League players vs just players

[hang-the-9]

So this tournament went from a handicapped to even race to 5 since I posted this last week, basically all the B players will be playing now, with maybe one or two C players. The room owner and the guy running the tournament got fed up with the complaining.

I will work on seeing if we can do an adjusted entry free for the lower skilled players so they can still compete, learn and play for a bit but not put in much money they are almost sure to lose. I would think a C would pay $10 for a few hours of playing even if they lose, and there are opportunities for some quick lessons from the better players. New players I would put in for a fiver. The higher level players are $15.

 

[pogmothoin]

Funny thing is that as with everything that is handicapped......you will always have those that try to work the system. I shoot league 4 nights a week. I consider myself a serious player striving to improve on my game. I am one of those shooters that stays to work on weak areas.....have a home table that is set up like the tables I play on to run drills trying to elevate my shooting, (but with Ridgebacks and Simonis), pretty much exclusively Valley's here. Off topic there, thing is there are more league players crying about sandbagging, or players that are under-rated, or how they are rated too high.... than there are serious league shooters......wth.....if they spent as much time practicing as they did crying about sh*t then they would be better by 10 fold. Hell I play in one of the largest A.P.A. territories in the U.S. and it is hard to put a team together of just 5 dedicated shooters so you are forced to have these half-steppers on board. So with that being said you are going to have the criers no matter what and yes it is funny but sucks. Definitely working hard to get my shooting where it needs to be to be competitive in the non-handicapped leagues!! (just a random rant)!!

I don't think you would get through 1 session if everyone on your APA team was dedicated to improving. Your low level players would soon go up to the point that your better players become bench warmers.

If you have a 6 and 7 just try to keep those 2's or 3's right where they are because if not those big numbers won't be playing much. 4's and 5's are golden but if they get serious and go up now you got trouble playing a full squad.

How many people do you play with that have been 3's or 4's for years? They are they real foundation of the team, because without them you're in trouble.

 

[QuietStorm]

I guess I would fit in the lazy category lol. I never practice.. Well let me rephrase that. There have been a few times when I lost an important match due to a shot or 2 I missed I would practice that shot until it was automatic .

I will say that hang is right about most league players......hate to admit it lol. I have seen lately ...due to the fact that a few venues changed their policy and offer a couple hours free table time before league.....that quite a few show early and practice. Let me rephrase that.....banging balls. Very few actually do drills or practice shots they have trouble with..

Now even though I don't practice much I will be the first to admit it will make you a better shooter but it does not help you develop the mental toughness you need for a match.

I would like to share a story with you and will.try to make it as short as possible. I had a new guy Join my team a few sessions ago. Now this guy practiced religiously several nights a week. I dont mean bang balls. Doing all kinds of drills and the only league player I have ever seen practice cue ball control and position shots. He would lay a quarter on the table and practice 1 rail...2 rail and 3 rail and draw shots over and over until he could get the cue bal to stop at that quarter 10 times in a row. If he missed once he started over .

He was a pretty good player when he joined and the first match I saw he play I thought he could make a 6 with a little more practice.

Now as with some the better he got the bigger his ego got. Making it short. He challenged me races to 7 in 8 ..9 ..and 10 ball. I won 7-4..7-5..7-4. He still thought be was better than me...oh well . When 9 ball ltc came he lost 19-1 to a 3 and he disappeared and has not come back and never answered my calls. I guess that 3 busted his ego. What I am gettin at is all that practice did nothing to help prepare him for a lucky ass 3.

Trying to use an anology here and wish I could recall the exact words I read on here one time. Somethin like this. When asked about why he never practiced breaking boards Bruce lee replied...boards dont hit back. I guess I am trying to say when my former player did all that practicing no one was hitting back.

I guess a better analogy is ...you can run all the racks you want in your basement....dont mean nothing if you can't do it in a match.

I fully understand your former teammate's frustration. If I can give him any advice, it would be to read a book or two on sport psychology. The Inner Game of Tennis is good, and also Mind Gym. His poor mindset is getting the best of him. The reason he's frustrated is probably because he knows he's capable of accomplishing more on the table. He knows he can make position, have cue ball control, etc that only a handful of other 5s can pull off. This is probably why he believe he's better than his current rating. He probably lost his matches due to that one or two lazy shot that cost him easily won runouts or that poorly played safety that gave the lesser player an easy runout. These errors are mostly due to lack of focus than skill.

 

[QuietStorm]

I don't think you would get through 1 session if everyone on your APA team was dedicated to improving. Your low level players would soon go up to the point that your better players become bench warmers.

If you have a 6 and 7 just try to keep those 2's or 3's right where they are because if not those big numbers won't be playing much. 4's and 5's are golden but if they get serious and go up now you got trouble playing a full squad.

How many people do you play with that have been 3's or 4's for years? They are they real foundation of the team, because without them you're in trouble.

Hence why APA is not for serious players! lol But I agree with your team strategy. I'm sharing this

 

[lorider]

I don't think you would get through 1 session if everyone on your APA team was dedicated to improving. Your low level players would soon go up to the point that your better players become bench warmers.

If you have a 6 and 7 just try to keep those 2's or 3's right where they are because if not those big numbers won't be playing much. 4's and 5's are golden but if they get serious and go up now you got trouble playing a full squad.

How many people do you play with that have been 3's or 4's for years? They are they real foundation of the team, because without them you're in trouble.

I have 2-3's and 2-4' on my 9 ball team.. My 2-4's have been at that level for a couple of years and there are a lot stronger 4's than them is our area. One of my 3's just moved up from a 2 last session and is actually stronger than my other 3 that has been at that level for 5 years. This 3 has actually regressed over the last couple of years and not exaggerating when i say she is the worst 3 in our area. How bad is she ? Well she lost 17-3 to a 2 last weekend in tri cups. Lost 18-2 to a 2 in cities a couple months ago.

She will never go down to 2 again where I think she oughta be because she is locked in as a 3 due to going to Vegas at that level 4 years ago. She hates time outs called on her and takes any advice as criticism of her game. Dont know what to do with her . Really cant figure out why she has regressed .

She is probly the most loyal to the team . Always shows up and always willing to keep score.

Then I have a 5 that's been on the team a couple sessions that moved from another area. One of the weakest 5's in our area and should be a 4.

After reading what I just typed I finally figured out why my team sucks in higher level tournaments lol.

 

[alphadog]

In short, handicapped leagues are like communism and welfare.


I approve of having handicaps....

Well you commiebastard

 

[hang-the-9]

. She hates time outs called on her and takes any advice as criticism of her game. Dont know what to do with her . Really cant figure out why she has regressed .

She is probly the most loyal to the team . Always shows up and always willing to keep score.

Then I have a 5 that's been on the team a couple sessions that moved from another area. One of the weakest 5's in our area and should be a 4.

After reading what I just typed I finally figured out why my team sucks in higher level tournaments lol.

Well, there is the reason why she does not get better.

I really don't see how anyone can be a 3 or 4 in APA if they played for more than a few years even only twice a week for an hour or two with any sort of effort and a bit of teaching by a better player. Almost all the lower level players (say C or bellow) that have played for longer than a year have flaws with their mechanics and aiming that could be fixed by a day spent with even a non-instructor B player that can see what they are doing, if that lower level players listened and practiced. Then going from a C+ to a B is really a matter of learning more of the game past just mechanics.

 

[hang-the-9]

Well you commiebastard

If my welfare goes to someone that needs it, yep LOL
If you are getting my money/time and sit at home with 8 kids by 4 different parents while driving your late model Mercedes to buy a new iPhone, that is not something I can be behind. Like complaining who wins when you don't put any effort in getting better.