League Dilemma

sixpack

sixpack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Okay, so this is a situation that happened to me once. Curious as to how everyone would have handled it.

I played on a league team. We're all strong players. The team captain and I usually warm up together, but I've noticed if I beat him, then he tends to get down on himself and have a bad night. So I warmed up with him and then let him win a few games, thinking he'll be in a better mood and play better. It works well and he plays great. So the next week, I do the same thing and ease off a little while warming up with him. He starts talking about benching me because I'm not playing up to my usual self! So I go ahead and play REAL good, 3 consecutive B&Rs (8-ball 9'). I quit after the third to let other team members warm up. He is pissed that HE'S not playing well....still pissed about the easy shot he left me 4 games ago....and you guessed it, has a bad night and the team loses.

What would you do?

Thanks!
RC
 
Find a new team. ;)

Seriously though, look at league as for your betterment. It gets you cheap competition every week. Sure it sucks if your team loses, and sure it sucks that your friend gets pissed off because you whip up on him and he feels down on himself, but thats how the game is. He is going to get better by people letting him win. He needs to build up that mindset that a single mistake is not the end of the world (May be the end of the rack, or set, but not life or death). I shoot league night to get me some competition and get out of the hosue at least twice a week. Other nights I dont have league I hit balls around at home or go out and practice and play some for fun or gamble a bit.

Basically you have to look at league more for yourself then your team, if it is bettering your game to not dump on him in practice then by all means break and run everytime and hell with how he feels or how he does. If you dont think its benefiting you by playing him before league then dont.

My big vew on league is I get to have differnet competition 2 nights a week and improve my game. If I make it to Vegas with the team, then that is a pleasent concilation prize.

Do whats best for you and your game first, worry about the team second.
 
The moral of the story is clear; Play your best, every match, every game, every shot.

Never let off the gas pedal. Let him bring his game up to yours without dropping down to his level.

You make it sound like your trying to get a date or something, letting an opponent win!@#@:D
 
Don't warm up against him.

If he insists just play your best and beat him as bad as you can and let him deal with his problem.
 
Do whats best for you and your game first, worry about the team second.
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I have to disagree with that. Dont let your own game slip, but the whole point of team competition is doing whats best for the team. Since going to the extreme on both ends isnt working out, either suggest he warm up with someone else on the team, or bow out of the practicing with him yourself. Just be honest and tell him your observations.
I have always loved pool for the solo aspects, not relying on anyone else... just me to get the job done. But team play requires a different mindset to fully succeed.
Chuck
 
I agree...i have had the same thing happen to me..with the captain of my team..i try and get a spark in him by letting him win a few...a couple of weeks ago our apa had a players party at the playing field in richmond va...my captain had the nerve to say okay lets play for a dollar a game..cool with me ..just makes it fun ...he then get three ahead..cause i dont want to pound on him..so he get up 9 to 2 and then just starts talking shit...i mean calling other people over to the table having them look at the score he then goes to the top of the table to break and says .."This carnage is going to go on all night baby" i laughed it off but the more i thought about it the madder i got..i won that game and went to break and yelled so that all those he had barked wolf tickets to could hear..im gona make you quit ...and for a dollar even...i comenced to spanking that azzzz i mean it was insane...i caught up to his 9 games ..reset the counters and just punished him..when it got to be 25 to 3 he just walked away and said ..enough..i told him dont ever forget i can play this game well..and a hell of a lot better than you...

Never allow anyone to mistake your kindness for weekness..

just my 2 cents worth
 
You can't blame yourself for your team captain getting down on himself when you beat him. Part of your self-improvement comes from the mental discipline needed by not slacking-off against weaker opponents.

If you can, find someone else to warm-up with.
 
Gregg said:
The moral of the story is clear; Play your best, every match, every game, every shot.

Never let off the gas pedal. Let him bring his game up to yours without dropping down to his level.

You make it sound like your trying to get a date or something, letting an opponent win!@#@:D
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Couldn't have said it better Gregg, i was going to post something similiar but i thought i better read each ones opinion first, as someone might have already said it :D

Its kewl that you can not play your best game and let others win then still bring and play your game at will. I couldn't do that, if i watch weaker players play it throws me off my game let alone let them win :). This is probably why he ain't at your level, cause you are taking it to easy on him. I would either try to be captain, or just find a different team to play on. Just me though.
 
So have you talked to this guy, your team captain about this? Have you shared with him what you shared with us?

It might be that he's just unaware of how warming up with you, winning/losing against you, affects his night. It might help him if he's aware of it, then he can actively fight it mentally. And maybe you can help him with that as well - not in the sense of throwing games to make him feel better, but by being encouraging and making sure he can consciously differentiate between getting beat by YOU and getting beat by an opposing team's player.
 
sixpack said:
Okay, so this is a situation that happened to me once. Curious as to how everyone would have handled it.

I played on a league team. We're all strong players. The team captain and I usually warm up together, but I've noticed if I beat him, then he tends to get down on himself and have a bad night. So I warmed up with him and then let him win a few games, thinking [...]
Click to expand...

"Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to ..."
-Mom

...

I think it's right to care about your teammate's mindset going into the match. Though I don't think you should lay down for him, I think you should take a "we're warming up" mentality. To me this means several things.

The whole point is to let your stroke out and to gain some confidence. You'd like to see this happen for both of you.

Here are some do's and don'ts

imo of course

Don't warm up plaing 8-ball. People take too much time thinking and are not really stroking the ball when they do shoot. Warm up playing 9-ball even for 8-ball league.

Don't concede the 9-ball for your opponent. Give him that chance to go through his preshot routine one more time and pocket that winning ball. Remember the goal here.

Don't play safe. If you stick your opponent behind a ball, he'll stare at it for a while and then attempt a two-rail kick or something that really doesn't help him to get in stroke. And in that time you guys could have pocketed three more balls instead.

Do play aggressively. Go for the out. Play a long shot down to the corner pocket going for a breakout rather than roll a ball into the side.

Don't play two-way shots. There's no reason to try to leave your opponent tough if you miss. Remember the object is for both of you to get in stroke.

Don't warm up with someone who can't get out of slow mode.

Do find another warm up partner if you think this guy has a special issue about *you*.

mike page
fargo
 
my thoughts

Since you recognize a problem for the team here I do think that you have to address it in fairness to the team. Beating the captain into the ground isn't really cool if you know it is going to damage his game later in the night. Obviously laying down isn't a good answer either.

I suggest quitting warming up with the captain if you both are competitive about it. The idea is to warm up, not fight your toughest battle of the night on the practice table. Win or lose it is very hard for there not to be a let down after a major battle. Hard for even the best to keep that level of intensity.

I like the idea mentioned earlier of playing wide open no safe nine ball. You might just run full racks in rotation with no winner or loser. The idea is getting ready to compete, not competition.

Hu
 
Practice

Do what I do, and don't practice your team mates before league starts.

RandyG. told me the best way to practice right before league is to clear off some racks by your self just to make sure you on your game, then go right into playing in league or the tournament.

My team and I take turn clearing off a few full racks of all 15 balls. Since we have done that it has worked out a lot better.

Occasionally I will go over and shoot a game with the best player in the league just to warm up. However I don't get down on my self if I loose to him, I just learn from it, and most the time it gets my mind set along the thoughts of playing good players, so my level is already high when I start playing league that night.

Just my thoughts about it.
 
sixpack said:
What would you do?
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If it were me? I'd quit. I hate leagues.

But seriosuly, I've had this problem before. A friend of mine began playing around the same time. Over the course of time, we both progressed at different speeds. I got a little better than he did a little quicker. But he wasn't really ready to face that. So, you just have to guage his personality. Do you think that if you were to tell him (in a tactful manner) that he's good but perhaps you may be just a little better, he would take it without issue and just work harder? Or would it seriously affect him. If the answer is B, you have two choices: 1) Quit the team, or 2) Stop warming up with him.
 
mikepage said:
"Oh what tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to ..."
-Mom

...

I think it's right to care about your teammate's mindset going into the match. Though I don't think you should lay down for him, I think you should take a "we're warming up" mentality. To me this means several things.

The whole point is to let your stroke out and to gain some confidence. You'd like to see this happen for both of you.

Here are some do's and don'ts

imo of course

Don't warm up plaing 8-ball. People take too much time thinking and are not really stroking the ball when they do shoot. Warm up playing 9-ball even for 8-ball league.

Don't concede the 9-ball for your opponent. Give him that chance to go through his preshot routine one more time and pocket that winning ball. Remember the goal here.

Don't play safe. If you stick your opponent behind a ball, he'll stare at it for a while and then attempt a two-rail kick or something that really doesn't help him to get in stroke. And in that time you guys could have pocketed three more balls instead.

Do play aggressively. Go for the out. Play a long shot down to the corner pocket going for a breakout rather than roll a ball into the side.

Don't play two-way shots. There's no reason to try to leave your opponent tough if you miss. Remember the object is for both of you to get in stroke.

Don't warm up with someone who can't get out of slow mode.

Do find another warm up partner if you think this guy has a special issue about *you*.

mike page
fargo
Click to expand...

My first thought was to agree with Cheesemouse ("Pound on him like he's a bongo drum and let him work out his personal problems on his own"), but this perhaps makes more sense.

No-safety 9-ball probably is better for warm-up, and since it's just hitting balls, not really playing nine-ball, then no one really loses. Or at least your captain can tell himself that. I.e., He can say, "IF we were really playing, my awesome safes would have won those games for me." It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, just that he can make himself belieive it.

Cory
 
Practice using a scotch doubles format, that way you're playing towards the same goal instead of playing against each other. Also it makes him think about doing shots differently than if he was just playing with himself.
 
supergreenman said:
Practice using a scotch doubles format, that way [...] Also it makes him think about doing shots differently than if he was just playing with himself.
Click to expand...

And besides, not everybody can play one-handed.

mike page
fargo
 
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