Strategy Vs Sharking

B

Ball Banger

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Strategy Vs Sharking are offend confused. I feel the use of a Strategy is not sharking. As example would be slow playing an opponent who is known to be less patent. You are not verbally woofing at them and being a perfect gentleman the entire match. But you manage to take them out of their game none the less.

My point is some people call this sharking their opponent. While the desired effect can be the same, it is accomplished differently. Sharking in my mind is using things out side the game on the table to throw off your opponent. Strategy however is how you play the game. But not only that, Knowing your opponent's weak points and playing to them is Strategy not Sharking. Of course a professional Shark will use both. However once you open your mouth and start woofing etc you are Sharking.
 
That is a strategy, but it can also be considered rude and/or inconsiderate. I had a league player take nearly a minute with ball in hand on a 3 ball out. I just started tapping my foot and acting impatiently. Whenever I could, I would just hook him to piss him off instead of going for the out. If my opponent is trying to get me upset, I usually do my best to return the favor. Next time it happens, maybe I'll just go order a drink during my turn or go outside and have a smoke. Maybe, just maybe, I'll just walk away from the game. There's a reason there's a shot clock. Please try to remember there's a fine line between slowing down the game and just being a jackass.
 
There are acceptable levels of gamemanship. Since you are allowed a break in a match, acceptable gamesmanship would be to take your break after your opponent lost an important game or missed a bad shot. I would say playing a lot of safes to get in your opponents head is also fine, as it is played within the confine of the rules.

I would say slowing the game down would be unsportsmanlike conduct. If you want to keep your opponent from the table, don't miss. Besides playing out of my own rythm tends to throw my game off anyways.
 
thats not sharking at all, thats mental warfare....the same as when an opponent has you locked down and then you just blow him away with some shot he's never seen and then he goes weak in the knees. Rattling an opponent with your play in any way is legal...just be prepared to deal with the after affects since your opponent may be better at it than you...hell it may even back firing on you. But like said above especially with something like slow play, there is slow play and then being a jackass.
 
Ball Banger,

This past weekend I played in a local bar box series event. Playing to get to the hot seat match, I played a local who spends as much energy complaining about everything as he does concentrating on the match. He plays very well. Sometimes my speed. In a best of five eight ball games, I lead two to nothing. He makes a great break. I look at the lay of the table from an area away from him and then sit down. There is one problem on the table. One of each lay nearly side by side near the foot of the table. If he had played one of the balls immediately, the rest of the table was open. He chooses a different shot and begins to run out. Nearly sticks himself on a wide open table. Just careless. Gets to his last ball. Just before he shoots, I ask for a "ref". My opinion is he can not make the ball and make a good hit. I return to my seat and wait. He rages about me trying to "shark" him. You already looked at the shot he yelled. The "ref" gets to the table, looks at the shot. He shoots. Misses anyway. Complains to everyone I sharked him! No one agreed as he has done this to sooooo many other players. I Run out and win. I had no problem. Do you?

Lyn
 
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I play one team that is agonizingly slow. It dosen't bother me but others lose it because of their slow play. It messes with their minds. They, the slow players don't do it to shark but one of the players is so intent on winning his hands shake. He's afraid to do anything without his partners approval. I just sit in the chair and know what he's going to do after about 5 seconds. I'm right most of the time.

Now that I think of it there are two other teams where the players are playing with their instructors. The pupils play very slow. If it's sharking, slow play, I don't think it is, it's not working with me. Maybe because I'm a 14.1 player and used to sitting in the chair.

