Last week I met up with a friend of mine at Buster's, and we decided to play "our" version of Straight Pool. Basically, the rules are the same as in regular Straight Pool, but safeties are not allowed. No matter how the balls are arranged on the table, you have to try to go for a shot. While it does not help develop defensive skills, it DOES force you to play very good position (especially as you get toward the break ball at the end of the rack). If you end up the rack and you do not have a break shot, you have to try a crazy shot off of a full rack, and that will often result in a spread layout for your opponent.
While this was not technically a Straight Pool match, it was not just a practice session either. We were both trying our hardest to put a run together. My high run in an actual match was 15, but in this game I ran 7, gave myself a good break shot, made the shot and broke the rack, and then ran 13 more, for a total of 21! This was my second-highest run EVER (I had run 25 in practice once), and it showed me once again how much I need to focus, as the 22nd shot was the ball before the break ball and it was very makeable. If I could have sunk that 22nd ball, and then broken the rack with the 23rd, I might have broken my all time high run.
I'll take it, though...only the second time I have ever broken 20!
Showing posts with label Straight Pool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Straight Pool. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
What a difference a week makes!
One week ago last night, I went to the pool hall for the weekly 8-ball tournament. While waiting to see if anyone else would show up, I had my normal hour or so of practice. The practice went really badly - I was missing shots that I should make, and my position play was way off. Luckily, no one else showed up for the tournament, and I got back my entry fee and went home.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
On Thursday, my wife went to visit family for the weekend. As the weather was pretty bad for most of the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time at the pool hall (about 10 hours over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday combined). I met a guy named Scottie who plays there a lot, and he and I played quite a few games and did some drills and such on Friday and Saturday. We even played another couple of players in a team match (both 8-ball and 9-ball). Scottie taught me the rules of 3-6-9 (a variant of 9-ball) and I taught him how to play straight pool.
One of the main bonuses of playing with Scottie is that he often plays on the hardest table in the pool hall - table 16. This table combines a fast surface with smaller-than-usual pockets, which is a combination that forces a player to be VERY precise with their shots. If you get good on table 16, you will be able to shoot on any table. Of course, the process of getting good on table 16 has its frustrations, as many shots that would go in on another table will miss on that one.
Sunday I was on my own for practice, and I managed to run 20 in Straight Pool practice, only the second time I had ever run that many. Other than that, though, the practice on Sunday did not feel like it went all that well.
That brings us to yesterday - the day of the weekly 8-ball tournament. I went to the pool hall for my hour of warmup, and at first it seemed that I would be the only one there. But, before the deadline, three other players showed up, and suddenly we had a tournament!
Suffice it to say that my practice paid off! I beat each of the other three players on my way to my SIXTH straight payday and my FIFTH tournament victory out of those six! I missed a few shots that I could have made, but in general my level of play was pretty high.
After the tournament, Harold (the one I beat in the final, and someone I have played quite a few times in the tournaments) asked me if I wanted to play him in Straight Pool to 50 points for the pool time (meaning that the loser pays for the time used by both players). He has been after me to do this for a while, and the timing was never right, but this time I said I would play. I knew that he plays in the higher division in the Straight Pool League, so I figured I was in over my head, but I also had an extra $30 in my pocket from the tournament win and I saw it as a way to get a Straight Pool lesson for not much money.
Instead, I beat him! Again, I missed a couple of shots that I really should have made, but so did he, and the final score was 50-42.
FOUR hours of pool, and I came away with $30 more than I went in with! Much better than the lousy practice of the week before.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Rolling along, and with improvement!
Last Sunday afternoon, I went to the pool hall for a few hours of practice. I took along with me the excellent book "Break Shot Patterns" by Phil Capelle. I was planning to run through several of the patterns in the book and see what I could learn from them.
Well, it took me over an hour to get through THREE of the patterns. By "get through", I mean that I practiced the pattern until I could get it right ONCE. They were much harder than I expected - it is amazing how easy the pros make it look.
