Pounding on the Top rail/Foul

Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
I think this should be or maybe already is a foul.

When a ball is rolling, and shooter feels the ball might run ''slightly'' long so he pounds/vibrates the play surface using the top rail.

Foul in my department.... is there anything in print saying this?

Vibrations definitely slow a rolling ball.
 
Island Drive said:
I think this should be or maybe already is a foul.

When a ball is rolling, and shooter feels the ball might run ''slightly'' long so he pounds/vibrates the play surface using the top rail.

Foul in my department.... is there anything in print saying this?

Vibrations definitely slow a rolling ball.
Click to expand...
I don't think I've ever seen someone do this because they think it will alter the roll of the balls to their advantage. Instead, I did this the other night out of frustration. I never used to do such things and I need to get back to that place. I don't think I really affected the roll of the balls as you imply, but I did instinctively think at the time it was a bad look and doesn't really belong in the game. Foul? Not sure, as where would you draw the line? What if you whack your cue against the table? Guess a lot could be grouped under unsportsmanlike conduct.
 
Island Drive said:
I think this should be or maybe already is a foul.

When a ball is rolling, and shooter feels the ball might run ''slightly'' long so he pounds/vibrates the play surface using the top rail.

Foul in my department.... is there anything in print saying this?

Vibrations definitely slow a rolling ball.
Click to expand...
There is no explicit rule. This is covered by the unsportsmanlike conduct rule. I think the technique is ineffective and is only a bad look.
 
What about using side to side curling motions to slow a ball down. I don't believe it works, but sometimes is funny. Probably not funny in a game that means anything.
 
Some tables Bob vibrate when struck hard multiple times.
Chewy Rivera used to do this allot, as the cueball approached the area it landed, close to the rolling cue ball.
If his pounding, sends a shock wave through the structure, how could it not, slow it down, ever so slightly?
 
Last edited:
garczar said:
Is Friday now 'Is this a foul?' day?? ;)
Click to expand...
To many I'm sure it is, but NEVER at Red Shoes. :)
I wanna get back to refereeing in my LATER years/pros.
So I'm going thru the motions, and the testing, and learning again.
Have a great weekend, smartie pants. ;)
 
Island Drive said:
I think this should be or maybe already is a foul.

When a ball is rolling, and shooter feels the ball might run ''slightly'' long so he pounds/vibrates the play surface using the top rail.

Foul in my department.... is there anything in print saying this?

Vibrations definitely slow a rolling ball.
Click to expand...

As Bob J said it's probably not an explicit foul but would fall under unsportsmanlike conduct. I have seen a call done on a situation where a ball hung up in a pocket, the player out of frustration hit the rail almost immediately as the ball stopped, the ball fell in the pocket right after that. After looking at the situation and I think even the video (it was a streamed tournament) the TD said the ball is to be spotted and it's the other player's turn. Now the hit may not have caused the ball to drop but it was done so close after the cueball stopped that it was impossible to tell if that caused it to fall or if the tiny left-over natural motion caused it to fall. Another example of why we should just let the balls settle before grabbing or moving things.
 
Foul would be the first words out of my mouth.
Then when the player confronted me, I'd look em straight in the eye and say.
UNSPORTSMANSHIP CONDUCT.
I'd then pick up Whitey, hand it to his opponent and move to another area of the room.
 
I used to play a fellow who weighed about 350lbs.

Quite often, when he needed to stretch across the table, his belly would inadvertently bump the side and every single ball would move. 😂
 
Rubik's Cube said:
I used to play a fellow who weighed about 350lbs.

Quite often, when he needed to stretch across the table, his belly would inadvertently bump the side and every single ball would move. 😂
Click to expand...

LOL I have seen that so many times, also with women. If they are heavy enough not only is the belly moving balls but so can the boobs.
I do feel for those people though, it's pretty much impossible to play with a larger body (roundness not length hehe) and maintain control of things.
It's also pretty hard for the players to keep track of what happened, especially if they are newer and don't have the same amount of awareness at the table. My wife a few weeks ago went to shoot over a corner pocket and knocked one of the opponents balls in the pocket that was there with a knocker LOL If I was not watching what she was doing neither of the players playing may have noticed this happening.
 
Try pounding on the rail and let someone put their hand on the felt, if he can feel the vibration, then there must be an effect, how much of an effect is anybodys guess, but on occasions where a mm of distance is what is standing between a safe and a visible object ball, I would say foul
 
When I played at IU midwest collegiate finals 68 there a gal that was not fat.
But, her upper body was huge, made it near impossible to not use the rake on many shots that were reachable for all.
 
From the Official rules of CSI (Used by the BCAPL and the USAPL):
1. Situation: Player A plays a shot that is legal in all respects. As the cue ball is slowing at the end of the shot, Player A lightly taps the rail with his hand in a gesture of desire for the cue ball to stop rolling. Ruling: Legal, provided the referee judges that the tapping was not hard enough to interfere with the action or position of any ball on the table.

And under 1-40 Deliberate Foul section:
b.Cue ball:It is a deliberate foul if you intentionally: ...
4)cause the cue ball to move by contacting or moving any part of the table in any way. (AR p. 97)

c.Object balls: It is a deliberate foul if you intentionally stop or deflect any object ball that is in motion, or intentionally move any stationary object ball that is in play, by any method other than a legal shot, including by intentionally contacting or moving any part of the table in any way.(AR p. 91)


So it seems that if you deliberately make contact with the table with enough force that could potentially move a ball or affect the movement of a ball, it is a foul. (according to CSI)
 
Last edited:
Island Drive said:
Some tables Bob vibrate when struck hard multiple times.
Chewy Rivera used to do this allot, as the cueball approached the area it landed, close to the rolling cue ball.
If his pounding, sends a shock wave through the structure, how could it not, slow it down, ever so slightly?
Click to expand...
You ever go surfing? Do you slow down when you catch a wave? Obviously, it depends on the direction of the wave. The waves seem to slow me down when I'm trying to get out beyond the break. I do think it should be a foul to hit the rails or bed while the balls are moving. The equipment needs protecting, too.

Here's some contributions to Friday's, "Is this a foul??!"

1) If you exhale in the right direction, it will slow a ball down. Think high winds, but softer. Foul?

2) If you have a buddy stand in front of a light, then give him a signal to move and the light hits the front of the rolling ball, it will slow down. Foul?
 
Last edited:
If I see the CB headed for a scratch I'll benk over the pocket and scream ."STOP YOU BITCH STOP STOP STOP ."

Sometimes it works.


You're saying the vibrations from my voice is a foul?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top