I have been studying 3C for some time, as it is my game of choice. I have worked with and had discussions with various high-level players and pros, as well as watched a lot of videos and experimented with a lot of shots. This is only a drop in the bucket compared to what more I have to learn.
I don’t use systems very much, if at all. Instead I use a “toolbox” of visual/predictable events. Here are the things that I have observed so far and that I’ve added to my toolbox. All of these rules of thumb can be modified with spin, follow, draw and speed.
Please feel free to add to this!
I don’t use systems very much, if at all. Instead I use a “toolbox” of visual/predictable events. Here are the things that I have observed so far and that I’ve added to my toolbox. All of these rules of thumb can be modified with spin, follow, draw and speed.
Please feel free to add to this!
- Proper shot selection is half of the game. Maybe worth even more. This can be practiced without a table.
- Cue-tip position to generate draw, stun, and follow is extremely sensitive relative to the latitude from the equator of the ball. It is very important to be accurate in order to carom into the predicted part of the rail. Once you have very good tip position accuracy, carom accuracy becomes easier.
- Stun can be used to track a tangent line into a rail.
- Follow can be used to bend a ball into a rail, or get to places blocked by the first object ball. The follow grabs somewhere around ½ second after the hit, and you can use speed to change where the second-rail collision occurs after the first rail bounce. This is very useful… I notice a lot of beginners don’t understand how speed and follow/draw work together.
- Draw is similar to follow but quite a bit more unpredictable, and the increased speed makes a kiss more probable.
- Draw can be used to lengthen a return angle if care is used. Be careful of kisses.
- Choosing between the first and second object ball, using a stun or follow carom, and choosing the direction, you have eight choices. Half of those are usually not possible, and the remaining may have kisses. But most of the time there is at least one option that optimally reduces a kiss, and this is the best choice.
- Second diamond triple rebounds on one end of the table track to the opposing corners. Vice versa. Probably the most important rule in 3C. This pattern can be modified by changing your target diamond. Takes a little feel and experience but is better than trying to calculate a system in real time.
- Three-rail rebounds leave the third rail at about 45 degrees. This is useful for short angles and picking out the diamond target for them.
- Short angles are compressed the closer they are to the short rail, but become more sensitive to spin.
- A single reversal rebound leaves the rail at about 60 degrees. Useful for short-long-long shots.
- Tickies tend to track towards the head or foot spots. These can be modified with spin or follow, or a little draw. Too much draw can cause unpredicted results.
- The rebound angle on a second-rail reversal is very speed dependent. It is best to try to play these with a little speed as possible so that the second-rail reversal has very little spin.
- Maximum spin is not necessary for most shots. It is mostly useful when the second ball is deep in a corner and you want to maximize the target angle. Otherwise, natural running English and accurate carom targets are best.
- Maximum spin to double a rail (three rebounds in a corner) are the most predictable the closer the cue ball is to the corner during first rail impact.
- Short-rail-first shots are undesirable, especially short-long-short shots, because they are difficult. But they should be practiced anyway because a lot of the times they are the best choice to avoid kisses.
- I find short-long-short shots with inside English going away from me more predictable than with using outside and coming towards me.
- A frozen object ball to the long rail with a shallow angle can be easily negotiated by aiming outside edge to inside edge of the cue ball, using outside English hitting rail first. The reversal is predictable to come close to the corner you are shooting from.
- With modest speed, banks into object balls carom at 30 degrees.
- It is easier to use follow and speed to hold a cue ball up-table than it is to use stun and little spin.