The practice paid off immediately, though. After going through three of the patterns, I decided to practice some straight pool of my own. Within another hour, I had raised my all-time high run in straight pool from 17 to 25! This is a huge advance, and I am really happy with it.
The next night was the next 8-ball tournament. This time there were seven players, with these handicaps:
Roger (1)
Harold (3)
Jocelyn (3)
Jeremy (8)
Me (10)
David (12)
Scott (16)
I beat Jeremy in a tough match in the first round, and then beat Jocelyn in the second round. My third match was against Roger, the top player in the tournament, and our match came down to the final game, which I managed to barely win. This put me into the Finals, and I waited while Jeremy worked his way back through the loser's bracket (taking out Roger in the semifinals) to face me again.
In the final, I just needed to win one match out of two, and in the first match I won the first two games, which meant that all I needed to do was to sink two balls in the third game for the win. Jeremy broke, and nothing went in. I sunk two balls, and had my FOURTH tournament victory in a row!
Well, it took me over an hour to get through THREE of the patterns. By "get through", I mean that I practiced the pattern until I could get it right ONCE. They were much harder than I expected - it is amazing how easy the pros make it look.
The practice paid off immediately, though. After going through three of the patterns, I decided to practice some straight pool of my own. Within another hour, I had raised my all-time high run in straight pool from 17 to 25! This is a huge advance, and I am really happy with it.
The next night was the next 8-ball tournament. This time there were seven players, with these handicaps:
Roger (1)
Harold (3)
Jocelyn (3)
Jeremy (8)
Me (10)
David (12)
Scott (16)
I beat Jeremy in a tough match in the first round, and then beat Jocelyn in the second round. My third match was against Roger, the top player in the tournament, and our match came down to the final game, which I managed to barely win. This put me into the Finals, and I waited while Jeremy worked his way back through the loser's bracket (taking out Roger in the semifinals) to face me again.
In the final, I just needed to win one match out of two, and in the first match I won the first two games, which meant that all I needed to do was to sink two balls in the third game for the win. Jeremy broke, and nothing went in. I sunk two balls, and had my FOURTH tournament victory in a row!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
In the money!
Due to the withdrawal from the league of the player who was supposed to be my last opponent of the season, I was left in an interesting position. Because of the incredible comeback in my last match, I had 5 match points in the second half of the season with one match to go. Winning a match gives you a point. Winning by more than 10 balls gives you another 1/2 point. Playing above your average (number of balls sunk per inning) gives you ANOTHER 1/2 point. So, each match there is a potential for 2 points.
The way the playoffs work, the top three players from the first half play against the top three players from the second half for the six money spots. The two first place finishers compete for 1st-2nd, the two second place finishers compete for 3rd-4th, and the two third place finishers get 5th/6th (both 5th and 6th get the same money, so there is no playoff). In our division, the two first-place finishers will play off for 1st-2nd, but the same player took 2nd in both halves, so he gets third place. The same player took 3rd in both halves, too, so that player gets 4th place. As a result, if I were to take 4th place in the second half, I would get 5th/6th money.
To do this, I needed to beat Jim, who beat me at the end of March. He was the 'replacement player' designated by the league manager to take the place of the player who had dropped out. Unlike last time, when Jim spotted me 20 balls, this time the difference was only 11. I needed to get to 64, while Jim needed 75.
He took an early lead in the match, and had a pretty consistent 5-10 ball lead as we went into the homestretch. Coming into the last rack, he needed 11 balls to win while I needed 6. After we each sunk a couple of shots, I ran off 12 balls in a row to win the game! The final score (you keep shooting at the end until you miss) was a 73-66 win! I just missed winning by 10 (If he had scored 65 or lower I would have gotten that half-point), but the 1 1/2 points that I DID get were enough to put me into the 5th/6th spot. PLUS, I got an extra prize for being the "Most Improved" player in the division!
