KAMUI POOL TIPS – THE FUTURE IS HERE!

They have been described as the Apple of Pool cue tips.

Kamui Pool tips are considered to not just be at the cutting edge of pool cue tips but the actual cutting edge through an extensively tried and tested laminate and compression process.

The end result is more reliable play which equates to greater confidence in stroke-play.

Hundreds or professionals around the world now use the tips and they are available from Billiard Shop stores in Townsville, Mackay, Toowoomba, Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Bundall on the Gold Coast and in the Brisbane centres of Aspley and Macgregor.

Kamui (kah-MOO-ee) which is the Japanese word for divine or powerful consists of 100% Japanese pig skin leather with each 10 layers laminated and glued together.

The unique production process is what creates quality and performance with the compression process resulting in high porosity in the pig skin.

In other words this leaves the pores of the pig skin open, allowing the chalk to penetrate the surface enough to really hold onto chalk to promote grip.

Greater grip translates to a reduce chance of miscuing a shot and to compensate for how much performance you want, super soft, soft, medium and hard tips have been produced.

The compressed leather tip has a shield on its base for the glue to be applied which removes the practice of sanding the bottom layer as is the case in traditional tips. This shield protects the glue from being absorbed into the pig skin which guarantees a perfectly aligned installation to achieve the designed tip and cue performance.

The range of tips come in Original or Black.

     

The Original, which holds its original leather colour, is designed to generate more speed with a more accurate shot. It allows the player to move the cue ball over a longer distance with accurate shooting.

The Black is promoted for Precise Cue Ball Control due to its high elasticity properties. This high elasticity of the black leather absorbs the momentum of the cue so as to propel the cue ball with desired spin.

As to whether your personal game would be suited to a Super Soft, Soft, Medium, and Hard contact your nearest Billiard Shop in Queensland on 1300 300 654. Billiard Shop experts will be able to match up a Kamui tip with what you play with right now and/or by your style of play.

One thing certain, Kamui’s ever expanding market share of the tips isn’t by chance with the Craftsmanship at the heart of quality control.

While the Japanese pig is a fine grade of leather for a pool cue tip there is still a specially selected part that is considered critical to the quality of a Kamui tip. The selected piece is then further evaluated and double checked by two craftsman.

Further testing is carried out in the production process to detect any problems and a serial number is also assigned so in the case of concern, Kamui can trace back what temperature, humidity, material and craftsman was involved.

The tips aside, the Kamiu story is a great life lesson. Through extensive testing they believed they had a very fine product! They took it took America spending serious cash advertising on every billiard magazine only to sell one tip!

With steely determination and an impenetrable belief they pushed on. Further research revealed the American billiards market is only word of mouth which prompted Kamui to push free sample tips to cue makers and repairers.

With the Kamui tips now in Billiard Shop stores in Australia the power of justified belief and steely determination proves you can achieve goals.

It’s also why Billiard Shop is passionate about their tables and accessories as the cue sport game really does bring Family and Friends together to let the good times roll!

THE STORY BEHIND ARAMITH BALLS

There’s an 80% chance that the Billiards balls you have at home are Aramith.

That’s the percentage of players worldwide that use them week in week out.

Over several decades Belgian Aramith Billiard balls have forged a worldwide recognition due to their outstanding endurance and uncompromised quality making them also the most economical purchase.

This Aramith ball will last at least five times longer than any other ball.

The company who makes them, Saluc, states that, when used properly, they will last up to 40 years for home use.

This is why Billiard Shop stocks them in everyone one of their stores throughout Queensland in Townsville, Mackay, Toowoomba, Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Bundall on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane at Aspley and Macgregor.

Their quality is the result of a high-tech process that combines the unmatched characteristics of phenolic resin with fine Belgian craftsmanship.

This production process makes the balls very strong and scratch resistant and withstands more than 50 times more impacts.

They balls resist at friction temperature of 250 C when in motion which results in less white marks on your cloth and no flat spots on the ball.

There is little doubt the balls also make for better controlled stroke-play as a result of the unique elasticity of the resin, designed for optimal rebound along with a true and accurate roll.

It’s little wonder professional players and federations worldwide have exclusively selected the Aramith balls.

Saluc, has not rested on their laurels with their leading product by also using the exact same process for novelty sets such as NRL State of Origin sets to branded Bundaberg Rum or Jack Daniels sets. 

     

It’s why Billiard Shop has these sports loving sets on the same par as the traditional balls.

