BilliardManager - Your pool tracking app for iOS and Android

[phil228]

Hey straight pool'ers,

It’s finally done! After months of research, design, development and testing with numerous straight pool enthusiasts, it is time to proudly unveil my latest billiards app project

It's called "Practice 14.1", an innovative app to track your straight pool performance. It will help you improve your 14.1 skills and accompanies you on your journey to become the best straight pool player possible.

Professional sports athletes always consult a wide variety of statistics to improve their performance and eliminating weak spots. Practice 14.1 applies this concept to the game of straight pool.

It helps you focus on your game rather than worry about scorekeeping. But it's not another scorekeeping app: Your match data is used to provide meaningful statistics and hints on where you can improve your game to do better next time. It helps you visualizing your progress and getting closer to your personal targets like a new highest run.

Highlights of the app:

+++ Score keeping, as easy as it gets +++
Whether you want to practice on your own or play a match with a partner - the app got you covered! Scorekeeping is as easy as counting to 15, as you just need to count the remaining balls once your inning came to an end. Therefore, you can fully concentrate on the task at hand and strive for your next high run.

+++ Beautiful statistics to visualize performance and progression +++
Analyze your matches and gain insights into your playing style. The app uses your match data to summarize and aggregate meaningful statistics, so you can see your improvements and performance progressing.

The Practice 14.1 app is available for free on the Apple AppStore for iPhone and iPad, so feel free to give it a shot yourself
Download Practice 14.1 for free

For more information you can also visit the official Practice 14.1 website:
Practice 14.1 website

I'm super excited to launch another billiards app project for the community again Really looking forward hearing your feedback and comments on it - and of course seeing a lot of high runs recorded with it, too!

Wishing you all a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Regards
Phil

P.S.: Android will be following in the future, but you gotta start somewhere, right?

 

[JusticeNJ]

Sweet - I’ll give a shot. Thanks!

quick q - will there be a way to share with other people or see other’s results in-app?

 

[poolplayher]

Downloading now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JusticeNJ]

Seems cool - I don’t understand the timing thing though. Would be cool if you could add which cue you were using. Here is a quick and dirty race to 100 solo session.

 

[cjr3559]

I like like the solo stat tracking very much.

 

[The_JV]

Looking forward to the reviews...

{sad android user }

 

[phil228]

Hey there!

Thank you so much for the positive feedback - really happy you like it so far

@JusticeNJ : Nice session & good ideas, very much appreciated! Sharing of sessions (e.g. on social media) will be definitely possible in the future. Haven't thought about the others results or cue usage topics yet, but will put them on the feature proposals list! The timing thing (locking the "New rack" button for 30s after tapping) came in handy for me as I sometimes forgot whether or not I tapped it for the current rack - takes away the thinking / guessing as well

 

[Cameron Smith]

Just tried it and I like it quite a bit. It’s nice to have an app out there that for solo practice. It’s a nice touch that I can continue my run after hitting the designated point total. The only thing I have to keep in mind is that I need to remember to sleep my phone after recording my score since the changing ad caught my eye a few times while down on the shot. But that’s a very minor nitpick.

Is there a way to add global stats at some point? I’m thinking anonymous or cumulative stats based on skill levels or something? That would be very helpful for practice as it gives players goals to shoot for and perspective on their stats.

 

[phil228]

Just tried it and I like it quite a bit. It’s nice to have an app out there that for solo practice. It’s a nice touch that I can continue my run after hitting the designated point total. The only thing I have to keep in mind is that I need to remember to sleep my phone after recording my score since the changing ad caught my eye a few times while down on the shot. But that’s a very minor nitpick.

Is there a way to add global stats at some point? I’m thinking anonymous or cumulative stats based on skill levels or something? That would be very helpful for practice as it gives players goals to shoot for and perspective on their stats.

Thanks for your feedback, Cameron! Global stats will play a role to measure one's performance against a comparable peer group. There are some challenges to it (at first, there has to be a lot more match data ), but this will be an essential part of a future "where and how to improve"-section I'm already thinking about. Simple example: You are missing significantly more breakshots than your peer group => area for improvement: breakshots => Tips on how to improve breakshots (samples of breakshots, importance of keyballs, etc.)

