How Do I Become an APA 6?

Thanks to all!

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my original question about what it takes to get to SL 6 in APA. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to lend your thoughts on the subject. I don't post often, but when I do, it's not a trivial post to me. Thanks again for your help.
Fool 4 Pool
 
pool said:
Somebody touched on this a bit earlier in the thread here, but nobody really ran with it. The best, best, BEST way to increase your standing in the APA is to not only win, but win in as few innings as possible. ...
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But in order to do this he needs to improve his game, which is what he was asking about in the first place. He doesn't want to become a 6 by virtue of playing more safeties and making sure they're counted, he wants to improve his game.
 
Great to see some agree

It is truly hard for some league players to understand that you will rarely move up to a higher playing level playing leagues...... Leagues in my opinion are a means to an end..........It opens the door for new pool players, makes revenue for the league structures and makes a profit for the pool room owner.........


If you can find someone who is definitely a stronger player than you are than that should be the person you either practice with or match up with..........You can learn more by watching a better player sometimes than ever picking up your stick and hitting balls...............Many moons ago........I ran into a young John Schmidt(sp) in a tournament and lost 5-4 playing on 9-footers...........It did not matter to me that I lost to him.......It did not matter that it was a close race........What mattered to me was what I learned while sitting in my chair watching an artist at work........How he deciphered the table........Picked the run........Played his shape and How he ran the Racks.................Knowlede is everything in pool..........Understanding that there are 3-4 different ways to get the same shape from one ball to the next..........Only these things can be learned in time and by watching...........



And to respond to one poster above........quoted from FLICK-IT.."I highly doubt that even Snap9 is focusing on playing in only pro events or in playing only the higher stakes gamblers (i.e. $10,000+ or $1000+ per set), especially if it's a player that he knows is better."
BEEN THERE DONE THAT..............I have played at that level of stakes and at that level of play.............However, priorities in life usually dictate your level of practice and your level of gamble.........Since my priorities in life changed directions some years ago.....I rarely afford to take road trips to the big shows anymore or match-up for higher than 100 a set........However one day I will be freed and the rain will once again flow.........:)
 
FLICKit said:
LOL.... Yeah, go ahead and quit, if you wanna improve at that slow a rate...
:cool:
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I didn't say quit playing pool, I said quit playing barbox 8-ball leagues, and spend that time playing games that force better play on equipment that demads a higher level of precision. Getting better will be automatic.
 
catscradle said:
But in order to do this he needs to improve his game, which is what he was asking about in the first place. He doesn't want to become a 6 by virtue of playing more safeties and making sure they're counted, he wants to improve his game.
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I didn't see him ask about how to improve his game. I thought he wanted to know how to go up a level in the APA. He says he can break and run 30%-40% of the time, so that should be a good start to short games. I mention that counting safeties is important because it is. I never said anything about playing them, but rather to be sure to count the ones that might be played.

I am an SL 7 and rarely break and run, but my average number of innings is very low. I went from a 4 in my first week to a 7 in my second week and have never changed in the 4 years since. Sometimes I play many safes...especially against strong players of lower skill since I can not afford to give up games.

I do take exception to the idea that safeties somehow indicate weaker play, or lack of improvement, however. Strong safety play is a sign of a strong game...both execution-wise and mentally. Not everything is raw shotmaking.
 
IF you want to be a 6, win. And I mean really win, beat every one you are up against and do it in as few innings as poosable. If your are a five and stay a five your aren't beating people badly enough. I went up to a 6, and then lost a couple of weeks and went to a 5. Then when I started beating people it went up. If your on that line 5/6 that will happen, but if your a five and stay a five, well guess what, your a five. You need to start to win...

Just a thought Pete
 
Get your winning percentage above 70%, the league will start to look at your handicap more closely. Try to keep your avg innings to 2 or less, and beating sl 5's,6's, and 7's won't hurt either. Plays safeties if you don't have shot, and make certain that their being recorded.

