Pool Needs A Shot Clock

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I don't know of any sports or games that you have no clock on you. It's boring watching players stand and stare at a shot for a minute or more, then get down and up on the shot three times to walk around the table again and look at the same thing. What do they think it could have moved? Or they don't remember what they saw the first three times they looked. Not fair to the other player and not fair to the fans that paid good money...for what? To watch a statue every other shot. Just one of the many things why pool will never grow. Johnnyt
 
You left out the part where they stroke the cue into the air 5 or 6 times between each look.
 
Johnnyt said:
I don't know of any sports or games that you have no clock on you. It's boring watching players stand and stare at a shot for a minute or more, then get down and up on the shot three times to walk around the table again and look at the same thing. What do they think it could have moved? Or they don't remember what they saw the first three times they looked. Not fair to the other player and not fair to the fans that paid good money...for what? To watch a statue every other shot. Just one of the many things why pool will never grow. Johnnyt
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There is no clock in baseball. The problem is pool is both a game of execution as well as a game of strategy. A well played safety may require quite a while to find a way out. Why should the player be rushed. Maybe a player can be put on the clock after they shoot and it continues through their inning.
 
macguy said:
There is no clock in baseball. The problem is pool is both a game of execution as well as a game of strategy. A well played safety may require quite a while to find a way out. Why should the player be rushed. Maybe a player can be put on the clock after they shoot and it continues through their inning.
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There is a clock in baseball. You must throw each pitch in a timely matter. I wouldn't hurt to have a stopwatch on the ump either. Johnnyt
 
poker, darts, bowling, volleyball, baseball/softball/cricket as someone mentioned above, golf they rarely put you on the clock, any race/framed/inning type of game really...tell me you never heard of these games JT lol

I appreciate that some guys take an enormous amount of time like yesterday Gabica vs Ouchan hill hill. And that was ridiculous considering the obvious choice was a push out. But generally I think players should be allowed to keep their pace/rythm.

some games are not for the short attention span types...


edit: I think there should be a limit on the ball cleaning and racking time
 
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I completely agree. I've also read in Mizerak and Cranfield's books, they agree. I personally will do everything in my power to to avoid games with people who employ this very time consuming method of play. When I have to play persons who do this I end up playing with my cell phone, having conversations with others, my head is no longer in the game. The more I try to stay with the match the more aggravated I get wanting these moments of my life back to do something else. These people not only sap the clock of time, they sap the enthusiasm I have for a match. I have to find every bit of constraint I can muster not to say to things to motivate them.
 
haifp said:
I completely agree. I've also read in Mizerak and Cranfield's books, they agree. I personally will do everything in my power to to avoid games with people who employ this very time consuming method of play. When I have to play persons who do this I end up playing with my cell phone, having conversations with others, my head is no longer in the game. The more I try to stay with the match the more aggravated I get wanting these moments of my life back to do something else. These people not only sap the clock of time, they sap the enthusiasm I have for a match. I have to find every bit of constraint I can muster not to say to things to motivate them.
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I agree that playing people like this can be miserable. I often find myself walking away from matches with slow players feeling frustrated and annoyed. That said, complaining about it here and looking for allies is only making it worse for yourself. Some people are slow and, for now, we all have to deal with it. We can rant about why they're slow or how slowness hurts pool or what to do about it but nothing will ever eliminate slow players without hurting pool overall. So, my advice is, when playing someone slow, acknowledge it. Recognize that this is something that often affects you and vow to keep your head in the game anyway. I know this isn't a solution but at the very least, you'll feel more prepared.
 
I not sure whether I am pro shot clock or not.
One thing is for sure - SHOT CLOCK works for TV...
...and I'm glad they use the SHOT CLOCK on TV :thumbup:
 
Johnnyt said:
I don't know of any sports or games that you have no clock on you.
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You should get out more ... they are out there.

Volleyball
Tennis
Badminton
Cricket
Baseball (I cannot believe that you have never heard of baseball but whatever)
Squash
Racketball
Darts
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.

