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Three Rail Kicks and Banks
© Copyright 2001, Jim Loy
This page is under construction.
This is the
basic shot of the three rail kick system. The cue ball, shot with slow to
medium speed, and running English (left hand side English in this case) goes
from the lower right corner pocket (labeled 5), towards the three diamond
(first rail diamond number 3), and goes three rails right into the red ball,
which is hanging in the upper right corner pocket. Whether this works or not
depends on table conditions and ball speed. A dirty table will be shorter, the
cue ball will hit the side rail short of the red ball. So you may have to aim
somewhat longer (to the left of the three diamond).
See Two Rail Kicks and Banks, concerning the
Basic Diamond System. This system tells you which third rail diamond number you
are aiming at. In the above shot, we are aiming at the third rail diamond two.
We have 5-3=2: 5 is the cue ball position number, 3 is the first rail number,
and 2 is the third rail number. This just happens to go into the upper right
corner pocket. The diamond system doesn't tell us that, it just predicts the
third rail diamond number.
According to geometry, if the cue ball were a light beem reflecting off
mirrors, this shot should be one diamond short. But the running English, and
the curve off each rail, lengthens the shot about one diamond.
Well, we find that other shots, from other
places on the table, go pretty close to the upper right corner pocket, if we
aim at third rail diamond number two. Some books say that it goes. Others say
that it requires an adjustment. On the right, we see a shot from Win at
Pocket Billiards, by Desmond Allen. He is shooting from cue ball position
number four, toward the first rail diamond number two. According to the diamond
system, he is aiming at the third rail diamond number two, as his diagram
shows. He says that the cue ball then goes toward the upper right corner pocket
(track A). I say that it goes short, to about track B (about a diamond short).
These paths (after hitting the third rail) are called return tracks, by the
way.
Instead of shooting at the first rail diamond number two, I aim longer
(at about first rail diamond number 1.5, as with the red line in the diagram),
and hit the third rail at about 2.5. My shot is much better. This is an
adjustment. The adjustment is greater, the farther down table your cue ball
position number is. Dr. Cue uses 1/4 diamond adjustment, for every diamond down
table you go. Since this shot is two diamonds from the right end rail, I have
adjusted 1/2 diamond. We are told that you need make no such adjustment with
higher cue ball position numbers (those on the end rail).
The book The Science of Pocket Billiards by Jack H. Koehler has a
similar mistaken diagram. This one is from cue ball position 4.5 to first rail
diamond 2.5 to third rail diamond 2, and supposedly into the same object ball
in my diagram above. He ought to be a half diamond off in the end, and might
still get a good hit. The chapter on the diamond system, in Willie Hoppe's book
(Billiards as it Should be Played) is full of examples of this same
error (See The Hoppe Diamond). Hoppe never used any
diamond system himself.
Normally we are aiming at a corner pocket. But, all of the above should
give you some clue, if you are aiming short or long. A much more elaborate
diamond system is probably possible, to cover all situations.
A faster speed should shorten up these shots. At least one video says
that a faster speed will lengthen the shots.
I will finish this article later.
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