Thin contact, just enough speedThe cue ball is in the middle of the table, the red just above it, the yellow near the left long cushion. Hit the right half of the red with a 3/4 ball fraction, three tips of left (running) spin and medium speed; the cue ball comes down to the yellow via the right long cushion, the top short cushion and the left long cushion. The running spin opens the cue ball up off the third cushion; it contacts the yellow thinly. The yellow moves only a few centimeters, and the cue ball stops right next to it. The red goes to the top short cushion, comes back and stays in the middle of the table.
Cue ball and ball 3: speed control · Drill cards
Full contact: ball 3 gets awaySame layout and same ball fraction, but the spin drops to half a tip. The cue ball opens up less off the third cushion and hits the yellow almost full. The point is made, but the yellow is pushed out of its good area toward the middle of the table. Lesson: spin decides the side from which the cue ball arrives at ball 3; a full contact spoils a well-placed ball 3.
Too much speed: the cue ball gets awaySame layout; no side spin and a very hard stroke. The point is still made, but the cue ball hits the yellow fast and runs off to the right side of the table, the yellow is pushed down along the long cushion, and the red also goes down to the lower area. The three balls move away from each other. Typical mistake: hitting harder than needed to make sure of the point.
Middle way: 3/8 contactSame layout; two and a half tips of left (running) spin, medium speed. The cue ball contacts the yellow at about 3/8; the yellow slides a few centimeters inward, and the cue ball stays next to it. It is not as thin as h1, but the position is kept. Compare with h1 and h2 to see how half a tip of difference in spin changes the contact on ball 3.