How to combat slow players?

snookered_again said:
how about just ask him if there is a time limit on taking a shot.. fair enough to come to a resolution, right?
if the time limit is 3 minutes and that's what he's taking then you have to suck it up because he's playing by the rules, you just dot like the set rule and feel it should be shorter then,

If you are just playing one on one you might say Ill only play you in you reduce the time to 1 minute, or similar..

If that's a rule set by the league or tournament or "house" then it's that "power" you should argue with, as it's not his fault, It's yours and you are just frustrated by the rules.

If he doesn't know then its a chance to come to a realistic number. ask him what the penalty is if he runs over.. ball in hand? end of game?

I think the issue is you aren't being direct enough and that's the way out, to come to an understanding.. This doesn't need to mean an argument, so I'd try to not phrase it as one.. Tell him directly, say "the wait time between shots is frustrating me"..
If you want use sarcasm wait 1 minute , or whatever is reasonable then say "would you like more time? " continue that until you have a proper discussion.
That tactic will be distracting.

I think the direct approach is likely to actually solve the issue.. Once you bring the issue to light in a clear way, he may help you find common ground rather than arguing the point.
If you can get his buy-in on a resolution, that's more helpful than a polarized or defensive type of discussion.
The direct approach is how I'd handle it if it bothered me enough. fair enough to say you don't want to leave it unsaid until you are in melt down mode about it all, so you decided youd like to have a respectful and direct conversation..

any gentleman with dignity or respect will reply that they were not aware their slowness was bothiering you in that way or to that extent, and then look for common ground.. if the guy is a jerk and gives you childish feedback like bickering,, then you tried and then you can then just be rude back and at least you cna say you actually tried to take the high road as a first step.

one way that can be both polite and kind is to say you need to talk to him about something you feel is important , and go sit down with him. treat him to a beverage or whatever.. what that does is takes the other distractions away and allows a logical eye to eye conversation to happen rather than the subject being deferred by continuing play. the fact that you took him aside to talk means it bothered you enough to take the time for a decent and non- insulting gentleman's discussion.. If it blows up and you need to talk to some "manager" then at least you cna say with clarity, I tried to sit him down and have a clear and proper dicussion before thinigs got so out of hand.. That would generally be respected and thats why I wouldn't have the conversation at the pool table..

i remember watching a snooker pro on youtube, hes somewhat of a snooker authority. He pointed out that if you have a conflict, stop game play, have that discussion , find a resolution , then continue the game, I think that's sound advice. It beats playing with a grudge on your shoulders.
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really solid advice
 
shooter_Hans said:
Anyone got an issue with this?

I tried playing safety to snap him out of his own torturous self and for my sanity. The safety shots seem to work the best since the best thing to do is kick at it. No need to take your time to just kick. It seem to work but as soon as its his turn with a shot. Its back to torture. I timed 2 minutes to 3 minutes per shot.

I'm thinking about carrying a book with me. If I have to play this person again then I may break out the book while waiting.
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I don't blame you. I kind of wish the guy 's I had play with will hurry up and make up there mind and shoot.
 
I know a special someone who doesn't like being given advice at the table, so any bit of advice results in her shooting instantly, as soon as her bridge hand hits the table that CB is gone.. not even one lineup stroke.. The strategy doesn't win any games, It gets the point across not to interfere in the decision making. The action frustrates the hell out of more experienced players especially if they are her partner. The surprising thing is she makes a pretty high percentage of those shots too.. despite any lineup attempt whatsoever.

since we are close, I refuse to partner with her , I find it all too aggravating. I do play against her every day, she is improving. Being female, the guys all try to help more than they probably would if it's a guy player, and she feels its too much advice.. She gets distracted, That frustrates her, She doesn't want all the peanut gallery comments when up to the table, so that's how she responds to it. It's not within my control so I just shrug.. ;-) "dont worry dude, she wont listen to me either" "go right ahead and try ",,

This seems like the opposite problem. Maybe she needs a timer that works opposite lol... I dont know how to contend with it so i just let it go.. what do you do when your only opponent doesn't care if they loose the game?

play by yourself? I try to just let it go. Sometimes I'll try to pretend the good guy is on one shoulder and the bad guy on the other and try to play both, then i get confused about who's turn it is and I'm basically trying to hook myself.. that's not really any more fun. I just try to focus on making good shots when I'm up, Its really all I can do. even still we are both progressing at some rate, so why worry about it all too much.. No one wants an opponent that really doesn't care, but some battles just aren't worth fighting.
 
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FranCrimi said:
How does turning yourself into a slow player address the problem of slow players?
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Hi Fran. That part was about coping with the original slow player--to not let their slow play force one into rushing, when (finally) getting to shoot. Probably unnecessary, if one has a solid routine (and pace), but I think the stress of waiting through slow play often makes a player rush their next turn, often leading to bad execution and missed shots. And it hopefully avoids the downward spiral of missing, waiting, rushing/missing again, waiting, etc.

