Push Shots
Ok, so why am I writing this piece then?
Well I have called people several times
for it and got pretty mixed reactions. Most players are
unaware what one even is, some people don't think they exist
and some don't think its a foul. Firstly I will get the
rule book out and give you the definitions of what a push shot
is. Longdendale Pool League
Definition
Push shot - defined as where (a)
cue tip remains in contact with the cue ball when the
cue ball makes contact with the object ball, or (b)
the tip remains In contact with the cue ball once the
cue ball has commenced its forward motion
Ok so now we know what the shot is and
that it is a foul exactly the same as going in off or potting
opponents balls. Now to be honest its a bit of a sore
point with me. A very good friend of mine did it to me
in the individuals last 16 a couple of years ago. It was
blatant and he said "there is no such thing as a push
shot" I still went on to win the match even though there
are two separate definitions of what a push shot is. We
had no referee and I asked the question which is all I could
do under the circumstances. Had I been the ref i would
have called it straight away. I have called them in
league matches and due to some players lack of understanding
of the rules it can cause conflict. I am however a big believer
that the refs decision is final and that all refs should be trusted
to carry out their responsibilities. The only problem is
that all players should be made aware that it is a foul and
why it is one. As a ref I
called one on a Monday night versus the Prince of Wales.
Afterwards I spent 30 min's explaining to various people what
was wrong with the shot and even had to get the rules out to
explain it exists. That specific shot the bloke was
directly behind his object ball and played the shot hard with
no top. The white followed the ball directly behind it
the length of the table and hit it on the bottom
cushion. naturally I called foul which he turned round
and said "that was never a push shot" now only he
will know what he thinks one is but that's definition (a) in anyone's
language. I certainly don't blame him for his
reaction. I witness them a lot but they are rarely
called because the ref says he can't be sure or something
along those lines. Its a bit like football refereeing
isn't it, sometimes they give a foul sometimes they don't some
give a yellow card for a goal celebration some don't. Definition
(a) is fairly obvious, if you are very close to a ball you
cant play the white ball forward at the same pace as the
object ball. To play a shot with top the white needs to
pick up pace as the rotation increases the forward momentum,
being so close to a ball its almost impossible to not play a
push shot. If you can play with top you cant get the cue
away quickly enough. Even if you can it will often cause
the white to skip or try to climb the object ball and the
white won't go forward and certainly not at the same pace as
the object ball. Definition (b)
"the tip remains In contact with the cue ball once
the cue ball has commenced its forward motion"
I see this one a lot and most commonly when players play a
roll up shot/ snooker. I mentioned this earlier and my
mate was the worlds worst for this shot. It can be hard
to detect sometimes but usually the shot just looks
wrong. I don't like this shot as its basically a way of
controlling the white balls pace, if you are any good at the
shot. Its totally illegal and isn't a clean strike.
The shot can appear as a bit of a double hit but the player
who played the shot will instantly know they have done
it. You will feel the white remain in contact longer
than a normal shot and you are effectively pushing the white
along the table hence the term push shot. So
why is it a foul then? well we need to look at the
definition for a shot to understand that bit. The
term "SHOT" means
striking the cue ball once. If you
are pushing it or hitting it twice its not a clean strike, its
not hitting it once its a foul. Just like any of the
other 17 foul definitions the game has. I
hope it clears a few queries up, many players don't
understand what the problem is or why it is a foul.
unfortunately most players don't read articles like this
either.
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