okay, here is a little background information. I have played in the apa for 7 or 8 years. I havent always been a captain, but as of the past 3 or 4 years i have been a captain. I play one night of handicapped APA 8 and 9 ball in the same night (captain), one night of BCA (just a player), and one night of APA masters (just a player). over the past year, it seems, when i show up for handicapped league, i cant play well enough to be worth anything, but when i show up for either bca or apa masters i show up ready to play, and normally play better than handicapped night (i am a 6 in 8ball and a 7 in 9ball). I know that some of the reason I havent been doing my best is because i have been worried about numbers (cause we all know its a numbers game mainly). Has anyone went through this situation, and if so, what was their action to correct this? I am thinking it might be time for me to quit being captain for a while. Last night i caught myself missing shots that i never miss on the other nights, and its a little frustrating. Sad thing is that i knew i was going to miss right before i stroked the shot, but went through with it anyways. thanks to everyone that reads this and responds.
advise on apa handicapped league matches
- Thread starter fram6878
- Start date
jdxprs
Banned
if you know you are going to miss, stand up and reset until you feel you will make it. or look for a different play.
dont let being captain take away from a little practice time on the night you are shooting.
i used to always go to the table cold when i was captain. now, i always make sure to get some racks in while waiting to play my match.
dont let being captain take away from a little practice time on the night you are shooting.
i used to always go to the table cold when i was captain. now, i always make sure to get some racks in while waiting to play my match.
I think you're caught up in the "it's okay if I miss" or "I don't care if I miss" mentality since you're worried about the numbers and possibly going up. The bad news is that this is not good for you or the team. If you're normally a competitive person, it's sucks playing if you just don't care. On the other-hand, if you just like playing for the fun of playing, then it might not be all that bad if you're having a good time.
You may need to reorganize your team or resign as captain so that you can concentrate on playing your best again.
JMHO
Same here... managing the team and the scoring doesn't allow for much warm-up. It sucks
You may need to reorganize your team or resign as captain so that you can concentrate on playing your best again.
JMHO
Same here... managing the team and the scoring doesn't allow for much warm-up. It sucks
I have trouble focusing on shooting and being captain because I often focus more on getting my other players into matches than mentally preparing myself to shoot.
A lot of times I find I am telling myself I am not shooting tonight, then I'm not mentally prepared for a match.
Also, I focus on the scores, so then I add pressure on myself to make up extra points, etc.
Lately, I have been telling myself that I am a better shooter than their team and they do not deserve to beat me at the table. I shoot my game and play my position. When I worry about match scores, etc. I lose my focus on the game and shoot poorly.
A lot of times I find I am telling myself I am not shooting tonight, then I'm not mentally prepared for a match.
Also, I focus on the scores, so then I add pressure on myself to make up extra points, etc.
Lately, I have been telling myself that I am a better shooter than their team and they do not deserve to beat me at the table. I shoot my game and play my position. When I worry about match scores, etc. I lose my focus on the game and shoot poorly.
As a captain, the only rule I have for myself is that during the season, no one sits 2 weeks in a row. It's a team effort and everyone is going to contribute. I'm working with 7,5,5,4,4,4,4,3 so I have to pay attention to handicap during the night. I decide at the start of the night whether or not I am going to play or not. I'll either play first or second 95% of the time and then I can focus on running the team the rest of the night.
I tell all of my players I want them to play their best. We don't have any super stars and they all have bad nights time to time. I keep track of wins and who has played who. If I am concerned about a player going up, I'll set them up in matches they have a good chance of losing. That's all I can do. I will not ask any one to compromise their play.
When I am in a match I don't care who I am playing. I know how many games I need to win and that's what I think about.
In 9 ball I am just a player. I don't really care for the points format because I have a hard time knowing whether I am winning or losing a match. I don't keep checking the score sheet as that is a distraction. I basically pocket balls until someone tells me to stop.
Focus on what you have to do at the table, not what the other guy has to do. Decide if you are going to play or not and then play early so you can play without distraction and captain the team without worrying about having to play cold.
