Anti-Sharking Stroke

fd_colorado

fd_colorado

Go Pack Go!!!
Silver Member
I was playing my good buddy last night and as I was last stroking the cue ball he made what I thought was a sharking motion.

The next time I was lined up on the $ ball I thought he was going to try and shark me again.

During my warm up stroking I simply never stopped on my backstroke, so he never knew when to try and shark me.

Simple, but it worked like a charm.
 
It's funny...

fd_colorado said:
I was playing my good buddy last night and as I was last stroking the cue ball he made what I thought was a sharking motion.

The next time I was lined up on the $ ball I thought he was going to try and shark me again.

During my warm up stroking I simply never stopped on my backstroke, so he never knew when to try and shark me.

Simple, but it worked like a charm.
Click to expand...

what freinds will allow themselves to do consciously or unconsciously to shark and get the win. It can take some determination to sit quietly and still, and let your "freind" defeat you. I used to play someone and found that it would shark him if I sighed deeply when I sat down after a poor miss. That taught me I had to aspire to a whole new level of sportsmanship.......at which I fail on a regular basis!

Merry Christmas

td
 
fd_colorado said:
I was playing my good buddy last night and as I was last stroking the cue ball he made what I thought was a sharking motion.

The next time I was lined up on the $ ball I thought he was going to try and shark me again.

During my warm up stroking I simply never stopped on my backstroke, so he never knew when to try and shark me.
Simple, but it worked like a charm.
Click to expand...

How about explaining how that is possible. Thanks....SPF=randyg
 
I regularly played a certain player that would always give me a loose rack. Time and time again, the balls were not even close to being frozen.

I eventually told him that I would like to rack my own (I was just wanting to get a tight rack). Well I started making balls and running out more often than before when he was racking. He asked me how I was racking to get such good breaks. He actually thought I was rack rigging and wanted to know how I was doing it.

I had suspected this but wasn't sure. I asked him to read this news article in the evening paper and he said he needed his reading glasses to read the small print. I then asked how he could see the gaps in the ract when he was racking?

He replied, "I just push the balls tight from behind and then lift the rack". What he didn't see was the back balls rolling off, or the head ball rolling off.
He needed his glasses to get a good tight rack. When he used his glasses (when he racked for himself) he got a good rack and was much happier with his breaks.

We racked for ourselves the rest of the time we played against each other.

BTW 'rack your own' was not the preferred method. It was always loser racks.
 
randyg said:
How about explaining how that is possible. Thanks....SPF=randyg
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Good catch. Of course, technically you are correct since every change of direction involves a stop, however brief. Stopping on the front stroke was where he could key off me.

I usually get into my initial set position, take a few fluid warm-up strokes, stop briefly with the cue next to the cue ball, take another shorter "timing" stroke and then take a full stroke and fire. The opponent could key in on the "timing" stroke knowing that the following full stroke would be hitting the cue ball.

grindz said:
what freinds will allow themselves to do consciously or unconsciously to shark and get the win
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I wasn't sure if he was trying to shark me the first time. But I would much rather have a friend do it than a stranger. If he was trying to shark me then I'm glad he did because I like the solution that I came up with to combat the shark.

In certain environments your opponent may have a gaggle of cohorts, any of which could try and shark you. Ultimately you have to control your own mind and game because you can't control what everyone else might do.
 
Tom In Cincy said:
I regularly played a certain player that would always give me a loose rack. Time and time again, the balls were not even close to being frozen.

I eventually told him that I would like to rack my own (I was just wanting to get a tight rack). Well I started making balls and running out more often than before when he was racking. He asked me how I was racking to get such good breaks. He actually thought I was rack rigging and wanted to know how I was doing it.

I had suspected this but wasn't sure. I asked him to read this news article in the evening paper and he said he needed his reading glasses to read the small print. I then asked how he could see the gaps in the ract when he was racking?

He replied, "I just push the balls tight from behind and then lift the rack". What he didn't see was the back balls rolling off, or the head ball rolling off.
He needed his glasses to get a good tight rack. When he used his glasses (when he racked for himself) he got a good rack and was much happier with his breaks.

We racked for ourselves the rest of the time we played against each other.

BTW 'rack your own' was not the preferred method. It was always loser racks.
Click to expand...

Last night I was playing a fellow who was creaming me at 9 ball, was up something like 8-2 or thereabouts (just for fun, nothing on the line) and I asked him for the wild 5 and pretty soon am even with him, and what does he do but start to slug rack me, big time, and also move the rack well off the spot. Of course I didn't say anything just kept playing, and ended up ahead of him when we quit. The score was something like 23-19. Why he felt he needed to slug rack me I don't know, as I wasn't getting out with regularity, although I did crack a few 9 balls in on the break.

Although I'll not play him for anything, at times we end up playing each other in tournaments. Gonna keep an eye out for that stuff...

I suppose it's fair to say there are those who don't know how to rack, and those who do but choose not to when it suits them...

Flex
 
Flex said:
Although I'll not play him for anything, at times we end up playing each other in tournaments. Gonna keep an eye out for that stuff...

I suppose it's fair to say there are those who don't know how to rack, and those who do but choose not to when it suits them...

Flex
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Really sad. There is a guy locally, who does this kind of thing, even though he plays well enough {most times} not to. Three or four of us were practicing prior to the start of a weekly bar table tournament. I got out playing him and he racked. Using close to what my break was like years ago, I made the 9 ball in the corner off the break. As he was racking he announced to the room at large "That won't happen again!" He visibly moved the rack. I moved the cue ball to compensate but didn't make the 9 again. He continued to give everyone shit racks after that. Some people just can't stand to lose.
 
Some people can't stand to lose and react badly....

