Billiards terminology
The billiard terminology deals with the various technical terms for this sport / s ( glossary ). These differ considerably, depending on the discipline, as they often have different origins. This can also be different depending on the country, although they use the same language (e.g. English). In a broader sense, each discipline has its own terminology . Sometimes, however, terms are also used and understood in an interdisciplinary manner.
Terminologies
- Billiard - French origin. Especially in the cadre discipline , referees make announcements in French, which all players must, but can, master at international tournaments. There are corresponding translations in German.
- Snooker - of English origin.
- Pool - American origin.
The list below is intended to show the generally understood billiards terms. In the broadest sense they refer to the most widespread billiards discipline, pool billiards.
Common Terms
A.
- Announcement or announcement game
- At pool, z. B. with the 8-ball , the bag and the desired ball to be sunk are announced to the teammate before the kick. If this has been done correctly, recording continues. If a ball other than the one that was announced falls or if it falls into a different pocket, this is a valid kick, but the player must then hand the shot over to the other player. The sunk ball (s) remain in the pockets.
- Kick-off or opening kick
- This opens the game or the match in general. Who has the right to carry out this first push is determined either by the gang decision or a coin toss.
- The recording is the totality of all shocks that could be performed without errors. The recording begins with the first push after you have taken over the table from your teammate or with the opening push if a match has just started. If a foul occurs, the recording ends. Logically, it also ends when it is possible to sink all the balls required.
- Play out or expel
- Description for a procedure to determine who is allowed to start in pool. Both players play a game ball from the head field to the foot band and the balls should roll back so that they stop as close as possible to the head band. The closer ball allows the player to start the match. But he also has the right to choose the other player for it.
- Eject
B.
- Ball-in-hand
- The right to endlessly place the "whites" anywhere in the head field with 14/1 and on the entire table with 8-ball and 9-ball .
- Ball contact
- The point in time at which the cue touches the ball with its tip is described with the ball contact. Depending on the force and duration of the contact, the cue ball receives more or less energy and rotation. This short moment therefore decides whether the push is successful.
- Gang effect or discount
- Gang decision
- To decide which player can start the game, both players simultaneously play a ball lengthways to the opposite board and back again. The player whose ball comes to a stop closest to the edge of the break has a choice.
- Buck (hand)
- Leadership or leading for the queue when pushing. I can have this in different designs adapted to the required joint (open, closed, high ...).
Different versions of the buck hand
closed buck
open buck
Billy goat
high buck
- bridge
- Auxiliary queue or “grandma” also helps the player to solve difficult-to-access positions.
D.
- Design
- The chosen impact solution to the desired carom to lead.
- Diamonds
- Marking on the boards. The long band is divided into 8 and the short band into 4 equal parts. They are needed for the diamond system.
- Diamond system
- A game system that is mainly used by experienced players and in which a combination of experience and numerical calculation with the help of diamonds decide on a design.
- Double or puncture
- According to the rules, when you hit the ball only once with the cue
- triangle
- Frame for placing the balls.
E.
- Rotation of a ball around its axis. Additional movements of the game ball (turns; often against the running direction!), Which are achieved by decentralized hitting the ball. This can be used to consciously change the board cut.
- Extension
F.
- She sits at the top of the cue. The leather tips are attached to this part, which is usually made of plastic or (for snooker cues) brass. The ferrule protects the rest of the cue from cracks and specifically absorbs hard impacts. The bitter orange is attached to it. The ferrule of break or jump cues differs from that of normal play cues, as these cues have to withstand more impact force, which is why they are usually made of materials with higher strength. Today, the material is often a plastic with fabric inlays and does not require any other bitter orange, it is pushed directly with the ferrule.
- foul
- Any violation of the rules is a foul and will be punished with penalty points and / or the submission of the recording. With 8-ball and 9-ball, the opponent also receives the ball in his hand .
- Free choice or open table
- In the case of pool billiards, it is indicated that the distribution of the full or half-colored balls does not depend on the first ball that falls at the kick-off, but is determined by the first ball regularly sunk by announcement.
- Base point
- Center of the top half of the pool table. The foremost ball of the triangle is always built on the base point.
