Should you watch your opponent?

Should you watch your opponent?

  • Yes

    Votes: 116 92.8%

  • No

    Votes: 1 0.8%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 8 6.4%
  • Total voters
    125
Yes, but...

Bob Callahan said:
There are positive and negative reasons both ways...what do you think/do?
Click to expand...

Seems like everyone on this thread is voting "yes".

I would too, with an important caveat:
It's fine to watch your opponent to gauge their skill and knowledge, but let's not forget that we as a species, learn largely by imitation, both consciously and subconsciously.

You can easily pick up other players bad habits without even realizing it.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
Has anyone heard of pool curtesy, or am I the only one here old enough to remember it?

I was taught years ago that when your opponent is shooting you should be in the chair with your eyes open and your mouth shut. If you need to take a break you announce it and do so on your inning.

It isn't because you think your opponent might cheat, it's just your statement that you are interested in the game you are playing.

Dave Nelson
 
Scott Lee said:
Shaft...I agree. Here's another one...a player's facial expressions can reveal a lot. For instance, if they show a lot of emotion about a particular shot or leave (i.e.: leaving the CB frozen on the rail), you can use that knowledge against them, and deliberately leave them on the rail as much as possible. Just one example...you showed others.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
Yup...and the eyes too.

You can see what your opponent's concerns are.
 
*Warning...dangerous road ahead*



I don't always watch but I'm pretty arogant too.

If you can't figure out a persons game in a rack or two, you probably ain't gonna. ;)

But sometimes I just don't want to see good or bad rolls or get a picture of bad form in my head. You can pick up alot of interesting details by listening alone and you certainly don't need to watch to be able to tell when it's your shot.

Bottom line though is pool is a very one dimensional game. When your at the table, nothing about the chair matters. Either you get out or you play quality defense. Quality defense doesn't care about the chair either.

I just don't care to much about what my opponent does, in the end it simply doesn't matter.
 
Dave Nelson said:
Has anyone heard of pool curtesy, or am I the only one here old enough to remember it?

I was taught years ago that when your opponent is shooting you should be in the chair with your eyes open and your mouth shut. If you need to take a break you announce it and do so on your inning.

It isn't because you think your opponent might cheat, it's just your statement that you are interested in the game you are playing.

Dave Nelson
Click to expand...


Unfortunately...I think a lot of people on AZBilliards is over 55 years old.:sorry:

Some people I shoot against in league play shoot so bad...I just can't watch.
It might rub off.:frown:
 
I voted maybe.

I always watch my opponent but I don't always pay attention to what they are doing. Often times I'm just thinking about my own game and waiting for my next chance.

People often quote Efren's statement about how you can learn something from just about anybody if you pay attention. I sort of think this is just a nice humble statement by Efren, but I really don't believe there's much to be gained from watching some of the people I've played :)

I do think you can screw your own game up a bit if you pay too much attention to other player's strokes (at least I can). There's a time and a place for analyzing the fundamentals of other players. When you are playing them is a bad time to do this. I like to analyze other players strokes when I'm not playing, just watching from the rail.

Anyway, when I'm playing I try to pay attention to the table and not my opponent (I think there's a difference there). This keeps you more focused because you can ALWAYS pay attention to the table no matter whose turn it is. But if you are paying close attention to your opponent (instead of the table) than your focus is constantly jumping from one player to another, namely from YOU to your OPPONENT, then back to YOU and so on.

This is at least what I try to do. Like everybody I don't always succeed.
 
always watch

The only time I don't watch my opponent is when, in a formal pressure match, a ref is called over to watch my opponent's shot. I just don't want to see a bad or questionable call and then have that in my head. And I can't fight the ref, so I'd just rather not see.
 
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Yes. You should pay attention to your opponent and keep your trap shut until they are done shooting their inning. :mad:
 
poolguy4u said:
Unfortunately...I think a lot of people on AZBilliards is over 55 years old.:sorry:

Some people I shoot against in league play shoot so bad...I just can't watch.
It might rub off.:frown:
Click to expand...

I'm no spring chicken. But I know what manners are.
 
your focus should always stay inside the rails.... so its kinda hard not to watch :)
 
I used to watch my opponent (when I played) and I used to figure where he would get into a jam and how he would leave me and what I was going to do when that situation came up. I remember the Wade Cranes audio tape and it said "..on your first shot, make the most of it...".
 
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