ndakotan said:
I am reading and 8-ball instructional book that talks about straight-rail sequences and 3C gather shots that really helped the authors 8-ball game but it doesn't explain the straight-rail sequence that well.
Does the straight-rail sequence involve 2 or 3 balls? Please explain how it works.
Are gather shots where you get the your white and the red to the other white? Do they have to touch or just be near each other by a certain distance?
TIA
There is a 2-DVD set by Frederic Caudron that shows this sort of thing far better than anyone can explain it in text. The control he has over all three balls is astounding -- far better than you ever see on a pool table. The set is called "Master of Billiards" and is available on
www.kozoom.com and
www.i-billiard.com for about $60. He demonstrates six or seven different carom games.
The cover may say "Le virtuose du billard" but the audio is in three languages including English, so don't be scared off.
For books, the easiest to get are Willie Hoppe's "Billiards As It Should Be Played" and "Daly's Billiard Book." I think the first is still in print and the second is available used. I have extras of both if you can't find them elsewhere.
One on-line source that shows straight rail techniques is
http://www.jimloy.com/billiard/billiard.htm which has a lot of other very useful stuff on pool and billiards.
But to answer your question directly: The author is probably talking about straight rail gather shots. The game is played with three balls. You have to make your cue ball hit both the other balls. This is easier if you leave all three balls in the same area, and this takes pretty good speed control. When you play a shot that leaves all three balls together from a scattered position, it is called a "gather shot." While 3-cushion has position play, and you often want to drive a ball 20 feet and leave it within six inches of spot for position, you don't really use gather shots.
If you want to see a master at this, get the Caudron DVD.