I've had a few words with true sharkers but I've since learned it's the reaction they are looking for. Funny thing I've learned is sharkers really get upset when you shark them back.
 
cardiac kid said:
Ball Banger,

This past weekend I played in a local bar box series event. Playing to get to the hot seat match, I played a local who spends as much energy complaining about everything as he does concentrating on the match. He plays very well. Sometimes my speed. In a best of five eight ball games, I lead two to nothing. He makes a great break. I look at the lay of the table from an area away from him and then sit down. There is one problem on the table. One of each lay nearly side by side near the foot of the table. If he had played one of the balls immediately, the rest of the table was open. He chooses a different shot and begins to run out. Nearly sticks himself on a wide open table. Just careless. Gets to his last ball. Just before he shoots, I ask for a "ref". My opinion is he can not make the ball and make a good hit. I return to my seat and wait. He rages about me trying to "shark" him. You already looked at the shot he yelled. The "ref" gets to the table, looks at the shot. He shoots. Misses anyway. Complains to everyone I sharked him! No one agreed as he has done this to sooooo many other players. I Run out and win. I had no problem. Do you?

Lyn
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Kid

I have no problem with the way you played. I am pushing 70 years old so I sit down and way from the table so I can rest. I keep my mouth shut during a game unless spoken too. I try not to talk to non player while my opponent is shooting. I might swear at myself when I dog a shot, but quickly apology. If I show any emotion, it is at myself and not my opponent. Unless my opponent is a total jerk, I try and be a good sport when I lose and tell them they shot good.

As for taking too much time between shoots, IMHO that is unsportsmanship conduct. That is why there is a shot clock in some cases. When I say slow play, I mean playing a lot of safeties. However I have seen one guy get even with a shark by going to the men's room before making a straight in shot to win the set. He first paid no attention to the sharking and only waited until he had the game locked before doing it. In that case I agreed with his thinking. He left the shark hanging and that was good thing to do in that case.
 
I can completely understand someone taking their time and going with their own flow. If you don't pace yourself to your own speed and rhythm, you'll never get into stroke. One thing I can't stand is someone who obviously shoots faster than what he's displaying and it's not even for a hard shot. I agree with taking your time with a difficult shot, kick, or safety execution; so long as you don't do it deliberately. Call it sharking, being inconsiderate, or whatever. IMO, that's just on the punk side. Shoot at your speed and no one else's. Man up, and shoot the best way you can. I'd rather a guy safe me out, than waste my time. I totally agree with waiting for your turn, and then call a time-out to smoke, get a soda/coffee, go pinch a loaf, whatever, and see how HE likes to wait.

Like the man said, there's a reason for the shot clock.
 
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Bustah360 said:
I can completely understand someone taking their time and going with their own flow. If you don't pace yourself to your own speed and rhythm, you'll never get into stroke. One thing I can't stand is someone who obviously shoots faster than what he's displaying and it's not even for a hard shot. I agree with taking your time with a difficult shot, kick, or safety execution; so long as you don't do it deliberately. Call it sharking, being inconsiderate, or whatever. IMO, that's just on the punk side. Shoot at your speed and no one else's. Man up, and shoot the best way you can. I'd rather a guy safe me out, than waste my time. I totally agree with waiting for your turn, and then call a time-out to smoke, get a soda/coffee, go pinch a loaf, whatever, and see how HE likes to wait.

Like the man said, there's a reason for the shot clock.
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you should read cornbread reds book. theres a part in there about playing some one hole and red was down and the guy was on the case ball and took a half hour break to drink some coffee. Red later battled back and busted the guy and left the case ball in the hole put his cue down and just sat there and took a break and drank some coffee, as if to say YEA WELL TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME...real torture lol
 
Ball Banger said:
Strategy Vs Sharking are offend confused. I feel the use of a Strategy is not sharking. As example would be slow playing an opponent who is known to be less patent. You are not verbally woofing at them and being a perfect gentleman the entire match. But you manage to take them out of their game none the less.

