The first stage in the course of learning to play billiards is to set the blow itself, to train the accuracy of aiming, to work out the movement of the hand. The technical workout of the stroke is quite easy, but it is worth learning how to perform it correctly. Most beginners ignore this, setting themselves the wrong goal right away. Your goal is not to hit the ball into the hole. The goal is to comprehend the shot, executing it in such a way that the two balls bypass the clash and arrive where you want them to. It is desirable to work out the fundamental skills on the usual “head-on” swings: to hit the bat on the centre point of the ball. When your technical skill is already at a relatively acceptable level, it is time to learn more about the different types of strokes, and begin to improve them. The type of hit on the bat is determined by the direction of displacement of the point of impact from the centre of the ball. There are 9 such directions and each of them serves as a name for a particular stroke.
Types of cue strokes on the cue stick
You can make a touch with a pool cue on the bit area in many ways. The most elementary way to determine the different directions will help to determine the scheme of strokes in billiards. So, types of blows:
Klapshtos – beating in the centre zone of the target. It is the starting stroke, from which the grinding of billiard technique starts. Other beats with moving away from the centre point are called “effe”. One of the main ones, giving the opportunity to “lay” the ball reliably. When beating clearly on its centre point in the plane opposite to the billiard surface, the bat makes only a rhythmic movement forward and, touching the “foreign” ball, remains in place. The ball that is in play bounces back in a given direction.
Rolling – beating above the centre mark of the ball. Not seldom there is a need for the “own” ball, bypassing collisions with the “other’s” ball to come forward. For this purpose, a slow oblong blow is applied to the upper area of the bat. Here the bat, in addition to pushing away from the player, catches the oscillating movement and after collision with the ball played, delayed for a second, will move forward. It is very suitable for debutantes, it is easy to do, the aim at a given stroke is quite accurate.
Pullback – a beat below the centre point of the ball. It differs from the reel is more difficult, because the ball should be set opposite horizontal torsion. When there is a need to pull “your” ball back, the impact is directed to the lower area of the bat. Here, in contrast to the rolling blow, along with the slow movement forward, the cue will be rewarded with a twist around the horizontal axis to the opposite side and, staying in place, bypassing the blow, will roll back.
Cue strokes in billiards are famous for the pullback, because it is the most beautiful and complex of beats. Its application is quite extensive. The presence of a cue sticker is of great importance here. Only properly chalked, rounded, elastic and rough surface will allow you to accurately execute the beating.
4. Right sideways – a blow to the area exclusively to the right of the centre mark of the cue. With such a blow, the bat finds, in addition to a slow push forward, rotational motion around the axis vertically passing through the centre of the ball, counterclockwise, and, colliding with the ball played, giving him forward motion, spun and entrained by its oscillating rotation, will move only to the right.
5. Left Sidewinder – hitting an area strictly to the left of the centre of the bat. The impact of this swing is similar to the previous one, only the bat comes out with a vertical clockwise rotation and after collision with another ball will move to the left.
Further four schemes of blows in billiards are recognised as particularly complex and are called combined pushes, because they include at once components of side blows, as well as rolling or pullback.
6. Upper right side kick or rolling to the right – a blow to the point to the right and up from the centre of the bit. Such a push is made if it is necessary to let the ball after passing the clash with the directed ball rolled to the right side and forward. The blow through the cue is made to the upper right area of the ball in a slow and extended manner. The given blow gives the ball three kinds of movement:
– forward motion;
– an accelerating movement, a rolling movement;
– some, barely visible to the eye, deviation to the right area due to the lateral oscillation of the ball about the vertical axis.
7. Upper left sideways or rolling to the left – a push to the area to the left and up from the centre mark of the bit. The results of this shot are similar to the previous one, only the ball moves to the left and forward.
8. Lower right sidearm or pull to the right – a bump to the area to the right and down from the centre of the bat. This is where the ball is “pulled” slightly back and to the right after impact.
9. Lower left sidearm or pull to the left – hitting the area to the left and down from the centre point of the ball. Allows “your” bat to be “pulled” back and to the left when it comes in contact with the one being played.
Types of hits with the bat on the target ball
Taking into account the impact of the bat on the target ball, there are two subtypes of hits: straight and cut.
The “straight” shot
“Straight” balls are called such an arrangement of balls on the table, when the bit and the target with a hole are located on an even line, leading to the connection of their centre points.
Especially complicated push in billiard competition is called “straight”, applied through the entire billiard table, “his” ball is distant from the target at an impressive distance.
Such a blow requests a huge aiming accuracy.
“Slash” shot
“Cutting” is called players play balls that are outside the line, concentrating hitting centres and holes. “Cutting” in many situations is better when the target area is visible. If the balls are placed at an angle of 90 degrees, then this position is considered the “limit”.
There are additionally developed such shots, when the aiming ball does not go immediately into the hole, and bounces off the rim, and then already falls:
– duplet;
– slashing duplet;
– croise (reverse shot; the bat after contact with the aiming ball, crosses the trajectory of its course to the hole).
Duplet
The ball is in close contact with either side. Classic cue strokes will not help here.
If the artificial lines drawn mentally from the cue ball to the target ball and from it to the hole form an isosceles triangle, the angle of incidence will be equal to the angle of reflection. The target ball is struck clearly “in the forehead”, in the immediate core of the ball, and it falls into the hole. Such a duplet is considered a straight shot. It is recognised as the easiest of the duplets to hit.
It is recommended to hit a duplet into the middle hole smoothly. Under the given condition, even in the case of a not quite accurate shot, the target ball, hitting the sponge of the hole, will bounce off it and collide with its other sponge. Then, after hesitating, it will fall. In the case of an extremely inaccurate shot, the ball, having come into contact with the sponge, will move away from the hole by a certain distance and the stand will not come out.
Slice Duplet
The slash duplet differs from the straight duplet in that it is a difficult shot. Here the target can not be beaten “head-on”. The ball must be “cut”. From such an action at a small angle of fall, the angle of display increases significantly. With a cut duplet it is possible to put balls of extreme difficulty.
Croiset-turn.
If the ball is located at an excessively obtuse angle, so that it is impossible to play it neither straight nor cut duplet, then use a duplet called croiset, or, simply, reverse.