Movement While Opponent is Shooting
12/7/2006 4:48:05 PM
Movement While Opponent is Shooting
I want to get some opinions on the matter. Last night our team was playing a match against the 2nd place team. We're in third. Anyhow.. I broke.. and was able to get 6 balls down but over ran shape to get myself out and turned the table over. During my shooting my opponent was walking about, observing the table etc. This doesn't bother me at all. I don't let other people's movements affect my shot.
However, when it was his turn I stood off to the side.. did not move.. just watched him at the table. When he was on the 8 ball, it was a straight on shot in the direction I was standing. He missed, and began to argue it was my fault and that I should've moved. I figured since I was standing still... should it really bother him?
How do you feel? Does it bother you if somebody is in your line of sight?
Movement While Opponent is Shooting
Replies & Comments
kurtain on 12/7/2006 6:39:04 PMThere are times when I am "in the zone" and nothing around me bothers me. I can tune out everything around me and would not even know you were standing in my line of sight.
However, there are days I came into league and I really didn't need to be shooting. I was easily distracted and every movement made me miss a shot.
When I was having those "off" nights I would ask that someone move from my line of sight. If you don't ask then don't complain.
asmith27 on 12/7/2006 9:11:05 PM
Sounds like he was looking for an excuse to explain his choke. Unless you were doing naked jumping jacks in his line of sight I'd say you're not at fault.
Is he going to ask everyone in the bar or pool hall to move out of his line of sight?
It's on him to have enough concentration to block that stuff out.
shexcpoolgawdess on 12/7/2006 11:21:40 PMI would have to agree. I think the guys was just looking for a reason to blame someone else for his lack of having to drop the 8-ball.
But at the same time, I have the common courtesy for any opponent. I make sure that I remove myself from the line of sight of the person at the table, meaning, I keep out of the direct sight and peripheral vision of the shooter.
I do admit there are times where I do move around but it's not to shark or distract my opponent. It's more a matter of trying to get a view of how the table lays. I try to avoid all movement within the line of sight though.
You won't always be able to avoid seeing movement around you while you shoot on any level of play in the billiard society. Amateurs, beginners, masters, and even professionals. There will always be movement plain and simple. One should try to avoid getting upset about something so stupid.
You don't see anyone that is professional that complains that the camera man is moving to much during a shot. Do you?
A-Train on 12/7/2006 11:29:17 PMMy rule of thumb is that if there is a wall, railing, chair, or other object near the table for the people playing there to use, stand near that.
Like @asmith27 said, he can't expect for there to be nothing in his line of sight at all times. I believe that he choked and wasn't man enough to suck it up and move on.
Don't feel bad. He is in control of his game and while he was down on his shot, he should have told you that you were distracting him. It's his fault for not being more in control of his surroundings.
Slowhand on 12/7/2006 11:56:27 PMSome people are always looking for an excuse why they miss, some will use the closest person as a scapegoat.
One time I was in this tournament and I was playing this girl in the final. I had twisted my knee a couple weeks before and it hurt to bend it, so I would stand next to the drink table while she shot. She had a shot where I was standing in line with it and she asked me to sit down because she claimed it bothered her. I told her I can't sit down because of my knee, so I started walking around to get behind her so I would be out of her view for each shot. That seemed to bother her even more, and she claimed I was just trying to shark her. I told her that I can't sit down because of my knee, and I'm not about to leave the room for you, so you're just going to have to put up with me standing off to the side like I was before. She tried to get sympathy from everyone else watching the final match, but they agreed with me. I ended up winning and she was all pissed off about it. But I have to admit that I did get lucky on a couple of shots. I tried for a bank, and it double banked to the opposite side. That really got her fuming, but that's the rules of 9 ball.
In every group there's always a whiner, and if you let it bother you then you will be the one getting sharked. There are winners and whiners, make up your mind what you want to be. The squeaky wheel may get the grease, but it's also a sign of a serious problem. Don't allow other people's problems effect you, or they will drag you down with them.
acedotcom on 12/8/2006 10:19:35 AMYou didn't do anything wrong. If you're in somebody's line, you stand still.
Sounds like he was using standard grammar school sharking tactics on you - walking around during your turn and hovering around the table.
What you do in a situation like that is tell him straight out, "Get away from the table." If he continues to do it, you have two choices: tell him he's an a-hole or whack him.
I was playing in a tournament last night and an old friend of my opponent comes over and starts chatting. "Look, Pal," I said, "If you're not playing you cannot hang out here. You can watch from the bar."
It is better to get the issue settled so you can think about the game and only the game.
PoolChick on 12/8/2006 10:33:24 AMJust last night during league, one of our lower level players was shooting a player a little better than him. There were several shots where someone walked right past his line of sight just as he was taking his shot. And it never failed, he missed every time. He is just the nicest guy, so he would never put the blame on the pedestrian, and he may not even realize that is why he missed. I just think that some people are better at tuning out their surroundings, while others notice everything.
