Three-cushion Carom Billiards
From the book “Carom Billiards: Around the World Patterns Patterns”
Group A: Short Leg into Long Rail, Group 1, Shot A1b
Starting layout
For this shot, this is how the balls are laid out on the table. With the cue ball at the lower left corner of the table, the other balls are up-table, near opposite side rails. The layout below shows how the shot was played.
The Shot
To make this shot work, the cue ball kisses off the red ball at a very thin angle. At the first rail, you can see that there was a lot of right spin. This sends the cue ball to the center diamond at the head of the table. The running English (side) opens the angle and puts the cue ball into the left side long rail just in front of the second ball (third rail) – and make the point.
The key to making this shot work is the thin cut on the red ball. You are welcome to work out other solutions. It is always good to test your ability to predict the future.
About this shot: All shots in the carom billiards books were made by professional players during national and international competitions. The first table layout shows the ball positions on the table. The ball labeled “A” is always the player’s cue ball. The second layout is how the player successfully made the point. Use paper reinforcement rings to mark positions for the balls. To duplicate the shot, place chalk cubes at each rail location where the cue ball contacts.
Purpose: With the balls in position, you want to be able to successfully duplicate the pattern successfully used by a professional player during competition. Through experimentation, determine the correct cue ball speed, spin, and angle off the first object ball. Repeat the shot until you can easily duplicate the results.
How to setup: Use paper reinforcement rings to mark the ball positions according to the first layout.
About the book: All shots in the “Around the World” book follow a similar pattern. The cue ball goes from its position to contact the long rail, short rail, opposite long rail, and then travels diagonally into the corner.
About the Author: Allan Sand is an instructor, certified by the Professional Billiards Instructor Association (PBIA). He has written more than 20 books on billiards (pocket and carom) and maintains a blog at www.billiardgods.com.
Editor: Chris Freeman
_________________________________________________________________________
Sponsored by Jacoby Custom Cues
