Stop with the cue pointing!!!!!!!

[Maniac]

From what I know about how our brain process visual information the more info you provide to your brain the easier it is for your brain to "fulfill" your wish regarding both potting and position play. And by pointing to a certain spot at the table you basically give your brain such info about where you want to put cueball for example. I give you that the more advanced the player is the less info his/her brain needs to do what he/she wants to do but even top pros stop from time to time to "feed" their brain with info needed. On the other hand you said yourself that you were watching an amateur match so you could at least expect slower/more deliberate aproach to the game

Best post on this subject yet.

Maniac (of course there's a reason many pros point)

 

[ChrisinNC]

I don't often blow my cue ball positioning but when I do I always point my cue stick at the exact position I intended to leave the cue ball at.

So I assume when you miss a shot, you also point your cue stick at the exact center of the pocket that you had intended to make the object ball? - LOL

 

[ChrisinNC]

Wouldn't it technically be against the rules to actually place your cue tip on the table where you desire to leave the cue ball BEFORE you shoot the shot? That could certainly be argued as "marking" the table, as there very likely would be some chalk on your cue tip that transfers to that spot on the cloth your are wishing to park the cue ball at.

 

[ipoppa33]

Wouldn't it technically be against the rules to actually place your cue tip on the table where you desire to leave the cue ball BEFORE you shoot the shot? That could certainly be argued as "marking" the table, as there very likely would be some chalk on your cue tip that transfers to that spot on the cloth your are wishing to park the cue ball at.

Facepalm

 

[Runner]

I don't mind the pointing before the shot to help visualize where you want the cue ball to go. It's the pointing after they miss position on where they wanted the cue ball to end up that gets me.

Yep... I've even seen Efren do that... didn't hit a ball well, whitey came up
short, he briefly points his cue where he wanted it to land. But that's the GOAT.

 

[trob]

Doesn’t really bother me honestly...

 

[Bob Jewett]

Wouldn't it technically be against the rules to actually place your cue tip on the table where you desire to leave the cue ball BEFORE you shoot the shot? That could certainly be argued as "marking" the table, as there very likely would be some chalk on your cue tip that transfers to that spot on the cloth your are wishing to park the cue ball at.

Some people do leave a mark on the cloth that way and some opponents do try to call a foul.

 

[ChrisinNC]

Some people do leave a mark on the cloth that way and some opponents do try to call a foul.

Yes, to be specific, Rule 42 under the Official BCA General Rules of Pocket Bililards, Illegal Marking

 

[sixpack]

Wouldn't it technically be against the rules to actually place your cue tip on the table where you desire to leave the cue ball BEFORE you shoot the shot? That could certainly be argued as "marking" the table, as there very likely would be some chalk on your cue tip that transfers to that spot on the cloth your are wishing to park the cue ball at.

An absolute nit called this on me one time and I had to give up ball in hand. Nobody liked him.

 

[Ghosst]

Yes, to be specific, Rule 42 under the Official BCA General Rules of Pocket Bililards, Illegal Marking

I was sent to WPA Pool which states:

6.17 Unsportsmanlike Conduct

... Unsportsmanlike conduct is any intentional behavior that brings disrepute to the sport or which disrupts or changes the game to the extent that it cannot be played fairly. It includes[:]

...

(f) marking the table;

However, I did not find any definition of what, "marking the table", actually is.

 

[ChrisinNC]

An absolute nit called this on me one time and I had to give up ball in hand. Nobody liked him.

I would never consider calling it on an opponent. I'm just making the point that is an unnecessary bad habit for a player to get in the habit of doing, as it comes across to me as showing off to those that may be watching. Don't tell me that players that do this are not capable of visualizing in their mind exactly where they need to park the cue ball without having to literally mark the spot with their cue tip.

 

[sixpack]

I would never consider calling it on an opponent. I'm just making the point that is an unnecessary bad habit for a player to get in the habit of doing, as it comes across to me as showing off to those that may be watching. Don't tell me that players that do this are not capable of visualizing in their mind exactly where they need to park the cue ball without having to literally mark the spot with their cue tip.

I disagree with you on this one Chris. Aim small miss small. Having a precise spot on the table where you want to leave the CB with a fresh visual imprint is a very good sports psychology tactic.

Try it before you bash it. Get a practice table and put chalk where you want your CB to end up on every shot. Or just point with your cue. I thought it was just showing off too until I tried it.

It's visualizing small details like that which take your game to another level.

Since the 'marking the table' thing could be called by any nit and the TD could back him up as he did in my case I would recommend that players don't actually touch the table but the pointing definitely helps.

And of course they will call it at a pivotal moment. The guy that called it against me was waiting for a critical moment to call it and it was. It was in the finals of a tournament and he ended up winning. I don't remember the score but until that moment I felt like I was in the driver's seat. I was running out and he called it.

 

[ChrisinNC]

I disagree with you on this one Chris. Aim small miss small. Having a precise spot on the table where you want to leave the CB with a fresh visual imprint is a very good sports psychology tactic.

Try it before you bash it. Get a practice table and put chalk where you want your CB to end up on every shot. Or just point with your cue. I thought it was just showing off too until I tried it.

