Practice partners with mismatched skill levels

[stillanoid]

how do they rate you by the way? I don't understand what this SL3 or SL5 mean...

I play in an APA 8 ball league and they set our skill levels. The league manager inputs the stats into a computer (total games played, games won, games lost, innings at table each match etc.) and the computer has a formula that it uses to rank the players. SL just means Skill Level and I think there are levels 2-7 in 8 ball.

Hope that helps!

 

[Jimbojim]

Thank you for the clarification

 

[ShootingRazbone]

I'm the lowest rated player on my team and when we warm up the challenge is on me to keep those others guys from running out. if they do get out, the leave all my balls on the table and i play the rack from where they left the cb and try to get out from there, playing position on the rack-spot for the 8. it allows the loser to still hit balls and work on position - while also mimicing game situation (not letting your opponent back, or a shot if you have a play safe).

Also - if your lower ranked players are eager to learn, have them explain to you (or the other higher ranked/smarter players) why they're shooting each shot and what they want to accomplish. the higher players should give feedback on each shot explaining that it's the right shot or or why it's not. so practice is then two-fold - educational and getting in stroke.

i'm still a 4, but i beat most other 4's and some 5's because i've learned a lot from practicing like that.

I like this way TBH. One of you gets to the 8 first and then it's the other players shot. Continue to play the game as if he missed the 8.

 

[Siz]

There have been some good replies about handicap methods. But I think that the primary aim of these should be to give both players a reasonable amount of table time - not necessarily to make the game competitive.

Neil is right: Don't try to compete. The better player will not be able to concentrate (no matter how hard he/she tries), and will end up practicing how to play badly.

As the better player, when it is your turn you need to play the table. Ignore your opponent. And set yourself goals accordingly.

 

[Jason Robichaud]

I posted this practice on AZ before and works great for mismatched skill levels, so here it is again.

Play the ghost scotch double style. You shoot, your buddy shoots.... this really helps the stronger player improve shape and gives the weaker guy a chance to shoot. Fun, Fun!

 

[Ratta]

Agree,

no matter what discipline you are playing- the *lower lvl player* will get a lot of experience with this type of training. Further he usualy is forced to pay really attention and thinkin about the game-

i prefer to play straight-pool with this kind of training. Fun and it makes much sense,

lg
Ingo

 

[Cephalus]

I found that playing scotch doubles with players better then me taught me the most, by far. Looking at a shot and having them tell me what they would do really revealed the shots I didn't know, the simple patterns I was missing, etc. We normally did it for straight pool, as that seemed to be the best format for this - since you weren't playing directly against someone else. Every time you missed you just started a new run.

As far as regular practice against someone goes, I by far prefer to play against people better then me. But when I have to play with people worse, I like to give them a spot - which then punishes me if I leave them at all deep into a rack. It makes me bear down on the last several balls at least.

 

[Ghosst]

To expand on what Neil said, you could even alternate every shot in a scotch doubles sort of format which will force the both of you to play precise position and make your shots.

This is how I play with partners as well because they start to see patterns and what we're trying to accomplish instead of simply knocking a ball in and hoping for a good result.