Sportsmanship?

T

Troublemaker

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What do you consider the basic rules of sportsmanship for league play?

-Shake your opponents hand before and after the match
-Do not distract them or stand in their eye line during shooting

What else?

I'm trying to think of a basic list for new teams....sometimes casual bar players don't realize that they are being unsportsmanlike.

Thanks for your help!
 
Here's one that is my pet peeve. The time to chalk your cue is BEFORE you shoot, not afterwards. I hate it when my opponent leaves the table and you get up to shoot and are looking for the chalk, only to find it in your opponent's hand. When you are finished shooting, sit yourself down and leave the chalk where it is. You're not going to need it until I finish shooting (which will hopefully be at least a half-hour later :) ).
 
- making loud noises or talking loud when your opponent is shooting, this includes singing loudly with the juke box or yelling at the ol lady/ol man on your cell.
 
-Unless it's your personal chalk, leave the chalk on the table when you miss and it is your opponent's turn to shoot.

-Pay attention to the game while your opponent is shooting. It's fine to quietly chat with your teammates, but keep an eye on the game in case your opponent makes a call or has a question.

-If you must use powder on your hand(s), do so in a way that you don't pollute the entire bed of the table or get it all over the balls while racking.
 
Troublemaker said:
What do you consider the basic rules of sportsmanship for league play?

-Shake your opponents hand before and after the match
-Do not distract them or stand in their eye line during shooting

What else?

I'm trying to think of a basic list for new teams....sometimes casual bar players don't realize that they are being unsportsmanlike.

Thanks for your help!
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This may be difficult for new teams (new players actually), but "call your own fouls". Last tuesday at league (singles 9 ball) I was watching the fellow just behind me in the standings play a lower ranked player. They somehow got to hill-hill, and the better player was over a shot when he stood up and called a foul on himself. He had touched the cueball with his cue tip, and while nobody else noticed the very light tap, he called it. I was very impressed with his sportsmanship and told him so after the match.

Dave
 
I love it when I get out of line and my opponent (sitting) grabs his cue as if he is getting ready for his turn because I will surely miss. This is most rewarding when I don't miss and his next trip to the table is to rack'um!

I also love it when it is my turn and my opponent is up, running around the table to get behind the cueball to see if I have a shot. Sit down and shut up and you will know in a minute if I have a shot, you Dork!
 
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BillYards said:
I love it when I get out of line and my opponent (sitting) grabs his cue as if he is getting ready for his turn because I will surely miss. This is most rewarding when I don't miss and his next trip to the table is to rack'um!

I also love it when it is my turn and my opponent is up, running around the table to get behind the cueball to see if I have a shot. Sit down and shut up and you will know in a minute if I have a shot, you Dork!
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TAP! TAP! TAP!
 
I havent played in leagues for quite a while, but when I did, I hated it when my opponent would walk away from the table during our match. This happens in bars mostly. Going to the restroom ofcourse is an exception, but if they are half lit and running around talking to people, that gripes my ass!

Southpaw
 
Don't put the chalk upside down on the rail, bar tables are dirty enough.

When you miss don't say, "there you go", as if I have automatically won, even though after you say that I will do everything in my power to make sure you won't return to the table.
 
I dislike it when my opponent is having a conversation and it is their turn to shoot and they continue the conversation. When you are playing a match, you should be concentrating on the match. Have the conversation after you are finished.
 
VIProfessor said:
Here's one that is my pet peeve. The time to chalk your cue is BEFORE you shoot, not afterwards. I hate it when my opponent leaves the table and you get up to shoot and are looking for the chalk, only to find it in your opponent's hand. When you are finished shooting, sit yourself down and leave the chalk where it is. You're not going to need it until I finish shooting (which will hopefully be at least a half-hour later :) ).
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When this happens during a match, I usually just ask "are you planning on mis-cueing while I shoot"
 
I hate it when I'm watching a pro match and I walk up ,put a coin on the table signifying "I'm next" and they look at you like your nuts.:eek: :D
 
One of the last money games I was in the guy would say "There you go, there all set up for you" when he missed...I said "You can't make three frigging balls in a row and your saying good game when I still have four on the table...why don't you just rack them up then?" Johnnyt
 
Don't approach the table when your opponent is on the last ball of a game.
Don't cheer a mistake (scratch, snooker, missed shot, etc), no matter how glad you are.
Don't go to the bathroom when your opponent is shooting - timeouts are to be taken during your own turn.
When your turn is over, sit down or get out of the way.
When sitting the chair, don't play drums, air guitar, or whistle.
Don't light a cigarette when in your opponent's line of sight.
Don't let your opponent shoot the wrong ball or group of balls if you see him lining up to do so.
Play the game on the table, not in the rule book.

-djb
 
Along these lines... A question

I don't like to sit while my opponent shoots. (Those high chairs I find to be uncomfortable.) I stand next to my chair and do nothing that could be deemed unsportsmanlike. I just stand there watching. I know it bugs one guy in particular, since he keeps asking, "You gonna sit, or what?"

Does my behavior bother anybody else?
 
That might happen in league play, but I've never seen that for $40 a game. It's all about the atmosphere you put yourself in. Gambling, you can expect some of the "moves." Concentrate and fade it if you can. If it is league and the guy is "moving" on you, politely chat about it, then if that doesn't work, ride him like there's no tomorrow on the table and off. Most guys that really do that a lot are used to it, but not to them. If they grew up playing in this environment, it's habit. Nice environments provide nice solutions. S$#@holes have other solutions. If you can learn to play through this, you'll intimidate most in the gentleman's games. It's all about personna.
 
The applies not to your opponent but people playing matches on adjacent tables. When a player on the next table is shooting or studying the table where you need to be, don't stand two feet behind him or her and stare at the shot. Walk to the other side of the table and wait or sit down.
 
DoomCue said:
Don't go to the bathroom when your opponent is shooting - timeouts are to be taken during your own turn.
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Really? I always thought it was more polite to do it the other way around. If you go on your turn, your opponent just has to sit and wait, whereas if you go on your opponent's turn, they might still be at the table when you return, meaning you didn't delay the game by using the bathroom. Of course this assumes you have teammates or friends watching the match and/or trust the other player not to cheat, call his own fouls, etc. If you want the other player not to shoot while you're gone, then it's definitely better to go on your own turn, but in my league we always tell the other player to go ahead and shoot while we're in the bathroom.

DoomCue said:
Play the game on the table, not in the rule book.
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This one bears repeating. There are people who try to use the letter of the law to their advantage even when the spirit of the law would dictate otherwise. A player in my league called foul when her opponent played a very good masse shot to make a good hit out of a tough safety, citing the APA rule that says the venue may impose restrictions (no masse shots, for instance), above and beyond the rules in the APA book. There's a sign in the front of the pool hall (like most pool halls) that says "no jumps, no masses", that is universally ignored. Masses are played in league all the time, and I've never seen an employee tell someone to stop shooting masses/jumps. But the sign is technically on the wall, and the APA rule book states that it must be heeded. So rather than congratulating her opponent on a great shot which is legal by the rules of pocket billards, she took ball in hand. Terrible sportsmanship, in my opinion, and it resulted in a angry shouting match rather than a good pool match.

-Andrew
 
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