declaring a safety VNEA

supergreenman

supergreenman

truly addicted
Silver Member
“SAFETY” SHOT: For tactical reasons a player may choose to pocket an obvious object ball and also discontinue his turn at the table by declaring “safety” in advance. A safety shot is defined as a legal shot. If the shooting player intends to play safe by pocketing an obvious object ball, then prior to the shot, he must declare a safety to his opponent. If this is NOT done, and one of the shooter’s object balls is pocketed, the shooter will be required to shoot again. Any balls pocketed on a safety shot remain pocketed.


A team mate was informed by the other team that calling "just a shot" isn't good enough you have to declare a safety when you shoot one of your balls in as a strategic safe shot.

I don't believe this is the case because of the following:

- If you say "just a shot" and shoot one of your balls in your opponent would be quite upset if you continued shooting.
- unless it's an obvious shot, calling ball and pocket not required, saying "just a shot" negates the obvious and puts into question the shooters intention therefore any balls pocketed are not legal. The same could be said about saying "no call". This should signify the end of the players turn as per his intention.

Could someone please advise if No Call or Just A Shot are accepted as alternatives to Actually saying the word safety?
 
supergreenman said:
“SAFETY” SHOT: For tactical reasons a player may choose to pocket an obvious object ball and also discontinue his turn at the table by declaring “safety” in advance. A safety shot is defined as a legal shot. If the shooting player intends to play safe by pocketing an obvious object ball, then prior to the shot, he must declare a safety to his opponent. If this is NOT done, and one of the shooter’s object balls is pocketed, the shooter will be required to shoot again. Any balls pocketed on a safety shot remain pocketed.


A team mate was informed by the other team that calling "just a shot" isn't good enough you have to declare a safety when you shoot one of your balls in as a strategic safe shot.

I don't believe this is the case because of the following:

- If you say "just a shot" and shoot one of your balls in your opponent would be quite upset if you continued shooting.
- unless it's an obvious shot, calling ball and pocket not required, saying "just a shot" negates the obvious and puts into question the shooters intention therefore any balls pocketed are not legal. The same could be said about saying "no call". This should signify the end of the players turn as per his intention.

Could someone please advise if No Call or Just A Shot are accepted as alternatives to Actually saying the word safety?
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No call wouldn't work because very few players actually call obvious shots. "Just a shot" doesn't seem to clarify strongly enough the shooter's intention of ending his/her run. Calling "safe" or "safety" is always the prefered way to do it.
 
I have been told many times in league play and in Vegas that "just a shot" is not a proper way of calling a "safety".
 
supergreenman said:
I would love to see the fight that would happen if someone continued shooting after saying "just a shot"
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Even better, I'd love to see the fight where someone says" just a shot", then the opponent tells him to keep shooting cuz he didn't call safe.
 
In my book "No Call" means the same thing as safety. I've never heard anyone use the term "Just a shot" in my 15 years of playing. Just going for the hit is probably the same thing which in my book means safety also.
 
Just a shot is used often on the east coast but only to indicate the intention to try and make a good hit. No ball is intended to be pocketed. This is very different than trying to make ball and end your turn.

I have also heard defense down used to indicate a safety.

I greatly prefer safety so that the intention is clear.
 
I've been playing pool my whole life and never heard of "just a shot." What's THAT? Don't call anything if the shot is obvious... if it's not, call the actual shot. If you don't intend to pocket-- call safe.

People are weird, imo.
 
mnShooter said:
In my book "No Call" means the same thing as safety. I've never heard anyone use the term "Just a shot" in my 15 years of playing. Just going for the hit is probably the same thing which in my book means safety also.
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It seems likely that these regional differences are the reason why the shot has a name, a "safety", one that is to be used to declare a "safety". Note that the rule that James quoted in his OP has quotation marks around the word "safety" in both the title and in the body of the rule. Quotation marks mean something, they mean to take the word(s) inside as being the precise word(s), no substitutions.

I've been playing for years around here and "just a shot" is a VERY common way to call safety in more casual situations. We are also very aware that in larger tournaments with more geographic regions represented one should use the rules explicitly and inform your competitor that you are playing a "safety" when doing so, especially in the situation where you intend to pocket an obvious ball in executing the "safety".

Dave
 
SpiderWebComm said:
I've been playing pool my whole life and never heard of "just a shot." What's THAT?
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It is very obvious to me that with all of your experience NONE of it is in the Canadian prairies. You should get up here and play sometime :thumbup:

Dave
 
Personally, I do not think "just a shot" is a clear way to call playing a safety at all because the word "shot" is used for various actions. Say you make a great cut down a rail or make a difficult kick or bank more often or not someone will say nice "shot".

If you are playing a safety it is easy to say "safety" or "defense" which is clear and can't be taken as any thing other than what you are meaning.
 
Just like the sport/game of billiards needs to have one specific set of rules for ALL governing bodies, this rule needs to be specific for all areas of the world. And IMO, the word safe (or safety) are the only two words that should be allowed. Any other words used should be ruled that it would be the incoming players call as to what then proceeds to happen next on the table.

That's all pool needs is MORE confusion on something as simple and easy as calling a safety for crying out loud!!!

Maniac
 
A couple things.....


From now on my team will be using the word "safety" from now on. On penalty of a round of drinks.

Geography.... Montreal is NOT the prairies. that's like comparing Californians to New Yorkers. They just aren't the same breed. In most cases don't even speak the same language.

I can just imagine what would happen if I said de sécurité prior to making a safety shot where I come from.

de sécurité = safety in French.
 
Not sure where you guys are playing, but everywhere I've played, japan included, a safety is called by the word "safety". I think in VNEA league in MT, we used to announce, "I'm gonna play safe," , but honestly, I think we still had to clearly say "safety".
 
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