A.--A two stroke is made by pocketing an opponent's ball--_i.e._, a winning
hazard; or by pocketing the striker's ball off his opponent's--_i.e._, a
losing hazard; or by making a cannon.
B.--A three stroke is made by pocketing the red ball--_i.e._, a red winning
hazard; or by pocketing the striker's ball off the red--_i.e._, a red
losing hazard.
C.--A four stroke may be made by pocketing the white and spot-white balls;
or by making a cannon and pocketing an opponent's ball; or by making a
cannon and pocketing the striker's ball, the opponent's ball having been
first hit.
D.--A five stroke may be made by scoring a cannon and pocketing the red
ball; or by a cannon and pocketing the striker's ball, after having struck
the red ball first or both balls simultaneously; or by pocketing the red
ball and the opponent's ball without cannoning, or by making a losing
hazard off the white and pocketing the red ball.
E.--A six stroke is made by the red ball being struck first, and the
striker's and the red ball {291} pocketed; or by a cannon off an opponent's
ball on to the red and pocketing the two white balls.
F.--A seven stroke is made by striking an opponent's ball first, pocketing
it, making a cannon, and pocketing the red also; or by making a cannon and
pocketing the red and an opponent's ball; or by playing at an opponent's
ball first and pocketing all the balls without making a cannon; or by
playing at the red first, cannoning, and pocketing your own and the
opponent's ball.
G.--An eight stroke is made by striking the red ball first, pocketing it,
making a cannon, and pocketing the striker's ball; or by hitting the red
first and pocketing all the balls without making a cannon.
H.--A nine stroke is made by striking an opponent's ball first, making a
cannon, and pocketing all the balls.
I.--A ten stroke is made by striking the red ball first, making a cannon,
and pocketing all the balls.
Reverting to the terms used in the game, the "cue" is the stick with which
the player strikes the ball. It varies in length from 4 ft. 6 inches to 5
ft. The thick end or butt has a diameter of about 1-1/2 inches. The small
end or tip varies from 1/2 to 1/4 inch in diameter. The average is about
3/8 of an inch.
The tip is formed of two pieces of leather glued together. When the tip
gets greasy or too smooth, it should be rubbed with a piece of chalk.
THE REST.--The real "rest," that is, the support on which the cue is raised
in order to strike the ball, is the left hand. This, however, is more {292}
generally termed the "bridge"; what is known as the "rest," or "jigger," is
a cross of wood fixed at right angles to a handle about the same length as
the cue, in order to enable a player to strike a ball when it is too far
away to allow him to use his hand as a bridge. Special rests, and cues of
extra length, are made to meet exceptional positions of the balls.
IN HAND.--A ball is said to be in hand when it is off the table, and the
player has to play from the half-circle or D.
BREAKING THE BALLS.--Whoever plays, being in hand, when the red ball is on
the spot and the other ball also is in hand, is said to break the balls.
IN BAULK.--A ball is said to be in baulk when it is between the baulk-line
and the bottom cushion.
BREAK.--The series of scores terminating with the stroke in which the
player fails to score is called a break.
SCREW AND SCREW-BACK.--This is putting a rotatory motion on a ball, causing
it to spin on a horizontal axis backwards. Screw is put on by striking the
ball _below the centre_.
FOLLOWING STROKE.--This is putting a rotatory motion on a ball, causing it
to spin on a horizontal axis forwards instead of backwards. The stroke is
made by striking the ball high up _above the centre_.
SIDE.--This is a rotatory motion put on a ball, making it spin on a
perpendicular axis.
In each of the foregoing cases the ball is made to take, after striking
another ball, or a cushion, a direction different from that which it would
take did no such rotatory motion exist.
In order that the learner may the better understand the meaning of screw,
screw-back, following stroke, {293} and side, we will illustrate them by
means of a diagram.
In Fig. 1 we will suppose the red ball to be placed on the middle spot in
the table, M. The player places his own ball in the centre spot in the
baulk-line, K, and aims his ball, first of all, so as to strike the object
ball with the ordinary HALF-BALL STROKE--that is, the centre of his ball
advances towards the extreme edge of the object ball.
