Protocol for saying "Nice Shot"

I go to a popular school for international students so we have a large Indian population here. Instead of tapping the bumper on the floor, they smack their hand on the rail 3 times as a compliment. I don't mind it all, I just find it pretty unique
 
I was in a tournament match a good number of years ago with a gentelman named Daryl. A nice guy and a good player.
His wife was seated front row center and would say "nice shot Daryl" on just about every shot. I can understand her wanting to keep him pumped up, but on every shot, come on it was a bit much.
Needless to say it was a bit annoying. The match came to a hill hill. I made a good run in the last game and shot the eight and got perfect on the nine and said "nice shot Frank". The crowd laughed.
 
I would be confused too........ I have never deemed it a necessary thing to compliment someone on a shot. Ever.
I dont say anything during the course of a rack, I may compliment the person after the rack if a particular shot was nice, or the out was difficult. And then there are people I have played where neither of us say anything until the entire set is over. And I expect the same in return, I dont want any break in concentration from someone yelling out "Nice shot!".
Chuck
 
I don't watch the women on TV anymore because the crowd applauds on every shot as if they did something that wasn't expected. What is even worse is when the announcer says fantastic shot and the player is snookered.

I don't see it one way or another if the shot is acknowledged. The game goes on.
 
Saying "nice shot" is an *optional* compliment.

So don't worry about it. You don't have to say anything.

Also what is an exceptional shot to a lesser skilled player might be a run of the mill shot for a better player, so there might be no mention of "nice shot" from the better player.

Some players are quiet and never say a word, so never a "nice shot" from them.

Sometimes saying "nice shot" can be a shark. Depends on the situation and the player, but this can disrupt a players concentration.

Personally I perfer that my opponent keep quiet while I am shooting/about to make my next shot, so I would rather they not say "nice shot". If it was a difficult shot and I made it, I know it was a good shot.

I think the best thing to do is wait until the shooter is finished at the table, then say that was a nice shot you had on that 5 ball (or whatever). Then you are not disrupting his concentration.
 
I hate peoples saying "nice shot". Like the other guy said before, I will obligated to say "thanks". When I don't say it, it still get me out of my concentration. I've also seeing people bumping there cue agains the table, making dents in their cue, I wouldn't do that :o . Tapping with the chalk on the table is also anoying. They shouldn't hating their chalk when I make a good shot :D . I usually say "nice" when they make a good shot. Keep it short and simple. But I prefer snapping with there fingers. Haven't seen someone bumping the cue on the floor. But it looks like a good idea. I will do that too when someone make a good shot. I just can't make those nice snapping sound, so bumping on the floor is a good alternative.
 
Yeah, I'd rather have my opponent keep his mouth shut after my best efforts than tell me "nice shot" after I've executed a shot poorly or not as intended. I used to play this guy who really didn't have a great understanding of english or position play, and would take 20 minutes to run a road-map table of 8-ball as if he was navigating a minefield. He didn't miss many direct shots, though, partly because he was so incredibly deliberate.

So playing him was frustrating, because he wasn't that strong a player, but he'd punish me when I left him an open table by making a simple runout take an excruciating amount of time, and he made it look like it was the most difficult thing in the world. So I'm sitting there frustrated, and naturally when I do get to the table, I'm over-shooting position all over the place, and every time I make a medium-difficulty shot and blow my position, this guy tells me "nice shot." I sat there fighting back the urge to shout back at him "you clearly wouldn't know a nice shot if it bit you in the a$$!", but he's a really nice guy, and he earnestly meant the compliment (he just undervalues position play in 8-ball, so he didn't understand that I was unhappy with my play).

Anyway, I'd much rather never receive compliments on my good shots than have to listen to compliments on my bad shots and get all the more frustrated over them.

Incidentally, get_a_grip, I think people who start fights with other people over the absence of a compliment are overly sensitive and egotistical. You weren't out of line at all. Your opponents need to get a grip, as your screen name suggests.

-Andrew
 
olauzon said:
sounds to me that there was something else going on also that you're not saying or wasn't aware of. and of course there's the plain stupid people. last night i broke and ran a hill hill 8ball table and the guy comes up furious, says f*** you to my face LOL

I love what's in some people heads. There is one guy, whenever I run a table on him I hear "with that layout a 2-year old could have run out" or something similar. Yet when he runs out, he would happen to mention it to half the room to make sure we all know.

Don't worry about the nice shots, whoever yelled at you for not saying something was probably used to watching the WPBA where they clap after every stop shot.
 
jhendri2 said:
I still do this from spending time in Germany. People here just look at me like I got three heads here. I think it's more polite and less distracting than actually saying something.

Jim

The finger snapping comes directly from the world of 3 Cushion.
It is equivalent to restrained polite applause.

Back when this was still America, it was common amoung Pool players
to lightly tap their cue butt on the floor - but that was a time when carpeting was unheard of, "good cues never had bumpers", cues
were finished with varnish, not space age catalized racecar clearcoat
that cost a C-note to redo.

