Pool players studying 3C

For one year I played 3 cushion exclusively. Prior to that I only played pool. After the year when I started playing pool again I was a better pool player. 3 cushion definitely improved my pool game. I was much better at position and kicking because of playing 3 cushion.

There is a lot to be learned by playing other cue sports and different variations of the game of pool. I love them all.
 
Black-Balled said:
Harriman, McCreesh, Wilkie, Shuff, Chau...with Chau being the best of that list I M O
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I didn't know any of that, even though I know several of those players in real life (well... not real life, but from non-virtual pool rooms :) )

Last time I played Manny he pointed out how much bigger the ball was on a certain 1-rail kick I had just missed if I used reverse english + draw to straighten up the angle instead of running english. I guess that's some of that there knowledge I was referring to, that any experienced 3C player knows on an instinctive level, but which hadn't occurred to me during the match.

-Andrew
 
macguy said:
The biggest problem is the stroke. If you get on the average billiard table, not say one of the heated super speedy tables, and then try to go back to a pool table your game will be a bit messed up. If you are playing a lot of serious pool it may be a good idea to stay away from billiards.
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Not sure I understand this. Can you explain why?

-Andrew
 
efirkey said:
For one year I played 3 cushion exclusively. Prior to that I only played pool. After the year when I started playing pool again I was a better pool player. 3 cushion definitely improved my pool game. I was much better at position and kicking because of playing 3 cushion.

There is a lot to be learned by playing other cue sports and different variations of the game of pool. I love them all.
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Ain't it the truth! The more I play different games like 14.1, rotation, 3 cushion and the like the more I learn about my regular pool game and benefit from it. This is also why I don't mind trying new games, most all of them have something to offer.
 
i can add that after playing 3c, I have to be careful on the pool table, as I tend to believe I can go 4+ rails for position...which often results in me leaving myself snugged up to the next ball:mad:.

A great game, far more interesting than pool, IMO. And the opponents are far easier to get along with, regardless of which continent they come from.
 
Andrew Manning said:
Not sure I understand this. Can you explain why?

-Andrew
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All you have to do is pull up some billiards on youtube. In pool you use a whole slue of strokes from a short nips maybe pulling the cueball back 4 inches to a length of the table draw shot or stop shot to a slow roll.
If you are on a non heated average speed billiard table you may be whacking the cue ball all over the place with little finesse after a while. I can only go by personal experience and owning a pool room with billiards tables watching players play. This is not meant to be a debate I can only go by my own observations.
Here is an example of Sang Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkoxT63v32c

His billiards stroke just does not relate to playing pool at all. He was the worst pool player you ever saw for a guy who was a world champion in another cue sport. Billiard players just seem to have this short polk stroke an most shots. Now pool players who play billiards a bit seem to just use their pool stroke at first, but over time they change and this change it what in my opinion becomes detrimental to their pool game.

In fact, the object of what they are trying to accomplish on the billiard table is completely different then on a pool table. They are different games. I do believe in playing all games from pool to golf, snooker to billiards to banks and so on. I like all table games. I have always been more impressed with all-around-players then specialists. About the billiards stroke, I am just speaking clinically.

I could be wrong.
 
You can find billiard tables in some surprising locations. Check the local lodges (Elks, Moose, etc.). Sometimes you can find a lonely table in a YMCA.

I have played on a billiards table with regular pool balls (when no ball sets were available).

In a serious pinch, a 10 foot snooker table works - although the balls don't travel as far. You can't really bang the balls because they get airborne at high speeds. Pool balls would work. I suppose you could use snooker balls.

I have seen 3-cushion played on a 9 foot pool table. To make it more interesting, any ball that drops into a pocket is penalized 1 point. That rule really forces you to pay attention to where all 3 balls could go.
 
Quesports said:
NO BS and when you get lucky and score a point accidentally it's usually followed by a nod of apology.
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That's about right. Occasionally we'll hop onto the 3C table for a change of pace. We'll start out playing a game to 25. After a couple of hours one of us will look at the other and say "Uh, let's just go to 5." :embarrassed2:
 
I've been meaning to pick up 3-cushion but I've always been opposed to doing extreme english when I play 9ball/10ball. I could see that it would help just to understand the cue ball path and reactions off rails though.
 
Richie Richardson, Raphael Martinez, Ernesto Dominguez (and I assume Oscar) all play 3-c, too.
 
I agree, mostly.

When I get help on shots, it is often suggested to me that I stroke the ball differently, and thinking about it now, they never tell me to let my stroke out!

There is a huge difference between the way a pool/ carom ball reacts, post strike. One can see the difference between hi/ low ball strike, 4 rails post contact with the first ball. It is mind-blowing, actually.