The company Saluc is situated in Callenelle in city Belgian of Péruwelz, located in the Walloon region in the province of Hainaut. Founded in 1923, Saluc started as a chemical industry specialising in tannery products before converting to billiard balls after 1950. They also make 9 pin bowling balls amongst other industrial balls used in all kind of application with exportation to more than 60 countries representing 98% of activity.

The union of these two complementary Belgian products - loved by amateur and professional billiards players the world over and sanctioned by the majority of the championships and tournament organizers worldwide -will help to reinforce the promotion on the international level of these two globally reputed and high-quality billiard products: the IWAN SIMONIS cloth and the

The path of the Aramith ball was born in the aftermath of WWII with the almost total disappearance of their core business forced the company to look for alternatives.

Due to their chemical know-how in the manufacturing of phenolic resins, Saluc saw the opportunity to move into making billiards balls with the billiard market in full expansion.

By the 1960s production was in full swing despite being up against three well-established manufacturers. However continuous fine-tuning combined with the increase in production levels saw Aramith Balls establish a leading market share.

Today, Saluc is the only company worldwide producing phenolic billiard balls. Their unique structure is more than one hundred times finer than mineral-filled polyester which gives them such qualities.

The production involves a 13-step, 23 day process that includes casting and curing processes, combined with unique grinding and state-of-the-art polishing technology.

Throughout the process, computerized technology continuously interfaces with and assist craftsmanship to guarantee the tightest tolerances and specifications.

And how about this for quality control - Each ball is still checked manually before leaving the factory to provide the worldwide distribution network with reliable output. Now that would be a job!

So next time you rack and stack ‘em, know that with Aramith you are playing with history. So I guess all there is left to do is create some playing history of your own against family, friends of foes.

 

SNOOKER – Nowhere to hide!

Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, John Higgins, Graeme Dott, Shaun Murphy and Australia’s Neil Robertson have all raised the World Snooker Championship trophy over the past decade

Australia’s Neil Robertson

They are household names and have done well out of the sport due to the game’s heavy Television broadcast schedule.

It is for this reason the game of Snooker enjoys such a high profile despite Snooker itself not being played at the grassroots level as much as eight or nine ball.

The skills and tactics of Snooker are undeniable and as a general belief if you are good at Snooker you should do okay at any of the other cue sports games.

Like Billiards, not to be mistaken with American Billiards, you can’t hide in a game of Snooker – poor play will be exposed.

Watching two low-skilled players play Snooker is painful, particularly if you’re playing next as it will be a long wait.

That said watching the highly skilled is very awesome and it is why the game is covered extensively on Television.

When staged on a full size table of 12’x6’ or 10’x5’, Snooker is played with 22 balls which is made up of one white cue-ball, ten red balls and one yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black ball.

Ten red balls are used on smaller tables.

The red balls are racked in the triangle and placed behind the spot at the foot of the table.

The coloured balls are placed on the various spots on the table as seen in the diagram below.

• BROWN ball placed on CENTRE of string line
• YELLOW ball placed on spot to the RIGHT
• GREEN ball placed on spot to the LEFT
• BLUE ball placed on spot at CENTRE of table
• PINK ball placed at APEX of pyramid
• BLACK ball placed HALF WAY between pyramid base & back cushion

The object of the game is simple. Sink a red ball then sink a coloured ball and try and continue this scenario as many times as possible. So in other words, sending a red ball into a pocket allows you to shoot for a coloured ball.

While a red ball is one point the coloured balls have different values which are:

• BROWN – 4 points
• YELLOW – 2 points
• GREEN- 3 points
• BLUE – 5 points
• PINK -6 points
• BLACK – 7 points

The 10-times women’s world champion Reanne Evans

You can pocket any coloured ball after pocketing a red. If you sink the lowest valued colour ball on the table it is taken out of the game however if it is not the lowest valued coloured ball on the table it is immediately replaced to its original position on the Table. If the spot is occupied the ball is placed on the nearest vacant spot. Once reds balls are pocketed they remain there.

Once all the red balls have been pocketed you must then sink the remaining coloured balls in order from lowest to highest (points).

And to make it a challenge you must nominate which coloured ball you are aiming for during all stages of the game. This means if you accidently sink a coloured ball that wasn’t nominated it is returned to the table and a penalty applies to the shooter.