Time moves on.

Dale
 
JohnnyP said:
The Germans snap their fingers after a"nice shot".

I watched the video of Ortman running 197 in '86. Took me a while to figure out what the clicking was.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=84271

There's a guy saying something in German for the first minute or so, probably be some kind of tribute. I think they show the score sheet.

I don't so much think that is a German thing as a 3-Cushion think that migrated over to pool. I do it frequently and I usually draw strange looks. :) I believe it originated as substitute for the tap-tap-tap because of the replacement of wood floors with carpet.
The 3-c guys also will sometimes reach over from their seat and tap the rail with their cue in response to a good shot.

In regards to the guy getting in the OP's face. I personally reserve my "good shots" for really good shots and if he didn't get position it wasn't a really good shot.
 
Get_A_Grip said:
Friday night I was playing doubles 8-ball. A good player that I know was on the other team and made what was apparently a great shot, but: 1) I was blocked from seeing the shot by his body; 2) When he was finished with the shot I noticed that he had no other shot or way to get out.

His teammate and his wife started telling him what a great shot it was -- but I just walked back to my table to talk with my wife. (I think that he made a carom or something).

I get approach by the guys older teammate and he was irrate and started telling me what a bad person that I was and that I was an @sshole, for not telling his partner, "Nice shot".

I was actually amazed at how mad the guy was -- so I just stood there starring at him. Now the opponent that made the shot that I know -- hears all of this and assumes that I must have said something insulting about him -- so he puts his jacket on and is ready to quit and leave.

All of this for not saying, "Nice Shot" -- even though, I couldn't even see the shot and the guy had no way to get out after the shot.

Here's how I look at it -- when playing a good player, I admit -- I don't normally say "Nice Shot" unless it was something really special, or if it was a break-out or something that allows him to get out. Am I a bad guy for that? I hear lots of bar-league players saying "Nice Shot" after just about any shot that is made -- but that's just not my thing. Thoughts?

You gotta be kidding me. It's times like those that make me wish I had a lollipop handy.

"Here ya go, pal. Nice shot. Have a lollipop. I have another one here if you get out."
 
Well standard protocal has already been listed in prior posts.

Tap the cue directly after the shot...and or say nice out (if they get out)...or just say (after the inning is over...nice shot on the X ball)

Or...proper non standard protocal would have been....

You got lucky, you lucky *****.
 
I'm probably a little more complimentary than most, but I'll say "nice shot" depending on the skill of the player. If it's a good shooter, then I probably won't say much unless they do something extraordinary or run out a rack. If it's a lower ranked player, I might compliment a little more if the effort shows. If I can tell a player doesn't want the compliments during the match, then I'll stop using them.

It also depends on the situation. Definitely more compliments may flow between players in league play or a local league tournament. If it's a more serious tournament, then I'm probably not saying much. If I despise the opponent, then I'm not saying anything at all except for a courtesy handshake at the end.

I'm all about good sportsmanship and many people lack it. In this case, the guys that got all huffy about the shot not being acknowledged are poor sports. One teammate complimented them and that should be enough, not that it's really even necessary.

Whether "nice shot" is said or not during a match, I think it's a much bigger sportsmanship fault to not at least handshake before and after a match. What happens in-between is optional.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
You gotta be kidding me. It's times like those that make me wish I had a lollipop handy.

"Here ya go, pal. Nice shot. Have a lollipop. I have another one here if you get out."

Yeah that's funny. For a second, I almost thought that my definition of what a "nice person" really was, was somehow wrong for a second.

I personally do not like it when someone interupts my concentration to tell me that I made a nice shot -- especially numerous times in one game. Don't they think that you know darn well when you've made a great shot? Geez!
 
I know it may sound strange, but I avoid saying anything to my opponent during a match. I certainly don't want to bolster their confidence in any way. If he or she makes a great shot during the match, I mention it after the handshake.
 
Don't you just love it when someone says "nice try" every time you miss. After a while I look them in the eye after I make a ball and ask them if they think that was a 'nice try' as well. :)
 
I never say nice shot or anything else. When I was a kid we used to tap the butt of the cue on the wooden floor but now with carpet on the floor and bumpers on the cues it doesn't have the same effect.
 
My APA 9-ball team played in a bar last weekend, and after every tough shot and/or 9-ball made by one of their players, the entire team would holler "MONEY SHOT!!!!!!" in the most obnoxious way possible. Even worse was the fact they were getting killed.

They actually had a SL5 (who was supposed to be one of their good players) miss a straight in 9 that he hit at about break speed and when it went 4 rails and slopped in... they yelled "MONEY SHOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!"

Fortunately I got to play their captain who made 6 balls before I was at my points. I refrained from yelling money shot at myself although I was really tempted...

GO APA!!!
 
Back
Top