First, we determine the expected path of the object ball into the pocket, then the aiming point.

To do this you need:

Know (or measure) the diameter of the ball (standard balls in Russian billiards have a diameter of 60 and 68 mm, in American billiards - 57 mm);

Place 1/2 of the diameter along the line of the intended path of the object ball in the direction opposite to the ordered pocket - this will be the aiming point.

All that remains for you is to aim at a given point and hit the cue ball.

Executing a kick

Rub the sticker with chalk before each stroke.

Keep the hand with which you are going to strike at a fairly close distance from the body, but without allowing the cue to touch the body, hips, edges of clothing, etc.

Do not push the elbow of your right hand to the side and do not press it to the body.

Make sure your elbow and hand move easily and relaxed.

When hitting, aim the cue forward in a perfectly straight, horizontal (or nearly horizontal) line.

Before throwing the shot, make a few gentle movements to simulate the strike and adjust your aim point or stance if necessary.

When performing a shot correctly, the player should be absolutely motionless, with the exception of a pendulum-like movement of the area of ​​​​the right arm from the elbow joint to the wrist (some players slightly lower their elbow after hitting the cue ball, this usually does not harm the game). The hand and wrist are relaxed, they work like a hinge and should not affect the trajectory of the cue or the force of the blow. In very rare cases, a short wrist shot is used (the elbow is motionless, and the cue is driven only by the hand), beginners should not use it until they have mastered the basic technique of the strike.

After contact with the cue ball, your cue should move at least 5-10 cm to the place where the cue ball stood before the impact, as if “accompanying” it.

Here, as in many other sports, smoothness and uniformity of movement play a decisive role.

Try not to jerk the cue or stop immediately after it hits the cue ball: let the cue gently move forward and stop without your additional effort.

While tracing the path of the cue ball, freeze in your stance after making the shot, at least until the cue ball meets the ball. Do not rush to straighten up or raise the cue immediately after hitting.

The most common mistake new pool players make is hitting too hard. A typical weak shot in pool is considered to be a shot in which the cue ball, launched on an empty table at the opposite side (along the table), travels a path of approximately two table lengths, reflecting off the sides once or twice. A blow of this force is used by experienced players 90% of the time. Practice a straight center shot with the cue ball into the boards on an empty table so that you can control the force of the shot without straining.

Breaking the pyramid

When playing billiards, control over the playing field and the location of the balls on it before and after your shot is very important. To a large extent, this also applies to the first blow of the party - the robbery of the pyramid (Fig. 28).

It is important to remember that you can only break the pyramid as much as possible with a head-on blow to the top of the pyramid. Place the cue ball at any point behind the home line (eight-of-eight pool game), hit the cue ball forcefully 3-5mm above center, aiming for the top of the pyramid.

Your cue sticker will stop at approximately center mark. Some players use a roll when doing this kind of robbery. The probability of a successful hit is quite high, since the pyramid will probably completely break and one of the balls will most likely fall into the pocket (it is better if it is not the cue ball or the eighth ball). However, you are unlikely to be able to plan such a game further, especially if not a single ball ends up in the pocket.

How to play the first shot with maximum benefit?

Most experienced players agree that when breaking a pyramid, you should use a hit that, depending on your level, will allow you to maintain control of the table. It is not advisable to use an obvious side kick and a roll-up strike on the cue ball.

Try the following option as a workout. Place the cue ball 7-10 cm from the board on the home line. Hit the shot just below and to the left of the center of the cue ball, but not so low as to give it significant backward rotation. Aim for the second ball from the top of the pyramid. Your goal is to send the top ball into the middle pocket. Depending on the force of the blow, after hitting the board, you can send the ball towards the front board, and the balls at the base of the pyramid, in a good situation, into the corner pockets. Such a blow requires some practice, but it gives a good result, as you will definitely see for yourself.

Illegal strikes

In the game of billiards, as in any other sport, there are shots, the use of which is taboo. Such strikes include: push, push and double strike.

Pushed through

A push is performed when the cue ball and object ball are close to each other and to the pocket. Basically, novice players try to put the object ball in the pocket without lifting the cue from the cue ball (Fig. 29), for which they receive penalty points.

In Fig. Figure 30 shows the correct execution of hitting balls located in a certain way: in such a playing situation, it is best to use cutting.