Not bad, for such a rough start. I won four out of my five matches in the second half, for 6.5 points, and as a result my outlay for about 20-25 hours of pool (for the ten matches in the league) was about $1/hour after the prize money is factored in. :-)
The way the playoffs work, the top three players from the first half play against the top three players from the second half for the six money spots. The two first place finishers compete for 1st-2nd, the two second place finishers compete for 3rd-4th, and the two third place finishers get 5th/6th (both 5th and 6th get the same money, so there is no playoff). In our division, the two first-place finishers will play off for 1st-2nd, but the same player took 2nd in both halves, so he gets third place. The same player took 3rd in both halves, too, so that player gets 4th place. As a result, if I were to take 4th place in the second half, I would get 5th/6th money.
To do this, I needed to beat Jim, who beat me at the end of March. He was the 'replacement player' designated by the league manager to take the place of the player who had dropped out. Unlike last time, when Jim spotted me 20 balls, this time the difference was only 11. I needed to get to 64, while Jim needed 75.
He took an early lead in the match, and had a pretty consistent 5-10 ball lead as we went into the homestretch. Coming into the last rack, he needed 11 balls to win while I needed 6. After we each sunk a couple of shots, I ran off 12 balls in a row to win the game! The final score (you keep shooting at the end until you miss) was a 73-66 win! I just missed winning by 10 (If he had scored 65 or lower I would have gotten that half-point), but the 1 1/2 points that I DID get were enough to put me into the 5th/6th spot. PLUS, I got an extra prize for being the "Most Improved" player in the division!
Not bad, for such a rough start. I won four out of my five matches in the second half, for 6.5 points, and as a result my outlay for about 20-25 hours of pool (for the ten matches in the league) was about $1/hour after the prize money is factored in. :-)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The match of the season so far
On Sunday afternoon I had my rematch against Wayne, the guy who I lost to in my first match in the Straight Pool League. Due to the closeness in handicap, he was spotting me four balls - he had to get to 75 while I needed 71 to win.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been reading a lot about how to restructure one's fundamentals at the pool table - stance, stroke, warm-up strokes, etc. Because I do not do much practicing between matches, I made the (kind of silly) decision to try to work on my fundamentals while playing the match.
As a result, I started missing shots from the very beginning. Wayne was shooting well, and even though my safeties were okay, and I would get advantageous positions on the table (my turn to shoot, several balls spread out and makeable), I would only make two or three balls before handing the table back to him. It reminded me of a chess player who can often get an advantage in the middlegame, but since he does not know how to convert it to a winning edge, he loses the game anyway. It is very frustrating. But, I kept my sense of humour about it all, and tried to keep things in perspective. Wayne is a nice guy, and there are worse ways to spend a couple hours than to shoot pool.
One interesting note is that Wayne never commented on the pace of my play - partly because he tended to take about as much time as I did on shots.
At one point in the match, I looked up at the score and saw that I was down by about 30 balls. He had 60 and I had around 29 or so. It was going pretty badly. At that moment, I decided to stop concentrating on the stuff I had read and just shoot pool the way I had been doing it before that day. Suddenly I found myself able to make shots with a bit more confidence. After I ran a few balls and then played a good safety (leaving Wayne no shot), I looked at him and said, "I come from the 'too little too late' school of Straight Pool". I figured all I was doing was making the final score a bit closer.
However, at one point I ran 15 balls in a row, easily my high for this league, and I began to think that if I kept playing carefully, I might work my way back into the match. When I had a very tough break shot lined up, I decided to play safe (all Wayne needed at that point was 4 balls, while I needed about 20). Even so, he had his chances to make the last few balls, but I think that my keeping him away from the table and out of his rhythm affected him a bit. He missed a couple of easy-ish shots that could have ended it.