J
- Jump shot
- The ball is made to bounce. This push is only allowed if it is pushed from top to bottom, the cue is held at an angle of at least 45 °. The "shoveling under", a deeply applied, horizontal push, is rated as a foul and ends the recording. This shot is completely forbidden in snooker.
K
- Collision
- Meaning 1: Expression for a regular encounter, the collision of two balls.
- Meaning 2: The game of billiards on a table without pockets and with only 3 balls (white, yellow and red).
- Kickser
- Jump off of the ball from the cue tip ( bitter orange ), if this is insufficient prepared (z. B. not chalked)
- A kiss shot is performed in game situations in which a direct hole in an object ball is not possible or if it can be used to gain an advantage for positional play. He is one of the combination hits.
- Clothes foul
- A player may not touch one or more balls with his clothing at any time and move them. This will be counted as a foul and will end the recording. (see also stock foul )
- Combination shot
- The direct combination hit is one in which the cue ball is played on a colored ball that hits another ball directly and sinks it. An indirect combination hit occurs when the cue ball hits a colored ball, is deflected and only then hits the ball that is to be pocketed.
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Head field (left) with head line, right the foot point
- Head field
- At pool the bottom third of the table. The opening break must be carried out from within the header. It's the other side of snooker.
- Head line
- Limitation of the header field
- Head point
- Center of the head line
- Headbutt
- Difficult push from above. The white cue ball runs a curve.
- Chalks
- Essential action to enough adhesion between bitter orange and ball manufacture and avoid squeak. An insufficiently chalked bitter orange makes spin or jumping balls almost impossible.
N
- Follower or forerunner
- A type of thrust in which Ball I is guided by a spin (hit high) after the collision with Ball II in the played direction (trailing) to Ball III.
O
- Overtime
P
- The leather tip of the cue. Without them, no spin strokes would be possible.
- Press ball
- Two balls that touch each other or one ball that is in direct contact with the board. Usually significant deterioration in shock.
R.
- Returns or withdrawals
- A game ball hit below the middle, which runs back towards the player after the collision.
S.
- beak
- The part of the cue from the leading hand to the tip
- Game style / mode for teams with alternating recording
- series
- Sink several balls in a row
- Clock for the time limitation of moves (bumps) (e.g. 40 seconds) with the option of extending it two or three times.
- safety
- Game move in pool, which is announced and has the goal of not hitting the ball or the board, but leaving a difficult situation for the other player. Then the player surrenders the recording and is not allowed to continue playing, even if a ball has been pocketed.
- Cue ball
- The ball that can be kicked with the cue according to the rules. For pool and snooker this is white, for collision white or yellow
- Jumping ball
- Stock foul
- If a player touches one or more balls with his cue (stick) when starting the shot or after finishing it, this is considered a foul and the shot is ended. No balls may be moved through it. (see also clothes foul )
- Stop ball
- Impact in which the “white” remains at the point of contact after contact with the object ball.
T
- One of 6 holes in the pool or snooker table that is used to sink the balls.
- tempo
- Methodically achieved running speed of the balls for safe adjustment
- Timeout or time-out
- In the collision area, this term was incorrectly used for the extension of rush hour (2 or 3 times possible) , although it actually means time out , i.e. a break. Even the UMB uses “time-out” in its regulations. It is not known whether the UMB triggered this misuse of the term or if it was done by the players.
- cloth
- Upholstery for billiard tables, usually made of high-quality worsted yarn
V
- Extension or extension / overtime
- is the extension of the peak time limit. If a shot clock is used, usually from the Bundesliga upwards, the player has the option, depending on the tournament rules, after the regular peak time has expired (depending on the tournament, between 30 and 50 seconds), this two or three times by the same length extend. Although incorrectly used, it is often referred to as timeout . However, this describes stopping the time limit.
- Front borders : A type of shot in which a border is hit first before a ball is hit.
Z
- Puller or pull ball
swell
- Sport Lexicon - Terms in Billiards ( Memento from September 13, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
- Billiard catalog - which terms should you know in billiards? ( Memento from September 13, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ World Cup Three Cushion Rules. (PDF) Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB), December 15, 2018, archived from the original on September 18, 2019 ; accessed on September 18, 2019 (English).