An 8-ball skill rating system...

Billy_Bob

Billy_Bob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Seems to me the existing skill ratings do not clearly "communicate" a players ability to play 8-ball. I think something like the following might be better for those of us who play 8-ball mostly.

Players are many times good at some things and not so good at other things, so I think the following would be a more accurate rating system. i.e. It would more clearly communicate a players ability when discussing this on the internet. I suppose you could average the numbers or list them.

FYI - I am the following...
Breaking: 3.5
Speed Control: 4
Position: 4
Breakout: 3
Runout: 4
Safety: 3
Kicking: 3
Banking: 3
Strategy: 3
Innings: 3
Average: 3.35

My suggested 8-ball rating system (suggest changes please)...

Breaking skills...
1. Frequent miscues or failed breaks
2. Legal break - most of rack intact
3. Many clusters, most balls at foot of table, rarely ball(s) made on break, cue ball near rail
4. No clusters, balls evenly distributed, sometimes ball(s) made on break, cue ball near rail
5. No clusters, balls evenly distributed, ball(s) made on break, cue ball center of table

Speed control skills...
1. Shoots too fast for every shot
2. Can sometimes shoot slowly
3. Can shoot slow, medium, or fast
4. Ability to shoot straight or cut and leave object ball on rail or in front of pocket
5. Ability to shoot straight, cut, bank, or kick and leave object ball on rail or in front of pocket

Position skills...
1. Can't leave position for next shot
2. Can rarely leave position for next shot
3. Can sometimes leave position for next shot
4. Can usually leave position for next shot
5. Can always leave position for next shot

Breakout skills (pocket ball and break out cluster in same shot)...
1. Can't break out clusters
2. Can rarely break out clusters
3. Can break out clusters on 3rd attempt
4. Can break out clusters on 2nd attempt
5. Can break out clusters on 1st attempt

Runout skills...
1. Have trouble pocketing 1 ball
2. Can run 1 to 2 balls
3. Can run 3 to 5 balls
4. Can run 6 to 8 balls
5. Can usually run out 8 balls

Safety skills...
1. Can't play any safeties
2. Can rarely execute good safety
3. Can sometimes execute good safety
4. Can usually execute good safety
5. Can always execute good safety

Kicking skills...
1. Way off when kicking
2. Can rarely hit ball when kicking
3. Can sometimes hit ball when kicking
4. Can usually hit ball when kicking and sometimes pocket ball
5. Can always hit ball when kicking and usually pocket ball

Banking skills...
1. Can never pocket ball when banking
2. Can rarely pocket ball when banking
3. Can sometimes pocket ball when banking
4. Can usually pocket ball when banking
5. Can always pocket ball when banking

Strategy skills...
1. Never uses strategy to win
2. Rarely uses strategy to win
3. Sometimes uses strategy to win
4. Usually uses strategy to win
5. Always uses strategy to win

Average innings per game (turns at table needed to win game)...
1. 5+
2. 4
3. 3
4. 2
5. 1
 
Still reading the whole thing but here is what I found so far that you may want to change.
Breaking skills...
1. Frequent miscues or failed breaks
2. Legal break - most of rack intact
3. Many clusters, most balls at foot of table, rarely ball(s) made on break, cue ball near rail
4. No clusters, balls evenly distributed, sometimes ball(s) made on break, cue ball near rail
5. No clusters, balls evenly distributed, ball(s) made on break, cue ball center of table
Click to expand...

Change number 4. How can you go from Many Clusters to No Clusters. I think you should change the fourth option to say few clusters after break.
 
Also when you compare run out skills and innings per game they dont seem to match up, but this is from your ratings. If you can run 6-8 balls then your average innings per rack shouldnt be 3. Should be at the most 2.
 
Excellent suggestions!

How about for breaking, maybe have 2 or 3 separate categories?

Like..
Number of clusters after break
Spread of balls around table
Where cue ball left after break
 
Or maybe a breaking category with sub-categories.. (forgot balls made on break). And maybe do this with other things?

Breaking...
Number of balls made on break
Number of clusters after break
Spread of balls around table
Where cue ball left after break
 
At the risk of over analyzing this, how bout looking at how the shooter ends his inning? Are you leaving on a miss? Ar you leaving on a tight safe? Are you leaving on a two way shot? Are you leaving because you're broke?? In 8 ball, if you're not getting out in your first or maybe second turn at the table, you're gonna get busted. I know there are the few times where the table is a horrible mess and you may spend a few innings repositioning the furniture, but generally, it's run-n-gun. From my experience, it's hard to play a good, solid, lock-up safe against a decent player, in 8 ball.


Eric

*edit-show me someone who averages 6-7 balls run per inning and I'll show you a fish.
 
Last edited:
Stats ...

First, you have too many stats. Might be okay for you doing yourself for yourself, but other players are not going to evaluate all those things.

Besides, another better player might rate you different on a lot of things than you would rate yourself.

The rating system I developed is based on 10 ball, or known as
Bowliards, where you play against yourself, and not an opponent.
A complexity level is assigned for each game played, like 8 or 9 ball,
rotation, one pocket, straight pool. This represents how much more
complex the game is than 10 ball, or bowliards. For example, I arbitrarily
assigned a complexity level to 9 ball of 12%.

So that is saying 9 ball is 12% HARDER TO PLAY than bowliards. For 8
ball, I assigned a complexity percentage of 15% initially. Remember,
these are just judgment calls, and not tried and adjusted percentages
for complexity.

So, for instance, if someone has a 220 average in bowliards, then reduce that score by 12% for 9 ball, which would result to
be 196 (rounding to whole number). With this number then, it can
be converted to any league handicap (VNEA, APA, BCA) for 9 ball.

Example = 300 (possible bowliard score) / 9 (9 handicap levels)
= 33.3 rounded down to 33. Then 196 / 33 = 6 rounded. So the person
would be a 6 in APA 9 ball.

The same can be done for any game and any handicap method (or league).
It also can be done for a 'true' or 'money' rating with a little more work.

This would give a conversion list between handicapping systems. Using
the above example, 196 would convert to 49 for BCA 5 man 8 ball. The result for APA 8 ball would be a 5 rounded.

So, if you were a 5 in APA, and entered a tournament where it was
based on BCA 8 ball averages, with my rating system, they could convert
that to 49 in BCA to use for the handicapped tournament you wanted to play in, or vica versa.

My method could also be used to classify you as to what type of player
in a particular game, A+, A, B, C, etc.. I haven't done that already, but
it can be done.

So, with one bowliards score (shooting your best of course), you can
get the equivalent rating for any league and handicapping system for
ANY GAME PLAYED.

One giant conversion list could be done for all the applicable Pool league
types that are in your general area. It could all be done in an Excel
spreadsheet, with a standard report generated.
 
Thanks for putting this together. I would agree with much of your system. This is a tough game to break down to these components.

For instance, when you talk about strategy play. The elite players would probably have to be evaluated at a 3 on your system. They may play a safety but for the most part in 8 ball they just run out. Some weaker players have many safeties a game because they know they can't or probably won't run out. IMHO a better way to approach it is on their ability to win games when strategy play is involved.

I think there should be a rating for pattern play. How about shot making? Perhaps even ability to win under pressure. Some of my teammates run racks in warm-ups but struggle when it's prime time.

This has helped give me something to think about on an otherwise boring day...thanks for doing it.
 
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