How does that sound to you?

 

[Cameron Smith]

Thanks for your feedback, Cameron! Global stats will play a role to measure one's performance against a comparable peer group. There are some challenges to it (at first, there has to be a lot more match data ), but this will be an essential part of a future "where and how to improve"-section I'm already thinking about. Simple example: You are missing significantly more breakshots than your peer group => area for improvement: breakshots => Tips on how to improve breakshots (samples of breakshots, importance of keyballs, etc.)

How does that sound to you?

Yes that sounds great. I’d also add comparable run frequencies, session high runs and also visible stats for each skill group. I’m always curious what the mean, median and mode runs are for different standards of players.

edit to add: Run frequencies would be great too. As in, how many 10s, 20s, 30s etc. you have made. I’m sure the UI could be updated to dynamically only show frequencies for levels you’ve achieved?

 

[cjr3559]

I’ve done a couple solo workouts so far. I really like how the app tracks your stats and progress cumulatively over an extended period in detail.

As I continue to use the workout feature I’m curious to see the difference between my shot % and safe %. I assume the app believes you are shooting the CB in position after a miss.

I’m not good at 14.1 and take BiH after missing and find a shot that will open the rack better or plan the key and break ball. Also during practice I experiment with risky offensive shots I wouldn’t normally play in a match which lowers my shot %. Only on occasion will I practice a safe if I don’t think I can play something from the cluster. I don’t find much value in ‘safing’ myself inning after inning.

Thanks again for the app

 

[Cameron Smith]

I’ve done a couple solo workouts so far. I really like how the app tracks your stats and progress cumulatively over an extended period in detail.

As I continue to use the workout feature I’m curious to see the difference between my shot % and safe %. I assume the app believes you are shooting the CB in position after a miss.

I’m not good at 14.1 and take BiH after missing and find a shot that will open the rack better or plan the key and break ball. Also during practice I experiment with risky offensive shots I wouldn’t normally play in a match which lowers my shot %. Only on occasion will I practice a safe if I don’t think I can play something from the cluster. I don’t find much value in ‘safing’ myself inning after inning.

Thanks again for the app

My experience has been similar. I’ll play safe if I have no shot if only to protect my shotmaking percentage, but since run averages is the key metric there is no real incentive to play a good safe since each safety drives down your average.

My recommendation would be to either not count safety only innings against your average or have a separate setting for a high run only session or something that doesn’t include safety calculations. Otherwise, a lot of people will end up with a very very low safety percentage.

You also bring up a good point about the way different people will approach this. I initially suggested showing comparative global averages. But I realize those numbers will be heavily impacted by each persons approach. Playing the cue ball from where it ended up at the end of an inning will drive averages down (but is probably a more accurate number) because you still have to deal with the mess that led to the end of your previous inning.

That said, I do really enjoy the app.

 

[phil228]

My experience has been similar. I’ll play safe if I have no shot if only to protect my shotmaking percentage, but since run averages is the key metric there is no real incentive to play a good safe since each safety drives down your average.

My recommendation would be to either not count safety only innings against your average or have a separate setting for a high run only session or something that doesn’t include safety calculations. Otherwise, a lot of people will end up with a very very low safety percentage.

You also bring up a good point about the way different people will approach this. I initially suggested showing comparative global averages. But I realize those numbers will be heavily impacted by each persons approach. Playing the cue ball from where it ended up at the end of an inning will drive averages down (but is probably a more accurate number) because you still have to deal with the mess that led to the end of your previous inning.

That said, I do really enjoy the app.

I’ve done a couple solo workouts so far. I really like how the app tracks your stats and progress cumulatively over an extended period in detail.

As I continue to use the workout feature I’m curious to see the difference between my shot % and safe %. I assume the app believes you are shooting the CB in position after a miss.

I’m not good at 14.1 and take BiH after missing and find a shot that will open the rack better or plan the key and break ball. Also during practice I experiment with risky offensive shots I wouldn’t normally play in a match which lowers my shot %. Only on occasion will I practice a safe if I don’t think I can play something from the cluster. I don’t find much value in ‘safing’ myself inning after inning.

