Benefits of joining an APA league?
- Thread starter BD23
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My local bar has about 20 well maintained diamond tables. This place would not exist if there weren't APA leagues running 5 times a week. I enjoy it as well as the big table halls. Your point is well taken that it is not going to produce a lot of champions and maybe that ship has sailed. American kids would rather play video games and tik tock. That is not the league's fault.
I know who you are and you are an excellent player and an owner over a very long time. And I enjoy your insights. I wish also the sport in US flourished more. But running down people that are new to the sport serves no one. I have seen people (one person in particular) rise up from the ranks in APA to approach a 700 Fargo rating. Not typical but it happens. If they didn't start in leagues they may have never played.
I've never played APA and this sounds like why I wouldn't want to.
Do you have a table at home? If so, what I do is find other people in the area (through league members, tournaments, ...). Invite people you like to play at home.
My friends and I now regularly play one day a week and rotate houses each week. Been doing this for over a decade now. And, my new league team is now starting to get together for team practices the same way since we all own tables.
Sounds like you just need to figure out how to have fun while playing.
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Well if your not interested in meeting friends then your not interested in being part of a team so I would suggest try to find local tournaments.
I think the leagues help the lower handicapped players cause you’re always playing someone at or above your skill level. The better players should find a masters or similar league or else you’re always matched against someone who just needs a couple of games to beat you and that really isn’t doing anything for your game
According to SBC we should all be gambling with people way better than us to enrich them for playing pool 24/7 their whole lives. That way they don't feel like they wasted their life in the pool room. If you have a real job and don't have a lot of time to get better you should just quit and not join a league. Nobody should play pool for fun according to him.
The guy owns a pool room, probably practices more than anyone and still ain't a pro. That should tell you all you need to know about him and his talents. Yet he still knocks anyone who won't gamble way above their head because they actually work for a living and play pool as a hobby.
The guy owns a pool room, probably practices more than anyone and still ain't a pro. That should tell you all you need to know about him and his talents. Yet he still knocks anyone who won't gamble way above their head because they actually work for a living and play pool as a hobby.
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Getting your buddy or housewife in a league creates money for the industry. It also can create fans of the sport. Which in turn creates numbers for the product "professional pool" which can be sold to other sponsorships outside the industry. I'm not an APA fanboy but they are doing some things to make the US players more competitive by offering junior leagues and competition. There are others that are fueling the juniors which will in turn will grow the talent pool and in turn close the gap between the US, Asian and European players. It needs to be treated as a sport rather than a past time.
It takes time. I don't have kids but If I did, 15 years ago I wouldn't let them near a pool table. The current paradigm in pool would make me rethink that stance.
I quit the APA. What a pile of garbage league along with ample doses of frustration. There are much better ways of improving. I’ll admit your results may vary.
APA isn't for everyone, and thats ok. It is good for a couple hundred thousand folks tho, so that's not all bad. There are many rooms that wouldn't be able to survive without league and it's players, so that's not bad. Those housewives and beginners and such buy far more gear and gadgets, so that's not a bad thing. And they usually buy food and drinks, also not a bad thing.
Will APA create the next great pro, probably not. But pool rooms that continue to remain open because of league players might just help that aspiring pro. I've played with several people in APA here who have gone on to other leagues and regional tournaments, it's fun keeping up with how they're doing.
To the OP, maybe you ought to go spend a little time on league night, and see for yourself. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Maybe you are better suited for weekend tournaments. That's cool, too.
Will APA create the next great pro, probably not. But pool rooms that continue to remain open because of league players might just help that aspiring pro. I've played with several people in APA here who have gone on to other leagues and regional tournaments, it's fun keeping up with how they're doing.
To the OP, maybe you ought to go spend a little time on league night, and see for yourself. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Maybe you are better suited for weekend tournaments. That's cool, too.
Why not start your own team then if you can't find a existing one to join?
For the OP. If your primary goal is to improve, APA is the lowest rung of players in the league systems (by design), but they are also the most prominent so depending on your specifics (days available, location, etc..) it may be your best option. If your current skillset is around an APA SL-5 or lower, then you'll be able to find good competition within the league and play a wide variety of players. It can be a bit innefficient time wise though, as you'll spend 1 hour shooting and the rest either scoring or waiting unless you can play in a room with some spare tables for practice.
I played it for years but I did so because I liked to teach and help the lower players on my team. But APA in itself is a terrible program with garbage rules, payouts, tournaments and travel expenses.
If you aren't into meeting people and having some social interaction, then as said maybe do a Masters league or just stick to practice and tournaments. Doesn't sound like APA is for you.
If you aren't into meeting people and having some social interaction, then as said maybe do a Masters league or just stick to practice and tournaments. Doesn't sound like APA is for you.
If you are a fairly competent bar player, APA will make you better. You'll be playing (or watching) people with skill sets different than yours, and if you pay attention, you can learn from that. You can do that by watching YouTube or live streams, but being actually in the match is different. And you'll lose to people that do something you didn't expect, and you can learn from that. You'll screw up safety shots that require a level of touch that you may not have yet, and you'll work on that and any of the other things that pop up highlighting an aspect of your game that needs some work. You may get on a team with someone that can help identify those things and help make you better, and he doesn't have to become your new best buddy. You'll figure out pretty quickly who is there to play and who is there to pad innings and keep their handicap low, but that doesn't mean you can't learn from them either. Any one of the other organized league systems can do all of those as well, but it seems that APA is the more prevalent and easiest to locate. Local tournaments are great too, but I find that less coaching and advice is offered in those environments. That old saying of "you don't know what you don't know" kinda fits here, and once you realize that on every shot you have multiple options, both offensive and defensive, it often comes as an epiphany, and sucks you even further into the game.
What do you think the total product sponsorship is for US pros?
If it's over 300k it's a shock.
APA making least 100 million plus what league ops get. Does nothing for pool. Players get a little better, handicap goes up and then they recruit more bangers to make more teams, like the cult it is.