It's visualizing small details like that which take your game to another level.

Since the 'marking the table' thing could be called by any nit and the TD could back him up as he did in my case I would recommend that players don't actually touch the table but the pointing definitely helps.

And of course they will call it at a pivotal moment. The guy that called it against me was waiting for a critical moment to call it and it was. It was in the finals of a tournament and he ended up winning. I don't remember the score but until that moment I felt like I was in the driver's seat. I was running out and he called it.

Seems to me that when this opponent called it on you, the proper call on the part of the TD in this situation would have been to give you a warning the first time.

I'm not saying that I don't clearly visualize the zone I need to leave the cue ball. That is absolutely required in thinking 2 balls ahead of your current ball in terms of positioining. For me in my mind, it is generally more of a straight line I visualize on the table, and my goal is to make sure to plant the cue ball to one side or the other of that line, in order to fall on the correct side / angle for the next ball, that leaves me the desirable angle to most easily get positioning on the ball after that.

I generally use either other balls, pockets, sights on the rails or a combination of those to create that line in my mind that I need to stay on one side or the other of with the cue ball. I find this much more helpful than visualizing an actual spot on the table. There are many examples of if you miss that spot by just a few inches, you've fallen on the wrong side of the ball (or dead in) that will make it much more difficult to get on the next ball. This is why I feel using an imaginary line is a better visual tool in your cue ball positioning planning than an actual spot is.

 

[Black-Balled]

Ummm... we'll need a billiard table, sparky.

Dont we all...?

 

[sixpack]

Seems to me that when this opponent called it on you, the proper call on the part of the TD in this situation would have been to give you a warning the first time.

I'm not saying that I don't clearly visualize the zone I need to leave the cue ball. That is absolutely required in thinking 2 balls ahead of your current ball in terms of positioining. For me in my mind, it is generally more of a straight line I visualize on the table, and my goal is to make sure to plant the cue ball to one side or the other of that line, in order to fall on the correct side / angle for the next ball, that leaves me the desirable angle to most easily get positioning on the ball after that.

I generally use either other balls, pockets, sights on the rails or a combination of those to create that line in my mind that I need to stay on one side or the other of with the cue ball. I find this much more helpful than visualizing an actual spot on the table. There are many examples of if you miss that spot by just a few inches, you've fallen on the wrong side of the ball (or dead in) that will make it much more difficult to get on the next ball. This is why I feel using an imaginary line is a better visual tool in your cue ball positioning planning.

I agree a warning would have been nice.

I also agree about the lines for position. That's a good way to do it. Sometimes though you need to be in a very small window and that's usually when better players will point with their cue.

I still think you'll be surprised at how well it works if you try it.

 

[easy-e]

I would never consider calling it on an opponent. I'm just making the point that is an unnecessary bad habit for a player to get in the habit of doing, as it comes across to me as showing off to those that may be watching. Don't tell me that players that do this are not capable of visualizing in their mind exactly where they need to park the cue ball without having to literally mark the spot with their cue tip.

Sure they’re capable of it, but perhaps pointing at the spot helps them do it better. Getting down and practice stroking from where you might end up can help visualize your next shot and let you know if they’re are any other problems you might not have thought of. Don’t tell me that it might not be helpful to some people.

 

[erhino41]

So I assume when you miss a shot, you also point your cue stick at the exact center of the pocket that you had intended to make the object ball? - LOL

What anyone does at the table when it is there turn to shoot is not up to anybody else but that player. When I'm at the table I do whatever I need to in order to help myself visualize and execute the shot at hand with Zero regard to whatever anyone else on the planet thinks of it. Sometimes that is putting the tip at the exact point I want the cue ball to stop, sometimes that is stepping into line or pointing my cue down the intended path of cue travel. These can be very powerful cues for your subconscious to use in rote execution. A soft example of this kind of thing is telling yourself not to scratch instead of telling yourself to hit a specific point on a rail that you know avoids the scratch. Your minds eye is being given a target, the exact thing you are trying to avoid. The subconscious is a fantastic pool player if you stop worrying and learn how to give it the cues it needs. So you don't need to point your cue, that has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else on this planet.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I was sent to WPA Pool which states:
...
However, I did not find any definition of what, "marking the table", actually is.

There are places where the WSR need to be more specific, but I'm not sure this is one of them. If you start listing examples, the weasles will say, "well, it never mentions placing Willkie campaign buttons."



Maybe "create or place a visible mark or marker on the table to assist in executing a shot" but that includes some things that are commonly done, such as simply placing a finger temporarily on the rail at about the diamond where you want to leave the cue ball.

Does anyone have a wording that won't cause more problems than it solves?

(I think the current WSR (and BCA rules) do not have a Rule 42.)

 

[Bob Jewett]

What anyone does at the table when it is there turn to shoot is not up to anybody else but that player. When I'm at the table I do whatever I need to in order to help myself visualize and execute the shot at hand with Zero regard to whatever anyone else on the planet thinks of it. ...

Would that include placing chalk near each rail contact point of a multi-rail kick shot?

 

[easy-e]

Would that include placing chalk near each rail contact point of a multi-rail kick shot?

I’m assuming he meant by legal means.