Hitting the table with your palm while the balls are moving

longhair

Boyd Porter-Reynolds
Silver Member
During a match today I hit a poor shot, and in frustration I slapped the table. My opponent thought this might be a foul since it could slow the balls down. I think I might agree with him.

Opinions? Bob Jewett?


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Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
During a match today I hit a poor shot, and in frustration I slapped the table. My opponent thought this might be a foul since it could slow the balls down. I think I might agree with him.

Opinions? Bob Jewett?


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I think the slapping is nearly as likely to cause the ball to speed up. In either case I think the effect will be very minor compared to leaving your weight on the table when shooting stretched out.

I suppose that if we started calling such fouls, leaning on the rail would be the first to need action. For that matter, standing at the head/foot of the table will slow/speed the cue ball down/up the table as you are certainly causing some sag of the floor and tilting the table. Should it be a foul to walk around to the end of the table to see if you get a rail contact? Standing by that end of the table will probably increase the likelihood of contact.

I think this can of worms should be left unopened.
 

longhair

Boyd Porter-Reynolds
Silver Member
I think the slapping is nearly as likely to cause the ball to speed up. In either case I think the effect will be very minor compared to leaving your weight on the table when shooting stretched out.

I suppose that if we started calling such fouls, leaning on the rail would be the first to need action. For that matter, standing at the head/foot of the table will slow/speed the cue ball down/up the table as you are certainly causing some sag of the floor and tilting the table. Should it be a foul to walk around to the end of the table to see if you get a rail contact? Standing by that end of the table will probably increase the likelihood of contact.

I think this can of worms should be left unopened.


Entirely reasonable. Thank you


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alphadog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think it is unsporstman like conduct.
And yes I tell anyone who does it just that.
No they dont like it,but usually stop doing it.
Yes I have been called a jzzzzzs .
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
When I see a player tap the table bed.... in my opinion they are cheating.... that vibration will make the cue ball roll faster. Then again all cheaters get on my nerves.
 

longhair

Boyd Porter-Reynolds
Silver Member
I admit I've done this many times, not to change the outcome, but just to express myself. I've never noticed it changing the outcome.

After reading that some regard it as unsportsmanlike or cheating I will stop.


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Txstang1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I admit I've done this many times, not to change the outcome, but just to express myself. I've never noticed it changing the outcome.

After reading that some regard it as unsportsmanlike or cheating I will stop.


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^^^ same with me. I've been asked not to do it by a pro that I respect a couple of times in different tournaments. Now I just try not to do it at all and if I can't control the urge (lol), I usually just tap the chalk on the rail.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
longhair & Txstang1.... I appreciate you two saying what you have both stated and that you both realized it is wrong to do. I most likely out spoke myself by saying that all tappers are cheaters. I take that back. I am sure that there are players like yourselves that do not realized that it could upset ones opponent. I have come across many, many 'shark-ers' (cheaters) in my time and those are the players that give our sport a bad name.
Thanks for the comments.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
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Silver Member
I think that no one knows whether slapping the table or even banging the table with a baseball bat can significantly slow down or speed up a ball rolling on the cloth. Reasonable arguments can be made for both slowing and hastening and there seems to be people in both belief camps.

Let's suppose a ball comes off the far end cushion at a speed that will stop a diamond from the near end cushion. How many inches can we change the stopping spot by slapping the table? I'll guess that it's less than a quarter inch.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
I think that no one knows whether slapping the table or even banging the table with a baseball bat can significantly slow down or speed up a ball rolling on the cloth. Reasonable arguments can be made for both slowing and hastening and there seems to be people in both belief camps.

Let's suppose a ball comes off the far end cushion at a speed that will stop a diamond from the near end cushion. How many inches can we change the stopping spot by slapping the table? I'll guess that it's less than a quarter inch.


I need to disagree with you. Even if it is less than a quarter inch... it's too much. I have had no shots b/c of less than a quarter of an inch.
 

stevekur1

The "COMMISH"
Silver Member
i do not condone this behavior.

