Best-10-Carrom-Trick-shots

Carrom was originated in India in the 18th century. Apart from having a good sense of angles, it requires an excellent concentration and precision. Carrom is played on a polished square board with small circular wooden pieces known as carrom men and a striker made up of hard plastic.

There are 18 carrom men in a total of which nine are white, and nine are black. One carrom men is red or pink which is the queen. The primary objective of this game is to flicking of your fingers by using a striker and putting the carrom men in one of the four corner pockets. Carrom is about striking carrom men into the pockets. The queen is one of the most crucial carrom men of this game which consists of maximum points if you score it before the opponent.

Carrom is one of the most famous indoor games which has gained much popularity in the middle east and south east countries. In south Asia, many cafes and clubs hold regular tournaments and they are played by people of all age groups. Even after playing this game consistently for a couple of hours, you cannot get bored with this fun game. The only thing that can be a bit uncomfortable for you is for your fingers; they might get hurt after playing it for a while.

Unlike any other indoor game, it can be played in singles as well as doubles. Mostly all the indoor games are played in singles, for example, chess. Minimum 2 and maximum of 4 people can play this game.

To make your opponents think and believe that you are a pro, you may want to keep these pointers in mind-











1) Side shot-

It is one of the trick shots which is used to hit a carrom men out of your competitors way or into a pocket. This shot is played by hitting a striker in such a way that it pushes the carrom men in the opposite direction of the side that was hit and will consequently make it difficult for the opponent to score that carrom men into a pocket. Or you can either play a shot in a way that it directly goes straight to your pocket, if it does not even then the opponent cannot score that carrom men into his pocket. It is a shot that is played to be on a safer side. For example- if you flick the striker in the right direction, it will go towards left after it is struck.

2) Middle shot-

This tricky shot is played at the beginning of the game when all the carrom men are placed in the center of the board. You have to hit 2 carrom mens concurrently by hitting the striker to the space seen between the two carromens. The two carromens you will be hitting would be adjacent to each other, so by touching one another, they should move in opposite directions, and you can score two carromens in 2 different pockets at the same time in the first shot of the game.

3) Cut and take-

This shot is played when there is a need to cut a carrom men to a different direction and simultaneously in the same chance, you score a carrom men into another pocket. It is done to make the carrom men easy to score in your next shot.

4) Thumb hot-

This trick shot is played when your finger starts to hurt after hitting the disk for quite a while. This short results in a stronger hit if it is played precisely. It becomes essential to use when you are playing carrom from a couple of hours, as there are no rules that you can hit the striker only with one finger, so you have to use your thumb in that case. Form a circle by using your index finger and your thumb and shot the carrom men by moving your thumb towards the striker.

5) Alley oop-

It is one of the best tricks if you are playing this game in doubles. When you are playing a doubles game, the strategy is a key, and it is comparatively difficult to play in doubles than in singles as you will not know what is coming next. This trick is solely based on teamwork as it consists of hitting a carrom men close to a pocket and when it is going to be your partners turn, he will put it into the pocket effortlessly. But this trick should not be used persistently as it will make this strategy evident to your opponents.

6) Second hit-

If a carrom men is blocking your punch to another one, this trick is used to pocket two carrom mens at a single shot. You need to target the carrom men which can hit the other one to hit them into the pockets in a straight line path.

7) Board shot-

This tricky shot is for advanced players as it requires a bit of experience and knowledge. In this shot, you need to hit the striker in a direction, so that it touches three different sides of the board in such a way that striker hits the carrom men straight into the pocket of your side.

8) Cut shot-

This shot is played when a carrom men is placed in the center of the board. You set your fingers on the striker and flick of the fingers to hit the carrom men to the other side of the pocket of which the striker is placed. For example- if you are playing this shot from the left side, then you will play the cut shot towards the right side and score it in the right pocket.

9) Double shot-

It is the most common tricky shot as almost everyone who plays this game is aware of this shot. The double shot is when a carrom men is placed anywhere in the center or close to the center of the board. It cannot be played when the carrom men is at the corner of the board. It is because the striker hits the carrom men on to the opposite direction of the board, and after the collision, it comes back to the pocket of your side.

10) Back shot-

When the carrom men is place``d near to the pocket of your side from where you are playing and setting the striker, as per the rules, you cannot hit the striker directly at the back. This shot is played at this moment when you want to score the carrom men into the pocket of your side by hitting the striker quite hard at the extreme opposite which comes back and consequently puts the carrom men in the hole.

11) Flicking the striker-

There are numerous ways of flicking the striker; it depends on you what method or style you opt for. It is preferable to try all the techniques and then try the one which suits you perfectly. Sometimes, when you change the way of style, it might improve your accuracy. Two things are imperative and should not be overlooked, although it does not matter whichever method you choose-

a) Keep your hand steady on the board with the edge/base of your palm or fingers or thumb from which you are going to strike. This will ensure that the striker is not pushed and is flicked the right way in which it is required.

b) You need to make sure that your striking finger is close enough to the striker; if possible touching it would be great. This will drive the striker in a way without hurting your finger. It will take intensive care of your fingers. If your finger or thumb is hitting the striker from a distance, then you might end up hurting your nails and subsequently your fingers.

12) Having a correct mental attitude-

As carrom board is a game full of fun, so the rules should be kept to a minimum. In previous times, there used to be no written rules at all, and all this was handed down by word of mouth. Well, all the games should be played to have sheer fun but same as others, the factor of Competition comes in. Everyone wants to show that they are better than the other person playing in the game. Thus, if you lose the game all the time, then you start losing interest in the game. But, in case you are playing it with a new player who is not too good, you should always bend the little bit rules for your opponents benefit but not for your interest. Always ensure that they know what the rules are so that after the starting the game, there is no confusion and it goes smoothly.

Conclusion-

Regularly playing board games like Carrom boards has proven to keep mind even more active and focused. This helps people react in a better way to situations which require instant judgment and swiftness. The awareness that is needed in the games benefits people to become more target-oriented in general. So, use these tricks aptly to play well and become more professional in the game which would help you both mentally and physically. This game is exciting just like billiards and chess where remarkable tricks are the main moves to win the game.