At your level I highly doubt you would need to change your pace, but for anyone needing help again "slow players", I think it can help. And, if you consider that time/speed is perception-based, the "turning yourself into a slow player" is likely just mental--If one's brain/thinking is in a rushed state, forcing a slower pace may really be getting back in the normal range. Sorry, not trying to get meta with it....
 
If you're playing an extremely slow player, ask him if he's feeling alright or if there's anything he'd like to talk about. If he wonders why you're asking these questions, tell him that good pool players get into a rhythm but he's playing so slowly that it's impossible for him to get into any sort of rhythm. Tell him that speeding up his play will actually help him to play better. If he refuses to take your advice, set an example by beating him by as big a margin as you can.
 
RT Ford said:
If you're playing an extremely slow player, ask him if he's feeling alright or if there's anything he'd like to talk about. If he wonders why you're asking these questions, tell him that good pool players get into a rhythm but he's playing so slowly that it's impossible for him to get into any sort of rhythm. Tell him that speeding up his play will actually help him to play better. If he refuses to take your advice, set an example by beating him by as big a margin as you can.
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Oh I tried.

I've played slow players before and I don't mind it at all but this guy was EXTREMELY slow. It almost felt like I wasn't playing at all.

I'm going to take my time is probably the only thing I can do. Just give myself extra time to shoot. I like to keep things going since I don't want people to wait.
 
RT Ford said:
I don't particularly care for time clocks for a number of reasons, but in this case one would be useful.
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The two huge advantages of chess clocks are that they don't require event staff to operate them and a player can take as long as he wants on any single shot as long as the average/total time is in bounds.
 
shooter_Hans said:
Anyone got an issue with this?

I tried playing safety to snap him out of his own torturous self and for my sanity. The safety shots seem to work the best since the best thing to do is kick at it. No need to take your time to just kick. It seem to work but as soon as its his turn with a shot. Its back to torture. I timed 2 minutes to 3 minutes per shot.

I'm thinking about carrying a book with me. If I have to play this person again then I may break out the book while waiting.
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Crop dust him. No one can survive silent but deadly flatulence. If you can fart on command as you leave the table then he will be incentivized to shoot quickly.
 
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heater451 said:
Hi Fran. That part was about coping with the original slow player--to not let their slow play force one into rushing, when (finally) getting to shoot. Probably unnecessary, if one has a solid routine (and pace), but I think the stress of waiting through slow play often makes a player rush their next turn, often leading to bad execution and missed shots. And it hopefully avoids the downward spiral of missing, waiting, rushing/missing again, waiting, etc.

At your level I highly doubt you would need to change your pace, but for anyone needing help again "slow players", I think it can help. And, if you consider that time/speed is perception-based, the "turning yourself into a slow player" is likely just mental--If one's brain/thinking is in a rushed state, forcing a slower pace may really be getting back in the normal range. Sorry, not trying to get meta with it....
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I understand what you mean, but isn't that catering to the slow player and adapting to their pace? The only way to deal with slow players who hold back tournaments, leagues and even friendly matches, is to create and enforce logical rules that make them stop playing slow. I'm sure you've come across slow players who are put on a shot clock, who suddenly start to play really well. Many of them just get in their own way with their slow play. But that's not our problem. It just means that their problem isn't really a problem that can't be changed.
 
book collector said:
If I am totally honest , if I played better when I played slowly, I would take as long as I needed on every shot, that is why most of us are playing the game.
Nick Varner played slow, still does, but he plays extremely well at that pace, he may play a ball weaker playing fast, who knows. Another excellent player lived in Phoenix , He approached each shot like it was for the world championship, and he very seldom missed. How can you knock that?
It isn't fun for the opponent, but then , it's not supposed to be. Also, everyone knew how he played , so if you challenged him, you knew the routine. He played so good , there were not many challengers.
My big regret is that instead of thinking like the crowd, that it was a hustle, that I didn't at least try it seriously and see if it elevated my game enough to incorporate it. I will never know, but I certainly don't think it would have hurt anything.
My pool game was a lot like my chess game , I make what I think is a very good move, and then I immediately see the best move. It is very frustrating. But I am a creature of habit , and change comes very hard to me, like most people.
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People who play slow are people too, bro. So are people who write posts that go for 5-13 paragraphs without saying anything (not talking about you, B...I like reading your stuff).

SPLM! (Slow Players' Lives Matter !...link for donations coming soon...)
 
Bob Jewett said:
The two huge advantages of chess clocks are that they don't require event staff to operate them and a player can take as long as he wants on any single shot as long as the average/total time is in bounds.
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Yeah, as long as no one yells 'ten seconds!' midway through a player's stroke.
 
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