Pressure

As a rule, beginners perform pressure in a situation where the ball and cue ball being played are at the mouth of the pocket. At the same time, the cue is held parallel to the plane of the ball, positioning it along the long side, and with a pushing motion they drive the other ball into the pocket (Fig. 32).

Such a strike is not called a penalty. The balls in the position described above must be played sharply, as in the previous case (Fig. 31).

Double Strike

A double strike occurs when the cue stick touches the cue ball while aiming. A double strike is also punishable by a penalty point.

Small Russian pyramid (71 points)

"Pyramid" is a more serious, thoughtful game. It requires a sufficient level of skill. The game is played with one “own” ball, which must direct the other ball into the pocket. Each of the balls has a number. Before the shot, it is necessary to inform in advance which pocket the ball should fall into. If there was no notification and the ball is hit, it is considered invalid. It is necessary not only to put the ball in the pocket, but also to move “yours” to a side that is inconvenient for the opponent.

When playing “Russian Pyramid” you should be guided by the “General Rules”, as well as the following rules.

Purpose of the game

Be the first to score 71 points.

Balls used

Cue ball and fifteen object balls with numbers from one to fifteen. The cue ball does not have a number and must differ from the object balls in color or special markings.

Ball placement

The object balls are placed in the shape of a triangular pyramid with the apex at the back mark. The balls become close to each other in the following order: 1st frontal ball - 4; 2nd row - 5, 6; 3rd row - 7, 1, 8; 4th row - 9, 14, 13, 10; 5th row - 2, 1, 12, 11, 3. The ball marked with the number "1" is called an ace because it has not one point, but eleven.

The basis for this arrangement of balls in the pyramid is the consideration that when the pyramid is broken up, as a rule, the outer balls with small numbers will roll out, and the balls with large numbers will remain in the middle, i.e., not in the game.

Account management

If you add up all the written numbers (points) on the white balls, you get a total of 120 points. 10 is added to the number of the ball with one, and 10 is also added to the last ball remaining in the billiards, regardless of the number written on it. Thus, the total amount of points will be 140. Within this amount, there can be all kinds of combinations of points between partners when playing "small Russian pyramid".

Kickoff

The cue ball is passed to the beginner, and the latter makes the first shot from the “house” “from the hands”, i.e., by placing the cue ball with his hands on any place of the billiards within the area limited on one side by the short side opposite to the place where the pyramid was placed, and on the other side the other side - an imaginary line drawn parallel to the short board through the first point of the billiards.

In fact, the start of the game is considered to be the moment when the cue ball crosses the line that borders the “house”. Therefore, touching your ball (cue ball) or moving it from its place within the “house” is allowed.

When playing from home, it is prohibited to go beyond the line of continuation of the long side

When breaking a pyramid, neither the first nor the second miss is punishable by a fine. And only after the third miss is a 5-point penalty charged and the right to break the pyramid passes to the partner.

Methods for breaking up a pyramid

The lot fell to you to break the pyramid. There are several ways to do this. It all depends on the degree of wear and tear on the table and the experience of your opponent.

If billiards is very “sensitive”, then the breakdown should be done very carefully. Otherwise, your partner may cause you significant damage. Even if he is not a very strong athlete.

If you hit the pyramid from position No. 4, the cue ball will ricochet across the balls and the pyramid will almost not be broken. But, if you are playing a Russian pyramid or a pyramid with counting balls, such a shot is dangerous: “your” may fall into the pocket, and this is punishable by a fine.

If you hit from position No. 3, the pyramid will crumble on the table much more than if you hit from position No. 4.

A blow struck from the starting point No. 2 will further destroy the pyramid, and from point No. 1 it will break it quite thoroughly.

If your opponent is very strong, then it is best to start the game from the position where the cue ball shown in the picture stands. The blow can be delivered without any effect. The force of the blow should be calculated so that the cue ball, touching the side balls, is reflected from the short and long sides and returns home.

If you know your opponent's strength, and he doesn't know yours, then you can take a risk. There is a very good technique for breaking down. It is delivered with a blow directly to the forehead. But with a delay. The balls all scatter between the corner and middle pockets, and the cue ball moves back and presses against the short side of the house.

This breakdown morally suppresses the enemy, because such a technique is difficult to perform, and the partner involuntarily thinks:

“How does he play if he makes such a risky and difficult break?”

If your opponent is strong, then hitting him head-on is not recommended. If he is weak, then the risk of such robbery is justified. After your hit, any of the balls may be placed in one of the corner or middle pockets. But this is a risk you can take. If your partner misses, the cue ball will inevitably become entangled in the balls and then it will be possible to “reap a bountiful harvest.”