In Fig. 2, O is the object ball; S, the striker's ball. In order to play
the half-ball stroke, it is necessary that the player should aim at the
point E, the extreme edge of the horizontal diameter of the object ball. Of
course, as the diagram shows, he will not strike the ball in the point at
which he aims (this is never done save in the case of the ball being struck
exactly in the centre), but as S_1, in the point C. When the object ball is
thus struck, the striker's ball, supposing there is no screw on the ball,
will take the direction indicated in Fig. 2 as S_2. This angle is called
the natural angle; about this natural angle we shall have to say more
by-and-by. Suppose the stroke played thus. After playing, the ball will
follow the line M P (Fig. 1). Now suppose some strong screw had been put on
the ball by hitting it low down. The ball, owing to the _hit_, and to its
after-contact with the ball at M, would follow the line M P; but, owing to
the rotatory motion making the ball revolve or spin backwards, it has a
tendency to run back again towards K, the point from which it started.
Under the influence of these two forces, the ball takes the medium course
shown by the dotted line M P_1. In other words, the striker, although he
hits the object ball a half-ball stroke, screws into the middle pocket.
{294}
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
Now suppose, instead of hitting the ball _below_ the centre, he hits it
high up above the _centre_, so as to make the ball rotate forwards. After
the balls have come in contact, the rotatory motion forwards has a tendency
to make the striker's ball run onwards {295} towards the top cushion and
away from K, the point from which it started; but the contact with the
object ball would--did no rotatory motion exist--cause it to follow the
direction of the line M P. Under the influence of these two forces the ball
takes a medium course, and follows the line M P_2.
If the player hit the ball at M full, that is, played at it quite straight
and hit the ball at M in its nearest point, then, if he put on screw, his
own ball would, after striking the ball at M, stop and run back towards K,
fast or not according to the amount of rotatory motion he succeeded in
putting on his own ball when he struck it.
If the player hit the ball at M full, and hit his own ball high up and
above the centre--the following stroke--his ball, after striking the ball
at M, would _follow on_, and, if he hit it exactly, would go on in the
direction of the spots, P and S.
In putting on _side_, the ball is caused to rotate on a perpendicular axis.
For instance (_vide_ Fig. 1), suppose the player places his ball on the
centre spot in baulk, K, and hits the cushion in the point T without
putting on any side, then the ball would rebound in the direction of T R,
just as the angles of incidence and reflection are equal. Suppose, however,
the player strikes his ball on the right-hand side, causing it to rotate on
a perpendicular axis. When the ball touches the cushion at T, this
rotation, owing to the friction between the ball and the cushion, causes
the ball to take the direction shown in the diagram by the line T R_1. If,
on the other hand, the player hits his ball on the left-hand side, the ball
will rebound in the contrary direction shown by line T R_2. This latter
stroke is what every player {296} has to make when he wishes to give a miss
in baulk.
When a great deal of _side_ is put on a ball, this side has but little
effect till the ball touches a cushion.
FLUKE.--When a player plays for one thing, misses it, and gets another, the
stroke is called a fluke. Thus, if a man plays for a cannon, misses the
cannon and his ball runs into a pocket off the other ball instead, it is a
fluke. If, however, he plays for the cannon and _makes_ it, and _then_ his
ball runs into a pocket, it is not regarded as a fluke, although he gets
what he did not play for.
A JENNY is a losing hazard into one of the middle pockets off a ball near
to one of the lower-side cushions. A long jenny is a losing hazard off a
ball similarly placed into one of the top pockets.
SPOT STROKE.--A stroke by which a player pockets the red ball from the
billiard spot, at the same time bringing his own ball into position to
pocket the red again, when the latter is replaced on the billiard spot.
ALL-IN GAME.--A game in which, by prior agreement, any number of spot
strokes may be consecutively scored.
SPOT-BARRED GAME.--By the Billiard Association Rules, "if the red ball be
pocketed from the billiard spot twice in consecutive strokes by the same
player, and not in conjunction with any other score, it shall be placed on
the centre spot; if a ball prevent this, then on the pyramid spot, and if
both centre and pyramid spots be covered, then on the billiard spot. When
the red ball is again pocketed it shall be placed on the billiard spot."
