybe it was just the other players night. Some nights you will have poor layouts, your opponent will shit in balls, and sometimes they just have the game of their life.

It's only one match, don't make too much of it.
 
I joined the APA a few years ago for one season because of pressure from friends to help their team. My play and other peoples complaints raised me from a 4 to a 7 in a few weeks. Playing 8 ball I would win against all other 6's and 7's but when I played 2's or 3's I would lose ever time. The 2's and 3's were walking away with rackless night patches. For me, beating the other 6's and 7's was my real goal and losing with the handicap did not bother me. Yessss, I beat every 6 and 7 in the joint. That is what I focused on.

Also, about those rackless patches. A few weeks after joining this team I noticed such a patch on my team captains cue case. I said to her, "WOW, I bet Efren Reyes does not have one of those" and she said, well, maybe he does, is he a rated player, does he play here, etc. This person has been playing APA for more than ten years but has no idea who SVB or Reyes are. I figure, if I ever play in another APA league, I am going to make sure every team member knows who Reyes is

But I played in the APA for one reason, to have fun and that I did. But I also have fun just hitting balls around by myself so I could not see why I should pay APA dues.

So, OP just play, have fun and your time will come.

Also, from a psychological stand point, always make excuses for losing. It was the cloth, the lights, the balls were dirty, the other guy got lucky, etc. And when you win, always act like you just won the match of the century.
 
I'm in exactly the same boat as you. I'm in my second session in the APA and became a 6 four weeks ago. As a 5 this session I was 5 - 0 playing against 6s, 7s, and an 8. As a 6 I'm 1 - 3. When you're a 5 playing against higher ranked players you don't actually have to beat them, you just have to play even or slightly behind them to win. As a 6 you have to actually win. It's a different mindset and it takes a while to get your game back to where it was before you got raised. I've heard that a lot of people go through this phase when they become a 6. For some reason, becoming a 5 was no big deal.
 
Just raised to a 6 in 9 last session myself. I prefer playing higher ranked players, they tend to luck in balls less and I focus better. So if that's you, try to make play higher ranked players. Honestly the toughest matchups in APA 9 are good 3s and 4s, ones that can run 2 or 3 balls pretty consistently if they don't have to worry too much about position. Tough to win when a 3 or 4 is consistently getting 3 or 4 points a rack. When playing lower ranked players, stick to your defense but also know if the rolls go their way, sometimes there isn't much you can do about it. APA 9 ball has a large luck component, sometimes you can miss a ball and it only cost you one ball, sometimes one miss can cost you 6 or 7 even against a 3. Just make sure against lower players you don't beat yourself. Make them make the tough shots. If you can't get position on the next ball it's better to let them make the ball and break up the trouble instead of vice versa. Lastly, have fun, lower skill level players are probably intimadated playing a "big bad 6" so always act as if. It's funny how mentally weak some players are the second they are down 6-0 in APA 9 ball which really is nothing (especially if they are a 3 going to 25 and you are going to 46).
 
I'm currently an APA 7 in 8 ball and a 8 in 9 ball. The toughest part of playing lower ranks is it takes time to get in the groove. Making a ball here and there doesn't win. You need to run a couple of racks or figure out how to get all the points to put the pressure on them. Especially playing 1's or 2's you hang a couple 9 balls and they win. 8 ball is always pocket speed. I like to play 9 ball a little harder so if I miss the ball doesn't sit in the pocket.

I played an APA 4 two weeks ago. Started out making 1 or 2 then missing. Then she would make 1 or 2 and miss. She got to 12 and I was at 15ish. I then took 5 straight racks with her only getting 1 more point. Finished the match me at 65, her at 13, and her shaking her head.
 
everyone's advice has been rock solid...well, except that my kung fu is strong (at least in my dreams), This should help me focus tomorrow night. Thanks all.
 
Just play your game.

I am a 7 and got beat by a 6 last night, 46-53 in 13 total innings.
Now that's crazy, I needed 2 balls to win and people always call me under ranked, but that guy answered everything i threw at him. He played well..

The biggest difference in the skill levels 6-9 is knowing the shots, consistency, choosing the right shot and composure.
 
RichSchultz said:
...besides those who will say, best advice is leave the APA.

Ok, so I went up to an SL6 in 9 ball, and immediately lost 17-3 to a strong 4! I couldn't get my game on gear...guess I bought into my own hype of moving up and got bitten. I tried all the tricks I know to try and relax, to no avail. Anyone have some good, helpful advice to calm me down? I usually play D untill my nerves settle, but no luck with that either.:o
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Practice playing the ghost and start by going easy n play say a 5 ball ghost and ball in hand.
when you can beat 5 ball ghost consistently, add another ball to the equation.

When u cam best thr 9ball ghost consistently, time to sign up with barry's Us open , kidding on this one lol
 
Back when I played APA. When I was a 6, the hardest thing to play was a 4.

When I was a 9, the hardest thing to play was a 6.

Safe, Safe, Safe... Don't go for the hero shots... lock them down.
 
In my opinion for APA 9 ball your break becomes a lot more important the higher up you get. You need to be able to control your break (not scratch) and consistently make a ball so that you get the first shot at the table. IF you can control this you will have a much better chance than if you just hit it hard, scratch sometimes etc giving your opponent (who you are already spotting balls in a lot of instances) an early advantage. Also, make sure you work on your safety game. If you can get ball in hand that can be huge to setup some runs to keep you at pace with your target ball count. Good luck.

Matt <--- APA 8 in 9 ball (borderline 9 on some days)
 
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