My point is some people call this sharking their opponent. While the desired effect can be the same, it is accomplished differently. Sharking in my mind is using things out side the game on the table to throw off your opponent. Strategy however is how you play the game. But not only that, Knowing your opponent's weak points and playing to them is Strategy not Sharking. Of course a professional Shark will use both. However once you open your mouth and start woofing etc you are Sharking.
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Listen buddy, if you think, that playing slow on purpose is a part of strategy, you're
so damn wrong. You play your best and you expect the same from your opponent, the
better man wins, it's that simple. You want to use strategy, play safeties and etc.
If you want to play slow in order to get to his head so you can win, that's not a
strategy, that's simply cheating. If I was you, I would reconsider my points of views..
 
....and this is why the 30 second shot clock in the Mosconi cup is so great. It's the best part of the entire tournament and the reason it's watchable.
 
If I am playing someone that I know is a better player, I try to use safeties and leaves as strategy, not slow play. Often if I start slow play, and it backfires as it throws me out of my own game.
I personally refuse to play someone I know is a slow player. We had a couple in the hall I frequent, and I just wouldn't play them. They didn't do it on purpose, that was just them.
Heck there are a couple of players on the pro circuit that are devestatingly slow. I have seen them put on the shot clock numerous times over the years that I have been to pro venues. They get used to playing slow on these small tours (where a lot of the time it is allowed, though I disagree with this), and when they get to the big matches, play agonzingly slow, and are put on the clock, they usually don't do so well.
 
sharking is a label.. for an excuse...

I missed because HE shifted in his chair... HE spoke out loud..... he did ... something ... HE MADE ME MISS!!!!

really???

your lack of focus is someone else's fault??

throwing things on to the table can ruin a shot....

strategic coughing by your opponent... was it really his fault??

you can tie your own head up in knots chasing phantom shark moves...

I don't focus on them... I focus on me..

as long as there are no gunshots.. I don't care what anybody else in the building is doing..

I'll ask someone after my run...
 
Softshot, you nailed it perfect on the head.. Anybody who says they were "sharked" and missed because a guy moved or talked or flinched, that's the ultimate excuse so they don't have to take responsibility for missing. If the guy threw something at you while you were shooting, that's one thing, but the people and their "sharking" excuses are really funny.
 
poolmaster said:
Listen buddy, if you think, that playing slow on purpose is a part of strategy, you're
so damn wrong. You play your best and you expect the same from your opponent, the
better man wins, it's that simple. You want to use strategy, play safeties and etc.
If you want to play slow in order to get to his head so you can win, that's not a
strategy, that's simply cheating. If I was you, I would reconsider my points of views..
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poolmaster

I think our definitions of Slow Play may be very differed. Maybe the term CONSERVTIVE would be more correct.
 
Does it really matter what label you assign to it? I see little difference in whether it it verbal or non verbal, all the same category. You don't have confidence that you can defeat your opponent so you try to throw off his game.
 
themack said:
Softshot, you nailed it perfect on the head.. Anybody who says they were "sharked" and missed because a guy moved or talked or flinched, that's the ultimate excuse so they don't have to take responsibility for missing. If the guy threw something at you while you were shooting, that's one thing, but the people and their "sharking" excuses are really funny.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CdeDXe6QD0&feature=related go to 3:18 min mark and watch what happens.


Re-think your response?
 
softshot said:
sharking is a label.. for an excuse...

I missed because HE shifted in his chair... HE spoke out loud..... he did ... something ... HE MADE ME MISS!!!!

really???

your lack of focus is someone else's fault??

throwing things on to the table can ruin a shot....

strategic coughing by your opponent... was it really his fault??

you can tie your own head up in knots chasing phantom shark moves...

I don't focus on them... I focus on me..

as long as there are no gunshots.. I don't care what anybody else in the building is doing..

I'll ask someone after my run...
Click to expand...

lol..

strategic coughing eh? Is that his fault.. yeah I do believe it is since it's being STRATEGICALLY used? Who's fault would it be if he planned on doing it.

Maybe you haven't hit a situation where something as simple as a flick of a wrist in the background can bother you.. but you will, and you'll think different.

You might say that one needs to concentrate more... good luck is all I have to say.. easier said then done when you're in heated situations.
 
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