Scale points — a shot graded in three angles
The position that keeps coming back during a run: ball 3 in the corner, and a single shot set three different ways to join it there
Ball 2, seen from above: the three attack points lined up on the same diagonal. As the angle opens, you move down one step.
The principle
Ball 3 is already sitting in a corner zone. You attack ball 2 to send it straight into that zone, while your ball goes around the cushions to come back and find ball 3 there too. The angle you approach ball 2 from sets the setting to use.
The three settings
| Angle | Fullness | Spin | Stroke |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed (natural shot) | 3/4-ball | left | natural |
| Medium | half-ball | no spin | — |
| Open | quarter-ball | reverse, max | firm |
In the order the angle opens
- Closed angle: ball 2 goes straight into the zone, the natural stroke is enough to send your ball around. Nothing to correct.
- Medium angle: with the same attack, your ball would go too wide. One step down in fullness, attack at the center, spin taken off.
- Open angle: thinnest fullness, so a double correction — the reverse spin straightens your ball, the firm stroke gives ball 2 the energy it no longer gets from such a thin hit.
When to use it
As soon as ball 3 is in the corner and your other two balls are out in the open: this shot scores and puts everyone back in the zone in a single stroke, to keep the run going there.