Furthermore, "if when the billiard spot is {297} occupied, a player pocket
the red ball from the pyramid spot twice in consecutive strokes, and not in
conjunction with any other score, it shall be placed on the centre spot.
Should the player, with his next stroke, pocket it again, it shall be
placed on the pyramid spot."
TO GET ON THE SPOT.--When a player gets his own ball into an easy position
for playing the spot stroke, he is said to get "on the spot."
KISS.--When the balls come in contact a second time they are said to kiss.
A NURSERY.--A series of cannons made when all three balls are very close
together is called a nursery of cannons.
SAFETY.--When any one plays simply to leave the balls in such a position
that his opponent cannot score by his next stroke, he is said to play for
safety.
TWIST.--Another name for screw.
STAB, OR STICK-SHOT.--When any one plays to put a ball in and leave his own
ball exactly on the spot where the object ball was, or only a very little
way beyond it, the stroke is called a stab.
LINE BALL.--A ball whose centre is exactly on the baulk-line.
FOUL.--A stroke which infringes any rule of the game.
OBJECT BALL.--The ball upon which the striker's own ball impinges.
JAMMED.--When the two object balls touch in the jaws of a pocket, and each
touches a different cushion at the same time.
STEEPLECHASE STROKE.--When the striker's own ball is forced off the surface
of the table on to, or over, {298} one or both of the object balls. By the
Billiard Association Rules, this stroke, "if properly made, is fair, and
the referee is the proper person to decide the matter."
One of the most important points for the beginner, as well as for the more
experienced player, is the selection of a thoroughly good and reliable cue.
Strangely enough, this matter generally receives very little attention, the
neophyte being content to take the first that comes to hand. What is even
worse, he will change about from day to day,--or from hour to hour,--using
cues of different shapes, weight, and balance; and is then surprised that
he does not make the progress that he expected.
Reverting to the subject of the half-ball stroke, it is of the greatest
importance that all beginners should understand how much depends upon their
being able to hit the object ball in the way shown in Fig. 2. Their whole
future success as billiard-players will depend upon the accuracy with which
they learn to hit the object ball in this particular manner.
First of all, the beginner must learn to hit his own ball freely. We would
recommend him to take his first practice-lesson by learning simply how to
hit a ball hard--_i.e._, have only one ball to play with. After he has
gained a certain amount of what is called freedom of cue, he must next
learn to aim at the object ball, so that he always hits it in what we have
described as the half-stroke. To ascertain whether he has acquired
sufficient "freedom of cue," let him see how many times he can send his own
ball up and down the table. {299}
In learning to simply strike your own ball, it is important to learn to
strike it hard _without putting on side_. Place your ball in baulk, say
nearly in the centre of the half-circle; now play straight up at the top
cushion _hard_. If you hit your ball fairly in the centre, the ball will
come back straight; if you don't you will put on side, and you can tell how
much by the angle at which the ball will rebound from the top cushion.
Commence learning, therefore, by hitting your own ball hard enough to send
it four to five times up and down the table without side. This is not so
easy as many persons would think.
Having learnt to hit his own ball fairly in the centre, the beginner must
next learn to hit the object ball a half-ball stroke; and for this purpose
it is a very good exercise, at the commencement, to place the red ball on
the spot, S (_vide_ Fig. 3), and the striker's ball in position A, that is,
just in front of the middle pocket, an inch or two along an imaginary line
drawn from the centre of the middle pocket to the edge of the object ball
placed on the spot.
The losing hazard off the red into the right-hand top pocket ought now to
be a certainty, it being a simple half-ball stroke. After making the
hazard, the red ball should, after striking the top cushion, rebound in a
line right down the centre of the table (as shown by the dotted line W W).
By watching the direction of the red ball after striking, the beginner will
be able to see if he has struck the ball correctly. If he hits it too fine,
the red ball will come down the table on the left of the centre line, W W.
