APA Sharking Question

Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Alright soooo umm...

Quick question - My opponent and I are playing a match. She runs her balls down to the 8, CB on the rail and dead straight shot on the 8 in the side pocket.

I was sure she would make it so I got up from my seat to go my team captain and grab something from him - while I'm walking she shoots and misses then blames the fact that I was walking for her miss and said I sharked her...

Please note that in the APA league people are moving past your tables all the time and you shoot despite the commotion. Sounds like poor sportsmanship to me, right?
 
All the time I see players about to lose a game get out do their chair and walk up to the table like they are just waiting for the player about to win to sink the OB, so they can grab the rack and rack the balls. Some people do this fully hoping to shark their opponent. Like "oh this is such an easy shot I'll mosey on up to the table".


But if you were just walking up to your teams bar table I would not call that sharking. People are walking around non-stop.
 
Sharking

I would say that lower ranked s/l players accidentally/intentionally shark all the time, either out of ignorance or lack of respect for the game. If it is not your shot, you sit or find the wall and stay glued. Pool etiquette is almost gone anyway, but coming from an old school (46 yrs old) sl 9/7 I think we could all do better. I realize that the hall is usually full on league night but do you best to not affect the game if it is not your shot. You had your chance.
 
Some people do that kind of thing to intentionally shark their opponent, and it works.
 
Define sharking?

I believe sharking is derived from ppl swimming in the ocean and all of a sudden they feel like the danger of shark is present. It's a conjuring of your own fear.

The only thing that can shark you is yourself plain and simple. Why aren't ppl complaining about every shot they miss bc someone is walking by? Why is it that the only time sharking comes up is during critical shots or money ball situations? It's bc that little self doubt that you might miss makes you very aware of everything around you.

Have you ever watched any money matches played in the Philippines? There's refs marking balls, grabbing balls out of pockets, roosters crowing, etc. I've never heard any of them complain or blame a loss on sharking.

If you're playing APA league or any league for that matter there are three things that you must come to grips with.

1. Sharking
2. Sandbagging
3. All you're fighting and complaining about is for a trip to Vegas that you already paid for many times over. And some stinking patches.

With all that being said. Sigh... I am playing in APA's LTC tomorrow lol wish me luck!
 
I play in a pretty crowded pool hall. It's the kind of place you constantly have to look around to see if you are blocking someone about to make a shot. I was playing a match in the playoffs last week and it was my opponents shot. I was just trying to stay out of the way and happened to be standing about 45 degrees from her line of aim. She gave me a serious "ahh, can you move out of my line of aim." I walked to the over side of the table without saying anything and she shot.

She probably thought I was trying to shark her...
 
Apa

Hey Calvin, I think we have a similar perspective on the sharking issue but if you tell me that a 4 isnt thrown off by a sudden movement behind the target pocket your kidding yourself. When someone does it to me, intentional or not, I get up if not locked in or hammer it in and say something to the effect of "sit your ass down" if you are in my line of sight. Here in Austin, they make players sit on stools between shots and rope off the playing area to avoid this issue. Oh...and good luck.
 
Zphix said:
Alright soooo umm...

Quick question - My opponent and I are playing a match. She runs her balls down to the 8, CB on the rail and dead straight shot on the 8 in the side pocket.

I was sure she would make it so I got up from my seat to go my team captain and grab something from him - while I'm walking she shoots and misses then blames the fact that I was walking for her miss and said I sharked her...

Please note that in the APA league people are moving past your tables all the time and you shoot despite the commotion. Sounds like poor sportsmanship to me, right?
Click to expand...

If this is all there is to the situation, then it definitely sounds like poor sportsmanship...by you. Surely you could have waited the few moments for her to shoot the ball before getting up. If you wanted to concede the ball then you could have. You should sit still in your seat when your opponent is at the table. There is no exception to this rule, only the lack of composure to follow it. Just because other people are moving around in the room, it doesn't matter because *they are not the opponent* and are *not involved in the match*. If you can't respect your opponents' turns at the table, you shouldn't play. It's that simple.

