New safety rule

YubaCushion

YubaCushion

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Safeties are a part of the game. Some people like them and some don't. How would a rule having to make a shot to earn a safety sound. It would keep safeties a part of the game and stop people from abusing them. Your thoughts.

Edit
Each player would start with one before the break.
 
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Sounds like you've been getting abused by safety play.
Many safeties require as much or more skill than potting a ball.
 
I played in a partners league years ago. My partner had the most table runs
for about 6 years straight.

I played safeties each and every time to the table. For three years. I shot
balls in the hole if he told me to. Not more than 5 in three years. It takes
patience, persistence, a steady hand, soft stroke and a strong desire to learn
the game.

I could get my partner ball in hand about a third of the time. Huge advantage.

A few years later, I discovered that my partner had partnered with a shooter,
and he played safeties for a few years for his shooter. My partner retained
his ability and was able to show me a few things to help not only safety play
but total play.

It is a good way to perfect a key part of your game. That is focus on a
singular aspect. It is also a way of playing regular on a very good team.

The best way to beat someone who is known to play safeties is to play a lock
up safety for them. Quite simple. Beat them to the safe.

If you are seeing numerous safeties, I suspect your kicking game needs
work.

So I recommend work on your own safeties and on your kicking.

 
how do you abuse safety play? sounds like you need to learn to safety better and learn how to get out of them.
 
YubaCushion said:
Safeties are a part of the game. Some people like them and some don't. How would a rule having to make a shot to earn a safety sound. It would keep safeties a part of the game and stop people from abusing them. Your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Abusing safties....now thats funny. your basically asking me to give you a shot..nope.
I'm giving you a turn at the table by playing a safety..now earn your out.
enjoy the weekend.
 
Safeties can be abused at lower levels. Often times for C players, 3 fouls is MUCH easier than running out because it relies on your opponents weakness (of which C players have many) rather than your own strength. Of course if you want to get better, you have to learn to run out.

Once you get to the upper levels 3 fouls come once in a blue moon and abusing safeties isn't an issue. A players don't want to play safe if they have a reasonable shot and position. Letting your opponent come back to the table more the absolute minimum is just asking for him to get lucky.
 
As I've told my team mates for years, a correctly executed safety is the most powerful shot in pool. Many years ago ago I was part of a team with a somewhat dis-liked player. His favorite comment to his opponent was "safe shot my friend, safe shot". He drove our competitors nuts with his play. Almost carried us to a national championship back in the ninety's. There is no such thing as too many safeties. Found it made me a better player when a rack of eight ball "chess" came up. Not every rack can be run out. Even by Dave, Shane or Keith. Now explain to me again about abusing safeties :eek: ?

Lyn
 
My opponents always abuse shotmaking against me. Sometimes they make 5-6 shots in a row without playing a single safety. :(
 
Safety.

YubaCushion said:
Safeties are a part of the game. Some people like them and some don't. How would a rule having to make a shot to earn a safety sound. It would keep safeties a part of the game and stop people from abusing them. Your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you may be in the don't like category! LOL. Hard to imagine someone who LIKES safeties being played against them. Or do you mean some like to PLAY them. Makes more sense. So I would have to make a shot or actually make a ball before playing a safe. And that would be per safety? Seems like a nightmare to keep track of. Any limits on safeties just won't work. Better would be saying no safeties until a certain ball count. Eight ball I presume. I dislike runout players! Can I limit your run to three at a time? Just kidding. I never played a safety until I started league pool. It was called chicken poop. There is nothing sweeter than hooking your opp, getting BIH and running out.
 
I remember when I first started playing leagues, in a small league where we traveled to different small towns to play. There was a "No Safety" rule.

People hated me and called me chickenshit because I would call a ball and pocket, and "miss", just accidentally by chance leaving them nothing to shoot at. Repeatedly.

This was also no ball-in-hand, call everything (kisses, caroms, banks, etc.) So even playing a safety didn't necessarily help, as lucky safes happen. A lot, or so it seemed to me.

If you don't like your opponents playing safe on you, don't let them to the table.

IMHO, a well played safety is much more worthy of a "nice shot" to my opponent than a 2-rail kick or such. Aggression is not always the way to win. Let your opponent make the mistake.
 
Defense is half the game. The funnest half.

How about a rule in hockey that they have to score a goal before they can use a goalie:eek:
Defense is 50% of almost any sport. It's an addl dimension that requires practice. You can't abuse defense, just like you cannot abuse offense.
It's worth practicing and getting better at. The reason people get frustrated about defensive play is because its powerful and can destroy an opponent. Many people just learn 1/2 the game, and get mad at folks who have studied and learned both dimensions.

IMO, a player cannot advance above a certain level without employing both o and d, mainly because they'll run into someone who does, and they'll be at a significant disadvantage...like bringing a knife to a gun fight. :grin-square:
 
The object of the game is to make shots. If you don't have one, ok play safe.
Safety or not, you still have to make shots to win.
 
You have been lucky enough to be playing against a better player. Don't get mad, pay attention. Forget the win and learn the game. After awhile you will have paid your dues. Kick shots start getting easier, and you start seeing better safeties too.
 
Bambu said:
You have been lucky enough to be playing against a better player. Don't get mad, pay attention. Forget the win and learn the game. After awhile you will have paid your dues. Kick shots start getting easier, and you start seeing better safeties too.
Click to expand...

Why would you want to pay attention and learn? Easier to just ask for more weight :eek: !

Lyn :sorry: ;)
 
YubaCushion said:
Safeties are a part of the game. Some people like them and some don't. How would a rule having to make a shot to earn a safety sound. It would keep safeties a part of the game and stop people from abusing them. Your thoughts.
Click to expand...

My first thought is that your thought about people "abusing" safeties is wrong, no-one is really abusing them. Some people do have some misguided ideas about when and how to play them. Maybe if you said "misusing" safeties it would make more sense.

The only group of people that have bad thoughts about safety play are beginners and bar players.
 
Example of mis-using a safety...

hang-the-9 said:
My first thought is that your thought about people "abusing" safeties is wrong, no-one is really abusing them. Some people do have some misguided ideas about when and how to play them. Maybe if you said "misusing" safeties it would make more sense.

The only group of people that have bad thoughts about safety play are beginners and bar players.
Click to expand...

Lol, this reminds me of a match I played in Vegas a decade or two ago, I was in the finals of open singles, had been playing since 8am, it was now like 1am...I had been drinking ALL DAY...I played a safe, got ball in hand...then,...with my ball in hand, I played a safe on an open table :eek: LOL

my buddy was watching, he's like... :bash:wake up dude, lol

I won that match, believe it or not, but got steam-rolled inside of 25 min the next match...hammered :cool:
 
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