Thanks again for the app

Thank you both for your positive and constructive feedback! Love to hear comments like this on your experience and how it can be improved

You definitively have a point here with the "different approaches" each player will take. I totally understand that and it was something the extensive testing phase partly revealed already. That's why I'm a little bit ahead of time and I'm happy to announce that a feature for addressing this is on its way!

Over the next weeks the app will receive its first bigger update and it will add at least the following feature (to not spoil everything beforehand ;-) ):

A new workout type with very specific focus on offensive play is coming! In contrast to the current "individual practice" mode, this mode will reset all the balls after an error / tap the "end inning" button. The idea is that you start with a complete rack and either a breakball or do a normal 8-Ball break to spread the balls and start your run with an open table. No need to worry about safeties and stuff, this is just running as many balls as you possibly can each inning. In this mode you are not targeting to make a specific amount of balls, but to make as many balls as you can in a predefined number of attempts / innings. Kinda like the practice game "Equal Offense", if you are familiar with that (Equal Offense Instructions) Over time, you should see an improvement as you will become more and more familiar with pattern play and should achieve higher averages and runs.

I believe this is the mode you were looking for - maximum attack and of course this will not impact your safety accuracy rating as you won't ever play a safety in this mode.

In order to "keeping stats clean" there will also be an additional "filter by workout type" in the statistics view so you can review achieved statistics in specific modes as well. (and still of course over all modes together, if you want to) This should compensate for the different play styles in the different modes, too.

Really looking forward hearing your thoughts on this, too!

@cjr3559: Huge thanks for your review on the AppStore - thank you soo much!!

 

[Cameron Smith]

Thank you both for your positive and constructive feedback! Love to hear comments like this on your experience and how it can be improved

You definitively have a point here with the "different approaches" each player will take. I totally understand that and it was something the extensive testing phase partly revealed already. That's why I'm a little bit ahead of time and I'm happy to announce that a feature for addressing this is on its way!

Over the next weeks the app will receive its first bigger update and it will add at least the following feature (to not spoil everything beforehand ;-) ):

A new workout type with very specific focus on offensive play is coming! In contrast to the current "individual practice" mode, this mode will reset all the balls after an error / tap the "end inning" button. The idea is that you start with a complete rack and either a breakball or do a normal 8-Ball break to spread the balls and start your run with an open table. No need to worry about safeties and stuff, this is just running as many balls as you possibly can each inning. In this mode you are not targeting to make a specific amount of balls, but to make as many balls as you can in a predefined number of attempts / innings. Kinda like the practice game "Equal Offense", if you are familiar with that (Equal Offense Instructions) Over time, you should see an improvement as you will become more and more familiar with pattern play and should achieve higher averages and runs.

I believe this is the mode you were looking for - maximum attack and of course this will not impact your safety accuracy rating as you won't ever play a safety in this mode.

In order to "keeping stats clean" there will also be an additional "filter by workout type" in the statistics view so you can review achieved statistics in specific modes as well. (and still of course over all modes together, if you want to) This should compensate for the different play styles in the different modes, too.

Really looking forward hearing your thoughts on this, too!

@cjr3559: Huge thanks for your review on the AppStore - thank you soo much!!

Yes, I like this approach very much. It's great to have both options since the current one is a good way to have a solo game of straight pool. But the offensive practice is a good option for when you want to just focus on runs. I suspect averages will be higher when starting each inning with a break shot since you should get to start each inning with a nice open spread instead of a mess of your own making lol.

 

[phil228]

I suspect averages will be higher when starting each inning with a break shot since you should get to start each inning with a nice open spread instead of a mess of your own making lol.

Yep, averages should definitely be a lot higher than in the other formats! That's why the option to filter the statistics by workout format is so important then, as it will otherwise distort the rest of the practice modes heavily. Filtering the stats should give one a very clear view into his/her performance and compensates for the "different approaches" issue.

Already excited to publish the first bigger update!

 

[Positively Ralf]

I'll be on the lookout for the Android version.

 

[phil228]

Practice 14.1 just received it's first update with major improvements and new features like the new workout format „Maximum Attack“ and new trends visualization for your statistics. Find all details of the update below:

+++ New workout format „Maximum Attack“ +++
This new format is focussed on offense only, no safety play here. Start with an open table right away and try to run as many balls as possible. In order to keep your workout data separated, the statistics view received an addition filter function, so you can easily distinguish between your practice sessions and matches.

