There was a thread on the subject of will carom throw off your pool game in the carom section
Overwhelming majority claimed it only helped them
Overwhelming majority claimed it only helped them
Can pool players benefit by crossing-over to 3-cushion billiards?
- Thread starter dogloose
- Start date
I think the gather shots in balkline specifically would
Help your pool game more than 3c will
Kicking is a bit different due to the action on the rails, really different actually as I've tried on my tables
But knowing how the balls react off each other stays the same for amount of ball hit and English/stroke applied
Help your pool game more than 3c will
Kicking is a bit different due to the action on the rails, really different actually as I've tried on my tables
But knowing how the balls react off each other stays the same for amount of ball hit and English/stroke applied
Last edited:
This and your other post:
Tunnel vision in the extreme - IMHO
Dale(who is miraculously endowed with the ability to perceive when a table has pockets, as well as when it doesn't)
I think the same pros and cons can be applied to carom pool and snooker, and to a lesser extent, the same pros and cons to different games within pool
for me it comes down to how much meaningful practice time can you put into one without taking away from the other
ya know the gym will help your pool game too, so will healthy eating, so will a happy home life, good finances, etc....how much of that replaces time at say 9 ball if that's what you compete in?
additionally, in my mind, I've seen only the most minor of anecdotal evidence to suggest cross training provides any significant advantage, yeah Efren played sporty carom and baulkline and perfect one pocket, Mark Selby trasnferred a uk8 ball game into snooker and chinese 8 ball, a few other examples here and there and of course the old timers years ago played lots of pool and carom
who knows, are top pool pros today incorporating carom? i think not
for me it comes down to how much meaningful practice time can you put into one without taking away from the other
ya know the gym will help your pool game too, so will healthy eating, so will a happy home life, good finances, etc....how much of that replaces time at say 9 ball if that's what you compete in?
additionally, in my mind, I've seen only the most minor of anecdotal evidence to suggest cross training provides any significant advantage, yeah Efren played sporty carom and baulkline and perfect one pocket, Mark Selby trasnferred a uk8 ball game into snooker and chinese 8 ball, a few other examples here and there and of course the old timers years ago played lots of pool and carom
who knows, are top pool pros today incorporating carom? i think not
How does one even get into billiards. I know of two pool rooms that I go to that have billiard tables, Bay Shore and Carom Cafe. Both have their regulars that play each other. I hint that I'd like to play and I get remarks like "stick with pool, this game will drive you crazy". I doubt anyone would want to teach a beginner.
Last spring I was at Carom in Queens playing pool and saw a big sign there, "beginners three cushion billiards tournament plus 1 hour beginners clinic" on a date which happened to be Memorial Day. I showed up that day and nobody knew anything about it, not even the employees at the desk! I even pointed the sign which was still there to the cashier and he knew nothing. I stayed an hour and left.
Last spring I was at Carom in Queens playing pool and saw a big sign there, "beginners three cushion billiards tournament plus 1 hour beginners clinic" on a date which happened to be Memorial Day. I showed up that day and nobody knew anything about it, not even the employees at the desk! I even pointed the sign which was still there to the cashier and he knew nothing. I stayed an hour and left.
Who is it that remarks stick with pool?
Pool players? It would be a first to hear of a billiard player not wanting to help out someone wanting to learn and get into it
When I first started,, everyone gave advice and it was a bit overwhelming but not once was anyone anything but positive and helping,
The players of carom are such nice people I can't say enough about the community here in Houston
i have studied many billiard systems( yes eventually you need feel and have to adjust for every table)
and they have helped me tremendously in playing position and for kicking to get out of safeties and to put people in safety
those skills come up in 9/10 ball and one pocket all the time
i would love to have a billiard table near me to play on a regular basis and experienced players to learn from
i think the nuances of actually playing the game could only help my pool game
especially if i could get someone to teach me the techniques of the balkline and carom game
and they have helped me tremendously in playing position and for kicking to get out of safeties and to put people in safety
those skills come up in 9/10 ball and one pocket all the time
i would love to have a billiard table near me to play on a regular basis and experienced players to learn from
i think the nuances of actually playing the game could only help my pool game
especially if i could get someone to teach me the techniques of the balkline and carom game
I like 3C a lot. Playing occasionally and watching video streams pushes me to think only about multi-rail shots. While I am never going to be a good 3C player, I have become much more confident with 2, 3, and 4-rail kicks to get out of safeties in 9/10-ball. In a similar regard, I have only recently starting to learn 1P. Not so sure I will ever be skilled at that game either. But my brief time playing it has forced me to learn bank shots that cover more than half a table length as well as 2-rail banks. Before spending time with either of those games, the limited exposure I had to those types of shots were mostly guess work.