If the partner puts down the substituted ball, this does not mean at all that he will “make” several more balls. A mistake will cost him dearly.

There is also a “cowardly” method of breaking up.

This method of breaking up delays the game. Because from the position in which the cue ball finds itself after breaking, it cannot be sent to the short side of the “house”, and the partners begin to “knead” the pyramid, gradually driving the balls to the other half of the table.

Order

When playing "pyramid" there are two types of rules: "ball in the pocket" and a strict order "for pure purpose."

When ordering “ball in pocket”, only the number of the ball being played and the pocket in which the ball is placed are called, but it is not indicated how it will be placed. The fine is charged only for the carcass of “our own”. For example, nine in the corner to the left. If the ball being played turns out to be not a nine, but a six, the player made a mistake. Five point penalty. The ball is placed at the previous point.

A strict "pure purpose" order requires the player to name not only the ball number and the pocket in which he intends to place the ball, but also to say in what manner he intends to place the ball. For example: “I play four twelfth in the middle to the left of six.”

To justify such an order, the twelfth ball, which received forward motion from the blow of the four, must hit another six before its fall. If it falls “cleanly” without touching the six, it is not counted and is put on point.

With a strict order, not only the cue ball carcass is penalized, but also each ball. And not only with a cue, hand, body, but also with a sleeve.

Any combined order is allowed without limiting the number of balls. When participating in the ordered combination of one or more balls for the designated ball, ordering an “apricole” (hitting the ball from the side with the cue ball) is optional. If the explanation for the fall of the ordered ball into the pocket is unclear to the judge or is so confusing that it is difficult to understand, then the judge has the right not to accept such an order or allow it to be made.

When there is only one ball left in the billiards (except the cue ball), you do not need to call its number.

Before making a shot, the player must give an order. The order is addressed to the judge and must be clear and concise. Before the strike, the order can be changed and re-announced. Changing the order during the striking process is not permitted.

If the ordered ball is played correctly, all balls that fall into the pockets as a result of the shot are counted.

Fielding balls

All incorrectly potted, unordered and popped object balls will be placed on the back mark. If several object balls are set, they are located in ascending order of numbers close to each other on a longitudinal line towards the rear side. If the back mark is occupied, then the ball is placed on the longitudinal line from the back side as close as possible to the interfering object ball, but not close.

Fines for violations

A fine is collected in the following cases:

a) in case of a miss, i.e. a shot in which the cue ball does not touch any of the balls;

b) when your ball (cue ball) falls into the pocket;

c) when the cue ball goes overboard;

d) if before the strike, during the strike or after it, the player touches any ball with a cue, machine, clothing, hand, etc.;

e) when playing with a ball other than your own;

f) when struck by the edge or horizontal bar of a cue;

g) if, when playing “from hand”, the cue ball hits the ball before it goes beyond the “home” line, i.e., it hits the ball located in the “home”;

h) if, when playing “hands on”, the kick is made not from the “home”, but from the opposite side (the player playing “from hands” is allowed to ask the judge which side to play on);

i) if a blow is made at a time when the balls set in motion by the previous blow have not yet stopped,

In all these cases, a fine is imposed in the amount of five points, which are deducted from the sum of the fined person’s points and added to the points of his partner.

If the penalized person does not place a single ball, then his partner must score not 71 points with balls, but less by the number of penalty points received. For example, if you receive five penalty points, you must score 66 points with balls, if you receive ten penalty points, you must score 61 points with balls, etc.

If several rules are violated simultaneously, the fine does not increase accordingly, but is charged in a single amount (five points). For example, the player missed and put the cue ball in the pocket, or touched a ball and missed, etc. - a penalty of five points.

With any penalty stroke, the ball placed is not counted and is placed on the billiards on a general basis. If the player plays with someone else's ball, a penalty is imposed.

The ball that has fallen into the pocket is put into billiards on a general basis, and all other balls remain in the position resulting from the incorrect shot.

If a player plays with someone else's ball, despite the judge's warning, then, in addition to a fine, the judge, at his own discretion, but not to the detriment of his partner, restores the previous position of the balls.