Penalties apply to the following if:

• A player loses four points if they aim for a red ball and misses or if the white cue ball goes into the pocket.
• A player aims for a coloured ball and misses he loses the value of the ball missed except for the Yellow and Green balls which then carry the minimum penalty which is 4 points.
• A player hits a different coloured ball than the one aimed at they lose the value of the highest number ball involved. The same penalty applies to pocketing a wrong ball even if the right ball is hit first.
• If the player “on” Black misses and no other ball is hit – penalty seven points
• Player “on” Yellow strikes Black and Yellow simultaneously – penalty seven because the highest numerical forfeit applies.
• When all balls are off the Table the player with the highest score wins.

In consideration of all the rules, the biggest secret of the game lies in the name – SNOOKER. A snooker is when you deprive your opponent of a clear shot or even better a shot that has no alternative but to foul. So if you are playing Snooker – try and snooker your opponent as many times as possible but make sure you do it without detracting from sinking balls and scoring shots.

However if you absolutely snooker your opponent from a foul stroke they can claim a “free ball”- that is choose any colour he chooses to serve as a red ball. However, the coloured ball will count as 1one and must be re-spotted.

It is a fun game but if you and your opponent is new to the game, it is not a bad idea to have a list of the value of each balls on hand and where they are placed on the table.

There is a Billiard and Snooker club in just about every Metropolitan and Regional centre in Australia and their websites are a great reference on which club to join, upcoming tournaments and lessons.

For tables, accessories or even reclothing your Snooker table, Billiard Shop in Townsville, Mackay, Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, Bundall on the Gold Coast, Macgregor and Aspley in Brisbane and Toowoomba have the complete service to make the good times roll.

THE BRILLIANCE OF BILLIARDS

Mark Twain

You can’t hide in the game of Billiards. It requires much more than exquisite touch and visionary precision and it is why Mark Twain bestowed on the world in a speech on April 24th1906 “The game of billiards has destroyed my naturally sweet disposition.”

It can be a frustrating game but therein lies its addictive nature which makes Billiards exhilarating!

Traditionally the game has three balls, the cue ball and two object balls which traditionally were two white balls.

To distinguish between the two white coloured balls one is marked with a black spot at opposite extremities and called Spot while the other white ball is called, plain. Each player uses either white ball which is determined before the game starts.

However more recently one of the white balls has been swapped for a yellow ball which makes the game more easy to follow when broadcast on television. Billiard Shop sells Billiards packs containing a white, yellow and red.

As Billiards is a scoring game the player that scores the most points wins and there are three ways in which to score, by cannons, losing hazards and winning hazards.

Cannons: A cannon is made by causing the cue ball to contact the two object balls in succession. Two points are scored by a cannon whether it is from white to red, or red to white.

Losing Hazards: A losing hazard is when you sink your cue ball after contact with one of the two object balls. A losing hazard off the red is rewarded three points and off the white (or yellow) is two. This play is referred to as a “Loser”

Winning Hazards: A winning hazard or Pot is made by pocketing one or both of the object balls. Potting the red ball scores 3 points and potting the white (or yellow) two.

The real skill of the game is making combinations shots and is such scenarios the following points apply:

• When a losing hazard and cannon are made in the one stroke, the player scores two points for the cannon and two for the hazard. If the white ball (or yellow) is struck first it is two points for the cannon and if the red is struck first it is three points for the hazard.
• If both object-balls are struck simultaneously and a hazard is made as well, two points are scored for the cannon and two for the hazard.
• If more than one hazard or a combination of hazards and cannons are made in the same stroke, all are scored.

So with that knowledge it is time to play! And just how long you play for is determined by whether you compete over a predetermined number of points (eg 100, 250 or 500) or to a predetermined time (e.g 1 hour or 2 hours).

Starting the game is done by a heads or tails coin toss with the winner earning the choice of either the spot or the plain white ball, playing first or second.

The other way is to String. Here each player hits a white ball (or yellow) from the baulk line with the winner being the one whose ball comes to rest nearest the bottom cushion whether it rebounds or not.

At the commencement of the game the red ball is placed on the billiard spot and the opponent’s ball is “in hand”, that is not on the table. The player starting the game places his ball in the “D” and must direct it out of the baulk area.

The opening stroke is to connect with the red ball. The ideal scenario is to send the red to either the right or left hand pocket in the baulk and bring the cue ball to the side of the table. When confronted with this situation the reply is generally to attempt the cannon from white (or yellow) on to red. If it is missed the opening player has the red to play at for a loser or pot.

When a ball is forced off the table, the balls are then spotted, the red is placed on the billiard spot and the object ball on the centre spot. Every time the cue ball enters a pocket the player must then play form the “D”.

