Shot clock ideas
Shot clock ideas
The Accustats Make it Happen One Pocket featured a pretty aggressive shot clock. I forget what it was, but it was definitely no more than a minute, with only one extension per rack per player. Running overtime was a foul, and loss of turn -- brutal, considering the cue ball was usually left facing the opponent's pocket! There were several fouls and a lot of obvious discomfort as the clock was ticking down. Maybe some views find that clock watching exciting -- personally I would rather see more creative One Pocket and a good match that turns on great shots rather than time violations.
I think a more sophisticated clock would be ideal - something like 60 seconds per shot could be fine, if players had maybe five minutes slush time per rack per player before a player is subject to a penalty, which would give a little more flexibility for each individual shot, and also would eliminate the need for a time out -- once the player has used their slush time, then the clock is strictly enforced. If you had a sophisticated enough clock system you might even be able to have a way to add more time back into your slush time (say if you shot in less than 30 seconds, for example).
Players like Corey, Ike Runnels and others would have to tighten up their thinking. Without a shot clock, the long races are a killer. With the One Pocket finals in Vegas going 6-1/2 hours for the final race to five, I expect next year either a shot clock or a roll back to a four game final.
I prefer the idea of a shot clock rather than changing the game by one of the rule variations that spots up extra balls if they begin to accumulate above the head string.
