While shooting, a player is required to play their game without receiving advice related to their game from other persons. During your match, it is a foul if you ask for or intentionally receive assistance in planning or executing any shot. Coaching, even if not initiated by or asked for by the player shooting, is a foul. Any member of a team that is called for coaching will result for a foul on their team member shooting. The opposing player or their team captain can call coaching fouls.
Coaching Foul Situations Include (but are not limited to):
- Situation: Player A shoots their object ball but fails to hit a rail and pocket a ball. This is an obvious foul. Player B was not paying attention and did not see or call the foul. While Player B was deciding what to shoot, a member from Player B’s team stated, “It is ball in hand.”
- This is a foul!
- It would be a foul even if Player B had seen the shot and was going to call the foul on Player A.
- Situation: Player A is reaching for a shot that is in the center of the table. A member of Player A’s team states, “I have a bridge.”
- This is a foul!
- In this case, Player A received outside assistance in the planning or execution of the shot.
- Situation: Player A is reaching for a shot that is in the center of the table and decides to use a bridge. Player A asks his team if someone has a bridge. A member from Player’s A team gives Player A a bridge.
- This is NOT a Foul.
- Player A in this case did not receive any outside assistance concerning the planning or executing of a shot.
- Situation: Player A safes Player B by hiding the cue ball behind Player A’s ball. Player B asks their team if “anyone has a jump cue” A member from Player B’s team does have a break/jump cue and gives it to Player B but does not remove the butt portion of the break/jump cue to make it a more suitable for jumping. As Player B prepares to shoot, the member of the team that gave Player B the break/jump cue states, “you have to take the butt off to make it a jump cue.”
- This is a foul!
- The foul wasn’t made during the giving and/or receiving of the break/jump cue. The foul was made when Player B was given assistance that changed the execution of the shot.
I want to point out that teams should still encourage and support their teammates during their games by saying statements such as:
- Good Shot
- Nice Leave
- Great Run
- Awesome Job
During a game you should be careful not to say statements to your team member shooting such as:
- Great leave on the 3-ball. (Even if they player intended to shoot the 3-ball, this is receiving assistance in planning a shot.)
- That is ball in hand.
- Take your time. (Assistance in changing planning or strategy)
- Look at all the shots on the table. (Again, assistance in changing planning or strategy)
Keep in mind, these are only a few situations that involve coaching fouls. I highly recommend that teams practice on a non-league night if they want to discuss the planning, and execution of shots. Please contact one of the league’s officers immediately, if you have a coaching foul conflict that needs to be resolved. Just keep in mind, we may be shooting when you call. Therefore, we might not answer our phones. We will call you back as soon as physically possible.