Black Cat :cool:
 
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APA vs Serious Pool

You are probably more valuable to your team as a 5 than a 6...so play APA as a social night out because really that is all it is. I mean you are paying to play...not being paid to play.:D
Play serious pool on a 9 footer at the local pool hall where win$ and lo$$es really matter.:)
ruk

"When you practice play perfect...in match play play to win."
Sailor of Racine
 
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It took awhile, but I finally made APA 6 this week. Played my first match Mon. as a 6, and won the match. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my original post. There was a lot of great advice and wisdom in those responses.
I would say the biggest contributing factor to my game that kicked me up to SL6 is that I've become much more aggressive on the table. However, before becoming more aggressive, I improved my shotmaking skills, especially with cut shots. I finally found a consistent method of making cut shots that works every time for me, even when the cue and object balls are very close to each other and I'm shooting for a far pocket.
I've also improved my stroke alot. Very smooth delivery to the cue ball. Better shotmaking, better stroke gave me more confidence, and I started playing faster games. I wasn't as worried as I used to be about getting off-track on my run plan, because I now stood a better chance of shooting my way back on track or going to a new one.
I hit a plateau last year for awhile as a SL5, usually winning my matches but not getting any better. In Nov. or Dec., some life changes took me away from practicing at home as much as I used to (only 1-2 hrs / wk instead of 10). However, when I played my match I was hungry and had laser ray focus on my game. I started winning games in 1-2 innings, had some break-n-runs, and then...
Became pretty aggressive! I would come to the table with the thought that I was going to kick my opponent's butt right off the bat. Very few safeties, and I made sure every one got marked.
Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to tell everyone thanks, and you were all right. Practice, safeties, game speed, aggression. Of course, I'm now working for SL7, but I'll get there eventually. In the meantime, thanks again!
 
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:D :D :D :D :D :D
Fool 4 Pool said:
I have played APA 8-ball for over 2 years. I played as a 4 for 1 1/2 years, then moved up to a five. I make no bones about the fact that I want to move up to a 7. I have my own table at home, and play either my wife or a ghost 5 hours a week (I would practice more, but long hours at the restaurant prohibit that), then play a couple of hours on the practice table or during my match on league night.
My style during my match is slow and calculating. I am out for precision cue ball control on every shot. After every shot, I re-analyze the layout to see if I need to change my plan. When I'm in stroke (30 - 40% of the time?), I can run out the table from the break exactly to my plan.
The 6 on my team, a devoted 9-baller, flows from one shot to the next with great ease, breaking up clusters, fantastic draw shots, etc. The team captain, a 5, also plays very well, and goes from one shot to the next reasonably quickly, but his cue ball control is not nearly as good as the 6. I win 2 out of 10 games against the 6, and 5 -6 games against the 5.
Now that you know me, back to my question. The 6 and the 5 are telling me in eloquent terms that I am analyzing to much, that I need to play from my heart and stop trying to be perfect on every shot. I sincerely appreciate their input (that's why I joined APA, to learn from better players), but after reading several books, reading mag.'s, and watching events on TV, I have determined that the best way for me to improve is through discipline. This means keep working on precision cue ball control, determine a run-out plan at the outset and re-evaluate with each shot, and believe that eventually the discipline will pay off. Now I'm rethinking this growth plan.
Sorry for the long post. What are your thoughts?
Fool 4 Pool
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drink more beer!!!!!:D
 
Well it's been 19 months since this thread started and you expressed your goal of going from 5 to 6.

Now, going up from 6 to 7? We'll have direct neural interfaces to AZBilliards by then.

:D

I kid, I kid...! Congratulations, and good luck!
 
Heheh. Well, I'm sorta in the same boat as you, as it turns out.

I started as a 4, went up to a 5 toward the end of my first session. A year or so later, I went up to a 6. And stayed there for another couple of years or so.

When I quit APA about 8 months ago, I was right on the edge of going up to a 7. I'd asked my LO where I stood, out of curiousity, and he told me as much.

But during that time as a 6, I was doing other stuff - playing various tournaments, largely. That'll really help your game. Just shooting by yourself a few hours a week helps, but not as much, I believe.