+++ Statistics trends +++
To visualize progress even better the statistics are enhanced by trend indicators, making it easy to see where you have been improving in the recent weeks. Can you make all arrows turn into green?

+++ New statistics „Run average“ and „breakshot success“ +++
We added two new statistics that should be of good use while evaluating your game. „Run average“ displays your average runs once you made the first three balls whereas „breakshot success“ clearly reveals your performance on making break shots.

+++ Bugfixes and general improvements +++
We cleaned the table, polished the balls and chalked the cue again for an even better experience of Practice 14.1

Hope you all like the new features and improvements Happy practicing!

Best
Phil

 

[phil228]

The next major update of the Practice 14.1 app is now available and it is a truly massive one, so you better not miss this!

We know that you all want to improve your straight pool game and get that next high run. Version 1.2 adds a major feature dealing with this: PERSONAL ANALYSIS

Personal analysis is a completely new area in the Practice 14.1 app. It uses your data from practice workouts and matches to assess your skills in 7 different areas relevant to your improvement process and visualizes your current level in a beautiful chart.

But we are not stopping there: Analysis will also use your data to provide helpful insights into your game and highlights your personal areas for improvement. Keep working on those items and your next high run will be just around the corner. This hasn’t be done before and is absolutely unique to the app so make sure to review your own performance.

We are thrilled to hear your thoughts on this, so let us know what you think about this in the comments. Please consider to like and share this with other 14.1 straight pool fans in order to help them improving, too.

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

 

[Shuddy]

Love the app. One thing I’ve always wanted in a 14.1 app is a decent ghost option. For example, being able to set a score that the ghost automatically gets when I miss (x points + remaining balls OR x points). I usually play the ghost with a handicap of 2 racks + remaining balls. So let’s say I want to play the ghost to 100. I start each of my innings with ball in hand, a break ball and a full rack. If I miss on 20 (one rack (14) + 6 balls), the ghost gets 2 racks (28) plus remaining balls (9) for a total of 37. I then rerack and start my next inning with ball in hand.

In practice, this could be implemented with a Play the Ghost option that then asks you to set a base handicap that the ghost receives (10,15,20, whatever) and a target score (100, 125, 150, whatever). As you play, you do the pressing of the new rack button each time you clear a rack, when you miss, you do the remaining balls dialogue that you currently have. The ghost then receives the base handicap you set (10,15,20, whatever) PLUS the remaining balls. You then start your next inning. Game ends when either you or the ghost hit the target score.

Personally, I’d pay a few bucks for the app with this feature.

 

[phil228]

Love the app. One thing I’ve always wanted in a 14.1 app is a decent ghost option. For example, being able to set a score that the ghost automatically gets when I miss (x points + remaining balls OR x points). I usually play the ghost with a handicap of 2 racks + remaining balls. So let’s say I want to play the ghost to 100. I start each of my innings with ball in hand, a break ball and a full rack. If I miss on 20 (one rack (14) + 6 balls), the ghost gets 2 racks (28) plus remaining balls (9) for a total of 37. I then rerack and start my next inning with ball in hand.

In practice, this could be implemented with a Play the Ghost option that then asks you to set a base handicap that the ghost receives (10,15,20, whatever) and a target score (100, 125, 150, whatever). As you play, you do the pressing of the new rack button each time you clear a rack, when you miss, you do the remaining balls dialogue that you currently have. The ghost then receives the base handicap you set (10,15,20, whatever) PLUS the remaining balls. You then start your next inning. Game ends when either you or the ghost hit the target score.

Personally, I’d pay a few bucks for the app with this feature.

Thanks for your feedback, so glad you`re loving the app

The handicapped practice style definitely sounds very ambitions. I can imagine beating that kind of ghost very rarely as it requires you to run 28-42 balls per inning on average! Great thought though and I will put this on the feature list for future updates. However, focus is currently on an Android version as I have received quite many requests for it recently.

By now, you can workaround playing a practice match and entering the handicap for your "partner score" manually. Guess this is how you are doing it right now?