Going into the last rack, he had 73 balls and I had 60. If I could make 11 balls before he made 2, I would complete an incredible comeback. I played as carefully as I could, making balls while trying not to leave him anything if I missed. (I even played a safety where no ball hit the rail, which cost me a point. Now I needed 12 balls in the rack to win.) At one point in the rack, he had a shot lined up on the rail. If he made that shot, his last shot would have been straight into the side for the game. He rattled the pocket, though, and I was able to make the two balls instead. Not only did I make those two, I ran out the rest of the rack!
When I looked up after making the last ball of the rack, Wayne congratulated me on an amazing comeback. I had not even processed that I had won the game, but the score at that point was 73-73 (The rule is that even if you make your winning ball, you keep going until you finish the run. I actually should have kept going into the next rack, but neither one of us thought about that at the time). Because of the handicap difference, this meant that I had come all the way back to win!
So, now the missing match against the guy who did not want to play looms large. Frank had said that he would pair me up against someone else if I had a chance at the playoffs (which I think I do). It seems strange that I would not get to play the person that had played everyone else, but whatever happens, happens. I will have fun with it regardless, and a playoff berth (if it happens) will be that much more enjoyable.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been reading a lot about how to restructure one's fundamentals at the pool table - stance, stroke, warm-up strokes, etc. Because I do not do much practicing between matches, I made the (kind of silly) decision to try to work on my fundamentals while playing the match.
As a result, I started missing shots from the very beginning. Wayne was shooting well, and even though my safeties were okay, and I would get advantageous positions on the table (my turn to shoot, several balls spread out and makeable), I would only make two or three balls before handing the table back to him. It reminded me of a chess player who can often get an advantage in the middlegame, but since he does not know how to convert it to a winning edge, he loses the game anyway. It is very frustrating. But, I kept my sense of humour about it all, and tried to keep things in perspective. Wayne is a nice guy, and there are worse ways to spend a couple hours than to shoot pool.
One interesting note is that Wayne never commented on the pace of my play - partly because he tended to take about as much time as I did on shots.
At one point in the match, I looked up at the score and saw that I was down by about 30 balls. He had 60 and I had around 29 or so. It was going pretty badly. At that moment, I decided to stop concentrating on the stuff I had read and just shoot pool the way I had been doing it before that day. Suddenly I found myself able to make shots with a bit more confidence. After I ran a few balls and then played a good safety (leaving Wayne no shot), I looked at him and said, "I come from the 'too little too late' school of Straight Pool". I figured all I was doing was making the final score a bit closer.
However, at one point I ran 15 balls in a row, easily my high for this league, and I began to think that if I kept playing carefully, I might work my way back into the match. When I had a very tough break shot lined up, I decided to play safe (all Wayne needed at that point was 4 balls, while I needed about 20). Even so, he had his chances to make the last few balls, but I think that my keeping him away from the table and out of his rhythm affected him a bit. He missed a couple of easy-ish shots that could have ended it.
Going into the last rack, he had 73 balls and I had 60. If I could make 11 balls before he made 2, I would complete an incredible comeback. I played as carefully as I could, making balls while trying not to leave him anything if I missed. (I even played a safety where no ball hit the rail, which cost me a point. Now I needed 12 balls in the rack to win.) At one point in the rack, he had a shot lined up on the rail. If he made that shot, his last shot would have been straight into the side for the game. He rattled the pocket, though, and I was able to make the two balls instead. Not only did I make those two, I ran out the rest of the rack!
When I looked up after making the last ball of the rack, Wayne congratulated me on an amazing comeback. I had not even processed that I had won the game, but the score at that point was 73-73 (The rule is that even if you make your winning ball, you keep going until you finish the run. I actually should have kept going into the next rack, but neither one of us thought about that at the time). Because of the handicap difference, this meant that I had come all the way back to win!
