THE DIAMOND SYSTEM
I guess we could consider this the grand daddy of all kicking systems, it is actually very easy to learn. Very simply put, “the sum of diamonds equals the ball position number”; not to complicated is it? Diagram 1 shows the cue ball at ball position 5, hitting diamond 3 on the first rail will hit diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket (2 plus 3 equals ball position 5). Diagram 2 shows the cue ball at ball position 4, hitting diamond 2 on the first rail will hit diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket (2 plus 2 equals ball position 4). Adjust the firmness of your hit until you consistently pocket the cue ball, use about one half to one tip running english.
The VERY FIRST thing you should do when playing on a table is to check it’s tracking system by using the “diamond system”; these two go hand in hand. All tables track differently, unless they are billiard tables which have heated cushions and billiard cloth. Diagram 3 shows the third rail track for a billiard table and a new cloth on a pocket billiard table. As the cloth ages on a pocket billiard table it will begin to track short; MEANING, in the example above for Diagram 1; on a worn cloth the cue ball will now track “one” diamond ABOVE the corner pocket. I have seen some extremely worn cloth that tracks “two” diamonds ABOVE the corner pocket. To check the table’s track just put the cue ball in ball position 5 (corner pocket), aim THROUGH diamond 3 on the first rail, it will hit through diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the “fourth” rail.
Let’s say in Diagram 4 that we want to hit the object ball at the corner pocket. Let’s also assume that our table tracks SHORT; meaning, when we used the above test the cue ball hit diamond 2 on the third rail but tracked one diamond above the corner pocket. SO, what do we have to do to hit this ball? Well, looking at Diagram 3 we see that diamond 3 on the third rail tracks to the first diamond on the short rail; we tested our table before we began to play and found that the table tracks SHORT, so now diamond 3 tracks short to the corner pocket, RIGHT! So, from ball position 5 we need to hit diamond 2 on the first rail to hit diamond 3 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket and knock the object ball in the pocket, WE HOPE.
What do I mean by hitting THROUGH the diamond? The red lines in Diagram 1 shows what I mean by this.
Later I will explain a system that shows you where the cue ball will hit the second (short) rail.
Whenever you use a THREE rail kicking system you MUST always be aware of it’s track.
Also something to consider, on NEW cloth the balls sometimes tend to SLIDE along the rail causing the ball to rebound LONGER. My recent visits to pool halls have led me to believe that "Championship" cloth is a major culprit of this phenomenon, but ALL new clothes have a tendency to cause the balls to slide off the rail.
PART 1 consisted of:
THE DIAMOND SYSTEM
FOURTH RAIL TRACKS
J. R.
I guess we could consider this the grand daddy of all kicking systems, it is actually very easy to learn. Very simply put, “the sum of diamonds equals the ball position number”; not to complicated is it? Diagram 1 shows the cue ball at ball position 5, hitting diamond 3 on the first rail will hit diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket (2 plus 3 equals ball position 5). Diagram 2 shows the cue ball at ball position 4, hitting diamond 2 on the first rail will hit diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket (2 plus 2 equals ball position 4). Adjust the firmness of your hit until you consistently pocket the cue ball, use about one half to one tip running english.
The VERY FIRST thing you should do when playing on a table is to check it’s tracking system by using the “diamond system”; these two go hand in hand. All tables track differently, unless they are billiard tables which have heated cushions and billiard cloth. Diagram 3 shows the third rail track for a billiard table and a new cloth on a pocket billiard table. As the cloth ages on a pocket billiard table it will begin to track short; MEANING, in the example above for Diagram 1; on a worn cloth the cue ball will now track “one” diamond ABOVE the corner pocket. I have seen some extremely worn cloth that tracks “two” diamonds ABOVE the corner pocket. To check the table’s track just put the cue ball in ball position 5 (corner pocket), aim THROUGH diamond 3 on the first rail, it will hit through diamond 2 on the third rail and track to the “fourth” rail.
Let’s say in Diagram 4 that we want to hit the object ball at the corner pocket. Let’s also assume that our table tracks SHORT; meaning, when we used the above test the cue ball hit diamond 2 on the third rail but tracked one diamond above the corner pocket. SO, what do we have to do to hit this ball? Well, looking at Diagram 3 we see that diamond 3 on the third rail tracks to the first diamond on the short rail; we tested our table before we began to play and found that the table tracks SHORT, so now diamond 3 tracks short to the corner pocket, RIGHT! So, from ball position 5 we need to hit diamond 2 on the first rail to hit diamond 3 on the third rail and track to the corner pocket and knock the object ball in the pocket, WE HOPE.
What do I mean by hitting THROUGH the diamond? The red lines in Diagram 1 shows what I mean by this.
Later I will explain a system that shows you where the cue ball will hit the second (short) rail.
Whenever you use a THREE rail kicking system you MUST always be aware of it’s track.
Also something to consider, on NEW cloth the balls sometimes tend to SLIDE along the rail causing the ball to rebound LONGER. My recent visits to pool halls have led me to believe that "Championship" cloth is a major culprit of this phenomenon, but ALL new clothes have a tendency to cause the balls to slide off the rail.
PART 1 consisted of:
THE DIAMOND SYSTEM
FOURTH RAIL TRACKS
J. R.
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