APA rating system
- Thread starter Surly
- Start date
Lol
Of course.
I said the above partially tongue in cheek, but I have NEVER seen a team be successful without it.
The ones that I think are the, well, dumbest, I guess are those who want to be a SL6 or SL7. To me they are like the basketball players who want records for points scored.
Bill Russell is the greatest basketball player IMO, not because he had the most talent, he actually had less talent then many many, but at the end of the day he has the most championship rings.
I have met several who has said, I WANT TO BE A SL7. I always thought they were idiots, I say I want to win!
I have told this story before, but as I set myself up to be flamed, I think it deserved to be told again....
The best player in my town does not play leagues, he is young and he said he notices that league players never practice, gamble, etc in the pool hall, but spend a huge amount of time learning how to maniluate the levels systems.
If you want to be like Russell, and really win, practice, gamble, play tourneyments to measure your progress.
Leagues are just a social event.
JMO,
Ken
shinigami said:Isn't this just a suger-coated way of saying, "I AM SANDBAGGING!"?
Of course.
I said the above partially tongue in cheek, but I have NEVER seen a team be successful without it.
The ones that I think are the, well, dumbest, I guess are those who want to be a SL6 or SL7. To me they are like the basketball players who want records for points scored.
Bill Russell is the greatest basketball player IMO, not because he had the most talent, he actually had less talent then many many, but at the end of the day he has the most championship rings.
I have met several who has said, I WANT TO BE A SL7. I always thought they were idiots, I say I want to win!
I have told this story before, but as I set myself up to be flamed, I think it deserved to be told again....
The best player in my town does not play leagues, he is young and he said he notices that league players never practice, gamble, etc in the pool hall, but spend a huge amount of time learning how to maniluate the levels systems.
If you want to be like Russell, and really win, practice, gamble, play tourneyments to measure your progress.
Leagues are just a social event.
JMO,
Ken
Troublemaker
Registered
Of course....
Surly, I think your thread has been hijacked. Of course, it just doesn't seem possible to mention the APA without things going this direction.
Ken, I do think you're right, leagues are mainly social events with some friendly competition thrown in. Its a great environment for a beginner to improve if they are on the right team that doesn't worry too much about the handicap system...and doesn't get too worked up about the 'baggers. They're out there. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose (even when they don't mean to, and not just to other sandbaggers). Sometimes they get DQ'd or thrown out of the league. I'd rather just play....and not worry about it.
Surly, I think your thread has been hijacked. Of course, it just doesn't seem possible to mention the APA without things going this direction.
Ken, I do think you're right, leagues are mainly social events with some friendly competition thrown in. Its a great environment for a beginner to improve if they are on the right team that doesn't worry too much about the handicap system...and doesn't get too worked up about the 'baggers. They're out there. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose (even when they don't mean to, and not just to other sandbaggers). Sometimes they get DQ'd or thrown out of the league. I'd rather just play....and not worry about it.
Troublemaker said:Surly, I spent a good year playing 8-ball in the APA as a SL 2...and yes there were some painful matches that just didn't seem to end....where I felt guilty subjecting my teammates to such horrible pool. But I was lucky to have a couple experienced players on my team who took an interest in my matches, and I improved quickly.
Now when I kick butt, people come up to me and say, "wow, I remember when you could barely make a ball. You just kicked my a$$." Its very satisfying.
There are some teams that will put you on their roster so they can have a SL2 to stay under the handicap limit. They will tell you its your turn to play, and help you if you call a time out, but the rest of the time they're at the bar, checking their watches, waiting for the "real" pool to start. ...some of them will not want you to improve because they may not be sandbaggers, but they don't want you to go up either, because then they will have too many points. I've been fortunate not to be on those teams, but I've seen it.
So, if you're clear about your goals and the kind of support you're looking for from your teammates, I think that actually getting in and competing is probably one of the best ways to get better if your obses...I mean ambitious to be a very good player.
I hope you go for it...
I see... thanks a lot for the warning. I'm so naive - I would have never suspected.
The new season just started here. I'm going to practice and join up next time. Geez, I get queasy just typing it!