Those diamonds are for you to use! If you know your geometry, you can use them to aim your shot. We’ll cover that in the next section (strategy). The rail by where the first player breaks is called the short, or head, rail. The opposite rail is called the foot rail, and the long rails are called the side rails. The area behind which you break, behind the “head string,” is called the “kitchen. “[2] X Research source The pros play on heated billiards tables. The heat gets the balls to roll more smoothly. It’s green so you can look at it for long periods of time. Apparently humans can handle green better than any other color.
If you hit the other player’s ball, you forfeit your chance of calling who starts. If you do win the lag, it’s generally accepted that you go second. The player who breaks generally wastes their turn setting up the balls, not taking a strategic shot.
The person who wins the lag calls which ball they’d like to be theirs (cue ball), the white or the spot. It’s just a matter of personal preference. The object ball (red) is then placed at the foot spot. That’s where the point of the triangle would be in pool, by the way. The opponent’s cue ball is placed at the head spot, where you normally break from in pool as well. The starting player’s cue is then placed on the head string (in line with the head spot), at least 6 inches (15 cm) from their opponent’s cue. So, obviously, when your ball is in line with your opponent’s, it’s very hard to hit both balls on the table. Hence why if you win the lag, you opt to go second.
For starters, every type of carom billiards involves getting a point by striking both balls on the table. It’s how you do that that changes: In straight-rail billiards, as long as you hit both balls, you get a point. This is easiest. In one-cushion billiards, you must hit one cushion (one side of the table) before the second ball is displaced. In three-cushion billiards, you must hit three cushions before the balls roll to a stop. Balkline billiards removes the one flaw in this game. If you manage to get both balls into a corner, you could, presumably, hit them off of each other over and over and over. Balkline billiards stipulates that you cannot receive points from a shot where the balls are in the same area (often the table is divided into 8 sections) of the table. Once you determine how you get points, decide at what point you’d like to stop. In one-cushion, that number is generally 8. But three-cushion is so hard, you’ll have better luck with 2!
The player who goes first must hit the red ball (it’d be weird to hit the other, anyway) If you score a point, continue shooting Playing “slop” (accidentally getting a point) is generally regarded as illegal Always keep one foot on the floor at all times “Jumping” the ball is a foul, as is hitting a ball when it’s still in motion
Most often, you’ll want to hit the cue ball squarely in the center. Sometimes, you may want to hit the ball to one side or another to impart sidespin, or “English,” to it to make the ball travel to one side. Occasionally, you may want to hit the cue ball below center to cause it to climb over a ball you don’t want to move and strike a ball you do want to move.
Your shooting hand should generally grip the cue stick about 6 inches (15 cm) to the rear of the stick’s balance point. If you’re short, you may want to move your hand forward of this point; if you’re tall, you may want to move it further back.
In a closed bridge, you wrap your index fingers around the cue and use your other fingers to steady your hand. This allows for more control over the stick, particularly with a forceful forward stroke.
Use the rail bridge when the cue ball is too close to the rail for you to slip your hand behind it. Lay your cue stick over the rail and keep its tip steady with your off hand.
Most billiards games require you to keep at least 1 foot (0. 3 m) on the floor when shooting. If you can’t do so comfortably, you may either need to take a different shot or use a mechanical bridge to rest the tip of your cue stick in when you shoot.
Either the center of your head or your dominant eye should line up with the center of the cue stick without tilting. Some professional pool players do tilt their heads, however. Most pocket billiards players put their heads 1 to 6 inches (2. 5 to 15 cm) above the cue stick, while snooker players have their heads touching or almost touching the cue. The closer you bring your head, the greater your accuracy, but at a loss of range for the back and forward stroke.
Sometimes, your best shot isn’t a scoring shot (offensive shot) but to shoot the cue ball to a place where your opponent has difficulty making a scoring shot (that is, a defensive shot). Take a few practice strokes if you need them. This will limber up your arm before the actual shot.
If one-cushion billiards is doable, try moving to two. Three is near impossible, even for the pros! If you can handle two, you should start playing for money!
Take some time to experiment! The more you see how many options you have, the better you’ll get and the more fun the game will be. Take your carom billiards skill and start playing pool, 9-ball, 8-ball or even Snooker!
