Untitled Document

The GAINESVILLE BILLIARD NEWS
Issue No. 4 - May 2005

UNDERSTANDING THE DOUBLE HIT FOUL

It should go without saying that IT IS ILLEGAL TO HIT THE CUE BALL TWICE ON ONE SHOT. Most people agree that when you 'nudge' the cue ball while aiming, and then quickly shoot to 'hide' the error, this is an illegal shot. Similarly, if you follow through so far that you hit the cue ball a second time on a "normal" shot, this is also an obvious foul. The problems appear when the cue ball is very close to the object ball and there may be disagreement about whether the cue touched the cue ball twice or not.

When the object ball and the cue ball are less and ½ inch apart, it is EXTREMELY difficult to shoot straight through the balls (cue in line with the two balls), without hitting the cue ball a second time. So difficult, in fact, that even the world's top players do not attempt this shot (other than occasionally in trick shot exhibitions). Think about it. If the cue ball is ¼ inch from the object ball and you shoot straight at the object ball, your follow through (after hitting the cue ball) must be less than ¼ inch to avoid the second hit! This is because when the cue ball hits an object ball dead center, it MUST stop for a split second before it can move in any direction. When it stops, the cue tip almost inevitably hits the cue ball again. No player in the world can execute this maneuver legally with enough consistency to make it a practical option. The pros avoid the shot; beginners just shoot through the two balls, unaware of the double hit, or not caring about fouls in the first place. Or a hustler will sometimes use the shot to gain an advantage, if he or she thinks they can get away with it. For many years, this shot was a bone of contention and controversy among both gamblers and tournament players.

Thankfully, the BCA, VNEA, APA and other organizations have dealt with this problem. In the BCA "General Rules of Pocket Billiards" the shot is explained as follows:

3.23 FOULS BY DOUBLE HITS

If the cue ball is touching the required object ball prior to the shot, the player may shoot toward it, providing that any normal stoke is employed. If the cue stick strikes the cue ball more than once on a shot, or if the cue stick is in contact with the cue ball when or after the cue ball contacts an object ball, the shot is a foul. (See Rule 2.20 for judging this kind of shot.) If a third ball is close by, care should be taken not to foul that ball under the first part of this rule.

2.20 JUDGING DOUBLE HITS

When the distance between the cue ball and the object ball is less than the width of a chalk cube, special attention from the referee is required. In such a situation, unless the referee can positively determine a legal shot has been performed, the following guidance may apply: if the cue ball follows through the object more than ½ ball, it is a foul.

It is virtually impossible to make the cue ball follow an object ball when they are less than an inch apart. For the cue ball to follow an object ball it must have either room to build up momentum before it contacts the object ball, OR topspin (force follow) must be applied to cue ball, which requires a follow through that is next to impossible when the two balls are very close together. The experienced will recognize the tell tale "click" of the double hit on this shot. But even easier, if the cue ball follows the object ball at approximately the same speed as the object ball (they travel sort of 'together' down the table), it is a double hit.

Sometimes this double hit foul is called a "push shot." This can then be confused with the "push" in 9-Ball, which is a legal shto having nothing to do with the double hit situation. The 9-Ball 'push' is allowed only on the first shot after the break. It is a good rule that gives the shooter a chance to recover from the misfortune of getting hooked on the break, thus taking some of the luck out the break shot. The player is allowed to shoot the cue ball to a better position without being subject to the normal legal shot rules. The opponent then has the option of taking the shot or giving it back to the shooter.

Rule 2.20 refers to a "referee" for calling double hit fouls IN league play however, there generally no official referees. In this situation, WHENEVER YOU SEE YOUR OPPONENT ABOUT TO SHOOT AT AN OBJECT THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO THE CUE BALL, CALL A TIME OUT AND ASK A NEUTRAL PARTY TO CALL THE SHOT. This is a good idea even if the shooter is a good enough player to understand these rules, and even if it looks fairly easy to avoid the foul. Make sure that the person chosen to call the shot understands the rule and know how to make the call.

HOW TO AVOID THE DOUBLE HIT FOUL

There are several ways that trick shot artists avoid the double hit foul. One is to use a rail to stop the follow-through by allowing the back hand to actually hit the outside edge of the table. This is not easy, and can also hurt! Another is the "nip" stroke, and is accomplished with no arm stroke at all, but with just a small flex of the fingers and/or wrist to affect the required ½ inch or less follow-through. This maneuver is also quite difficult and almost never used in competition, even by the pros. The practical method advised, and that used by virtually all good players, is to raise the butt of the cue to at least a 45 degree angle (similar to a sharp masse). By doing this, the follow-through is down toward the table, rather than toward the object ball. This is what the BCA (and other) rules require when aiming the cue ball at or near the center of an object ball that is very close to the cue ball. The follow-through on this shot MUST be toward the surface of the table: if you aim the shot with the required 45+ degree angle, but bring the butt of the cue down with your follow-through, you will still likely double hit the cue ball. When the shot is hit correctly, the cue tip NEVER moves in the same direction that the cue ball will travel.