You might also invite over another league player to play at your place - one who's a better shot than you. Get him (or her) to show you things, point out alternate patterns for getting out or just getting leave, etc. etc.
 
Well, congratulations. Now you are officially screwed at regional and national competition. I am not trying to dampen your moment, but now instead of playing where you were the top in your bracket, now you are dead money. You will be getting a one game spot from guys that if the handicap continued upward would be a 10 or 11. Keep practicing!! And remember it is for fun!!!
:)
 
ScottW said:
Well it's been 19 months since this thread started and you expressed your goal of going from 5 to 6.

Now, going up from 6 to 7? We'll have direct neural interfaces to AZBilliards by then.

:D

I kid, I kid...! Congratulations, and good luck!
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Right, I was going to respond, then I realized I already did -about two years ago!

Congrats on on your new SL. I am currently a SL5, and shoot well enough that some guys were complaining the other night about me being underrated.:D

But, I know some SL6s in our league, and I know I don't match up with them, and need maybe more than a game to make things even level.
 
Ive Been playing APA going on 5 years now...........i dont play much 8 ball but rahter alot in 9 ball.........I was a 5 in 9 ball for over 5 years... never went up. never went down...........then last year I finnaly went up to a 6. and this past session I got up to a 7..... Indeed i am proud of myself....I mean its only APA but in my league...... when you are a 6 and moreso a 7 or above it is something special....

my advice....... Practice practice practice.......and by all means dont be like some of the scum who are destined to be 6 and 7 and sandbag to be 4 and 5
 
Cajun, congrats on your SL growth. Hard work pays off. I never sandbag. I make sure my safeties get counted, and try to win as quickly as possible. Sandbagging will just teach me to be a great sandbagger. I want to be a great poolplayer!
Have fun!
F4P
 
A player on our team moved up to a SL6 three weeks ago. That week he played against another SL6 and beat him. The next week he was back to a SL5. No one could figure that one out.
 
To be an APA 6, you must average 3 or less per game. Take total innings, subtract safeties, and then divide by the games played.

Other than that, it sounds like you easily have the skill to be a 6 or even a 7. If you are running out 30-40% of the time, that's enough to do it.

A person can be a 6 just by simply playing 8-ball correctly. That is, not doing stupid things. Attack problem balls immediately. Do not run out unless you absolutely know you can (don't run 6 balls knowing the 7th is tied up and your inning will end). That is the classic blunder that 95% of APA players suffer from. Only opens the table for the other guy OR gives him/her the ability to have dozens of safety options.

All games are control games, so is 8-ball. 8-ball is unique in that it is somewhat counter-intuitive to a beginner. It requires discipline to know when to run and when to hide. It isn't easy for beginners to give up running a sweet 5 ball pattern and instead playing a safety/breakout on a trouble ball on their first inning.


Just like other games, but more so in 8-ball, it is important that your oppoent deals with the tough shots - not you. A lot of tough shots present themselves in 8-ball. Or tough outs. There's often a significantly easier safety play in these situations that will either give you ball in hand, or force your opponent to kick and leave a shot.


You're playing 8-ball correctly when you're having an easy time running balls, table isn't working against you - and your opponent is struggling constantly. That is because if you fix your rack early, it will be easier to win or run out. Meanwhile, if you play your patterns and shape right, your leaves will be safeties or miserable shots for your opponent.


Most important part of 8-ball, other than the break, is the selection of group. You can literally "win" yourself 3 innings, or force your opponent to waste up to 3 innings by choosing the right group. I see people choose the wrong group all the time. Sometimes the group that looks best isn't the best. Whenever I have the crappy group, I immediately being working to repair it will impeding my opponent as much as possible.

8-ball is again unique in this way because having the bad group can automatically put the odds of you winning that rack in the losing zone. Rotation games you play the same balls, so this doesn't exist. It takes a lot of thinking and perfect decision making as well as execution to take a bad group that would normally only give you a 10% chance of winning and making it a 50% or higher. You won't win them all because some are too difficult to salvage. But consider it a moral victory if you take an almost sure-loss group and force the game into a position where you actually had a realistic chance of winning it.
 
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