So, now the missing match against the guy who did not want to play looms large. Frank had said that he would pair me up against someone else if I had a chance at the playoffs (which I think I do). It seems strange that I would not get to play the person that had played everyone else, but whatever happens, happens. I will have fun with it regardless, and a playoff berth (if it happens) will be that much more enjoyable.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Catching up on the league
First, a bit of background to cover the last couple of weeks:
The match I played after my last post was a bit of a downer. I never really got going, and my opponent thrashed me pretty badly. He was nice about it, though he was listening to music on his iPod for the length of the entire match. I suppose that is allowed, though it seemed a bit anti-social to me.
My next scheduled match after that was against a player who has one of the highest per-inning averages in the division (and therefore the highest handicap), but has yet to win a match in the second half of the league schedule.
Side note: I only recently learned how the standings and playoffs and such work. For each half of the schedule, the top three players make the playoffs and play each other to determine the top six places, which all pay out. I was well out of the running for the first half, but I have an outside chance of placing in the top three for the second half. More on that later.
To my surprise, this next opponent called me and offered to forfeit the match. Apparently he was very frustrated with his results in the league, and just did not want to play any more. I discussed the issue with Frank, the man running the league, and he decided that if I needed my final match in order to decide if I would make the playoffs or not, he would pair me with someone else. The player that wanted to forfeit would not play again in the league. This was okay with me - it would feel weird to be playing someone with something on the line (for me at least) while knowing that my opponent really did not want to play.
Which leads us to yesterday. The final match (maybe not for me, if I need to make up last week's match) is played against the player who is closest in handicap to you. In my case, this meant that I was getting a rematch against the player I lost to in the first week of the league. It would be a good test of whether I had improved. It would also be a test of whether I could incorporate all of the theory I have been reading about the fundamentals of my game and how to improve them.
The match I played after my last post was a bit of a downer. I never really got going, and my opponent thrashed me pretty badly. He was nice about it, though he was listening to music on his iPod for the length of the entire match. I suppose that is allowed, though it seemed a bit anti-social to me.
My next scheduled match after that was against a player who has one of the highest per-inning averages in the division (and therefore the highest handicap), but has yet to win a match in the second half of the league schedule.
Side note: I only recently learned how the standings and playoffs and such work. For each half of the schedule, the top three players make the playoffs and play each other to determine the top six places, which all pay out. I was well out of the running for the first half, but I have an outside chance of placing in the top three for the second half. More on that later.
To my surprise, this next opponent called me and offered to forfeit the match. Apparently he was very frustrated with his results in the league, and just did not want to play any more. I discussed the issue with Frank, the man running the league, and he decided that if I needed my final match in order to decide if I would make the playoffs or not, he would pair me with someone else. The player that wanted to forfeit would not play again in the league. This was okay with me - it would feel weird to be playing someone with something on the line (for me at least) while knowing that my opponent really did not want to play.
Which leads us to yesterday. The final match (maybe not for me, if I need to make up last week's match) is played against the player who is closest in handicap to you. In my case, this meant that I was getting a rematch against the player I lost to in the first week of the league. It would be a good test of whether I had improved. It would also be a test of whether I could incorporate all of the theory I have been reading about the fundamentals of my game and how to improve them.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Another win, and another dissatisfied opponent
My match this week was a thrilling, back-and-forth affair between me (a "grinder", who thinks about each shot before taking it) and my opponent (a "rhythm player", who just takes the shot that looks right and figures that he will get a decent enough leave to make the next shot). He was definitely the better shotmaker, and after a slow start (I was ahead about 20-4 at one point, but all of my matches seem to go this way) he recovered to take a lead by about 10-15 balls in the middle of the match.
I kept grinding it out, though, and because of what I have been reading I am getting a better understanding of what to do. Down 68-62, I had a pretty open rack, and I got into a rhythm of my own. I ran off the last 11 balls, which was a win for me because I only needed to get to 73 in this match (my opponent needed to get to 75)!
Afterwards, my opponent complained that I was the slowest player that he had ever faced, and that I took him completely out of his game. This was pretty much what the last opponent said after our match, too...but the fact is that I have 30 seconds to decide on a shot, and I have always been well within that time limit. Also, as I have pointed out to BOTH opponents (strangely, people do not seem to complain so much about my pace when they beat me), it is not my job to make sure they are comfortable and in rhythm! In fact, it helps me if they are cold when they come to the table, as long as I have not taken more time than I am allotted.
