If the lag is a skill shot, there's a better way

fastone371 said:
Does seeing your opponents results beforehand affect how you play your lag? You only have 2 choices, hit it harder or hit it softer than you opponent. I don't base my lag on how my opponent performed, if it were that easy why not just stick it to the rail every time?? I try to get the QB as close to the rail as possible regardless of how my opponent performed.
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Exactly: seeing the other's start is no more or less likely to benefit or hinder yours.
 
fastone371 said:
Does seeing your opponents results beforehand affect how you play your lag? You only have 2 choices, hit it harder or hit it softer than you opponent. I don't base my lag on how my opponent performed, if it were that easy why not just stick it to the rail every time?? I try to get the QB as close to the rail as possible regardless of how my opponent performed.
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I don't know whether waiting helps or hurts, but some instructors, including a US champion, have taught their students to wait for their opponent's ball to come off the far rail. If two such students have to lag, who gets the clock violation?
 
fastone371 said:
By the same token if you are going to lag to a rail you will need to practice cloth speed, it can very greatly with different brands and ages.
As far as being a pro and practicing the lag how do you think they get so good at speed control??????? I will give you a hint, they practice speed drills, probably something every player should do if they want to play good, I do.


Wow, just wow!!!!!!!!
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Most pool halls use the same brand cloth. Rails vary much more. There is table model, subrail angle, cushion age, cushion brand, dead spots and humidity, HVAC vent direction...lol
 
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Hard to deny that a half lag would be more suspenseful and close

The lag currently is a boring formality which most players treat like a coin flip

I'd be curious what people think might be other alternative shots to decide the first breaker
 
It just feels like I’m getting trolled, probably am.

Changes in the lag, to whatever you desire, will not level the skill playing field. The better player will still demonstrate superior aptitude. Again, you’re using a false premise and now you’ve thrown in a false assumption that pros don’t practice the lag shot. I’m sure some don’t, but I’m sure there are many that do. In a race to 3 one hole match, winning the lag is a huge advantage.
 
It's a tournament. Leveling the skill is fixing. It's only when you add commercial venture does uniformity become a thing.
A progressive 2 of 3 - 1, 2, 3 cushion lag would be more interesting than all the ensuing bad decisions. It would up the skill of a great many players as well.
 
Fore Rail said:
Do you really think that in the all the years that lagging has been around, your idea has not been thought of and discarded in favor of the current method?
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The one pass lag was actually the original way.

Then somebody said, "Why are we walking over there to pick up the cue ball just to turn around and walk back to where we just were?"
 
Mark V said:
It just feels like I’m getting trolled, probably am.

Changes in the lag, to whatever you desire, will not level the skill playing field. The better player will still demonstrate superior aptitude. Again, you’re using a false premise and now you’ve thrown in a false assumption that pros don’t practice the lag shot. I’m sure some don’t, but I’m sure there are many that do. In a race to 3 one hole match, winning the lag is a huge advantage.
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I've been around pros for years. Never once have I seen any of them practicing the lag. I'm sure a some do. But who wants too or enjoys it?

We're not talking about leveling the playing field. Games and sports evolve over time. Because they can be improved. Its incredible how difficult it is on this forum to have a straight forward, logically discussion on anything. It's truly depressing.
 
discussion? -very rare

insults and shut up and listen to me ramble on about myself and all the stories i can tell- the norm

depressing -very frequent
 
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poolscholar said:
I've been around pros for years. Never once have I seen any of them practicing the lag. I'm sure a some do. But who wants too or enjoys it?

We're not talking about leveling the playing field. Games and sports evolve over time. Because they can be improved. Its incredible how difficult it is on this forum to have a straight forward, logically discussion on anything. It's truly depressing.
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People are resistant to change in all walks of life. Just how it is.

The change you are proposing is not in any way definitively better. Even if it were a little better(I don’t think it is) it’s not enough to sway people so that’s why your idea is getting such resistance.

Keep thinking. Keep trying to innovate. It’s a great thing! But understand, not all ideas are good ones/winners and that’s perfectly ok.
 
poolscholar said:
I've been around pros for years. Never once have I seen any of them practicing the lag. I'm sure a some do. But who wants too or enjoys it?

We're not talking about leveling the playing field. Games and sports evolve over time. Because they can be improved. Its incredible how difficult it is on this forum to have a straight forward, logically discussion on anything. It's truly depressing.
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Firstly, I want to thank you for your decorum and for keeping a fairly small disagreement civilized.

Secondly, I am not always resistant to change when I see a definite upside. In your proposal I just don’t see it what there is to gain. Yes, practicing the lag is boring, but it’s a shot, just like the break is a shot, jumping, kicking, caroms and tickies, etc.

Being better able to execute any shot better than your opponent provides an edge, which is what the game is all about. Look at what Shane has been able to accomplish with his break. He dominated 10 ball for years.
 
Here's an idea better than the lag shot.

Each player shoots one spot shot with bih in the kitchen. If both players miss it, flip a coin. If both players make it, flip a coin. If one misses then the player who made the spot shot wins the first break.
 
poolscholar said:
Most pool halls use the same brand cloth. Rails vary much more. There is table model, subrail angle, cushion age, cushion brand, dead spots and humidity, HVAC vent direction...lol
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Humidity, HVAC vent direction, how much the table is used, cleanliness of table will all affect a slow roll shot greatly, LOL. Clearly you can see by now most think its a dog of an idea, almost as bad as the spot shot idea. Why would you want to eliminate hitting the rail on the lag? It gives you an idea of how fast the table plays, if you get a result that you didnt expect from the lag you just learned some valuable information.
 
poolscholar said:
Because reasons listed, nobody wants to sit there and practice the rail speed before every match. If the lag is a skill shot then make it more skillful and less luck.

If you were a pro would you want to have to practice the lag?
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How do you think pro's learn the speed of a tables so well? At some point most accomplished players have probably practiced speed drills, regardless of how a table plays once you are accomplished at speed drills it is very easy to adjust to different tables. Speed drills are not just for the lag, they are for every shot where you are playing position.
 
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