Wow, this is great stuff for me (and hopefully others) to work on.
Half of my responses here may sound like excuses, but I did really pick a bad day to showcase my playing. But I'd rather show my worst side and get more comments. I find analyzing and practicing foosball enormously therapeutic. Maybe most engineers are alike in this sense.
Some comments to the feedback, and then a bunch of new questions below!
ALASKAN THUNDER:
1. I do tend to play a faster game, going for the quick kill when the chance is open to me. Against most players here, it works. But this opponent has good defensive position and also knows my tendencies. I'll remember to set up more.
2. I carry usually $30+US in a coin case with me usually.
3. I used to set up better/farther when I was working on my pull. Guess I've gotten lazy. Will pay more attention.
4. Push-kick is a part of my offense and usually works (not on this day). Often, I'll go for a quick push-kick to catch the opponent off guard. But I guess I should set it up more, and use a more complete series. I'm usually shooting long, where there's more often a hole. But I should use my mid-range, short kick, and short push more.
7. I was doing something strange that day. Normally, I would do just a standing stick pass series with a few variations. But based on some other feedback, I was moving the ball more trying to read the defense. But in effect, I was just moving the ball and NOT reading the defense -- because I still don't know HOW to read the D. More on that at the bottom.
Thanks!
PAT RYAN:
Slow down: YES! I wanted to make a point of taking more time off the clock that day, but I guess I ended up not thinking as much! I took some time to time the passing and shooting of both me and William, and found some interesting (to me) results.
Passing times are counted as when the ball is brought to the near-side for a passing series.
Pull shot times are counted from set-up. So, 0.5s would be almost a rolling pull.
WILLIAM'S PASSING
Game 1: 4 3 3 1 3 4 4 2 2 1 3
Game 2: 1 1 4 3 3 3 3 1 5 2 3 1 1
WILLIAM'S PULL SHOT
Game 1: 4 3 3 10 6 1 2 2 5 1 4 4
Game 2: 7 2 0.5 1.5 1 0.5 4 4 2 4 6 0.5 1
KEVIN'S PASSING
Game 1: 3 3 4 6 6 3 7
Game 2: 1.5 7 2 5 4 7
KEVIN'S PULL SHOT
Game 1: 1 2 2 5 2 1 1
Game 2: 1 3 3
So, here's what I ended up seeing:
1. For a self-proclaimed pull-shooter, I shot very few pulls. And I rarely sat on the ball after set-up.
2. I did take my time with passing, but perhaps didn't use that time very well. I think I might have been just moving the ball for the sake of moving the ball.
Jerky D: How do we differentiate between jerky D and a shaking D? I'm asking honestly. I do shake to cover more ground.
5-bar passing (extra movement): extra movement like a fast jerky hover? I think for the brush, I need to slow down the toss too. Will try taking out the hover sometimes.
Anti-Hail Mary: I've heard about this countdown method when frustrated. I never remember to do it tho. Will keep it in mind.
Reading the defense: "remember, that wasn't working too well anyway" Yes... because I really don't know what to look for when reading. Need a few examples of what to read and what to do with what I see.
Shoot the short middle: I watched the video again, and I see exactly where you're saying. I think squaring up a 2/5 pull or a 4/5 pull could work. Thanks for pointing it out.
Blocking his 5-bar: I think I had more success in some unfilmed doubles, where I blocked his 5 with my left hand. Not sure why. Maybe I should stay in the forward position when defending his pass in singles. Bad idea?
Thanks!
FOOZKILLAH:
Quick points: Yes. Unfortunately, it's a style of game I play. If I'm feeling good, it works well. But on tired days like that one, it ends up with misfires. I do that in tournaments too... when the game is on the line, I might end up doing dinks, quick push kicks, etc. You're absolutely right. It's something I identified in the past, and told my doubles partner to remind me to go for the kill on the game's on the line. I've strayed from that.
Flinching when he shot: A good point. There were a few times when I reacted to his movement, which is why I hate blocking pulls. I have much less problems with snakes, because unless the guy walks a lot, I don't pay much attention to what he's doing or his rocking. I'll work on developing nerves of steal. When you guys defend pulls, do you flinch? I mean, is it common practice to train oneself to not flinch?
Self-discipline: Yes, this player has had success here because of his discipline and sturdiness. I beat him 30% of the time, but if I were a betting man, I would definitely still bet on him because of his calmer, stable style. Something I should work on myself.
NEW QUESTIONS...
But here's something I'm having trouble with:
For both passing and shooting, if I see a hole, I can hit where that hole was/is. If I brush pass, I can brush up or down based on the hole that I see at the time of execution. But for someone who has a fast defense or more confusing D, I get lost because holes are there for a lot shorter period of time - which is what a good D should do, I guess. So, my execution is based on the current situation, and not really from reading something before.
A specific question. What are a few things (opponent's tendencies) I can watch for when I am setting up my pull?
- Whether he covers the rolling pull (and how much of it)
- Whether he covers in front (rolling straight) of the ball as I'm setting up
Thanks everyone. Seriously!
Kevin