Why people seem to have the idea that I should facilitate their shotmaking is beyond me.
Next match is Saturday afternoon.
I kept grinding it out, though, and because of what I have been reading I am getting a better understanding of what to do. Down 68-62, I had a pretty open rack, and I got into a rhythm of my own. I ran off the last 11 balls, which was a win for me because I only needed to get to 73 in this match (my opponent needed to get to 75)!
Afterwards, my opponent complained that I was the slowest player that he had ever faced, and that I took him completely out of his game. This was pretty much what the last opponent said after our match, too...but the fact is that I have 30 seconds to decide on a shot, and I have always been well within that time limit. Also, as I have pointed out to BOTH opponents (strangely, people do not seem to complain so much about my pace when they beat me), it is not my job to make sure they are comfortable and in rhythm! In fact, it helps me if they are cold when they come to the table, as long as I have not taken more time than I am allotted.
Why people seem to have the idea that I should facilitate their shotmaking is beyond me.
Next match is Saturday afternoon.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A good match, but...
Last Saturday I played another Straight Pool match. Fresh off of my win, I had high hopes, and when I found out that I only needed to get 55 points (as opposed to my opponent's 75), I really thought I had a chance. I stayed right with him until we both had about 40 points, but then I started missing chances that I had to make, and he got into a groove. He beat me 75-47. I feel like I shot okay, and in fact in the first rack I made eight in a row, which started me off well, but I still missed shots I needed to make, and my cue-ball control needs a lot of work.
Monday, March 19, 2012
A measure of revenge, and my first win!
One thing I did not mention about last week is that the night after my Straight Pool match, I ran into my opponent at a different pool hall, and we played some 8-ball. I won the 8-ball match 3-1, and while it did not really count for anything, it gave me a bit of confidence that I had been lacking.
This past Saturday, I had my next Straight Pool match. Due to the handicaps, I had to get to 69 while my opponent had to get to 75. I did not shoot lights-out, and I had a few break shots where I missed the shot while breaking the rack (always a bad move in a Straight Pool game), but I was steady. I generally made shots I meant to make, and I was able to string together runs of 5 or 7 balls a few times. Suddenly I looked up at the scoreboard and realized that I only needed four balls to win! I ran out four shots in a row for my first Straight Pool match victory in about 15 years. Good to get the first one under my belt! Final score was 69-56.
So...not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it seems to be (maybe) going in the right direction for now.
This past Saturday, I had my next Straight Pool match. Due to the handicaps, I had to get to 69 while my opponent had to get to 75. I did not shoot lights-out, and I had a few break shots where I missed the shot while breaking the rack (always a bad move in a Straight Pool game), but I was steady. I generally made shots I meant to make, and I was able to string together runs of 5 or 7 balls a few times. Suddenly I looked up at the scoreboard and realized that I only needed four balls to win! I ran out four shots in a row for my first Straight Pool match victory in about 15 years. Good to get the first one under my belt! Final score was 69-56.
So...not sure how the rest of the season will go, but it seems to be (maybe) going in the right direction for now.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Still not close to where I want to be...
I played my second Straight Pool match last Sunday afternoon, and while mentally I was a lot more positive about it, I lost by even more than before. My opponent gave me chances, but I missed a lot of shots. Even though I only had to go to 66 while he had to go to 75, I lost 75-48. I have a lot of work to do...next match is tomorrow afternoon, so we'll see what happens.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Not as much improvement as I had hoped
Was it a case of nerves? Lack of confidence? I am not really sure...but though a practice session on Saturday went pretty well, my first Straight Pool match on Sunday could not be considered a success. We were both playing to 75, and I started off badly by losing the lag by a wide margin (not a huge deal - just meant I had to break) and then scratching on the break (a big deal - loss of two points). I dug myself out of the hole, and after five racks I actually held a slim lead at 40-36. I was missing shots I should have been making, though, especially shots to the pockets at the head of the table. My safeties were pretty bad too. My only good shots seemed to be the shots coming out of a cluster - deciding which balls would go into a pocket when a cluster of balls was hit a certain way. My position play was pretty bad, too.
