Rule of the Week - Not Trying to Make a Ball

March 13, 2025 3:30 AM

Rule of the Week - Not Trying to Make a Ball

March 13, 2025 3:30 AM

Situation: My opponent took a shot that didn't appear as thou they were attempting to make a ball. We asked the shooter and they said it wasn't a defensive shot, what do we do?

Mark the defensive shot, A Defensive Shot is any shot taken without the intent to legally pocket a ball. This definition includes, but is not limited to, shots taken in an attempt to hook the shooter’s opponent. The shooter’s INTENT is the determining factor. Unless the shooter declares that their shot was a Defensive Shot, it is up to the scorekeeper to decide if the shooter intended to try and pocket a ball. Consistently and correctly marking Defensive Shots ensures the effectiveness of The Equalizer®.

Defensive shot as stated above is when the shooter isn't trying to make the ball not just when they are trying to hook you. Meaning if you believe the shooter regardless if they left you a good shot or not didn't try to truly pocket their ball this should be marked as a defensive shot.

Rule: Official Team Manual (OTM) page 31-32 “Defensive Shots”: https://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf

This section also covers:

Ethical and unethical defensive shots
Attempting a defensive shot and making your ball
Two-way shots

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.

Double Posting - Rule of the Week

2/2/26 - 6:00 pm

Situation: Both teams only have 4 players, what happens in the 5th match? When both teams have to double post a player, who gets to pick the player? Teams do not get to pick their own players. In this situation, whoever is scheduled to post next (according to alternate posting throughout the night) is the team who must pick a player from the opposing team first. The opposing team then picks a play

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