Principles of defenceSeparate the opponent's ball, freeze it to the cushion, shrink the targets

ScalesReference linePath

Reference position

Spinside +3 · high

3/8

Ball fraction3/8

Speed2/5

White hits the yellow with a 3/8 ball fraction, a high hit and right spin, at speed 2. The yellow goes to the bottom short cushion, from there to the right long cushion, travels the whole table and stops frozen to the top short cushion. White arrives slowly at the red via the left long cushion and the bottom right corner (right long and bottom short cushion); white and red stay in the lower left area. Even if it misses, the yellow is at the far end. The green area is the target for the yellow, the red area the zone where the yellow must never stay. Typical mistake: hitting the yellow too thin and leaving it in the middle of the table.

In three-cushion every shot has two outcomes: the point, or the layout left to the opponent. If the point is not certain, you also have to plan where the balls will stop. The essence of defence is to move the opponent's cue ball away from the other two balls, freeze it to a cushion if possible, and leave ball 2 and ball 3 in places that are not easy targets. In this lesson white is your cue ball, yellow is the opponent's ball.

When? When the chance of scoring is low or medium, when choosing between two scoring paths, when the opponent is strong, and at critical moments of the match. The rule is simple: even when trying to score, take into account the layout that will be left if you miss.

Tips

1Set up the basic pattern: leave the yellow (the opponent's ball) at one end of the table, and the white and the red at the other end. The opponent has to play a long path to the two distant balls.
2If possible, choose the yellow as ball 2. Hit the yellow with a decisive ball fraction so that it goes to the far short cushion (3/8, speed 2 in the example), and arrive at the red softly so that even if you miss, the white stays near the red.
3If you have to play the red first, hit the red thin and slowly and arrive at the yellow fast. The yellow moves away from the collision; the white does not stay next to the yellow.
4Try to leave the yellow frozen to the cushion. The opponent cannot lower the cue comfortably behind the ball, draw (a hit below center) and shots with plenty of spin become harder, and the paths available narrow.
5Do not leave the white and the red in a corner: the yellow can reach a ball in the corner off two cushions, so it is a big target for the opponent. The middle of the short cushion, on the other hand, is one of the hardest places to reach after three cushions; leaving these two balls there makes the opponent's job harder.
6Arrive at the red slowly with the white, but with enough speed to push it a few ball widths. If the white and the red stay side by side, they make a big target; the opponent easily finds both with a bricole or a short three-cushion path.
7Do not leave the yellow frozen to the white or the red. In most rule sets the opponent can then have the frozen balls spotted on their starting spots, and the defence you built is wasted.
8Make the defensive decision while choosing the shot: for each scoring path, weigh the chance of scoring together with where the yellow, the white and the red will stay if you miss. If the chances are close, choose the path that leaves the yellow at the far end.

Voice coach

PRO

The voice coach is part of the Pro and Club plans.

See plans

Watch outDo not give up the point for defence: first find the scoring path, then choose the ball 2 and the speed that let you play that path defensively.

Watch outToo much speed sends the balls around the table; the risk of a kiss and an uncontrolled finish increases.

Watch outThe paths are drawn with ideal reflection without spin; differences in table, cloth and cushions change the final positions. Set the speed on your own table.