Coaching

[Lloydian]

Yes, I'm a nerd. I read the rules book even when I don't have to. Recently, a rule came up during a match that someone described to me saying that during a timeout, while the coach can speak with other team members about the advice he or she was giving to the player, no player other than the coach could actually go to the table. This seemed odd to me, so last night I went to look it up. As I expected, there is nothing in the rules that even suggests that other players cannot discuss it at the table as long as the player taking the time out stays away and speaks only to the coach.

But while I was researching it, I came across something that left me puzzled. In 11. f., it reads, "Coaches may place the cue ball for a player in a ball-in-hand situation during a time-out. Coaches may not mark the playing surface of the table, or guide the shooter's cue. The coach must leave the playing area before the shooter attempts the shot." What I'm puzzled about is the part about guiding the shooter's cue. I know that I've helped people to aim, telling them to move left or right. I've demonstrated how to address the cue ball. And of course I'm not doing any of this while the shooter is actually shooting (the sentence that follows makes that illegal). What, exactly, is that restriction intended to eliminate?

[Ashley916]

Maybe what they mean is if I'm getting ready to shoot the ball, my coach could not come up behind me and help me aim? That would make sense, but my coach can tell me aim more left or aim more right, they are technically not guiding my cue, they are guiding me, which is why you can get around that rule, because essentially as a coach you are guiding your player as to what to do, you just have to trust that your player interprets your coach the way that you intend. Does that make sense?