Development of new 9-ball test protocols for assessing expertise in cue sports

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop new test protocols for evaluating 9-ball expertise levels in cue sports players. METHODS: Thirty-one male 9-ball players at different playing levels were recruited (recreational group, n = 8; university team, n = 15; national team, n = 8). A 15-ball test was administered to indicate overall performance by counting the number of balls potted. Five skill tests (power control, cue alignment, angle, back spin, and top spin) were conducted to evaluate specific techniques by calculating error distances from pre-set targets using 2D video analysis. RESULTS: Intra-class correlation analyses revealed excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability in four out of five skill tests (ICC > 0.95). Significant between-group differences were found in 15-ball test performance (p < 0.001) and absolute error distances in the angle (p < 0.001), back spin (p = 0.006), and top spin tests (p = 0.045), with the recreational group performing worst while the national team performing best. Greater inter-trial variability was observed in recreational players than the more skilled players (p < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the 9-ball test protocols were reliable and could successfully discriminate between different playing levels. Coaches and researchers may employ these protocols to identify errors, monitor training, and rank players. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13102-021-00237-9.