Too much D; a very bad thing

[BmoreMoney]

If I'm playing a 3 I'm shooting at something, anything 99/100 times since they don't have 3 foul. They don't have 3 foul right lol? The simplistic approach I take is I think whatever their apa ranking is is how many balls they can run - max. Sounds funny but it's true more often than you would think. Anyway brother don't get down on yourself as it could happen to anyone. Actually just think of it as managing your handicap, just not on purpose .

 

[KMRUNOUT]

Licking my wounds from losing to an APA 3 last night by 2 frikkin balls. Tough race due to the handicapping, but I still should have won. Reason I lost? Messing around too much with my defensive shots. As a result, I never got into an offensive rhthym.

Guess that's the secret, huh? Knowing when to pull the trigger.

Oh well, lesson learned, so that's not a bad thing.

It sounds like your defensive game needs work. If you are facing a tough shot, it *may* be the case that a safety is the best shot, but this is highly dependent on the odds of you properly executing the safe. I play as a pretty strong 9. I just played a match against a good 4, and I won 75-3. I played 2 safes. They were both reasonably effective. 2 safes for me, particularly against a lower player, is very low. My point is that I simply felt the odds at each point favored the shot. I was playing well and really didn't face too many tough shots.

You say "messing around...with defensive shots". Does this mean you were trying things out? Why did you play safe? If the answer is something other than "because I felt my odds of executing the safe were better than my odds of executing the shot", then you might want to examine why you were playing safe. If you were trying to learn or practice something, maybe your match isn't the right time for that? Keep in mind that if you have doubts about a shot, you could probably use some practice on your shot making. However, doubts on a shot does not automatically mean that the safe is the right answer. I have to ask, if your safes didn't go too well, then didn't you have some doubt on your safes? If you have doubt both ways, go for the shot. To me it sounds like your best bet is to practice your cueball control, so that you can develop better safes that you are more consistent at executing.

Also, when I hear people talk about "getting in a rhythm"...this immediately makes me thing some work on the mental game is in order. If you can't get up for each shot that is presented to you, safe, hard shot, easy shot, whatever...then I think you need to evaluate your mental approach and maybe your shooting routine. Sometimes, you just never come to the table with easy stuff. You have to come through in those moments just as much as you do when running a cosmo out. To depend on a "rhythm" is to put yourself at a huge disadvantage in matches like that. If a rhythm comes, it comes. Ride it. But I disagree with the idea of "making a rhythm happen". Just play each shot the best way. Look at it as a unique test, put your attention into *this* shot, and nevermind what happens before or after.

So...my advice is practice cueball control, particularly with regard to playing safe, and practice the mindset of coming to the table and taking each shot as a single thing, unattached to the rest of the match, and just focus on doing *that one shot* the best you can.

Hope this helps!

KMRUNOUT

 

[RichSchultz]

It sounds like your defensive game needs work. If you are facing a tough shot, it *may* be the case that a safety is the best shot, but this is highly dependent on the odds of you properly executing the safe. I play as a pretty strong 9. I just played a match against a good 4, and I won 75-3. I played 2 safes. They were both reasonably effective. 2 safes for me, particularly against a lower player, is very low. My point is that I simply felt the odds at each point favored the shot. I was playing well and really didn't face too many tough shots.

You say "messing around...with defensive shots". Does this mean you were trying things out? Why did you play safe? If the answer is something other than "because I felt my odds of executing the safe were better than my odds of executing the shot", then you might want to examine why you were playing safe. If you were trying to learn or practice something, maybe your match isn't the right time for that? Keep in mind that if you have doubts about a shot, you could probably use some practice on your shot making. However, doubts on a shot does not automatically mean that the safe is the right answer. I have to ask, if your safes didn't go too well, then didn't you have some doubt on your safes? If you have doubt both ways, go for the shot. To me it sounds like your best bet is to practice your cueball control, so that you can develop better safes that you are more consistent at executing.