I dont think slapping the table would effect the speed of the ball, but in my opinion it may effect its path especially if the ball is travelling slowly.

how i would treat this is at first give the player a warning, and if he continues to do that behavior again i would hit him with the unsportsmanship like conduct foul !!

just my .02 Cents

-Steve
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
How exactly is slapping the table supposed to affect the balls? Is it the little breeze caused by moving your hand?

I think we need Dr. Dave's high speed camera.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
I guess you never heard of 'vibration'..... There is a old trick shot that one places two balls next to each other on the bottom rail and a third ball is set on top of them. The shooter tells a person to stand at the end of the table to watch the hit. The shooter states that they will hit the to ball on top without hitting the bottom two. As the watcher protects his private area... the shooter hits the cue ball slowly down the table towards the three balls. The shooter taps the bed of the table with their hand. The two bottom balls move and the top center ball falls straight down....the cue ball than hits that ball..... vibration!
 

krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
I guess you never heard of 'vibration'..... There is a old trick shot that one places two balls next to each other on the bottom rail and a third ball is set on top of them. The shooter tells a person to stand at the end of the table to watch the hit. The shooter states that they will hit the to ball on top without hitting the bottom two. As the watcher protects his private area... the shooter hits the cue ball slowly down the table towards the three balls. The shooter taps the bed of the table with their hand. The two bottom balls move and the top center ball falls straight down....the cue ball than hits that ball..... vibration!

What is this "vibration" of which you speak?

I didn't think slate transmitted vibration that well. Sue me.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
What is this "vibration" of which you speak?

I didn't think slate transmitted vibration that well. Sue me.


AH Grasshopper...... you said it yourself....."that well"..... it doesn't have to do it 'well' it just has to do it enough..... Don't think I will sue you over this.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
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I need to disagree with you. Even if it is less than a quarter inch... it's too much. I have had no shots b/c of less than a quarter of an inch.

I guessed less than a quarter inch. A micron is less than a quarter inch. It might be a micron. Are you also going to require that a player not move to the end of the table he wants the ball to roll faster towards?

I think slapping the table shows disrespect for the equipment and the game and is for that reason unsportsmanlike conduct. I do not yet see any reason to believe that it changes in any measurable way the outcome of a shot.

Here are some relevant numbers for the weight distribution case. The table is permitted to sag a maximum of 0.03 inches due to a (heavy) player's weight (according to the WPA specs -- see the WPA website). That much change in height will cause a corresponding difference in rolling distance. The faster the cloth, the greater the change in rolling distance. For typical fast pool cloth (Simonis 860) there is about a 100X multiplier on sag to convert to extra rolling distance. That would make the distance difference about 3 inches. Unless I made a math mistake.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
You can give me all the numbers you want and you still will never convince me that slapping the table does not effect rolls. Just as I can not convince you that it does.
As for the part of your comment about not allowing a player to move to the end of the table..... Really?..... do I sense some sarcasm.
 
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Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
You can give me all the numbers you want and you still will never convince me that slapping the table does not affect rolls. Just as I can not convince you that it does.
As for the part of your comment about not allowing a player to move to the end of the table..... Really?..... do I sense some sarcasm.
It is possible but tedious to measure the effect of slapping the table while a ball is rolling. Until someone does that, neither one of us knows anything regardless of what each of us may believe.

As for moving around the table, no floor is perfectly stiff. All floors sag from load. All of them. Moving from one end of the table to the other will change the tilt of the table. I believe the effect is usually small enough to ignore.
 

14-1StraightMan

High Run 127
Silver Member
It is possible but tedious to measure the effect of slapping the table while a ball is rolling. Until someone does that, neither one of us knows anything regardless of what each of us may believe.

As for moving around the table, no floor is perfectly stiff. All floors sag from load. All of them. Moving from one end of the table to the other will change the tilt of the table. I believe the effect is usually small enough to ignore.


Well, I hate for this to go on & on but I just want you to know that I disagree about your floor comment.
 
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