Practice MATCHES

[RocketRoy1983]

Playing tonight I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with an opponent I was playing. We chop and change practice partners usually depending on ability as some of the lesser players refuse to play me or some of the other better players. Tonight one swuch gentleman accepted my invitation. The final score was 57-9 in my favour but my gripe is this...

He would pot a red and unless 1000000% certain of a pot on a colour he would run safe or play the colour onto a cushion. I had to keep digging colours off cushions and cannoning balls etc..

Now from this point of view he was doing well as we both know the range in our abilities. However in practice matches should we be taking on our shots to try to remember them when in really matters, in competition, or should lesser players be simply trying to win the practice matches with no thought of taking ANY risks?

Personally, I always take on my shots (within reason) and if im playing a better opponent to me I might play a colour safe towards the end if im ahead but I wont continually run scared to baulk when I have 65-35 shots on colours in my favour.

Thoughts?

[DandyA]

why are you griping RR?

you won ... he played his game and you played yours ... OK, he sounds like a defensive player and you are an attacking player ... so what?

well done for winning

surely that is why ROS loses so many matches - he gets annoyed at how his fellow player is playing or even how he is playing ... I very much doubt any of the great match players would do that ...

btw - here's some advice for anyone working in a hand grenade shop - when a customer comes to the checkout, don't ask for their PIN

[RocketRoy1983]

I play my A game, more defensively whatever you want to call it in a tournament or competition. In a practice match I play more openly to learn new things. What do you do? What do you all do? Is there a right/wrong? Should we be playing practice matches with the only thought one of winning/improving??

[thai_son22]

i play depending on how the opponent is but of course it would be nice to always play one style of game.

it just wont work like that. certain palyers i play, i go for everything. other times, im playing 100+ players and i have no choice but to play more or less a 100% safety game.

at first i try to out pot them but thats just being stupid. so instead i nick afew frames. and yes they are practice matches, just a social thing.

as long as you realise that you werent flowing because of this rather than thinking you are missing easy shots etc.

hes just simply making it harder for you. dont be too hard on yourself.

[RocketRoy1983]

Hey thai! Im not mate Id beat this older guy 10/10 thats not a worry for me. Even if im playing someone a bit better than me ill play a similar game to if im playing a guy with much less ability. I take on my shots and if I lose I lose I dont necessarily always play simply to win. I like to take shots on so I can try to remember them for when I need them in the big matches.

[DandyA]

Should we be playing practice matches with the only thought one of winning/improving??

well yes and no ... surely you are playing a practice match because you enjoy playing snooker and also you want to improve ... but surely also, your opponent is entitled to have different objectives?

if you want to play a practice game "potting only, no safety" why not agree that before the game?

[RocketRoy1983]

Of course everyone will have different thoughts on this hence my thread. I hate losing make no mistake about that but when playing players of varying ability in a practice game scenario I will take on my shots and if I miss a few and leave on my opponent so be it. When they then pot red black then play safe it can be so frustrating and I think along the lines of "well i just took a risk and left you in why dont you have a go you boring sod"

Of course he is onloy thinking about winning and if thats you then fair play to you.

[DandyA]

you really don't want to play me at UK 8ball RR ... mu whole game is based around annoying my opponent by leaving that silly little white ball in as difficult a position as I can ...

I would do it too on a snooker table but it's a lot more difficult ...

So sometimes, I'm forced to go for a pot

[RocketRoy1983]

But why Dandy? Why dont you go all out to pot your reds/yellows then black to win the frame and prove you were better? or at least lose trying??

[noel]

??

It's funny really, but the scenario you describe Roy is worldwide...

Like you, in a tournament or playing for money I am all business, so to speak...
and in casual club matches I do experiment and try different strategies... I attempt to
up my percentage on risky shots (for me) by actually trying them... and so on... however,
there always seems to be one super-precious wager at stake...
the one that can suck the joy out of friendly competition like a vainpire...

EGO !!


=o\

Noel

[RocketRoy1983]

You mean Noel that these players are worried simply about their pride?

[SebastianZ]

RR, I understand how u feel. I used to have the same problems with some of my local players. they just knock the colours onto the cushions at the early stages of the frames and make it very difficult for me to make big breaks coz they know they cant outscore me, it got me really annoiyed as the game gets really boring that way. but now I start to think differently, If I dont get the chance to improve my attacking side of the game, I 'd make an effort to play good safety instead of thinking that I dont need to play safe against a poor player at least that way I get something out of the game!

[RocketRoy1983]

Ill admit it helps with the safety side of the game!

[Marlboro]

At my club the regulars have a handicap. I tend to give 10-20 pts start to most of the players. Some of these guys abuse the start and just play hit/run, pushing colour to cushion and not trying for position for 90% of the pots. Even when they are on a coulour, the first thing they will do is pot it and run the white to the cushion incase they miss.
I don't really mind playing this way, I can grind my way through a match, but the worst part is I get ribbed constantly for playing "excessively safe" by these people.
I am thinking...you frigging hyppocrites.
Anyway, I don't think its so bad with players trying their best to win even during practice matches, buts its worst if you get lectured on how to play the game by these people.

[JamesFoster]

If I pot a red and don't get on the black or pink then I think its OK to play safe on a baulk colour. If a red is on but no colour then I might just play safe. I don't think its fair to tie up the blue, pink or black for no reason.