Pushout said:
Really sad. There is a guy locally, who does this kind of thing, even though he plays well enough {most times} not to. Three or four of us were practicing prior to the start of a weekly bar table tournament. I got out playing him and he racked. Using close to what my break was like years ago, I made the 9 ball in the corner off the break. As he was racking he announced to the room at large "That won't happen again!" He visibly moved the rack. I moved the cue ball to compensate but didn't make the 9 again. He continued to give everyone shit racks after that. Some people just can't stand to lose.
Click to expand...


Lots of people can't stand to lose, but instead of having it bring out the (loser) in you, it should inspire you to get better.

Jaden
 
I don't understand...

why a guy would go to such lengths to "win" over an opponant. I don't feel like it matters that much who or whom is holding the other cue. It is the lay of the table you are trying to win by running out. Isn't that the true game being played? When I miss, I am upset with me not the other guy and if he misses then I try to finish up where I left off and beat the table. Anyone have any insights they wish to share about my thoughts on the game?

Dwight
 
Jaden said:
Lots of people can't stand to lose, but instead of having it bring out the (loser) in you, it should inspire you to get better.

Jaden
Click to expand...

?? I don't understand your comment.
 
I mean that......

Pushout said:
?? I don't understand your comment.
Click to expand...


I mean that it's not a bad thing to hate to lose, but don't let it bring out the bad in you. Instead, let it inspire you to improve your game....


Jaden
 
BigDogatLarge said:
why a guy would go to such lengths to "win" over an opponant. I don't feel like it matters that much who or whom is holding the other cue. It is the lay of the table you are trying to win by running out. Isn't that the true game being played? When I miss, I am upset with me not the other guy and if he misses then I try to finish up where I left off and beat the table. Anyone have any insights they wish to share about my thoughts on the game?

Dwight
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If you wish to simply play the table, with no regard for whom your opponent is, be my guest.

However, I think it's smarter to not only play the table, but to play against your opponent's game as it is, and to take advantage of his ability or lack thereof to kick, or bank, or lay safeties, or shoot long shots, or tough shots or whatever. Also, don't forget that momentum in a match can and often does change; be attentive to those moments and seize the advantage.

If you think about it for a moment, I'm sure you can come up with several instances where momentum swings made the difference in your matches.

Flex
 
I told my friend who tried a few verbal sharking moves once: "Mind games are a terrible thing to waste....save your mind for your game." Problem is, his brain is the same size as Homer's.
 

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cmbwsu said:
I told my friend who tried a few verbal sharking moves once: "Mind games are a terrible thing to waste....save your mind for your game." Problem is, his brain is the same size as Homer's.
Click to expand...


The homer image (with the small brain) reminded me of a past golfing buddy...We routinly had three or four groups for a skins game and it was customary for the group to do a little woofing on the first tee....right before someone teed off...

A comment was made about this persons golf game (or lack of skills) and an immediate reply came from another cart....

"You can't get in his brain.....he ain't got one"
 
Flex said:
If you wish to simply play the table, with no regard for whom your opponent is, be my guest.

However, I think it's smarter to not only play the table, but to play against your opponent's game as it is, and to take advantage of his ability or lack thereof to kick, or bank, or lay safeties, or shoot long shots, or tough shots or whatever. Also, don't forget that momentum in a match can and often does change; be attentive to those moments and seize the advantage.

If you think about it for a moment, I'm sure you can come up with several instances where momentum swings made the difference in your matches.

Flex
Click to expand...

You are right, of course... I was just thinking in the short term of an opponent sharkin' or cheating in some other fashion for the win. Your highlighted approach along with my naive one, makes for a true champion. Thank you for your thoughts, Flex.

Dwight
 
BigDogatLarge said:
why a guy would go to such lengths to "win" over an opponant. I don't feel like it matters that much who or whom is holding the other cue. It is the lay of the table you are trying to win by running out. Isn't that the true game being played? When I miss, I am upset with me not the other guy and if he misses then I try to finish up where I left off and beat the table. Anyone have any insights they wish to share about my thoughts on the game?

Dwight
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unless they're playing for more than just bragging rights
 
CaptiveBred said:
thinking about stroking different to avoid a shark move is, in itself, a shark move you put on yourself :)
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Some time ago, a fellow I was playing some 8 ball did his best to shark me as I settled into a long, straight in shot on the 8. He said, plenty loudly, "Stop! You can't make that shot!" His shark move worked, and while still down on the ball I rotated my head and looked straight at him, and asked, "You wanna bet?" "Yeah, sure" "OK, I'll bet you 500 jellybeans I make this shot".... Silence.... "You wanna bet or not, 500 jellybeans?" More silence... I rotate my head back, and fire the 8 into the heart of the pocket.

Now, did his shark attack work?

Flex
 
I have really sensetive hearing which makes it very easy to shark me with with sounds. Whenever someone does it to me and I feel like it was intentional, I try to embarass them by calling them out on it directly (eg. "Are you allergic to my backstroke, or are you just not good enough to beat me straight up?"). I picked up this strategy after seeing my friend use it to great affect in a self-reffed pickup basketball game.

Works best when there are a good amount of people around, but you'd be surprised how some people take it even when nobody is around. This isn't the best way to handle sharking for everybody - I just find that it fits my personality well. It bothers me more to just remain silent and take it than actually experiencing it. Ultimately, counteracting sharking is about getting back to your comfort zone. I'm sure your anti-sharking stroke works well for you, but for others, it probably sounds like the last thing they want to do =P

-Alan
 
CaptiveBred said:
thinking about stroking different to avoid a shark move is, in itself, a shark move you put on yourself :)
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I disagree! The moment you switch to the anti-shark stroke you are ignoring the opponent and focusing on the ball and he can't do much of anything.
 
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