Also, when I hear people talk about "getting in a rhythm"...this immediately makes me thing some work on the mental game is in order. If you can't get up for each shot that is presented to you, safe, hard shot, easy shot, whatever...then I think you need to evaluate your mental approach and maybe your shooting routine. Sometimes, you just never come to the table with easy stuff. You have to come through in those moments just as much as you do when running a cosmo out. To depend on a "rhythm" is to put yourself at a huge disadvantage in matches like that. If a rhythm comes, it comes. Ride it. But I disagree with the idea of "making a rhythm happen". Just play each shot the best way. Look at it as a unique test, put your attention into *this* shot, and nevermind what happens before or after.

So...my advice is practice cueball control, particularly with regard to playing safe, and practice the mindset of coming to the table and taking each shot as a single thing, unattached to the rest of the match, and just focus on doing *that one shot* the best you can.

Hope this helps!

KMRUNOUT

Wow, there's enough meat in there for me to chew on for awhile! Good stuff! Yeah, my cueball control was off...as was my mental game. Both need work, of course, as I am a 5/6. But last night I was exhibiting the worst of both. And, to your point about the mental game, I got freaked about the fact that my opponent needed so many fewer balls. I could learn from your 75-31 race result! I do promise, honestly, that I had an off night...but if my mental game were stronger, I would have fared better.

Thanks again KM.

 

[PocketPooler]

I don't know what skill level you are or what you had to spot him, but if it were me in that situation I'd come out firing. Defensive is the last thing I'd worry about with an APA-3.

Unless he had every ball in the pocket, I think you probably could have made all your balls and out-maneuvered him when it came to a point you couldn't make a ball.

I assume you were playing 8-ball, since you didn't stipulate. If it was 9-ball, then playing a lot of defense on an APA-3 is the last thing I'm thinking about, no matter what the spot is.

Totally agree. Unless balls are sitting in pocket, i cant see a 3 getting with 4 left more than once a match. COME OUT FIRING!!

 

[KMRUNOUT]

Wow, there's enough meat in there for me to chew on for awhile! Good stuff! Yeah, my cueball control was off...as was my mental game. Both need work, of course, as I am a 5/6. But last night I was exhibiting the worst of both. And, to your point about the mental game, I got freaked about the fact that my opponent needed so many fewer balls. I could learn from your 75-31 race result! I do promise, honestly, that I had an off night...but if my mental game were stronger, I would have fared better.

Thanks again KM.

Trust me I know exactly how it feels to be off. Especially when you are spotting the other guy a ton and he is shooting well. I just remind myself "he *will* screw up." When he does, I just make sure I'm ready to approach *that* shot the best I can. Then just do one more shot the best I can. Then just do one more shot the best I can...you get the idea. It is essentially the opposite of being a rhythm player, but it sure helps when you are not feeling the rhythm. My match felt great. Everything seemed to be working for me, so it was easy to get in the flow. It's those times when things just aren't working when its nice to have a process to rely on.

KMRUNOUT

 

[trob]

As a 9 who is always spotting lots of balls I play everyone EXACTLY the same. I don't take low percentage shots. Believe me a 3 can suddenly haul off a decent run to get you in trouble. Why would you think gee I've played to many safes so I better fire a way at this one? If the correct shot is to be play safe that's what I play. Hell you could be having a bad night or the balls our just sitting crappy more times then not. Either way the shots I already played will have no bearing on the type of shot I'm going to play.

 

[Straightpool_99]

I don't know much about APA 3's and the like. From reading the forum I think it's a God awful player? Anyhow, constantly playing safes can get you out of stroke, at least that happens to me sometimes. Playing safe you always have to asess your competition. Did he run a lot of balls the previous inning, or is it the start of the match? Did you just make said run? Is he cold, nervous etc? Those factors matter, but the important thing is how the balls are situated. That should be the number one decider, IMO.

Sometimes the safe is the right shot against any player, that is the time to shoot it. Shooting safes as a tactical move can backfire, especially against a good player, but even a bad player can surprise you sometimes. I lost a match and was eliminated in the National championship in my country when a guy kicked a ball in two rails from a frozen ball safe and ran out from there...That sort of thing happens. I also won against an IMO superior player because he played too defensively in the same championship. He played himself out of stroke and could not deliver when he got a very tough shot. Offense is the best defense, and on a bar table I think that is even more true.

 

[RichSchultz]

KM,

Maybe its just me, but explain how your comment, "Everything seemed to be working for me, so it was easy to get in the flow" is different from being in rhthym?