The object white ball (or yellow) stays in the pocket if potted until the opponents turn arrives. A player fails to score and gives way to his opponents if his stroke does not result in a cannon, a losing hazard or a winning hazard.

While the player continues to score he remains at the table, and only after missing a stroke does their turn end.

The purpose of the game is, as implied above, to perform as many sequences of cannons, losing and winning hazards as possible. The key to this is to bring the balls to rest with another scoring opportunity. If you do this more than your opponent then you will win, or at least you should.

The tactics are immense and you have to be alert and respond to all possibilities.

The most important tactical area on the Billiards table is the baulk area which is the area on the table between the baulk line and the bottom cushion.  In numerous game situations you are confronted with playing out of the baulk area, in otherwords it is a no-shooting-backwards zone.

You must play out of the baulk area when the cue-ball has entered a pocket as the result of a losing hazard or your opponent has pitted your cue ball from the break.

You may place the cue-ball anywhere in the “D” space, including the semi-circular line and the part of the baulk-line which forms the straight part of the “D”. If you place the ball on this line then it must be exactly on it, which means half in and half out.

When forced to play out of the baulk when the object balls are behind the baulk line your natural options are to either try a screw-back, use the cushions or other object balls to find your target.

Sending both object-balls into baulk is called a double-baulk while sending one ball into baulk is a single-baulk. They are both considered safe shots.

It’s why scoring off a double-baulk is difficult and why the baulk area is an important part of safety or defensive play.

The amazing thing about playing Billiards is that you are in a constant state of learning. It’s been this way for more than a hundred years with the current rules largely the ones adopted by the games governing body in England in 1899

It is one of the oldest sporting world championships, dating back to 1869.

But when you do play remember to keep your sense of humour so as not to destroy your naturally sweet disposition. So let the good times roll!

THE KELLY POOL TRADITION AT CHRISTMAS

If you own a Billiard table, chances are that on Christmas day you will bring your family and friends together with a game of Kelly Pool.

Kelly Pool is of course the Billiards game where you draw a numbered pea at random from a shake bottle.

With fifteen numbered peas in total, the idea is to not only sink your opponent’s ball but to sink your numbered ball to win.

Naturally you need to keep your number secret.

You tend to know the veteran Kelly Pool players, as they are the ones who go to great lengths to try and make sure all peas are returned to the shake bottle.

We’ve all been guilty of getting home after a big festive day only to discover the pea in your pocket. Doh!

Kelly Pool is a funny, funny game when all the idiosyncrasies of family and friends are put on show. Then of course there’s the new comers to the Christmas Day family tradition.

The new girlfriends or boyfriends, or the long-time-no-see distant relatives.

Opinions are quickly shaped about these new-comers as to whether they are good, bad, indifferent or they-need-a-bit-of-working-on.

When it comes to playing against family and friends that have taken part in the Christmas game tradition for many years, we may not be able to remember their birthday or their children’s names but for some reason we can remember how they react during the competitively social game of Kelly Pool.

To watch your brother or sister hold back tears after again being the first one knocked out of the game is a precious thing. Their reactions can and does bring tears to your own eyes.

On the opposite end of the scale there’s the personality types that would rather hide their numbered ball in a protected place on the table, so they can indulge in the joy of knocking others out of the game.

Each family tends to have a name for this person but as yet there isn’t a universal term. Tool is a good starting point. Then again, being the “Tool” can be very personally satisfying. The trick here is to contain your laughter from exploding. This in itself is fraught with danger as liquid blown through your nose is not a pleasant experience. Very funny for others though.

And here’s another funny thing, and it’s a fact. Kelly Pool was banned in parts of the United States and Canada in the mid-20th century as it was considered a stronghold of gambling. Playing the game was actually a fineable offence in Montana until 1964.

And for the record Calistus Mulvaney of Irish decent, who was known as Kelly Mulvaney invented the game in Chicago in 1893.

But back to bans and to family and friends. There is also one player that always has to be called three or four times to tell them that it’s their turn. This is a particularly frustrating time for the “Nob”, but for the forward thinking player, the knowledge that the time-wasters shot is coming up is the perfect time to either replenish or empty their liquid(s). This is smart play.

Whatever the case, the wide range of player personality types is what makes Kelly Pool a fantastic Christmas Day activity.

For a list of rules click on  http://bit.ly/KellyPoolRules. Post Christmas you can buy in store or purchase online at Billiard Shop a new Kelly Pool kit to replace your kit which has 3 peas missing. Doh!