Testing your table

No two tables run exactly alike: the cloth, the cushions, cleanliness, even the room's temperature change what the ball does. Before trusting a calculation system, take ten minutes to get to know your table. This page goes from the simplest check (does the ball roll straight?) all the way to setting up the Conti system, with a tool that calculates it for you.

⎙ Printable test sheet The four diagrams and a table to fill in at the table.

1. A quick look before playing

Three minutes, without playing a single shot:

• The cloth: bumps, stains, shiny patches (a sign of wear) that can deflect a ball.
• Cleanliness: chalk dust on the cloth and cushions slows the ball down and makes bounces less regular. Run your flat hand over it, without pressing, and see what comes off.
• The room: heat and humidity change the table's speed a little from one day to the next. A setting found on a summer evening isn't necessarily January's.

2. Does the ball roll straight?

Place a ball on the center line, at one end, and push it very gently with no side spin toward the other end. If it always drifts to the same side, the table isn't level (feet need adjusting, or the slate is poorly shimmed): that's not a fault in your stroke. Repeat the test in the other direction, then across the width, and from several starting points to confirm the drift really is the table's.

3. Is the bounce regular?

Send a ball at an angle toward a single cushion, at medium speed and with no side spin. With no side spin, the exit angle should match the entry angle, as in a mirror. A clear gap, especially if it changes from one spot on the cushion to another, signals uneven cushions (uneven wear, re-gluing on just one side): good to know before you rely on it in a match.

4. The Conti system's four test shots

The Conti system gives theoretical numbers. The tests below measure the gap between theory and your table, so you can correct for it afterward. For the measurement to mean anything, always play the same shot: the same way of hitting ball 1 (high, with maximum "good" side spin) and the same speed, firm enough for the balls touched to travel at least 40 cm. Details in the Conti page.

Here's what each test should give, diagram by diagram. The boxed numbers are the test's own; ball 3 is placed where ball 1 must arrive on the 4th cushion. The paths are indicative (the calculation gives the numbers, not the exact geometry), and the white dot in each test is a reminder that the aiming line passes through the center of ball 1.

Test 1: start 50, expecting 20

Start 50, aim 30: 50 − 20 = 30. The ball touches the 3rd cushion at 20, then arrives at 20 on the 4th cushion (correction for start 50: 0).

Test 2: start 40, expecting 19

Start 40, aim 20: 40 − 20 = 20. The ball touches the 3rd cushion at 20, then arrives at 19 on the 4th cushion (20 − 1).

Test 3: start 30, expecting 15

Start 30, aim 10: 30 − 20 = 10. The ball touches the 3rd cushion at 20, then arrives at 15 on the 4th cushion (20 − 5).

Test 4: start 70, expecting 45

Start 70 (on the short cushion on the left), aim 30: 70 − 40 = 30. The ball touches the 3rd cushion at 40, then arrives at 45 on the 4th cushion (40 + 5).

1. Place ball 1 on the test's start, aim for the indicated aim point, and play.
2. Note the number where the ball actually arrives on the 4th cushion.
3. Repeat three to five times and keep the number that comes up most often: a single shot proves nothing.
4. Calculate the setting: number obtained − expected number. If test 1 arrives at 22 instead of 20, the setting is +2: your table adds 2, to keep in your calculations.

The four settings are rarely identical: a table can add 2 for a start of 50 and 4 for a start of 70. For a start that hasn't been tested, estimate the setting between its two tested neighbors: with +2 at 50 and +4 at 70, expect around +3 at 60. It's an estimate, not a measurement; it's only useful between two tested starts.

5. Calculate my table's setting

Enter what you got on the 4th cushion for each test (leave blank any test you haven't played). The tool calculates the setting, estimates it for an in-between start, and remembers your numbers on this device: nothing is sent anywhere.

Then enter the setting into the "My table's setting" field of the Conti calculator.

When should I redo the tests?

Redo them if the cloth changes or has just been brushed, if the cushions have been redone, in a different room, or when the season changes. Note the date next to your numbers: in a club, a table that adds 2 one day won't necessarily add 2 the next.

⚠️ These tests give an average correction for your table, not a shot-by-shot guarantee. The side spin given to the ball, the speed and the cloth's condition always play a part.