joined a APA TEAM, but it didn't work out for me
- Thread starter judochoke
- Start date
From reading the OP's previous posts he is nowhere near good enough to compete in Masters at least not in my neck of the woods. I don't claim to know him or his game but from his questions and posts he seems to me to be around an APA SL5, just a guess. That will get you 0 wins in Masters where I'm from. OP just needs to find a group of people he enjoys. I've played on teams with people I didn't care for and it sucks but I play on a team now with a great group and it's much more enjoyable. The sitting around definitely can take a toll especially if you don't end up getting to play because the numbers don't work out or whatever. Tell the LO that this team didn't work out and try someone else. I wouldn't give up based solely on one nights experience.
There are several great replies in thus thread...especially dubs but i am going to quote yours and make a few comments . It has been said man times in here that in order to pls better you need to play better players. I agree with that philosophy to an extent and is one of the reasons I joined masters years ago as a 4. My first match was a 7-0 loss. Afterwards I won a rack here and there but it was quite a while before I won my first match. Some people did not like playing me ...some had no problem but no one ever gave me advice. It seems no one in league wants to help another player get better for fear of one day losing to that person and I actually had a 7/8 tell me that one day when I asked if he would be willing to work with me if I paid his table time and food and drinks. I wish I could have played masters all the time but life gets in the way a lot. I did pick up a few things here and there.
To the op's dilemma I agree with others about finding a different team and possibly a different venue.
As to the issue of sitting around all night and possibly not even playing or only playing a couple racks. Try double jeapordy if its available. Both of my teams play it and every one plays at least one match and 5 will play 2 matches. I rotate my players every week so the ones that played one match last week will play 2 matches this week.
As for drinking. I have nothing against it and quit myself a few years ago but will state I play better when i drink. I do have a few players that drink in moderation....2 beers at the most but I will not tolerate any drunks on my teams .
I also rotate my players in helping keep score....after I make sure they know what a defensive shot is and to always mark them. This way every one is involved in some way and no one sits all night bored senseless.
Last but not least....i dont have a problem with people leaving early once the last match has started. One drawback from that is people starting to leave after they play....one too many times of that I start making sure they play the last match for a while. I hate it when I start to tell some one to keep score and find out they snuck out after they played one match. I might have been wanting them to olay twice that night I had one that continually did that and kicked him off the team.
Another option for the op is to play in a 9 ball division. They always finish earlier than 8 ball.
And like others have said...league is not for everyone.
The key is founding your home bar/poolhall.
Everything will follow after that. If your home bar is crappy with a crappy not well kept valley table, you will most likely play with people who are not in it for the game.
If your home is a poolhall with nice tables or perhaps a bar with a nice table, you will play with people who are more in it for the more.
Even better, is a non traveling league that plays at one good location. Or a traveling league where not just your home location is good but so are the visiting locations.
Everything will follow after that. If your home bar is crappy with a crappy not well kept valley table, you will most likely play with people who are not in it for the game.
If your home is a poolhall with nice tables or perhaps a bar with a nice table, you will play with people who are more in it for the more.
Even better, is a non traveling league that plays at one good location. Or a traveling league where not just your home location is good but so are the visiting locations.
one thing I like about pool is that it's an individual game,
but I have enjoyed myself playing in a few bca leagues.
check them out, you might like their rules better, too.
but I have enjoyed myself playing in a few bca leagues.
check them out, you might like their rules better, too.
thats my problem, Im taking pool to serious. just picked up my first cue about 10 months ago. been practicing every sense. I started late, so im playing catch up. my first practice game I beat the team captain, who is a 6, so im probably right around a 5/6 I would think.
going to rethink which way I want to go from here. going to call some local bars to see if they have weekly 8 ball tournaments, and play them for a while.
thanks for all the comments and advice. judo
going to rethink which way I want to go from here. going to call some local bars to see if they have weekly 8 ball tournaments, and play them for a while.
thanks for all the comments and advice. judo
Pool league is not for everyone! For those that like it have at it:smile:
When I looked into it and watched how the nights typically went The biggest downside to league for me was how much time was spent waiting to play. Not for me!
For the same time commitment I would rather spend that time practicing or playing cheap sets. The small entry fee tournies at pool halls are good too. There are usually enough tables there to play some between matches and warm up on too. You also can play many matches if you have some game too! The other great thing about it is most of the players seem more serious and if you don't want to play/or can't on a particular night because "life happens" no one is effected by your choice to bail at the last minute.
When I looked into it and watched how the nights typically went The biggest downside to league for me was how much time was spent waiting to play. Not for me!
