The best way to beat a rating system is simple. Always focus on improving your skills, play, strategy, and defense with emphasis on playing to the best of your ability. Why? Because every rating system relies on one consistent factor, past performance. So, if you're always improving, then your actual ability will always be better than your rating.
Sandbagging happens for one reason and one reason only. People who are trying to cheat. Cheaters are in every system.
Unlike many other systems, the APA has many very effective measures for handling cheating. The APA system has many tools for most accurately reflecting one's current ability. Thus, cheating is greatly minimized. Whereas other systems, may have a larger gap between past performance and actual current ability. And there are other systems, that won't change your rating once you enter the tournament, no matter how much over you rating you're currently playing. In essence, this allows the sandbaggers to not only cheat, but to get away with it without any consequences. With some systems the problem is that they're all subjective. This increases the human error factor and/or allows for favoritism, which occurs quite readily.
The only system that eliminates cheating is a more pro-like system where ALL players compete on an exactly equal basis. No rating system, no handicapping, no grouping of people into categories. The problem with the pro-like system is that only a handful of people (and I mean a handful) in a city or tournament will be able to win or even compete. As a result, the other people will quickly quit competing or will never enter the tournament to begin with. This doesn't foster growth and development in the pool community.
Therefore, we have numerous other leagues and systems available to choose from, which cater to the desires of all players below pro-level. All systems have pluses and minuses, the issue is how we deal with them. Some people handle these issues in a positive adult manner, while others handle them in a negative destructive manner. Examples of positive adult manners have already been mentioned: Always playing to the best of your own ability, and fostering an environment where others around you do as well or to score properly and/or utilize the existing management tools (i.e. filling out the proper complaint forms when necessary, with a focus on being as constructive as possible). In other words, it's a matter of one's personal honor and integrity, no matter what anyone else does. While some others will always focus on being negative and destructive and engage in constant bickering. Not only do they try to tear down a specific group, but they wind up being destructive to the whole pool community. No wonder why so many outsiders view the pool community with such a negative impression. One of the biggest reasons for the gap between pool and golf.
Lessons learned have taught me to be willing to engage in a constructive and friendly dialogue, whereby both sides listen and understand the opposing point of view. And to ignore those who just want to engage in constant, juvenile, petty bickering amongst those who'd rather hear their own repetive negative ranting over and over again.
It's nice that we all have choices available of which systems we participate in. Despite any negatives, they all have some positives, for which many people choose to participate in. The pool community will be much stronger when we reduce the petty bickering, and allow people to choose what they see as best for themselves. Increasing the number of pool players as a whole, will create many positive options for the organization of pool. A few with petty attitudes trying to dictate the choices of others, will never reap positive results and growth amongst the pool community.
It's all simply a matter of acting with honor and integrity and good sportsmanship even in the moments when we may not want to.
You play the game of pool to win and have a good time.If you aren't winning and not having a good time,why do it.The only way for the APA to better their own name and standing with shooters is to do away with the current format.Make the players become better shooters to advance.That is the only way to keep up.I have had to lose my share of games to better opponents but that in turn makes me a better player.That way you have the best shooter and best teams competing with no chance of sandbagging.
