Pool rating systsem

[Ruark]

Some time ago I was in tennis leagues, and in tennis players are rated by their skill level. You played with a USTA certified pro (they're everywhere) for about 10 minutes and he gave you an official USTA rating like 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, etc. on up to about 7.5. Each rating is very clear, has a specific meaning, and is universal anywhere in the country.

Leagues were organized by rating, as well. There would be a 3.0 league, a 3.5 league, a 4.0 league, etc. It really helped you find people to play with; if somebody said he was a "4.5 player," you knew almost EXACTLY how good he was. Here's the official USTA description of a 4.5:

"4.5: Starting to master the use of power and spins and beginning to handle pace, has sound footwork, can control depth of shots and is beginning to vary game plan according to opponents. Can hit first serves with power and accuracy and place the second serve. Tends to overhit on difficult shots. Aggressive net play is common in doubles. "

I know pool has a rating system like this, but I get the impression it's not as detailed and consistent. For example, I almost never see posters here talking about it or quoting their ratings or putting it in the signatures. Is that correct? If there is a good rating system, how do I get one?

 

[fan-tum]

Good post. Imo pool needs a commonly accepted rating system. There's several out there I believe-for example the USPPA system that tracks a players performance in tourneys. And then there's more subjective ways to rate,i.e. my room owner,a very good handicapper, is pretty nifty at assigning ratings. Of course any system is vulnerable to 'sandbagging'.
I'd like a system patterned around your ability to run balls, a la 14.1. For instance if you can consistently run 8-10 balls, your initial rating might be, say b-, and so on.

 

[bBurton]

Normally you don't get rated uless you play in a handicapped league, and if its not a handicapped league then you would be judged on your win %.

 

[ctyhntr]

There are many ways of measuring yourself. Unlike tennis, there is more than one game, and mastery in one game doesn't always mean translate well into another.

In straight pool, people list their high runs.

9-ball
ABCD rating system. You can gauge yourself by playing the 9-ball ghost for 10 racks.

8-ball
APA league pool has their own rating system ranging from 2-7, usually conducted on a 7 foot table.

Arizona has their pool rating system; http://www.azpoolscene.com/Ratings.html. For

Allen Hopkin's Valley Forge tournaments
Q-Skills; http://infohost.nmt.edu/~billiard/qskills_scorecard.html

PAT
The europeans have their Pool Ability Test; http://www.pat-billiard.com/index1.aspx

 

[fruehlein]

There is already a rating system:

http://www.pat-billiard.com/

 

[JustPlay]

If it is not a handicapped system or a league with a "ratings" system, what is the point of rating players? Sounds like a waste of time.

 

[stuckart]

Like ctyhntr posted, Arizona does have it's only rating system.

The definitions you find here are the basis of how we start to analyze a players ability. We have a committee of 30-40 members that see all the players around the state and rate and monitor their play.

The committee is currently working to do a much more indepth rating criteria at the moment.

Along with the 3 main elements listed on www.azpoolscene.com/Ratings.aspx there are many other categories. Maybe the AZB community could work on coming up with some guides for each category in this thread??

Shape, English and Speed could be broken into 3 categories
Safes
Kicks
Banks
Strategy
Consistency
Pattern Play (1,2,3 rail shape, rolling into not through zones, etc.)
Clusters
Jumping
etc. etc.

We use the criteria of a rating of 4 - 10, then we have 10-1 which is Semi-Pro/Short Stop, and 10-2 which is Pro Caliber. A 4 is your everyday bar patron that makes a few straight in shots with center ball 100mph. Majority of "League Players" fall in the 5 - 7 range. 8's and 9's play as much as you check the forums, compete well, win tournaments. 10's are 1 ball below short-stop.

 

[stuckart]

If it is not a handicapped system or a league with a "ratings" system, what is the point of rating players? Sounds like a waste of time.

To your point JustPlay. The reason Arizona has the rating system they have is to get more people playing in leagues and tournaments. There are over 100 bars in the Phoenix Area that have some kind of tournaments. Most of them cater to the Mid-Range (C) player. They limit entry to "7's & Under". Of course there is all kinds of ways to play with that.

The bigger rooms hold "OPEN's" and people Race to their handicap number. This gives everyone a chance, thus getting many more players out to play.

And like any system, it has it's flaws. But it works for the majority. Smaller bars like to be able to limit the level of play to that of their main customer level, preventing top players to come through and rob their tournaments thus turning away larger crowds from future events.

 

[Ruark]

I think that would be a good way to create a universal rating system for pool, that everybody could do, and would be a pretty accurate descriptor of somebody's skill level: rack 9 balls, clear the table 10 times. Take the average number of strokes required to clear it, shooting in rotation.

So if you knew somebody was, say, a "14.31," you'd have a very good picture of that guy's playing level, compared to a "21.46." How about it? Anybody want to start a worldwide trend? :grin:

 

[ctyhntr]

Feel free to reinvent the wheel, or come up with a better mousetrap.

Here is one version of the 9-ball ghost, and with ABCD rating system for comparison.

http://billiards.colostate.edu/resources/nine-ball_drill.pdf

I think that would be a good way to create a universal rating system for pool, that everybody could do, and would be a pretty accurate descriptor of somebody's skill level: rack 9 balls, clear the table 10 times. Take the average number of strokes required to clear it, shooting in rotation.

So if you knew somebody was, say, a "14.31," you'd have a very good picture of that guy's playing level, compared to a "21.46." How about it? Anybody want to start a worldwide trend? :grin: