“Safety First” is certainly an excellent motto in many respects, but I question it in a billiards sense and rarely advise it when giving billiards instruction. The game of safety in billiards is something of a paradox. It sounds easy, and it is easy within strict limitations.

But when it gets beyond the obvious enough, the safety game is the most difficult and problematic part of the game of billiards. Suppose, for example, that you are faced with the following position: the cue ball is in your hand, the white one is so close to the edge of the center pocket that it is impossible to play it without pocketing it, the red one is pressed against the side cushion. What is the right game to play?

a single trunk

Before I answer my question, I’ll digress to say that if red was anywhere near the baulk band, then you have a typical “safety game made easy” illustration. You pocket white smart enough to get your ball back to where you can command red very comfortably, and you set up a double baulk that you should take advantage of.

But, with the red mesh attached to the side cushion, you’re faced with a tricky problem. If you pocket white and leave a simple baulk, your opponent, if he’s a good baulk player, has a great opportunity to cross red into the top pocket and break your safety move.

If his stroke play is too weak for him to take a chance on the run, you can hit a pocket, give him three points, and force him to play the misplaced red under the rule that limits consecutive errors. , which gives him the best of the argument, because you gave the first failure to drop your single-baulk.

Obviously, therefore, you risk losing by pocketing the white and missing the ball, unless you can miss so cleverly that your ball lands exactly where you can play the round from the red. This is a very, very difficult thing to do, and when you’ve done it, you still have to do your rehearsal in response to a hit.

You may not have to make it if your opponent misses by covering the red, or cleverly misses by moving back, making it difficult for you when you try to pass. The latter is a risky shot for him, but the chance is there if he wants to take it; which he can do in the unlikely event that you miss smart enough to command the ride should he hit.

a double baulk

After receiving some billiards instructions, if your stroke play is equal, the best thing to do in this situation is to run through the red to the high pocket. It is impossible to say where the red will stop after this shot. You can leave an easy red hazard, you can hit an obstacle, you can stop safely for yourself, but in a better position for a safety shot.

In any case, there is little chance that if you take the walk you will be in a position to pocket white and leave a double baulk, which is hardly feasible since the balls are lying. You could do it if you put the white with a lot of screw and the right side on your ball, and shoot the red from the top rail. Then, if you were lucky enough to move red to the advantage, you would be able to put down a double refusal and get the best of the deal.

a complex problem

From the foregoing, you will see that coup is by no means the simple “hit the target and miss on failure” proposition that it appears at first glance. It’s more like a minor problem in chess, and its correct solution really depends on the human element. It’s mostly a matter of whether or not you can take on the underdog with confidence and, to a lesser extent, whether your opponent can do something with him if you leave it to him.

After you have received some excellent billiards instruction, you should be in a position to enjoy the game!

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