For the same time commitment I would rather spend that time practicing or playing cheap sets. The small entry fee tournies at pool halls are good too. There are usually enough tables there to play some between matches and warm up on too. You also can play many matches if you have some game too! The other great thing about it is most of the players seem more serious and if you don't want to play/or can't on a particular night because "life happens" no one is effected by your choice to bail at the last minute.
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no leagues for me i want to play every game not sit around, same with tournaments.
as for slop on bar tables it should be mandatory especially with lousy players who think slop is wrong because it takes the skill out of the game. i tell them slop doesnt affect good players and keeps the arguments down from the bad ones that argue over whether your shot kissed off another and you didnt call that, or hit a rail before going in.
as for slop on bar tables it should be mandatory especially with lousy players who think slop is wrong because it takes the skill out of the game. i tell them slop doesnt affect good players and keeps the arguments down from the bad ones that argue over whether your shot kissed off another and you didnt call that, or hit a rail before going in.
Hahaha!! "That doesn't count..it didn't go clean."
Sounds like to me you are with the wrong team. I've been doing this league for quite a while and team dyamic is very important. Find a team that you can have fun with, after all, that is what league is about, having fun. If you don't enjoy your team mates, you aren't gonna have much fun.
I don't think I am a 'league player'...but I have found a team playing in an advanced
8 ball format. The plus is I get to play with players who I enjoy, and have a good time
with, who are better than myself. The place we play out of gives us 10% off food, and
opens a table for us to practice on the whole night. So we play each other the majority
of the night, while eating and having a good time. The pressure from not wanting to let
your friends down is way more than what I put on myself when playing in any other
format. So one night a week is all I play, it is a long session, 22 weeks and I play both
spring/fall. If you are lucky enough to find something like this, you may be able to start
to enjoy your weekly league nights.
8 ball format. The plus is I get to play with players who I enjoy, and have a good time
with, who are better than myself. The place we play out of gives us 10% off food, and
opens a table for us to practice on the whole night. So we play each other the majority
of the night, while eating and having a good time. The pressure from not wanting to let
your friends down is way more than what I put on myself when playing in any other
format. So one night a week is all I play, it is a long session, 22 weeks and I play both
spring/fall. If you are lucky enough to find something like this, you may be able to start
to enjoy your weekly league nights.
I'm relatively new to serious pool, and I understand what slop is, but I don't understand what it has to do with some who insist that not only must one call a shot, but must call the details of the shot, e.g., the combination or kick or bank, and so on.
Is there any formal or official game that is called shot that requires one to call the combination, carom, bank, etc.? I haven't run across one yet.
Thanks,
jv
I'm 65 and having fun. It must've been some bad weed you got 2nd hand. Find a team with better weed! lol
Not sure about your level so this isn't a criticism.
During warm up practice, many folks who can play take it easy, they sort of just loosen up their stroke and screw around aka don't take you serious at all.
As an example, I usually play Sundays with my team captain and just trade games back and forth just trying out different things so I can list them and work on them during my alone time for Real Practice. Yet I beat regularly the players that slam him. He is well aware of this and is cool with it.
So to you sir, it may be possible that your captain was not taking you serious, letting the "new guy" have a chance at the table, getting a better feel for how good you are or aren't.
Just food for thought.
This is pretty much what I do also, if I am playing with a worse player and it does not really mean anything, or if it's a new player in a tournament and I don't want them to get discouraged and quit playing, I just bat the balls around without actually trying to win.
One time I let a younger kid win our league finals, then we played next week and I ran a few racks against him, he asked me "how on earth did I beat you last week". Well...
I don't think I'd enjoy APA too much, though I've never tried. I'm very thankful for the in-house league I play in at the local pool hall. 3 man teams, each person plays a 3 game match against each other person on the opposing team. So you play 9 league games per night in 3 matches. This is done on 2 tables so you never sitting for too long before it's your turn to play again.
Exactly right. I hardly ever practice or warm up but i had a new ...to league guy join my team. He asked me several times to practice with him and I did a few times.
A could weeks later I happen t mention we needed a new low player and he asked what every ones handicap was. When I mentioned I was a 5 he said he thought I was a 4. I asked why he thought that and he replied cause he was a 5 and beat me every time the few times we practiced. I replied practice was something where tried shots I would never attempt in a real match and a loss to him dis not mean anything .
So he asked to play a set and wanted me to be serious to see if I was as good as I claimed....happened to mention to him I was a stronger 5 than he was lol.
So we played 3 races to 7 of one 8 ball ...one 9 ball and one 10 ball. I won every one ...shut him up lol