KMRUNOUT
 
victorl said:
Some people do that kind of thing to intentionally shark their opponent, and it works.
Click to expand...

There is another group of people that do it without the awareness that they are doing it to shark. They actually believe the ridiculous excuses for why they do what they do. "I needed to get something from my captain" for example. If the OP actually believes that, then the problem is probably deeper than he knows.

Often I see people who have a certain anxiety about the competition. When their opponent seems likely to win, they for some reason experience an unusual unrest and start to fidget, move, tap a pen on the table, shuffle in their seat, etc. These are all likely unconscious things, but with a little self awareness, they can be identified for what they are.

Learn to stop! Get some control of yourself. Seriously.

KMRUNOUT
 
IamCalvin06 said:
If you're playing APA league or any league for that matter there are three things that you must come to grips with.

1. Sharking
2. Sandbagging
3. All you're fighting and complaining about is for a trip to Vegas that you already paid for many times over. And some stinking patches.

With all that being said. Sigh... I am playing in APA's LTC tomorrow lol wish me luck!
Click to expand...

Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? You can not engage in sharking and sandbagging. You can also not tolerate sharking and sandbagging. Its gotta be both if you want to believe you are part of the solution.

If this situation happened to me, I would immediately step up off the shot and ask my opponent if they were conceding the 8 ball. If not, I would ask them to please return to their seat, or at least not move in my line of sight until my turn is over. If they wouldn't do it, I unscrew my cue...match over. Just like your #3 above, its just not worth putting up with absurd childish behavior. I will not tolerate it.

Good luck in your LTC match!

KMRUNOUT
 
I had a similar incident playing 9 Ball in league. I was way ahead and my opponent was finally on a down the rail shot on the 9 but shooting straight at where I sat. BEFORE he was down I got up and walked away from the table to be out of his site and almost behind him. I was sitting at the left corner pocket on the head rail. I walked about 45 degrees to my left away from the table, and where his team coach (a friend of mine) stood for the match. He stands Up and Says you concede the shot. I look and laughed and said I was trying to get out of your line of site on the shot. HE was MAD and got down and sunk the shot. He was on tilt the remainder of the match which he LOST. An on numerous shots he would be in my line of site and move or call people over to have movement. If it bothered me I would standup and reset sometimes 2 and 3 times and just smile, which just seemed to make him madder.
 
Let me just put it out there that my team captain waved me over to get something from him.

I thought that was clear when I said "to grab something from him."
Either way I don't really care- I won the match and overall set (3 to 1). I'm just asking because she kinda made a scene out of it.

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Also let the record show that I walked over to my captain before she was down on the shot. I was walking as she marked her pocket.

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wrickyb said:
I had a similar incident playing 9 Ball in league. I was way ahead and my opponent was finally on a down the rail shot on the 9 but shooting straight at where I sat. BEFORE he was down I got up and walked away from the table to be out of his site and almost behind him. I was sitting at the left corner pocket on the head rail. I walked about 45 degrees to my left away from the table, and where his team coach (a friend of mine) stood for the match. He stands Up and Says you concede the shot. I look and laughed and said I was trying to get out of your line of site on the shot. HE was MAD and got down and sunk the shot. He was on tilt the remainder of the match which he LOST. An on numerous shots he would be in my line of site and move or call people over to have movement. If it bothered me I would standup and reset sometimes 2 and 3 times and just smile, which just seemed to make him madder.
Click to expand...

Just to correct your etiquette, you should have stayed seated and still. I usually just look down until the shot is over. While you thought you were being "good", you were not.

All the talk about people shouldn't be sharked by anything and you shark yourself yada yada yada...... There is a reason for the LONG established etiquette. I think a lot of the people who say these types of statements havent been around the game very long, and or have never been around a traditional pool hall, where acting like a jackass gets you tossed out.
If you are not shooting, go sit down, be still and quiet. If where you are sitting impedes someone stroking ie they are in front of you facing the same direction you are, and your seat is too close to allow them a comfortable stance/stroke, excuse yourself out of their way. Past that the old "sit down and shut up" is pools golden rule.
Chuck
 
I don't know if you intentionally sharked her but you should keep your butt where it is until she's finished shooting. It may not have been sharking but it's bad etiquette. I don't care if there is other people waking around the table or pool room. They weren't playing ... you are so stay where you are until your opponent is done.
 
