These half-table Carom Billiards layouts offer an excellent variety of table setups that show up in game after game. For full-table layouts, see the book “Carom Billiards: MORE Riddles & Puzzles”. The layouts are designed to allow experimentation to try various cue ball speeds, spins, and angles. This provides significant personal competitive benefits: • Intellectual training – Evaluate the layouts and consider how many pathway options are available. Make sketches of paths and cue ball speeds & spins for the practice table. This increases your analytic and tactical skills. • Skills confirmation – As you attempt each path, your experimentation helps to determine whether it is viable (within your skills) or useless (too difficult or fantastic). This comparison between mental imagery and physical attempts helps determine the width and breadth of your abilities. • Skills advancement – If a path looks promising, but execution fails, work with various speeds/spins to discover what works. Several consecutive successes will add this to your personal library of competencies. ++++++++++++++++ HOW TO STUDY Start with armchair analysis. Look at each table layout and consider possible playing options. Imagine shooting your ideas, concentrating on the appropriate speed and spin. Make sketches and notes, as needed. Alternately, take this book to your practice table, put the donuts down, and (without shooting anything), mentally figure out how many different ways you can play the shot. Make notes of your ideas. If this is a printed book, use a pencil and sketch out pathways. Make sketches, and when you get to the practice table, give them a shot. At the practice table, apply the paper reinforcement rings for the three ball positions. Think through the shot before you get down and stroke the cue ball. When shots get close, experiment with different speeds/spins and angles until you can consistently score (3 of 4 attempts). This is how you become a tougher and more dangerous player.

There are a set of cue ball pattern shots that are fascinating. These are the shots where the cue ball goes into one or more cushions before contacting the first object ball. These are most common when the two object balls are close together. The player sends the cue ball into three cushions first. But there are many variations including one cushion first and two cushions first. This book assembles large variety of these types of shots. For each shot, there are two table layouts. The first is the ball positions on the table. The second is how the pro player made the point. There are two ways you can use these examples. First - as a mental exercise. Study the ball layout and the ball paths to determine how the shot was played. Second - as a table exercise. Set the balls up in the positions. Try to duplicate the shot. It may take only a few attempts, or a lot before you learn how to consistently score the point. You will do a lot of experimentation with different speeds and spins. The result will be a better understanding on how to play similar shots during your competitions. Enjoy the learning process and good luck!!

These Full-Table Carom Billiards layouts offer an excellent variety of table setups that show up in game after game. For Half-Table layouts, see the book “Carom Billiards: Some Riddles & Puzzles”. The layouts are designed to allow experimentation to try various cue ball speeds, spins, and angles. This provides significant personal competitive benefits: • Intellectual training – Evaluate the layouts and consider how many pathway options are available. Make sketches of paths and cue ball speeds & spins for the practice table. This increases your analytic and tactical skills. • Skills confirmation – As you attempt each path, your experimentation helps to determine whether it is viable (within your skills) or useless (too difficult or fantastic). This comparison between mental imagery and physical attempts helps determine the width and breadth of your abilities. • Skills advancement – If a path looks promising, but execution fails, work with various speeds/spins to discover what works. Several consecutive successes will add this to your personal library of competencies. ++++++++++ HOW TO STUDY Start with armchair analysis. Look at each table layout and consider possible playing options. Imagine shooting your ideas, concentrating on the appropriate speed and spin. Make sketches and notes, as needed. Alternately, take this book to your practice table, put the donuts down, and (without shooting anything), mentally figure out how many different ways you can play the shot. Make notes of your ideas. If this is a printed book, use a pencil and sketch out pathways. Make sketches, and when you get to the practice table, give them a shot. At the practice table, apply the paper reinforcement rings for the three ball positions. Think through the shot before you get down and stroke the cue ball. When shots get close, experiment with different speeds/spins and angles until you can consistently score (3 of 4 attempts). This is how you become a tougher and more dangerous player.

One of the interesting shot patterns is known as full table circle. These shots follow a clockwise or counter-clockwise path around the table rails. This book contains a large assortment of these types of shots. For each shot, there are two table layouts. The first is the ball positions on the table. The second is how the pro player made the point. There are two ways you can use these examples. First - as a mental exercise. Study the ball layout and the ball paths to determine how the shot was played. Second - as a table exercise. Set the balls up in the positions. Try to duplicate the shot. It may take only a few attempts, or a lot before you learn how to consistently score the point. You will do a lot of experimentation with different speeds and spins. The result will be a better understanding on how to play similar shots during your competitions. Enjoy the learning process and good luck!!

This is a collection of shots that occur within the quarter table at the short rail. The cue ball goes off the long rail, short rail, and the opposite long rail - but only within a two diamond area. For each shot, there are two table layouts. The first is the ball positions on the table. The second is how the pro player made the point. There are two ways you can use these examples. First - as a mental exercise. Study the ball layout and the ball paths to determine how the shot was played. Second - as a table exercise. Set the balls up in the positions. Try to duplicate the shot. It may take only a few attempts, or a lot before you learn how to consistently score the point. You will do a lot of experimentation with different speeds and spins. The result will be a better understanding on how to play similar shots during your competitions. Enjoy the learning process and good luck!!

As you watch the pro players compete, every once in a while you will seen an unusual shot. It is so unusual that you have to replay the shot in your memory to understand what happened. This book is a collection of those shots that have occurred during international competitions. For each shot, there are two table layouts. The first is the ball positions on the table. The second is how the pro player made the point. There are two ways you can use these examples. First - as a mental exercise. Study the ball layout and the ball paths to determine how the shot was played. Second - as a table exercise. Set the balls up in the positions. Try to duplicate the shot. It may take only a few attempts, or a lot before you learn how to consistently score the point. You will do a lot of experimentation with different speeds and spins. The result will be a better understanding on how to play similar shots during your competitions. Enjoy the learning process and good luck!!

During competitions, many of the shots you see use a cue ball path known as "Around the World". Basically, the path is from a corner, across to the opposite long rail. From there, the cue ball goes to the short rail and then the other long rail. From the second long rail, the cue ball travels to the other, side corner. This collection of around the world shots provides you with a extensive variety of scoring solutions. For each shot, there are two table layouts. The first is the ball positions on the table. The second is how the pro player made the point. There are two ways you can use these examples. First - as a mental exercise. Study the ball layout and the ball paths to determine how the shot was played. Second - as a table exercise. Set the balls up in the positions. Try to duplicate the shot. It may take only a few attempts, or a lot before you learn how to consistently score the point. You will do a lot of experimentation with different speeds and spins. The result will be a better understanding on how to play similar shots during your competitions. Enjoy the learning process and good luck!!