I always wondered if the fact that the CB retains spin for so
macguy said:
All you have to do is pull up some billiards on youtube. In pool you use a whole slue of strokes from a short nips maybe pulling the cueball back 4 inches to a length of the table draw shot or stop shot to a slow roll.
If you are on a non heated average speed billiard table you may be whacking the cue ball all over the place with little finesse after a while. I can only go by personal experience and owning a pool room with billiards tables watching players play. This is not meant to be a debate I can only go by my own observations.
Here is an example of Sang Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkoxT63v32c

His billiards stroke just does not relate to playing pool at all. He was the worst pool player you ever saw for a guy who was a world champion in another cue sport. Billiard players just seem to have this short polk stroke an most shots. Now pool players who play billiards a bit seem to just use their pool stroke at first, but over time they change and this change it what in my opinion becomes detrimental to their pool game.

In fact, the object of what they are trying to accomplish on the billiard table is completely different then on a pool table. They are different games. I do believe in playing all games from pool to golf, snooker to billiards to banks and so on. I like all table games. I have always been more impressed with all-around-players then specialists. About the billiards stroke, I am just speaking clinically.

I could be wrong.
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DogsPlayingPool said:
That's about right. Occasionally we'll hop onto the 3C table for a change of pace. We'll start out playing a game to 25. After a couple of hours one of us will look at the other and say "Uh, let's just go to 5." :embarrassed2:
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You guys don't play nearies are worth 1/2 point!?!?:rolleyes:;):D
 
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"Mago" Chavez is super strong at 3c. Which is evident by the way he plays pool. Back in the day I asked him how to play better pool and he suggested that I play straight carom, 1c,2c,3c but on a pool table. He said that's how u learn to run before walking.
 
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I'm a pretty strong pool player and played 3C at a .7 level, decent. Love the game, no tables in the area where I live now, one of the places is talking about getting one and I hope they do.

If there was more action with 3C, I would completely stop playing pool. Pool at a certain level almost becomes boring, more of an exercise in concentration than anything else. With 3C, you may be shooting some routine shots, playing position, etc., then all of the sudden the balls roll into a funny position, or after you miss your opponent leaves you tough, and you get to use so much knowledge and creativity in trying to come up with a viable shot. Very cool, very fun.

I realized recently when giving a lesson on cue ball control just how much my 3C play influenced my game. Learning how to apply various amounts of spin to the ball, extreme english, using "inside" spin all the time, blending english and speed and thickness of hit, etc., all of that is just part of my pool game and position play. Not to mention all of the systems I learned. Trying to explain to an intermediate player how you can get to the same place with different blends of spin, etc. is difficult without practice and seeing the results and building up that feel over time.

Great game, wish I could still play...
Scott
 
TSW said:
Oh, you gotta play nearies. My friend Big Ned plays 1/2 point if you get within a hand span. He is tough to beat!
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Hellz yeah!
If i didn't count nearies...my avg would be an embarrassment !!!

Wish we could pull some folks from the carom section into this exchange. Ther are a few Players over there.
 
I've heard that Matlock has a high run of 17 at 3-C which is a world class run of billiards.

12squared is too much of a class act to bring it up, but I watched him take down Sang Lee a million years ago in San Jose, CA in a national tournament and have a ton of respect for both his pool and 3-C game.

One more thing, if anyone doubts that the game of 3-C billiards isn't getting tougher, two different players have run 28 in competition recently...at the very minimum I'd say that is the equal of running 6-8 racks of ten ball. The skill and precision of European carom players is beyond scary at this point.
 
I began playing 3C about 3-4hrs a week for the past year. Our local room has 2 heated Sams with a 3rd on the way and an old Brunswick, all with Simonis carom cloth and play great. I have played pool/snooker over 40yrs. When I watched the pros, I watched to learn the patterns, position, spin, physics of their game, not just to watch a good match. What inspires me to play 3C is watching former U.S. National champ and local, George Ashby with amazing shots and having an encyclopedias worth of knowledge . He is there every Saturday all day willing to play and teach us "pool players" the fine art of controlling your frustration and proper cussing when playing 3C. Over the last year, my 3C game has improved greatly. I watch George's shots just as I did with the pool pros. Just learning the bare basics about diamond system has also been a great help for my pool game too. I always check to find out how short the pocket table plays before I begin a match, and making the adjustments gives me much more confidence on kicking and position.
For me, being a pretty decent pool player probably helped my 3C game improve fairly quickly (never keep ave.). I am a believer that 3C will help a pool player if he/she takes the time to learn at least the basics.

As for Efren, I think 15 ball rotation made his position play great.
 
I totally, 100%, agree with the notion that 3C will help your pool game. I'm a "solid" 0.15 or so average in 3C, but I'm working on it. Oddly, my pool game has progressed more than my 3C game lately, while I've been learning and playing more and more 3C. Go figure...
 
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