The Foundation basic-fundamentals chapter of my book, "The Concise Book of Position Play."
Explains the proper 'stroke-follow-thru' and the 5 Basic strokes.
The Stroke and Follow Through
The past and present strokes in 3 Cushion Billiards
One of the most common faults of amateur players is the incorrect concept of the proper stroke and follow-through in 3 cushion billiards. Unfortunately, years ago in the pre-modern game era, 30’s 40’ and 50’s, the equipment in the United States was vastly different. Modern tables are heated. Synthetic rubber is used for the cushions. Phenolic balls are used instead of Ivory and the woolen tablecloth slowed the cue ball down more than today's cloth. The statement, “You must follow-through on all shots”, was misleading. The professionals of that era should have said, “Apply the proper follow-through for each individual shot”.
The modern game of 3 cushion billiards has evolved into a precision game. In order to achieve that consistent precision, you must have a stroke that is free from flaws. A certain amount of natural hand-eye coordination will give some player’s more consistent results. But the proper stroke and follow through can be taught to the level of any player’s natural ability.
The start of the proper stroke
The proper stroke starts in the pre-setup routine. After analyzing the position that waits for you, determine what kind of stroke is needed to achieve a point. Before the player addresses the cue ball, he needs to decide on the rhythm and tempo for that particular shot. Use a couple of warm up strokes to get the feeling.
When addressing the cue ball, the cue tip should be fairly close to the cue ball before you start your backswing. The player should learn to develop the same number of warm-up strokes on every shot. This provides the rhythm component of the stroke.
I personally believe in the continuous straight, horizontal and vertical stroke method, and not pausing. If the player interrupts the rhythm, he may lose the timing and tempo he was trying to achieve. Another very important part of the stroke is crescendo, (increasing speed), never decelerating. Just remember, whatever number of warm-up strokes you choose to take, embed that into your game.
The normal stroke
Now to the different strokes, the normal stroke can be defined as a stroke that has a follow through approximately twice the length of the bridge the player is using for that specific shot. This stroke is used for most shots that have a natural angle from the cue ball to the object ball and then to the first cushion. We can generally use the normal stroke for natural angle cushion first shots (banks).
The short stroke
The next stroke is the short stroke. The name explains it all. The short stroke is probably used by better players more often than any other, especially on new cloth. This stroke is not an abrupt jab, but a well-timed shortened stroke with a shorter follow through than the length of the player’s bridge.
A little trick to help facilitate the effect is to use a shorter bridge than normal. Keeping the cue tip on the cue ball for a shortened time gives a purer hit. This makes sense. The common use of the short stroke is to make extremely thin hits on the object ball, keeping the cue ball from rolling forward on perpendicular angles into the first ball. Less wrist action helps with these types of shots.
The rapid stroke
The rapid stroke is used for giving pace to the cue ball without really hitting the cue ball hard. It’s like a discus thrower winding up before he releases. It will give momentum to the shot. The rapid stroke simply means that the warm-up and delivery-strokes are moving faster than the normal stoke. This stroke is employed on five, six, and seven cushion shots, especially with full hits on the first object ball, to avoid a kiss, or drive that ball a lengthy distance.
The slow stroke
Using the slow stroke will allow the player greater accuracy when playing half-table, short-angle shots, where the first ball is hit less than half full. Another application of the slow stroke is to help impart extreme English to the cue ball. During the delivery strokes the cue will swing slower than the normal stroke. This will help facilitate an exaggerated follow-through at impact, combined with more impetus. This results in a high rate of spin on the cue ball, thus making it possible to maintain English on 3, 4, or even 5 cushions.
The dead-ball stroke
And finally, the last basic stroke is called the dead-ball stroke. This stroke is very useful when playing steep angle across the table shots and full length table short-angle shots. The dead ball stroke is really a combination of the short stroke, grip and the technique used for this stroke.
The technique for this stroke uses no wrist action and only the forearm moves from the elbow. There is no wrist-break with the dead-ball stroke. Don't open and close the hand around the cue. This gives less rotation to the cue, so less effect. With this technique, using the short stroke with no wrist action, the player is able to control the natural forward motion of the cue ball on very full hits. The long table full ball shots do not need much force. Thus, the player will have better control.