Control over the playing field, the location of the balls on it before and after your shot is very important when playing billiards. To a large extent, this also applies to the first blow of the party - the robbery of the pyramid. It is important to remember that you can break the pyramid as much as possible with a blow "to the forehead" to the top of the pyramid. Place the cue ball anywhere behind the house line (assuming a pool game is being played "eight"). Hit the cue ball with force 3-5mm. above the center, aiming at the top of the pyramid. Make sure your cue stops at approximately the center mark after impact. Some players use reeling during this type of robbery. The probability of a successful hit is high with this technique, since the pyramid will probably break completely and one of the balls will most likely fall into the pocket (it is better if it is not the cue ball or the eighth ball). However, you are unlikely to be able to somehow plan such a game further; besides, as often happens, not a single ball ends up in the pocket.

How to play the first shot with maximum benefit? Most experienced players agree that when breaking a pyramid, you should use a blow of such force that, depending on your level, allows you to maintain control over the table and, secondly, it is not advisable to use an obvious side kick and a roll-up strike on the cue ball. With such a decentralized shot, it is quite difficult to control the movement of the cue ball in this situation. Place the cue ball 7-10 cm from the board on the house line. Hit the shot just below and to the left of the center of the cue ball, but not so low as to give it significant backward rotation. Aim for the second ball from the top of the pyramid. Thus, our goal is to send the ball at the top into the middle pocket, or, depending on the strength of the blow, after hitting the board towards the front board, and the balls at the base of the pyramid, in a good situation, into the corner pockets.

This type of strike requires some practice, but also gives good results.

Let's complicate the task a little - let's try to get an animation of breaking a billiard pyramid. Simulate a scene with a ball and the profile of a billiard table with sides - in order to save time, we will limit ourselves to only simulating a table, which will serve as an object AwningWindow from a group of geometric objects Windows, but we will not create pockets (Fig. 18). Now we need to make a pyramid of balls - we can do it manually, but we will resort to the command Array, which will have to be applied several times. When using for the first time, configure the command parameters in accordance with Fig. 19 - the first row of balls will be formed (Fig. 20). Select the second ball from the edge (Fig. 21), duplicate it and move the copy relative to the axis Y(Fig. 22) and then apply the command to it Array, reducing the number of balls in a row to four (Fig. 23). Continue on the same principle, and ultimately you will get a pyramid of balls, which will need to be adjusted and expanded so that it represents an equilateral triangle, one of the vertices of which would be at an equal distance from the sides (Fig. 24). Create a copy of one of the pyramid balls and place it on the opposite side of the table from the pyramid - this will be the striking cue ball (Fig. 25).

Rice. 19. Setting command parameters Array for first use

Rice. 23. Setting command parameters Array for second use

Create a collection of solids by clicking the button CreateRigidBodyCollection(Create Solid Collection) toolbars Reactor, and then add all scene objects to the collection by clicking on the button Add and selecting all objects from the list (Fig. 26). Check that the animation timer slider is on the 1st frame, click on the button ToggleAutoKeyMode(Switch to automatic key creation mode). Drag the time slider to the right on the 5th frame and move the cue ball to the top of the pyramid (Fig. 27). Turn off the automatic key generation mode, play the animation, and you will see that the impact ball actually moves in the desired direction. Click the button Utilities(Service) command panel and then on the button Reactor(Reactor), open the scroll Preview&Animation and in the field StartFrame(Initial frame) enter the number 6 - this is necessary so that the first five frames (that is, when the impact ball moves according to the law we define) are not taken into account when calculating the dynamics (Fig. 28). Please note that theoretically we could achieve a similar result in another way: without changing the value in the field StartFrame, and turning it on in the scroll Properties for hitting ball flag Unyielding(this will indicate to the program that this object should be animated manually, and not automatically by the module Reactor).

Rice. 26. Including scene objects in a collection RBCollection

Rice. 28. Setting scroll parameters Preview &Animation

Select a plane, open the scroll Properties and set the radio button in the group SimulationGeometry to position UseMesh. In the window SelectObjects select all the balls and determine the parameter values ​​for them Mass, Elasticity And Friction equal to 2; 0.3 and 0.3 respectively (Fig. 29). Click the button CreateAnimation(Create animation) - and the animation will be created. Play it and you will see how the cue ball breaks the pyramid, the balls from which roll into different sides(Fig. 30).

Imitation fabric

Fabrics are imitated in Reactor through Cloth bodies that have the properties of elasticity, weight and stretching, and can be created based on a wide variety of object types: primitives, Mesh objects, etc. In order for scene objects to be perceived as fabrics, you must first assign them a modifier reactorCloth and then create a collection of Cloth-bodies - ClothCollection(abbreviated CLCollection), into which to include these objects.