In many situations however, the shooter will not be able to reach the shot easily enough to use the 45+ method. In such cases, a second method may be called for. You may be able to hit the cue ball off center with a level cue, if your cue is not aimed directly (or close to directly) at the center of the cue ball and object ball. Some players think they can avoid the double hit by simply using English on the side of the cue ball "away" from the object. This generally does not work, as the tip of the cue will be trqveling in the same direction as the cue ball as it caroms off the object ball. When you plan such shots, think about the direction the cue ball will be traveling, and where the cue tip will end up. The trick is not to use "outside" English, but actually inside English. By doing so, the cue ball will travel away from the cue tip as you follow through..

There are a few unique situations where some other methods may be applied. When I give lessons, I spend ample time on the subject of double hit fouls, especially if the student is a serious league or tournament player. When I organize new leagues, I make sure to explain the double hit rule to all team captains. I teach how to foresee the risk of a double hit, how to call the double hit, and how to avoid the double hit. The double hit foul situation comes up quite often. My experience in playing in three pool leagues this season is that the average players (and even some veteran players, team captains and league directors) do not fully understand the rule. One league director told me, "Well, the double hit is a foul, but we usually don't call it." This makes no sense to me. If the rule exists, it should be enforced. It exists for a good reason: to keep the game fair and to avoid arguments. A golfer cannot hit the ball twice off the tee without being penalized. A baseball batter is called out if he hits the ball a second time (example: accidentally on an attempted bunt). A tennis player cannot hit the ball twice on one volley. And it is illegal for a pool player to hit the cue ball twice on one shot.

- Donny Lutz

HUYNH AND SANCHEZ WIN CUES AT REITZ UNION

The spring session of the Monday Night Pool League at the Reitz Union completed play on April 18th with An Bac "Han" Huynh and Mike Sanchez defeating Paul Hoerman and Sean Szopinski for the coveted title. The final match of 9-Ball ended near midnight, with the champs each winning beautiful new J. Pechauer custom cues for their effort.

"THE GRUMPY OLD PRO"

Q: Why is a scratch on the 8-Ball a loss of game?

A: It's not a loss of game in the BCA and I believe in the VNEA rules as well, and hasn't been for many years. The APA and many un-sanctioned leagues call it a loss. It's a BAD RULE. The idea comes from the dusty old days when a scratch gave your opponent a free shot from the "kitchen" (behind the head string). When both players were on the 8-ball, and shooter #1 had no decent shot at the 8-ball that was in the kitchen, he would intentionally scratch, forcing his opponent to kick for the 8, sometimes repeatedly, until the player #1 finally got a shot that he liked. It made for long, boring games. So, they made a scratch on the 8 a loss to prevent this "dirty" pool. The rule has long since out-lived its usefulness. IN modern rules, any foul, including pocketing the cue ball, gives the opponent ball in hand. This is the grown-up way to play. But why then should a scratch on the 8-ball be an additional penalty, a loss? Any other foul when shooting the 8-ball is ball in hand. That is ENOUGH PENALTY without taking the game as well.

That leads to another good question: If losing the game for scratching on the 8 is a bad rule, what about when the MAKE the 8 and scratch? I don't like that rule much either for the same reasons. I may be a few years ahead of the current thinking on this one. Scratching on the 8-ball when making the shot became a loss with the advent of the bar tables. You couldn't get the 8-ball back to spot it up (the original rule from the old days) without paying 25 cents to the coin op, so when the 8-ball was pocketed, it pretty much had to be a win or a loss. Obviously, scratching on the 8 (an illegal shot, like any foul) could not be a win, so it had to be a loss.

In the early days of team pool, virtually all league action was on the bar tables. But after the initial, amazing success of the bar table boom, there was also the appearance of many new billiard centers, and they soon began organizing their own, in-house leagues on 8 and 9 foot tables (non-coin op). There was no reason to use the "scratch on 8 is loss" rule on tables that were not coin operated. But as in all sports, the rules are often slow to keep up with the game as it evolves through increased skill levels, and technological improvements. We often hand on to stupid old rules because we are too lazy to think them through and make intelligent changes. Today, the "scratch on the 8 is a loss" rule is totally unnecessary on non-coin op tables, and even on the coin ops, if you keep an extra 8-ball or even a marked cue ball for such situations.

UF HOMELESS COUNCIL ANNUAL POOL
CHAMPIONSHIPS AT REITZ UNION

Fifty local pool enthusiasts competed in the Annual UF Homeless Council fundraiser. The format was 8-ball, races to 2, BCA rules, at the Reitz Union Game Room on April 14.

The UF Homeless Council has nineteen active student members and more than 120 financial supporters. They are proud to be the only group at UF dedicated to personally going out and meeting the homeless, spending time with them and assisting them with their material, spiritual, emotional, and psychological needs, in order for them to get back on theior feet and live a healthy lifestyle. During the past year, UHC has helped with housing, utilities, tutoring children, health crises, and emergency funding for students. They have helped provide work shoes, bicycles and meals for those in need. One of the primary goals of the group is to establish relationship between students and homeless individuals. Every Tuesday, members work and play with homeless folks at the St. Francis House; every Friday they assist another local group delivering meals in the downtown area. Members have also established a Bible study where the homeless and students can share common faith. If you are interested in getting involved with the UHC, whether you are a student or community member, or if you are a person in need, please contact: Eric Leightman, President; 946-6916 or 219-2879 or visit their website.

Eric directed the 2005 Pool Championships and made the event lots of fun, as he assumed the role of "sportscaster" for the final match. Matt Sherman and Donny Lutz defeated Chris Storter and Josh Schemech to capture their second straight title.

GBN Archived Issues