Although I have no interest in playing in the APA league due to the way it is set up, I have to wonder why they allow jumping but not jump cues.
APA rules question
- Thread starter UGC
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Although I have no interest in playing in the APA league due to the way it is set up, I have to wonder why they allow jumping but not jump cues.
Maybe 'cause it takes more skill?? DerbyCity has had this rule in play forever. I'm not comparing APA to a hi-level event like DCC just pointing it out. Jumping with a j/c is so easy. I showed a sub-400 Fargo how to use one and they were hoppin' with no problem in like 10min time.
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According to the APA Operator's post earlier in this thread, this is a copy/paste of the reason why:
The only reason the cue is not allowed is due to pressure from host locations. We can defer to their rules but some of them like to leave the rule vague such that they get to decide who can and can't use one. We outlaw the cue so we can't be blamed if the cue is used by someone who doesn't know how to use one. We can't outlaw the shot because every time the cue ball leaves the table it could be considered a jump shot, and we'd have teams/players shouting "foul" every other shot. Then there are those partial-ball jumps where you might not even know it's a jump shot.
I have a little update for you guys. I filled out the "Rules Request" from the poolplayers web page. I haven't heard back from them yet. I also contacted them through facebook on their APA page. Below is the exact way I worded the question:
Are there any limitations or requirements for the type of TIP on your playing cue? The reason I ask is because the Team Manual states on page 39 that you can change cues during a game. I want one with a harder tip for jump shots (Not a jump cue). I asked my local League Operator and he said to get the official word directly from the APA. I sent in a help request from the APA app, but no response yet. Thanks.
Here is what they just messaged me back. Now I have no idea who is on the other end controlling their facebook messenger app, but this is what they said:
If you change the tip for jumping, it would no longer be legal to use
So...Question answered.
Are there any limitations or requirements for the type of TIP on your playing cue? The reason I ask is because the Team Manual states on page 39 that you can change cues during a game. I want one with a harder tip for jump shots (Not a jump cue). I asked my local League Operator and he said to get the official word directly from the APA. I sent in a help request from the APA app, but no response yet. Thanks.
Here is what they just messaged me back. Now I have no idea who is on the other end controlling their facebook messenger app, but this is what they said:
If you change the tip for jumping, it would no longer be legal to use
So...Question answered.
I once asked the question about professional poolplayers allowed to play in the APA,
What does the APA regard as a professional pool player?
The response I got was that if you've ever been payed as a player your are a professional pool player.
We all know that's not the APA position on that rule. So I'd take what you were told with a grain of salt. Get a commitment from your LO
I feel that crosses the line. If you know the tip is not allowed, and you use it anyway. I think that is cheating. And that is something I'm not going to do.
Not only that, but I use hard tips. The person that plays with a soft or super soft are definitely at a disadvantage. So it becomes tip issue. Also, others here have said it's harder to jump full cue with a low deflection shaft. Now it becomes a shaft issue. Are people here going to start saying I can't use hard tip and a solid maple shaft because I have some kind of advantage over them?
What about a fat shaft? Definitely easier then using a 12.5mm shaft.
Here is what my League Operator said:
If you plan on using it as your shooting cue I wouldn't have an issue. It becomes an issue if your switching to it to perform jump shots.
....if this was to happen in a tournament I was running I wouldn't allow a player to switch cues just to jump then switch back to the cue they had been shooting with to finish the game.
If you watch the movie The Color of Money, which came in the mid 80's, all the jump and break shots were done using a regular playing cue, because jump and break cues weren't invented yet. The APA, founded in 1979, predates the movie. Jumping has always been allowed, the introduction of jump cues have made it easier to make this type of shot.
When BCA adopted World Standardize Rules (WSR), APA likely saw no reason to move lockstep and kept with the older BCA rules.
When BCA adopted World Standardize Rules (WSR), APA likely saw no reason to move lockstep and kept with the older BCA rules.
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It is also a way to provide a small advantage to a lower ranked player.
Same with no pushout, no choice of group after a breakshot.......
Same with no pushout, no choice of group after a breakshot.......
You couldn’t be more wrong. There is a glossary section to the APA book. It explicitly defines a “regular playing cue” as a cue “designed to shoot the majority of shots in a pool game.”
So yeah, you’re totally wrong here.
KMRUNOUT
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Ok I’m totally confused lol are you you talking about some how changing tips in the middle of a match? I mean if you want to play with a finali tip for every shot their is no rule against that. If your going to change to a shaft with a harder tip then that would not be allowed.
I have a friend who plays with a finali tip all the time .. the loud sound it makes is annoying but he plays good with it lol
I have a friend who plays with a finali tip all the time .. the loud sound it makes is annoying but he plays good with it lol
Actually, there is no rule in the APA that would prevent you from using any tip you want,
regardless of .what material it was made from.
Personally, my breaker is a very light cue with one of the Samsara tips, super hard.
I'll break and generally shoot the first inning with that cue and switch between turns.
Sometimes I don't get back to the table, sometimes I B&R, whatever happens, that
seems to satisfy the rule, but I don't worry about it much. It also helps if your breaker
and your shooter look similar
The purpose (spirit) of this particular rule is to keep the specialty stuff out of the hands of those who don't know how to use it. That's why it's allowed in masters but not in regular league play. If allowed in regular league all the 2's would go out and buy one and ruin the cloth on some tables. But you can't write a rule outlawing use of such equipment "unless you know how to use it" so APA outlaws it in formats those who "don't know how to use it" normally play. The side effect of that is that now you have to define the specialty stuff and deal with the nits who want to push the limits of the written rule. The person you mention may or may not be in violation of the spirit of the rule, but that does not factor into whether the cue is or is not legal. Those are two different decisions, just like not marking the pocket when the 8-Ball shot is obvious. If the opponent asks me to award them the game, I have to do that, but they have just violated the spirit of the rule and that's something I'll remember for the future.
If the above is true why is there even an option to have a second cue? The one and only reason you could ever use it is if your "regular" playing cue broke, thats just not situation that I have seen very often.
Well, no.
A shorty because the bar has posts where they shouldn't be.
A masse cue because you can.
A longer cue so you don't have to use a bridge.
A heavier cue for shots where you think the weight will keep your hand steady.
I have seen all of these but not at the same time by the same player.
Then apparently the use of specialty cues is in fact acceptable which is what this whole debate was about.