On the green battlefield of English snooker, every shot is like a precise battle. Players not only need to demonstrate their superb skills but also have an in-depth understanding of the game rules. Fouls, the “killers” lurking in the dark, may change the course of the game at any time. Today, let’s delve into the foul rules in English snooker competitions together to provide strong support for players’ every decision on the court.
The Strict Criteria for the Order of Shots
The order of shots in a snooker game is like a predetermined movement of a piece of music, which cannot be tampered with at will. At the beginning of the game, players must first attack the red balls. Only after successfully pocketing a red ball can they choose a colored ball as the next target. After a colored ball is pocketed, it needs to be placed back in its original position. This alternating attack pattern of one red ball and one colored ball continues until all the red balls disappear from the table. When entering the stage of clearing the colored balls, players must hit the balls in ascending order of their scores: the yellow ball (2 points), the green ball (3 points), the brown ball (4 points), the blue ball (5 points), the pink ball (6 points), and the black ball (7 points). If a player deviates from the order of shots, for example, hitting a colored ball before all the red balls are pocketed, or not hitting the colored balls in the order of their scores during the colored ball stage, they will be judged to have committed a foul. The penalty points are determined according to the score of the colored ball that should have been hit at the time of the foul, with a minimum of 4 points (when the ball that should have been hit is the yellow, green, or brown ball) and a maximum of 7 points (when the ball that should have been hit is the black ball).
The Norms and Limits of Shooting Movements
The “Intimate Contact” between the Cue and the Cue Ball: When shooting, players can only “interact” with the cue ball using the tip of the cue. It is strictly prohibited to push the ball with the cue or strike the cue ball consecutively. Consecutive strikes mean that the cue makes two or more contacts with the cue ball during a single shot. Once this foul occurs, if the score of the target ball that should be hit at this time is less than 4 points, 4 points will be deducted as a penalty; if it is more than 4 points, the penalty will be based on the score of the target ball itself.
The Steady Standing of Both Feet: At the moment of shooting, both feet of the player must maintain close contact with the ground. Any behavior of lifting both feet off the ground will be regarded as a foul. This regulation aims to ensure the stability and standardization of the player’s shooting movement and avoid improper shooting results due to physical imbalance. For the foul of lifting both feet off the ground, the penalty is also imposed according to the principle of deducting points based on the score of the target ball as described above.
Waiting in Stillness: Players must patiently wait until all the balls rolling on the table come to a complete stop, and the pocketed and out-of-bounds colored balls have been correctly placed at their respective positions before they can make a shot. If a player makes a hasty shot before the balls stop, it is a foul, and the penalty point standard is determined according to the score of the target ball.
The “Non-interference Zone” on the Table: During the shooting process, players should try their best to avoid touching any ball on the table with the cue, the rest, their body, clothes, or accessories. Once a touch occurs, regardless of whether it affects the shooting result or not, it will be judged as a foul, and the penalty method is the same as the above rules.
The Movement of the Ball and the Risk of Fouls
The Cost of a Miss and a Scratch: When a player fails to hit any target ball while shooting, it is called a miss; if the cue ball falls into the pocket after being shot, whether it is due to directly hitting the pocket or rebounding into the pocket with the help of other balls, it is called a scratch. Both a miss and a scratch are fouls. The penalty points are determined according to the score of the target ball. If the score of the target ball is less than 4 points, 4 points will be deducted as a penalty; if it is more than 4 points, the penalty will be based on the score of the target ball.
The Definition and Penalty of a Jump Shot: After the cue ball is shot out, if it directly jumps over other balls without touching any cushion, even if it just skims over the surface of the ball being jumped over, it will be judged as a jump shot foul. However, if the cue ball first hits the target ball and then jumps or jumps over other balls, or when using techniques such as the “massé shot” to hit the ball, it clearly bypasses other balls and then hits another ball, it is not considered a jump shot. For a jump shot foul, the penalty is also based on the score of the target ball.
The Penalty for a Ball Going Out of Bounds: Hitting any ball out of bounds is a foul. If the ball hit out of bounds is the cue ball, the penalty points are calculated according to the score of the target ball; if it is another ball, the penalty is based on the score of that ball itself. If more than two balls are hit out of bounds at the same time, the penalty points are calculated according to the ball with the highest score among the out-of-bounds balls.
The Judgment of Fouls in Special Situations
The “Trap” of a Free Ball: When one side commits a foul and the cue ball becomes a frozen ball (that is, when the cue ball moves in a straight line, the line that can directly hit any part of any live ball is blocked by one or some non-live balls), the referee will declare a free ball. At this time, the non-fouling side can designate any ball as a live ball. However, in this situation, if a player makes the free ball into a frozen ball, they will be judged to have committed a foul, and the penalty points are calculated according to the ball with the higher score (except when only the black ball and the pink ball are left).
The Rules for Dealing with a Touching Ball: If the cue ball is in contact with one or more live balls, or balls that may become live balls, the referee will declare a touching ball. After a touching ball is determined, the player taking the shot must hit the cue ball to make it move away from the touching ball, but must not move the touching ball or cause another touching ball situation. If this regulation is violated, it will be judged as a foul, and the penalty points are determined according to the score of the target ball.
The Principle for Handling a Ball on the Edge of the Pocket: If a ball falls into the pocket on the edge of the pocket without being hit or touched by other balls and has nothing to do with any ongoing shot, the target ball should be placed back in its original position, and the points already scored should be counted. However, if a ball on the edge of the pocket falls into the pocket due to being hit by any ball in a shot, in the case of no foul, all the balls should be placed back in their original positions, and the shot should be repeated; if a foul occurs, the penalty points are deducted according to the corresponding foul rules.
The foul rules in English snooker competitions are both complex and rigorous. They are like the “invisible referee” on the court, constantly supervising every movement of the players. For players, having an in-depth understanding of and strictly abiding by these rules is not only a respect for the game but also the key to maintaining an advantage and avoiding mistakes in the fierce competition. Only by fully demonstrating their skills within the framework of the rules can one truly appreciate the infinite charm of the snooker sport.
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