KMRUNOUT said:
If this is all there is to the situation, then it definitely sounds like poor sportsmanship...by you. Surely you could have waited the few moments for her to shoot the ball before getting up. If you wanted to concede the ball then you could have. You should sit still in your seat when your opponent is at the table. There is no exception to this rule, only the lack of composure to follow it. Just because other people are moving around in the room, it doesn't matter because *they are not the opponent* and are *not involved in the match*. If you can't respect your opponents' turns at the table, you shouldn't play. It's that simple.

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

KMRUNOUT said:
There is another group of people that do it without the awareness that they are doing it to shark. They actually believe the ridiculous excuses for why they do what they do. "I needed to get something from my captain" for example. If the OP actually believes that, then the problem is probably deeper than he knows.

Often I see people who have a certain anxiety about the competition. When their opponent seems likely to win, they for some reason experience an unusual unrest and start to fidget, move, tap a pen on the table, shuffle in their seat, etc. These are all likely unconscious things, but with a little self awareness, they can be identified for what they are.

Learn to stop! Get some control of yourself. Seriously.

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

KMRUNOUT said:
Are you part of the problem, or part of the solution? You can not engage in sharking and sandbagging. You can also not tolerate sharking and sandbagging. Its gotta be both if you want to believe you are part of the solution.

If this situation happened to me, I would immediately step up off the shot and ask my opponent if they were conceding the 8 ball. If not, I would ask them to please return to their seat, or at least not move in my line of sight until my turn is over. If they wouldn't do it, I unscrew my cue...match over. Just like your #3 above, its just not worth putting up with absurd childish behavior. I will not tolerate it.

Good luck in your LTC match!

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...

wrickyb said:
I had a similar incident playing 9 Ball in league. I was way ahead and my opponent was finally on a down the rail shot on the 9 but shooting straight at where I sat. BEFORE he was down I got up and walked away from the table to be out of his site and almost behind him. I was sitting at the left corner pocket on the head rail. I walked about 45 degrees to my left away from the table, and where his team coach (a friend of mine) stood for the match. He stands Up and Says you concede the shot. I look and laughed and said I was trying to get out of your line of site on the shot. HE was MAD and got down and sunk the shot. He was on tilt the remainder of the match which he LOST. An on numerous shots he would be in my line of site and move or call people over to have movement. If it bothered me I would standup and reset sometimes 2 and 3 times and just smile, which just seemed to make him madder.
Click to expand...

Well said! For the original poster just be more aware next time.
 
What Chuck Fields said it correct and saves me time. Also, the fact that other people are moving has nothing to do with your game. You are the OP's opponent and you both shoud be concentrating on beating each other. They are not part of your action. Your getting up is like reminding the OP that it is, or shoud be over. You might as well just have blurted out that its over . I have never played in a league as I view pool as an individual competition. I wouldnot shark until it is done to me. However, If you had done that to me, I would have said go ahead and rack, and moved the marker over. I would suspect this might set off a debate that should get under your entire team's shin by the time I escalated it. Getting up because the team caption motioned for you is lame. Remain seated. After the shot, go to the caption and remind him you opponent was still shooting. Btw, you can do anything when I shoot.
 
I've seen numerous teammates and or captains initiate this unnecessary moving about. I have also at times tried to remind them to wait until shooters turn is over. Then when sipping I've been guilty of doing it. As I've said before it would be best if APA followed HLT rules every week.

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Zphix said:
Also let the record show that I walked over to my captain before she was down on the shot. I was walking as she marked her pocket.
Click to expand...

That is fine, but in the beginning you felt the need to say that "I was sure she would make it so I got up from my seat"

You being sure of it, and doing something because of that, like moving around, pretty much says that you are conceding the shot. Outside of the league, you will be asked if you are conceding, but in the league, with inexperienced players, it puts more pressure on the shooter creating a situation if they miss.
 
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