The Marching Arts

[JimF-LowBari]

28 minutes ago, Weaklefthand4ever said:

There are some very distinct differences and very distinct similarities and to ignore either of those two things isn't appropriate to either the fans or the participants. Here's another analogy:

Let's take something that I participate in at a semi-professional level....billiards. 

Billiards, similar to "band" is a generalized term for "cue sports" meaning that a ball is struck with a cue. The game is played on a table which is covered with felt. So, if we follow the logic given here then all billiards games are the same. So snooker (played on 6'x12' table with with 21 balls and scored on points) is the same as 3-Cushion (played on a 5'x10' table with 3 balls and no pockets.) 9-Ball is the same as all of them and all of my skill as a 9-ball, 10-ball and bank pool player should translate across all the other cue games. But that's not exactly how it works. Different rules, skill sets, techniques, traditions and even pay. 

The point is, they share similarities at their root and all come from a single starting point which then branched out. The family tree has many branches. Drum Corps and Marching Band both have a common lineage, but they have distinct differences. For those who don't know the differences, no amount of explanation will do more than scratch the surface and provide a very basic understanding. For the initiated, the differences are distinct and clear. 

I'm not going to argue with anyone about it. This is the part of the year when people tend to argue to hear the sound of their own voice and try to prove their intelligence to others by playing whack-a-mole with opinions. It's called an opinion for a reason. 

Serious question: is there also a specific cue and ball game called billiards or does that just apply to the overall sport. Overall sport including snooker, 8 ball, etc, etc. Asking as have heard people say they are playing billiards but actually playing 8 ball (no snooker tables in my area).

[Weaklefthand4ever]

28 minutes ago, JimF-LowBari said:

Serious question: is there also a specific cue and ball game called billiards or does that just apply to the overall sport. Overall sport including snooker, 8 ball, etc, etc. Asking as have heard people say they are playing billiards but actually playing 8 ball (no snooker tables in my area).

When most people refer to "Billiards" as a specific game, they're speaking of 3-Cushion. The reason being that in 3-Cushion, you are striking one of 3 balls into another ball and making the ball struck travel 3 rails or cushions to strike the 3rd ball (see the image below.) In this example, you are striking the white into the red. The white then travels 3 rails into the upper left hand quadrant of the table where a 3rd ball would be located. Just as an aside, the ball can travel MORE than 3 rails, but never less.

The action of striking a ball to then "carom" or "billiard" off another ball is where the terminology comes from. All of the pocket billiards style games such as 8 ball, 9 ball etc, are typically generalized under "pocket billiards" by those who don't have knowledge of the specifics. 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Weaklefthand4ever

[ironlips]

So, do the Billiards purists get their balls agitated if someone refers to them "shooting Pool"?

[JimF-LowBari]

2 hours ago, ironlips said:

So, do the Billiards purists get their balls agitated if someone refers to them "shooting Pool"?

Now I’m picture a bar room fight using horns instead of cue sticks... 😋

[Weaklefthand4ever]

21 hours ago, ironlips said:

So, do the Billiards purists get their balls agitated if someone refers to them "shooting Pool"?

Luckily, even those at the top of the game just "shoot pool." It's kinda like golf in a way. There are probably upwards of 25,000 pro and semi pro golfers but you see the same 20 cats on TV. Most of us who only play 3 or 4 big tourneys a year aren't very presumptuous....We know exactly where we got in the big picture lol.

Edited March 12, 2019 by Weaklefthand4ever

[JimF-LowBari]

6 hours ago, Weaklefthand4ever said:

Luckily, even those at the top of the game just "shoot pool." It's kinda like golf in a way. There are probably upwards of 25,000 pro and semi pro golfers but you see the same 20 cats on TV. Most of us who only play 3 or 4 big tourneys a year aren't very presumptuous....We know exactly where we got in the big picture lol.

Lol yeah my dad would say how he made extra money when he was a kid in 30s/40s. Something about midnight swims in the water hazard at the local golf course. Then sell the used balls they happened to “find” during the swims. Golf course converted to a shopping center ca 1960.