Glossary
The basic vocabulary of carom billiards, to understand the lessons and talk about them with other players.
- Ball 1, 2, 3
- Ball 1 is the cue ball (the player's own). Ball 2 is the one it strikes first. Ball 3 is the one whose contact completes the carom.
- Contact point
- The exact point on ball 1 struck by the tip at the moment of the stroke.
- Tip
- The leather disc at the end of the cue. Also used as a unit of side spin: players speak of "½ tip", "1 tip", "2 tips" of side according to how far the contact point is offset from center.
- Natural deflection
- The deflection of ball 1 after a natural shot (contact in the middle, roughly half-ball): about 45°, and above all fairly constant — that is what makes the natural shot reliable and what the systems are built on.
- Exact pace
- Dosing the force exactly. Playing "to the exact pace" means exactly the power needed. Advice from the sheets: on an easy shot, never play to the exact pace — play slightly over it so as not to leave an easy position for your opponent.
- Moderate side
- Moderate, repeatable side spin (edge of the tip aligned with the center of the ball). Outgoing and incoming paths are nearly parallel, with little aiming correction.
- Ball fullness
- The portion of ball 2 covered by ball 1 along the aiming line. From fullest to thinnest, five usual reference points are used: full (ball 1 covers the whole center of ball 2), three-quarter ball, half-ball, quarter-ball, and thin (contact right at the edge, minimal fullness). The fuller the contact, the more energy ball 1 transmits to ball 2; on a perfect full contact with no spin, ball 1 stops dead (see "stun").
- Stun
- Ball 1 stopping dead on the spot after a full contact, for lack of forward or backward roll at the moment of the carom.
- Half-follow
- The shot in between the natural shot and the follow shot: contact is taken at roughly three-quarter ball, and the behavior is part of both.
- Roll
- Rotation of the ball around its horizontal axis: follow roll (forward) or draw roll (backward).
- Side (spin)
- Rotation of the ball around its vertical axis, which changes the exit angle after bouncing off a cushion.
- Throw
- Any side spin applied to the cue ball induces an opposite effect on the object ball at the moment of contact.
- Start / End
- Numeric values (in diamonds) assigned to ball 1's starting position and to the zone it must reach to complete the carom — the basis of the cushion calculation systems.
- Diamonds
- Round or diamond-shaped markers set into the cushions, used as a reference for the calculation systems.
- Running long / short
- A characteristic of a table: it "runs long" if calculated paths land beyond the theoretical point (new cloth, lively cushions), it "runs short" otherwise (worn cloth).
- Skid
- Loss of roll caused by fine dust on the balls: ball 1 "skids" slightly against ball 2 instead of rolling normally, which compromises the carom. Hence the value of cleaning the balls regularly.
- Kiss
- A second contact between ball 1 and ball 2, which can either prevent the carom or, on the contrary, be used deliberately to complete it.
- Dominant position
- A position in which ball 1 can, with a simple shot, keep control of the path of balls 2 and 3 and return to an equally favorable position.
- Gather shot
- A shot meant to bring the balls together (ideally all three) to set up the next shot.
- Screened
- A position in which the balls are lined up or nearly so, preventing a direct shot with a level cue.
- Wide / Tight (ball)
- Ball 3 is "wide" when ball 1's possible landing zone is large (a ball close to a cushion or a corner); "tight" otherwise.
- Nursing
- Playing very gently, barely grazing the balls, to keep them clustered ("in a pack").
- Inning
- A sequence of shots by the same player, from the first point attempted until the missed carom.
- Run
- The number of caroms scored during a single inning.
- Average
- The average number of caroms scored per inning over a game — used to rank players by category.
- Rail third
- The zone near a short cushion, where gathering and controlling the balls offers more possibilities than in the central zone.
- System
- A calculation method based on the diamonds, used to determine the point to aim for on one or several cushions (see the System 4 tab).