I tell all of my players I want them to play their best. We don't have any super stars and they all have bad nights time to time. I keep track of wins and who has played who. If I am concerned about a player going up, I'll set them up in matches they have a good chance of losing. That's all I can do. I will not ask any one to compromise their play.
When I am in a match I don't care who I am playing. I know how many games I need to win and that's what I think about.
In 9 ball I am just a player. I don't really care for the points format because I have a hard time knowing whether I am winning or losing a match. I don't keep checking the score sheet as that is a distraction. I basically pocket balls until someone tells me to stop.
Focus on what you have to do at the table, not what the other guy has to do. Decide if you are going to play or not and then play early so you can play without distraction and captain the team without worrying about having to play cold.
Kinda spooky, I could have started this thread myself using almost exactly the same wordage.
If it were me in YOUR shoes, I'd change nothing EXCEPT I'd use the handicap league as a chance to tutor the lesser skilled players on your team. Use the night out for relaxation and get the satisfaction of giving free information/lessons to those who will appreciate it the most. The best nights I ever had in APA handicap leagues was the ones where I helped "coach" a SL2 or SL3 to a victory. Very satisfying!!!
Like DelaWho???, I never would let one of my players sit two weeks in a row, even if it meant ME sitting out two weeks (or more) in a row.
Maniac
'dub, it wasn't as distasteful as you thought it was, but at least you had the wherewithal to remove something you said because you thought it might offend some. My hat's off to you, my friend. I wish more posters would take this approach!!!
Maniac
I try to find the middle ground in most discussions, because there is usually something valid coming from both directions.
I've just had a very bad start to my day, and I let it fly from my keyboard. I'm simply glad I realized it and could make an attempt at retraction.
Back to the point of the OP, from my experience the captains job is a tough one. You do need to carve out some time on the warm-up table, not only for the actual practice and table acclimation, but to get away from all the action for a short while. Sitting in the chair watching (and scoring) every match will get to anyone. I've seen this with my team captain, as well. I try to make sure to score at least one match so that he can get on a table before he plays.
Try to explain that stuff to your team, and get them to help. It will help you play better, and it will draw the team closer if more of them are involved. Again, my team finds itself at odds because of the lack of this stuff. Good luck!
I've just had a very bad start to my day, and I let it fly from my keyboard. I'm simply glad I realized it and could make an attempt at retraction.
Back to the point of the OP, from my experience the captains job is a tough one. You do need to carve out some time on the warm-up table, not only for the actual practice and table acclimation, but to get away from all the action for a short while. Sitting in the chair watching (and scoring) every match will get to anyone. I've seen this with my team captain, as well. I try to make sure to score at least one match so that he can get on a table before he plays.
Try to explain that stuff to your team, and get them to help. It will help you play better, and it will draw the team closer if more of them are involved. Again, my team finds itself at odds because of the lack of this stuff. Good luck!
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fram6878...A consisent Personal Eye Pattern will help eliminate this problem. Once the eye pattern becomes a habit (first it has to be defined, then trained, then practiced correctly), the mind will have a checklist to follow. When something is subconsciously "out of place", or missing, the mind will notice it and allow the player to "bail out" (and start over), instead of going ahead and shooting (even knowing you're going to miss). You can find how we teach this detailed in a post on the instructor forum here that I made. If you'd like some instruction on this, PM me and I'll steer you to someone who can work with you. Hope this helps!
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=173354&page=2
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=173354&page=2
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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On the team that I am a captain of we have a scoring rule. Someone scores the first match (usually me or another one of higher level players) and then whomever played the 1st match, scores the second match and so on. We have 7 or 8 players out every week so it is easy. By doing this it free's me up to practice or do whatever I want becuase you are not always focused on the scoresheet.
I find playing and doing the scoresheet is a huge pain. It gets distracting despite your best mental efforts. Delegate it as much as possible. As captain you already handle some of the paperwork and hassle. The rest of the team should take care of the rest so you can shoot.