If playing safeties negatively affects your ability to win, then yes you can go too far with safety play.
The best 8-ball players by far are offensive players.
This is exactly right. In my experience, the best 8-ball players are offensive and high level 8-ball is quite offensive.
I get what the OP is saying. But what Fred says is best, but I will modify it. If safety play is to the detriment of your GAME, then it is probably excessive.
Your game and winning are two different things. In a match, do whatever it takes to win. Period. If that means playing a safety because the shots or the out presented is too low percentage or outside of your ability, that's just smart play.
However, for your overall game, if you are finding yourself playing safe on situations where you should instead be attempting the out and getting out, then the safety game is serving as a crutch and holding you back. Only you can judge that. Let's just say this, as your game improves, there will be progressively less and less situations you need to play safe in, as you will be able to get out on more and more difficult patterns or ball positions with less and less risk of missing.
But match time is not LEARNING TIME ...it's not time to experiment. Do what it takes to win. But in practice, be more aggressive and try those outs. You won't learn unless you start attempting them. I wouldn't go too far and attempt everything and anything. There is such a thing as sucker shot and sure-sell out position. Use your best judgement.
When I used to play APA, I would see people play safe on patterns that should be well within their ability to run out. That displays a lack of confidence. Lack of faith in one's game. Now it depends, if they are having an off day and are resorting to that, fine. If they didn't practice much and don't feel 100%, fine. But I've seen people who are perfectly fine at their level default to a safe out of lack of confidence. That's bad. That's why most of them suck and are stuck at that level.
Usually, a successful safe works, but the reason good players do not use them as much is because anytime you give up the table - you leave yourself vulnerable to the unknown. Many times I see excessive safety users get burnt when a ball gets kicked in, or kicked and the resulting leave is return safety, or some position far worse than what they had in the first place when they decided to duck the run.
This leaning toward safeties excessively works at the lower levels (APA SL6 and below), but is less effective and more prone to danger at the higher levels. That's because higher level players can kick pretty well. And the world (game) changes when you play a safe against a good kicker. When you get down and assess the odds and risks, your decision is different if the kick and hit by your opponent is 90% or higher. Because now, the chance of the ball being made is higher, and more importantly, the chance that you will get return hooked, or left something awful is much, much higher. You can get away with this crap in the APA because most people don't come close to hitting the ball. And BIH is the result. You can't get away with BIH as much as the level of play increases.
Because of that, anytime you play safe - you are opening yourself up risk, you are vulnerable. I keep repeating that, because it is true.
CONTROL of the TABLE...that means different things to different levels. In the APA, controlling the table is making shots that are sure thing, then playing safe (because safes are more effective against weak players with weak kicking skills). However, in higher level play, control of the table is making your balls, and getting shape on the next shot. In other words, the continuation of your run. As soon as that cannot happen, and a safety is decided on, you lose some control. You don't completely lose control, as it's up to your opponent what they do with the kick after your safe. But you do leave it up to some chance and their skills.
In other words, as soon as you give up the table - even if by playing safe, you are now rolling the dice. That's how it is in higher level play. Anytime the table is handed over, it's rolling the dice and chance is there. The outcome or the goal of getting back the table is not a sure thing. Not even close. It's in the safety player's FAVOR, but it's no sure thing.
That is why higher level players are resistant to the safety option, and prefer to go offense, even if a tough out for their skills. Because in a tough out they maintain control. It's in their hands. Like it is said of NFL quarterbacks. Winners want the ball! Winners always want the ball at the end of the game. In pool it is the same, winners want to stay at the table. Playing safety is like punting, then there's a fumble and a scramble for the ball. Who wants that? Compared to getting down, knowing where you need to hit, and executing the shot.
It sucks to get burned by a good kick, or the opponent hits the ball and leaves you total crap. Worse than what you had before. That's what you set yourself up for when you play safe.
Now, all that said...knowing this has to alter your decision process. You can get away with safeties much more at the lower level. I know this for a fact. But against a tougher player, it becomes less and less of a sure thing to regain control of the table. BIH becomes less of a chance too.
For matches, do what it takes to win. But if you want to improve, learn to be more offensive and use safeties when it is absolutely necessary.
In closing, think of it this way:
Knowing full well the risks of the safety (kick the ball in, kick and leave you safe, or kick and leave you miserable position), when you option for the safety, those outcomes need to be a reasonable risk to accept because what you're CURRENTLY facing on the run is just as risky or miserable or worse. Now be honest, if the run ahead of you is that bad, go for the safe. But if it is not, you have to go offense. Don't subject the game to your opponent's skills and luck. That is never a good idea.
Good luck.