Should he strike the red ball too full, the red will come down the table on
the right-hand side of the line W W. {300}
When the beginner has practised this stroke till he can make a certainty of
it, he may then begin to learn how to play what may be called "forcing
hazards." For this purpose he can gradually place his own ball lower and
lower down the table, as shown in Fig. 3. Suppose, for instance, he places
his own ball at B. There is still an easy losing hazard off the red into
the top corner pocket, the only difference being that the stroke must be
played _harder_. When the ball was placed at A, the losing hazard could be
made by simply what is called dropping on to the ball. In fact, the stroke
could be played so slowly, that the red ball, after striking the top
cushion, would not rebound more than a foot down the table. As, however,
the striker's ball is placed lower and lower down the table in the
positions shown by the letters B and C, so the stroke must be played harder
and harder.
Another perfect half-ball stroke that can be played either slowly or fast,
is shown by the two lines, in Fig. 3, drawn from the spot S to the two top
pockets. Suppose a ball to be placed in the centre of either top pocket, or
a few inches along the line drawn from the pocket to the spot. Then it is a
simple half-ball stroke to go in off the red into the other top pocket.
Place the white ball an inch or two away from the top pocket along the line
drawn, and place the red ball on the spot. Then drop on to the ball
quietly. The hazard is easy, and, supposing you play from, say, the
left-hand top pocket, you will not only make the losing hazard, but you
will leave the red ball in a position for another easy hazard into the
middle pocket. Your own ball, the white, for the next stroke will be in
baulk; the red ball will, if you play the stroke correctly, travel along
the dotted line shown in the diagram, and stop somewhere about R, thus
leaving an easy hazard next time into the right-hand middle pocket.
{301}
[Illustration: FIG. 3.]
{302}
Having thus practised the half-ball stroke with slow strength and fast
strength, the next point to be considered is losing hazards into the top
pockets from baulk. These losing hazards may be called the very backbone of
the game.
The chief difficulty experienced by a beginner will be to know where to
spot his ball in baulk. This will only come with practice. The eye will
gradually accustom itself to the angle. A good player can tell at a glance
whether or not a stroke is easy. We would recommend any one learning the
game to make one or two spots on the table as follows. First place a card
or thin piece of wood upright against the top cushion, and then measure
down the table 3 ft. 9-1/2 in. Make a mark on the cloth (a little cross is
best), and then place the red ball on this spot. Next let him place the
white ball at K (Fig. 4), the centre spot in baulk. The red ball is placed
on the spot A, which, as we have said, is just 3 ft. 9-1/2 in. from the
face of the top cushion. Now there is an easy losing hazard, if the stroke
be played with the ordinary half-ball stroke, into either top pocket off
the red ball.
This stroke is capital practice for the beginner, as it gets his eye used
to the angle which we have called the "natural" angle.
The advantage of playing the natural angle is that, supposing you fail to
hit the ball _exactly_ as you intended, a very slight error in aiming does
not alter materially the direction of your own ball after it has come in
contact with the object ball. {303}
[Illustration: FIG. 4.]
{304}
Suppose, now, the beginner has succeeded in going into first one top pocket
and then the other several times, let him take the red ball off the spot
marked A in Fig. 4, and place it on M, the centre spot in the table. Now
let him place his own ball in baulk on the proper spot to go into, say, the
left-hand top pocket off M. The proper spot is B in the diagram, but then,
where is B? B _ought_ to be seven and a half inches from K, the centre spot
in baulk. Similarly, if the player wished to go into the right-hand top
pocket off the red ball at M, he would have to spot his own ball on a spot
seven-and-a-half inches to the right of K.
As a rule, beginners all make the same mistake. They will, as a rule, spot
their ball too near to K, and, of course, the further they are out in their
reckoning, the more they have to learn. It would be as well, however, to
let a beginner play the stroke. Suppose, for instance, that instead of
spotting his ball at B, seven and a half inches to the left of K, he spots
his ball only five inches to the left of K. Let him play his stroke, and
instead of going into the left-hand top pocket, his ball will strike the
left-hand upper cushion several inches below the pocket. Now let him
measure the correct seven and a half inches, and, although he will think he
is going to miss the stroke, to his own surprise he will make it. It is
very good practice to go in off a ball placed on the middle spot M, first
into one top pocket, and then into another, being careful always to watch
the direction taken by the red ball after the stroke, with {305} an eye to
playing the right strength to leave an easy losing hazard next time.