My opponent ran 13 in a row in the middle of the match, easily more than either of us had run up to that time, and soon he was ahead by 20 at 69-49. In the last rack, I actually had a chance to catch up a bit, but then my last mistake hit - I miscued on an easy shot, giving him a runout of the match. Final score was 75-58.
I think I learned quite a bit about the need to concentrate at all times on all shots, and to play better safeties. My second match will be sometime in the next few days, so we'll see...
My opponent ran 13 in a row in the middle of the match, easily more than either of us had run up to that time, and soon he was ahead by 20 at 69-49. In the last rack, I actually had a chance to catch up a bit, but then my last mistake hit - I miscued on an easy shot, giving him a runout of the match. Final score was 75-58.
I think I learned quite a bit about the need to concentrate at all times on all shots, and to play better safeties. My second match will be sometime in the next few days, so we'll see...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Signs of Improvement
Most days when I go out to shoot pool I am practicing on my own, which is why I have put so much effort into finding fun and instructive drills. However, it has been difficult to see if I have really improved, as a lapse in concentration (easy to do when practicing alone) can make it seem like I am not shooting well, even if I have lifted my game quite a bit.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
Recently, though, I twice happened to find someone willing to play some pool with me at the pool hall. The first time was a short 8-ball match against someone at Buster's in Somersworth, and I won all three games (though luck played a part in one of them). The second time was a much longer match, and (to me at least) was more of an indicator of how far I have come.
I went to Legends in Portsmouth a couple of weeks ago, as I often do on Monday nights. As soon as I got to my table at around 5:45 (usually I practice from 7 to 9, but I was early that evening), I got into a conversation with the man at the table next to mine, and we agreed to play some 9-ball. We played for the next three hours, until I had to go, and it was a lot of fun. He was a pretty good player, but I was able to use a lot of what I have been practicing and I won the match 22-13. It reminded me a lot of the marathon 9-ball sessions I had with my friend Christopher in Chicago about 15 years ago.
I recently signed up for the Straight Pool League at Buster's, which starts in a week or so. I have not played Straight Pool in a league since I lived in Chicago, but it has remained one of my favorite games. It is a handicapped league, meaning that each player needs to sink a different number of balls based on their ability as judged by the man running the league (in this case, Frank at Buster's). Frank has seen me rebuilding my game for a while now, but I don't think he knows that I used to shoot Straight Pool quite a bit. He has said that he will start me out "in the lower division", whatever that means. At the very least, I should have a once-a-week barometer of how I am doing.
In anticipation of the start of the league, I have been practicing Straight-Pool related drills (which the Q rating drill in my previous post is, sort of) and also practicing lags and the Straight Pool break, which is not like an 8-ball or 9-ball break at all. In Straight Pool, you basically do not want the break, as on the break you try to drive two balls to a rail while not leaving your opponent a shot. It is a tough break to master.
One way in which I know I am improving is my ability to run at least 10 balls in a row, whether in the Q drill or in a Straight Pool setup. It used to be quite an accomplishment to do this once in an evening of practice. Last night I ran at least 11 balls three times in a row in the Q drill, and also ran at least 10 in Straight Pool practice (high run of 13, done twice) four times in the space of about 6 racks. What made me happiest was that the Straight Pool runs went from one rack to the next, involving a break shot on the rack in the middle of the run. This is one of the hardest things to be able to do consistently.
I am really looking forward to my first Straight Pool match in the league. I have no idea of what my handicap will be, or who I will be playing against, but I will be posting results and reactions here.
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