Occasionally my wife works up the interest to play a bit of pool on our table downstairs. I usually join her to make it a game. There is no handicap system that would make it worth either of our time. So, I play entirely either left-handed or with a bridge. I cannot make long runs either way, so she gets to play a reasonable amount. But for me, I become much more comfortable with opposite hand and bridge shooting, which augments my regular pool skills. Those types of shots are not called upon enough in regular pool games to become proficient at them.
Occasionally my wife works up the interest to play a bit of pool on our table downstairs. I usually join her to make it a game. There is no handicap system that would make it worth either of our time. So, I play entirely either left-handed or with a bridge. I cannot make long runs either way, so she gets to play a reasonable amount. But for me, I become much more comfortable with opposite hand and bridge shooting, which augments my regular pool skills. Those types of shots are not called upon enough in regular pool games to become proficient at them.
Yeah, I think I'd lean toward this answer but there is no single all-encompassing answer to your question. Some of it depends on your own strengths and weaknesses. If you're a poor kicker, you'll certainly see an improvement. If you're looking to expand the capabilities of your stroke, 3C will certainly show you some things. That said, a huge portion of successful pool rests in pocketing balls and if you find yourself only interested in pool, the time away from pool will eventually catch-up with you. But, 3C is a great game all by itself. I think it wouldn't be fair to look at it as a training ground for pool players but, instead, an entirely different game which you happen to have a head start on.
I spent a few days at Bay Shore Billiards last summer while visiting NY and found quite the opposite. I was warmly welcomed and Merrill Hughes, the Treasurer of the USBA who happened to be there that day, invited me to play with him. And when my wife accompanied me one time they all stopped their cussing when Merrill said something like "Hey guys, there's a lady present". Which I both appreciated and was amused by.
In my experience when I was just starting, if you get a table and a set of balls and start just doing the best you can, someone will come over and start showing you shots. Many very good pool players are just afraid of getting out of their comfort zone and looking foolish. At the senior center where I play I (and others) have been after the best pool player there for a year to spend a little time with me on a 3C table. He just won't do it, and my theory is that he is just so used to being the best that he can't bear to play something at which he is not the best. Although IMO if he did he might be the best 3C player at the center in short order.
indeed, but the sample of one prodigy from 1000 years ago means little
Absolutely, you learn the angles from playing Three Cushion. In other words you learn the paths the cue ball will take off object balls. Very important for good position play!
Not everybody has the temperament to play 3C billiards. There are lots of misses before you even score a point, especially if you're a beginner.
Players who are naturally adept at seeing angles will enjoy the game. Those who aren't, will struggle just as much as they struggle with their pool games, and with even less satisfaction due to the infrequency of scoring.
Also, the difference in ball sizes is significant. It can negatively affect your pool game if you're not advanced and play a lot of 3C and then suddenly switch back to pool.
Players who are naturally adept at seeing angles will enjoy the game. Those who aren't, will struggle just as much as they struggle with their pool games, and with even less satisfaction due to the infrequency of scoring.
Also, the difference in ball sizes is significant. It can negatively affect your pool game if you're not advanced and play a lot of 3C and then suddenly switch back to pool.
I'm with the crowd that thinks learning is good
Ball, table size
Sounds like excuses
If you don't like it that's fine,it isn't for everyone, particularly people that can't sit still for 5 minutes
but don't go trying to discourage people from the game based on your own hang ups
Ball, table size
Sounds like excuses
If you don't like it that's fine,it isn't for everyone, particularly people that can't sit still for 5 minutes
but don't go trying to discourage people from the game based on your own hang ups
Lyndrom,mosconi, greenleaf to Minnesota fats to byrne to
More recent Richie richeson, Manny chao I believe
Do I need to go on?
Last edited:
There have been times in my life when I played a lot of 3C and once, about 15 years ago, even played in a National 3C Tournament Qualifier.
For me, the big thing about playing 3C is that it allows you to see the behavior of the CB writ large. IOW, the effects of speed, elevation, english, draw, and follow are pretty easy to see on a 10' table over the course of a multiple rail shot in a way that you can't see on much shorter pool shots. So that will be a huge aid to you in your pool pursuits.
It's a great game but can be frustrating to the novice. But once you start scoring the occasional point you'll be hooked for life.
Lou Figueroa
Actually, it means quite a bit if one is intelligent enough to grasp it -IMHO.
Dale(Grasper in charge0