For example, create a simple scene from a ball and an ordinary plane lying on it with a large number segments along both axes (Fig. 31) - let's try to ensure that the plane turns into a fabric that realistically fits the ball. Create two collections: a rigid bodies collection ( RBCollection) and a collection of fabrics ( ClCollection) - rice. 32. Add a ball to RBCollection, highlighting the collection icon, clicking on the button Add panels Modify and indicating the ball in the list of objects that opens. Select the plane and assign a modifier to it reactorCloth(Fig. 33). Activate the icon ClCollection and through the panel Modify include the plane in the fabric collection - note that without assigning the Plane01 object the specified modifier to its name when the button is clicked Add would not appear in the list of possible objects to include in the collection.

Rice. 33. Purpose of the modifier plane reactorCloth

According to the task at hand, we do not need animation - we only need to achieve the transformation of the plane into fabric. Therefore, you can limit yourself to previewing the initial frames of the animation and select from them the one in which the fabric will hang from the ball most attractively. Just before doing this, assign an arbitrary two-sided material to the plane, otherwise reverse side the plane (and subsequently the tissue) will not be visible. After this, click on the buttons in sequence Utilities And Reactor, open the scroll Preview&Animation, then click on the button PreviewinWindow(Window Preview) - the module window will open Reactor, in which at the initial moment the plane in its original form and the ball will be displayed. Press the key p, and the sequential formation of animation frames will begin, in which the plane will gradually fall onto the ball, turning into a piece of fabric (Fig. 34). On the frame you like, stop the process of further generation of frames by pressing the key p, from the internal window menu Reactor select team MAX=>UpdateMAX and close the window of this module. As a result, in the projection windows the plane will appear in an already transformed form (Fig. 35).

Rice. 34. Preview animation frames in window Reactor

To correctly roll along the side balls, you need to imagine a line connecting the middle pocket with the corner pocket lying on the opposite side of the table. When striking the first blow, one should take into account the fact that the effectiveness of the move largely depends on how far the path of “your” ball to the imaginary line turns out to be. If you strike by placing the cue ball at points 1–4, the pyramid will be the least broken. However, since “your” ball will ricochet touch the “others”, then, by only slightly moving them from their place, it itself can fall into the pocket, for which the player will invariably receive penalty points.

You can successfully break the pyramid by placing the cue ball between the middle and side pockets as shown in the figure. After striking the cue ball, having only lightly touched the corner ball of the pyramid, it will roll back to the short side.

Beginners and cautious players often use a blow from the rear to break the pyramid. Its use often causes the game to drag out, as players strive to use wagering to direct all the balls being played to the opposite side of the table.

The most difficult blow when breaking a pyramid is considered to be the pull of “your” ball. A lot of skill is required from the athlete in order to deliver an accurate blow, as a result of which “his” ball will stop close to the short side of the table.

After breaking the pyramid, the main part of the game follows, during which each participant tries to play as many balls as possible. It often happens that the most experienced player scores the required amount of points to win in the minimum number of hits. It also happens when the fate of a game or game is decided by the last ball played.

If there is only one object ball left on the field, you can play it in the following way. Let’s assume that the “foreign” ball is near the wall of the long side, at the very entrance to the corner pocket farthest from the player, and the cue ball is at the near pocket.

In order to play the ball correctly, it is necessary to perform an upper left side kick, as if aiming the cue ball at the board, taking it a little to the right of the ball being played. As a result of a strong impact, the cue ball will be reflected from the long side, after which it touches the object ball and, giving it a reverse rotation, is reflected from three sides and stops at the short side. The ball being played, after colliding with the cue ball, will be located at the opposite short side of the table.

So, the balls ended up on opposite sides of the gaming table. The opponent will no longer be able to play the ball. In addition, he will need to make a lot of effort in order to solve the current problem and correctly carry out a retaliatory strike.

One of the main conditions for winning in the “Small Russian Pyramid” for players is to accurately calculate which ball should be put in the pocket. Let's assume the following game situation. One of the players has 65 points in his reserve, and the other player has 53 points. There are two balls on the table at the end of the game: “10” and “2”. Experienced cue masters do not advise the first leading athlete to pocket the ball number “2”, even if it is in a good position for effective play. You need to play a “deuce” only if its laying guarantees a “10” exit.