Dave
 
Slow Play

People play slow for two reasons:

1. They think they look intelligent doing all of that thinking.
2. They are slowing down their opponent to try and keep him from getting in stroke.

95% of all shots (by good players) are decided within 10 seconds and the rest of the time is meant to keep his opponent off the table as long as possible. This is simply a sharking move and shouldn't be allowed.
 
TWOFORPOOL said:
People play slow for two reasons:

1. They think they look intelligent doing all of that thinking.
2. They are slowing down their opponent to try and keep him from getting in stroke.

95% of all shots (by good players) are decided within 10 seconds and the rest of the time is meant to keep his opponent off the table as long as possible. This is simply a sharking move and shouldn't be allowed.
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I am not sure where you got your percentages and figures, I think you made them up. You don't have to overanalyze it. Some players just play slow and others play slow when they compete
simply because they are afraid to shoot. They keep second guessing themselves. Very very few play slow on purpose or to shark. Why would they interrupt their own play and game just to bother you? They just play their game and beat you. Who cares what you are doing, your sitting in the chair. They are running out.
 
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If being able to recognize a pattern and get down to business is a skill in pool, and I doubt few would argue that it is not. Then someone who can not get with it after 20 seconds needs to be penalized, because they are not very good.

When I play someone who just stands there and stares at the table like it's a classic painting I always think ... It's a heck of a world when toads and prairie dogs have more since than this dork I'm playing.

If a player misses a shot does he get a second try? I say if a player can not shoot in under 20 seconds he shouldn't get a second try either.

The penalty for being a retard -- Ball in hand.

Glad I got that off my chest .. lol
 
Shot clock is a gimmick that's only good for some tv matches. And I wouldn't even want to watch the best on a shot clock because I want to see the absolute best shot they can come up with. Take all the time you need!

As for playing against someone slow, does not bother me in the least. And if it bothers you, that's your problem and you should probably work on that.


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Never liked tourneys much. Most of my pool is gamblin, and I ALWAYS play with a shot clock! You play slow against me, I'll show you how fast my cue comes apart.
Pool is getting as slow as golf, which is ridiculously slow. Oh, and cleaning the cue ball during a game is also ridiculous. Its a move and a gaff. Anyone who wants the cue ball cleaned during a game HAS to wear ballet slippers!
 
Yes.

Johnnyt said:
I don't know of any sports or games that you have no clock on you. It's boring watching players stand and stare at a shot for a minute or more, then get down and up on the shot three times to walk around the table again and look at the same thing. What do they think it could have moved? Or they don't remember what they saw the first three times they looked. Not fair to the other player and not fair to the fans that paid good money...for what? To watch a statue every other shot. Just one of the many things why pool will never grow. Johnnyt
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You are right, max 15seconds if youre not stroking its a foul.
 
Gunn_Slinger said:
Never liked tourneys much. Most of my pool is gamblin, and I ALWAYS play with a shot clock! You play slow against me, I'll show you how fast my cue comes apart.
Pool is getting as slow as golf, which is ridiculously slow. Oh, and cleaning the cue ball during a game is also ridiculous. Its a move and a gaff. Anyone who wants the cue ball cleaned during a game HAS to wear ballet slippers!
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Let me get this straight, you carry around a shot clock in your case and if someone wants to match they have to use your shot clock? In my 50 years or so of hanging in pool rooms and gambling, that is a first.
 
I want to start using a stop watch when playing and take exactly the same amount of time they take. I would use this time to maybe clean my nails, check my messages on my phone, get a drink, talk to other players, I wonder how that would go over??
 
The slowest pro dart player is like Luc Salvas or the speed pool guys compared to pool players.

Watch a Van Gerwen vs Lewis match and you'll see why they get crowds of up to 10k people to watch a game like darts. It moves quick...these guys are almost throwing their first dart over the shoulder of the guy picking his out of the board.
 
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