Tournamnet Practice
- Thread starter Nostroke
- Start date
Nostroke said:
If this is practice prior to a tournament and there were other practice tables available, I'd say they fully had a right to turn this guy down. It'd be one thing if the room appeared full and all tables looked like they were already paired up. It's quite another thing to crowd one table when others are available. I'd politely ask the person if there were a problem with him playing on one of the vacant tables.
I would like to point out, however, tournament players should not be playing "sets" prior to a tournament. Even though I think its fair to stake your claim to the table at that moment, if the room fills up, priorities change. I've been to events where four of us were rotating in and there was absolutely no choice.
How best to warm up before a tournament
I say yes socially, but no practically and for your best performance...
Socially, you may wonder why... maybe he want's to meet some new folks, remembers you, wishes to gamble, is clueless, confused... no telling, no need to be rude, in fact give it 3 minutes and try to decipher why. Then let it go/move on if it is getting in your way..
Purely on practical grounds, what you need before a tournament is some table time to loosen up your arm, get a feel for your center ball today/table speed/humidity/throw/banks. If you take one table and divvy it up amongst 3, you are wasting time unless you are a great observer.
To the Question Not Asked: "How best to warm up before a tournament"
I suggest what you need are 5 basic things.
First. Your basic center ball feel, perhaps best done by long straight-ins to ensure you are aiming and delivering the cueball properly over distance.
Tom Simpson, I think had an article here on the idea. Second, lag speed.. this is "table speed" conditions attuning.
Third, throw conditions. Setup two object balls on foot spot, aim half-ball for maximum throw and soft speed, see how the balls react.
START(
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)END
Fourth, some basic banks and kicks, specifically 3 cushion naturals to see if the table is playing long or short, giving you an idea which way to adjust your standard kicks, long or short.
Fifth. I think the best way to get in stroke fast with many players and limited tables is to play for example 9ball, but if you miss, give your opponent BIH or take ball in hand and start over to try and develop your position muscles fast. Why waste time on shooting low-percentage kickshots to give your opponent more of the limited table time? Play a safety, see how you did, then give him BIH to make it faster. Otherwise it is frustrating, and you earn little but distress in your warmup. You learn where you can go wrong position or speed-wise, and practice is compressed, and is offense-oriented, not holding anyone back. See how long you can stay in line to complete runouts.
Frankly if a 3rd person came up and asked to play, I would likely bow out, let them have my spot, and move to the next table to "warm up" on, if that were my main purpose, to warm up.
But humans are interesting and complex, and there could be worthwhile method reason and payoff in the request, so there is no hard and fast rule here, just your sense of need and time urgency in warming up. If it is close to the wire/pushed for time, don't concede, or get another table. If there is time, get ready to move but wait to see if the person adds something nice to your life, and if not so move on, firmly but politely.
Time wasting trolls we can find here and elsewhere, no need to encourage them before "show time" in a tournament.
Nostroke said:
I say yes socially, but no practically and for your best performance...
Socially, you may wonder why... maybe he want's to meet some new folks, remembers you, wishes to gamble, is clueless, confused... no telling, no need to be rude, in fact give it 3 minutes and try to decipher why. Then let it go/move on if it is getting in your way..
Purely on practical grounds, what you need before a tournament is some table time to loosen up your arm, get a feel for your center ball today/table speed/humidity/throw/banks. If you take one table and divvy it up amongst 3, you are wasting time unless you are a great observer.
To the Question Not Asked: "How best to warm up before a tournament"
I suggest what you need are 5 basic things.
First. Your basic center ball feel, perhaps best done by long straight-ins to ensure you are aiming and delivering the cueball properly over distance.
Tom Simpson, I think had an article here on the idea. Second, lag speed.. this is "table speed" conditions attuning.
Third, throw conditions. Setup two object balls on foot spot, aim half-ball for maximum throw and soft speed, see how the balls react.
START(
%AN6O7%CB4\1%HO9O7%KB7\1%MA7\0%NB4[9%OB5[5%PE3I1%UP3O9%Vs4T7
%YO1P3%eH2b1
)END
Fourth, some basic banks and kicks, specifically 3 cushion naturals to see if the table is playing long or short, giving you an idea which way to adjust your standard kicks, long or short.
Fifth. I think the best way to get in stroke fast with many players and limited tables is to play for example 9ball, but if you miss, give your opponent BIH or take ball in hand and start over to try and develop your position muscles fast. Why waste time on shooting low-percentage kickshots to give your opponent more of the limited table time? Play a safety, see how you did, then give him BIH to make it faster. Otherwise it is frustrating, and you earn little but distress in your warmup. You learn where you can go wrong position or speed-wise, and practice is compressed, and is offense-oriented, not holding anyone back. See how long you can stay in line to complete runouts.
Frankly if a 3rd person came up and asked to play, I would likely bow out, let them have my spot, and move to the next table to "warm up" on, if that were my main purpose, to warm up.
But humans are interesting and complex, and there could be worthwhile method reason and payoff in the request, so there is no hard and fast rule here, just your sense of need and time urgency in warming up. If it is close to the wire/pushed for time, don't concede, or get another table. If there is time, get ready to move but wait to see if the person adds something nice to your life, and if not so move on, firmly but politely.
Time wasting trolls we can find here and elsewhere, no need to encourage them before "show time" in a tournament.