I personally am always aware of everything around me when I am shooting. If someone passes by while I'm in mid stroke, I will totally flinch in my shot. It is partly my fault because I guess I am too easily distracted by others, but I myself always try to avoid doing that to other shooters. If I am walking by and see someone shooting, I will wait till their shot is complete and then pass by. Waiters and waitresses in the bar are sometimes really bad about that. Even to the point where they try to squeeze behind you while you are shooting with about an inch of space to spare and sometimes hit you in mid stroke. That irritates me to no end. Working in a place full of pool tables, you would think that the owners/managers would stress to them common courtesy around the pool table. I myself have been a bartender and a server in a bar with pool tables. I still managed to get my job done just as well, and still had time to wait 20 seconds for someone to finish their shot before I walked by. If there is even the slightest possibility that I could hit or get hit while I am taking a shot, I will wait till that person has cleared the way.
And, I ALWAYS let the other shooter on the table next to me shoot first. Feeling like someone is waiting on me to shoot so they can shoot makes me feel rushed. I would just rather wait on them so that I can focus on my shot. \r\n\r\n
Everyone is different when they shoot, but as far as the original issue addressed above, I agree with everyone else. It wasn't your fault they missed the 8! Don't even worry about it! You can only be so courteous!
arsenius on 12/12/2006 6:46:09 AM
Natural movement around me doesn't bother me. Waitresses, other shooters, anything like that. The only thing that bothers me is if I see you stopped and waiting for me to finish shooting. That'll blow my mind! But, if I see you I'll just stand up and let you pass.
I think it was The Monk that had some advice on this that I read a long time ago, something like this:
When you see someone stopping for you to shoot, they are saying "I am important to your shot. I am not going to allow you to miss." Don't allow this to be true. We should not allow other people to enter into OUR shots.
Because of this, I try not to stop for other people's shooting, unless I think it would really bother them. I won't walk straight at a shooter while he's down, but I'm not going to stand still. Imagine if everyone in the pool hall stopped moving until everyone stopped shooting.
I think "The Pleasures of Small Motions" put it another way.
Movement is part of your environment, in the same way as music is. When you get down on your shot, you should eliminate your environment from your consciousness. If you can't do that, you are not ready to shoot.
CaptainHook on 12/12/2006 11:10:39 AMThat is what I do also.
- shexcpoolgawdess on 12/12/2006 12:04:59 PM
Some might not believe it but you find you get more respect as a "shooter" and "opponent" when you have this courtesy for others at the table. I suppose this is more the reason why people that know me and shoot with me like me so much. Not cause I'm a person to reckon with at the table but because I give such respect and consideration towards others.
fultimebum on 12/16/2006 11:11:50 AMAll are right. This person was looking for a way to make themselves feel better for choking.
When I shoot someone I will stand still or if I move they don't know it. I also referee and some teams will ask you to watch a hit to throw the other shooter off. Especially lower rated hooters. So I'll get in the best position possible to see the shot without distracting the shooter. Sometimes they will, after the shot, argue that I wasn't in the right position that I should have stood in a spot that would have distracted the other shooter and I politely explain that I refuse to be a part of them sharking the other shooter. Now it's actually a rule that if you try to use that to your advantage they are given a warning.
After that it's Ball In Hand.
- A-Train on 12/16/2006 3:12:21 PM
Anyhow, I really think the key to this issue is foresight. If you are shooting and you feel distracted, stand up, act a little irritated, ask the person politely to move. If it continues, talk to the person running the tournament and tell him you feel like this person is trying to shark you. If this doesn't change anything, then it's a teamwork hustle and you need to leave.
If someone feels like they need to sway the odds by being a jerk, then they clearly aren't that good of a pool player. It may help to bring this to their attention too.
I am in NO WAY condoning a pool room fight, but I do believe that there is a small amount of merit in being kind of a jerk when necessary. If you hurt someone's pride enough you'll get your way and it will affect his game. Consider it a reverse sharking.
StormHotRod300 on 12/19/2006 6:02:11 AM
I myself always try to stand away from the pocket or ball someone is shooting toward at. Or, depending on where the table is, I might take a seat or something.
I have a bad habit of pacing when playing. Because of that I tend to stand a decent distance away from the table, but still close enough to view the table, and sometimes I pace back and forth to and from the table.
But I've seen people literally stand right next to the table or the pocket the player is shooting at. If I noticed someone doing this while I was playing, sometimes I would pop the CB off the table right at them at full speed. "Oops. My bad!" This generally got them to get away from the table.
cfryer5 on 12/21/2006 12:53:49 PMThat's hilarious. I've done the "oops.. my bad" line also! I think it just shows the character of the person.
Last night for example, we were playing a good team. One of the players is an ass and always has been. For example, during a game he started making phone calls with his phone on speaker. You could here every button being pushed through the entire bar. He didn't start until our player began shooting. Just inconsiderate.
Movement While Opponent is Shooting
- Title: Movement While Opponent is Shooting
- Author: cfryer5
- Published: 12/7/2006 4:48:05 PM
