Rule of the Week - Switching Coaches During a Timeout

January 27, 2025 at 9:43 PM

by San Diego APA

Rule of the Week - Switching Coaches During a Timeout

January 27, 2025 at 9:43 PM

by San Diego APA


Situation: My opponents team calls a timeout and one of the players on the team starts to give the timeout. After the coach has already talked to the player at the table they switch coaches to someone else on the team. Is this allowed?

No, during their turn at the table, the shooter may discuss strategy only with the coach designated for that time-out. A coach may get a group consensus from other players on their team and pass it on to the shooter, but only the designated coach may pass it on.

A team can change coaches from timeout to timeout but not during a timeout. In addition this is the only non-shooting Ball In Hand foul (see page 54 section f of the OTM).

Rule: Official Team Manual (OTM) page 28-30 “Coaching”: https://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf

This section also covers:
  • Ineligible players
  • What is considered a timeout and what is not
  • Number of timeouts based on SL and divison format

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.


📢 Important Update: We’re Updating Our Email Address!
10/29/26 - 8:00 PM
Hey SDAPA! We’re in the process of upgrading to a new email address to serve you better: 👉 New Email: sandiegoapa@sdbilliards.com 👉 Old Email: sandiego@apaleagues.com What you need to know: Start using the new address (sandiegoapa@sdbilliards.com) for all questions, updates, and league inquiries whenever possible! Don't worry about missed messages: The old email address will remain active th
New: Break Decoder (Legal vs Illegal - Who Breaks)
11/11/26 - 7:15 PM
Break scenarios can get confusing fast—when a break occurs, players aren't always sure whether it was legal or illegal, and more so, who breaks now. To take the guesswork out, we’ve added a brand-new Breaking Decoder to our helper tool! https://claude.ai/artifact/Jmow34vBKai1us3dEkkuuD (both tools) The Break Decoder Tab Not sure what happens after a break? Simply answer a couple of quick question
Object Ball Used as the Cue Ball - Rule of the Week
11/9/26 - 6:00 PM
Situation: During my opponent’s turn, they got distracted and stroked an object ball instead of the cue ball. It wasn’t intentional. Do we put the balls back, or is it ball-in-hand? It depends on whether the cue ball was touched. Hitting a ball other than the cue ball is treated as accidentally moved balls. Accidentally moved balls must be replaced, unless any of the accidentally moved balls make