Rule of the Week - Coaching

December 22, 2023 1:02 AM

by San Diego APA

Rule of the Week - Coaching

December 22, 2023 1:02 AM

by San Diego APA


Situation: My player is about to hit a solid ball and they are stripes, can I tell them what they are as we have no timeouts left?

Yes, Telling a player if they have solids or stripes is NOT considering coaching/time-out.

Rule: Official Team Manual (OTM) page 28-30 section 18 “Coaching”: https://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf
Other things that are ok and NOT considered coaching include:
  • Telling a player to mark the pocket when shooting the 8-ball.
  • Reminding a player which is the next ball in the rotation (9-Ball).
  • Giving advice or placing the cue ball before the break.
  • Reminding a player to chalk up.
  • Telling a player a foul has occurred.
  • Answering a player’s question concerning rules.
  • Comments such as “good hit” or “nice shot”.
  • Conversations with or comments to a player when it is not their turn at the table.
Things that are considered coaching and therefore a time-out:
  • Which ball to shoot, except in 9-Ball.
  • Where to leave the cue ball.
  • Whether to shoot soft or hard.
  • Whether to use english.
  • Whether to play safe or defensive.

This section also covers:

  • Who can coach
  • Who can call a time-out
  • What is allowed during the time-out
  • What the coach is allowed to do for the player during the time-out
  • Among other things regarding coaching

You can submit a "Rule of the Week" to the league office:

  • Email to sandiego@apaleagues.com.
  • Email Subject Line must read “SDAPA Rule of the Week”
  • Clearly state the rule/situation and if you know where the answer is found please provide those details.


2025 Fall Tri-Annual (formerly BLAST) Information
1/9/26 - 6:54 pm
TRI-ANNUAL PLAYERS MEETING VIDEO (*Replacing the pre-Tr-Annual players meeting) TRI-ANNUAL DIGITAL GUIDE (As seen in the video above) TRI-ANNUAL SDAPA WEBPAGE (Eligibility, Rules, Brackets, Schedule and Roster Info) Other Key Links Fall Session Winners OTM Bylaws Event Tab *The player's meeting video includes example scenarios for illustrative purposes only. For official brackets, schedules, and
Rules Clarification - Rule of the Week
1/26/26 - 6:00 pm
Situation: My player that is shooting has only played for a short period of time and has a rules question while at the table. Am I allowed to state/clarify the rule while it is still their turn? Yes, some examples of comments that are NOT considered coaching are: Answering a player’s question concerning rules. The player should be clear to both teams they are asking for a rule clarification vs ne
SDAPA Payment Options
1/23/26 - 6:00 pm
Does your team have a credit and you would like to use it? The below options are ways you can pay a different amount to use your team credit. Is your team showing past due on your scoresheet or on the Scorekeeper App when you begin your match? With the new processing schedule effective this 2023 Summer Session, scoresheets and payments are now required to be submitted at 10:00 am the morning follo