Details-of-different-striking-styles-in-Carrom-Board-game-

About Carrom Board

Carrom is a famous indoor game that is played on board. It is also known as a tabletop game. The Carrom Board game was originated in South Asia. That is why it is popular among the Asian countries. The international federation of Carrom was formed in Chennai in 1988. Carrom is played with a striker and carrom men on a plywood board. The main objective of the game is to bring nine men and one queen into the pot faster than the opponent. This carrom board game can be played between two players and also four players. Various state-level tournaments are organized annually by the Carrom federation between different states.

Nowadays, carrom board game is also available on online gaming platforms to enhance your gaming experience. This indoor game has reached the next level nowadays. It is also played on both national and international levels.

Gaming equipment

Following are the equipment of the carrom board game:

Carrom Board: The board comprises of a square wooden frame having four pockets, one on each corner of the board. These pockets are fitted with a net to secure the carrom men from falling. The upper surface of the board is printed with patterns and lines and is polished with a smooth finish. The dimensions of the board are 74 cm ? 74 cm. But the dimensions may vary according to the players. The lower surface of the board is supported by the wooden bracings to provide strength to the carrom board.

Carrom men: The carrom men are small discs made from wood or plastic. There is a set of nineteen carrom men used in the game. It constitutes of three different colors: white, black and red. The red carrom men is considered as the queen of the game.

The carrom strikers: The striker is slightly heavier, and larger disc are compared to the carrom men. It is used to hit the carrom men and push into the pocket. The striker comes in huge color variants and also in printed form. The quality and precise standards of the striker can enhance the game, but on the same side, the low-quality light-weighted striker pushes your game experience downwards. Thus, it becomes more important to select the striker which builds minimum friction and leaves a significant impact on carrom men.

Carrom powder: It is used to reduce friction on board and make your carrom men and striker slide smoothly on the board. Consistently there are two types of carrom powder used in which most commonly used is Boric acid powder. It is sprinkled over the board to minimize the friction. Another kind of carrom powder used is Telfon powder. It constitutes microsphere particles that are like micro rollers to slide the carrom men and striker on the surface of the board.

Details of different striking Style in Carrom Board Game

People have a different striking style to put the Carrom men into the pot. So, take a look at these different striking styles and try any style that suits you perfectly:

Thumb and middle finger striking style

This is one of the typical striking styles in which the middle finger is held backward with the thumb. Pressure will be generated on the middle finger when it is put backwards. When you release the middle finger, it will shoot the striker with exerted force and hit the carrom men to put it in the pot. Different angles can be formed by changing the direction of the hand according to the position of the carrom men on board.



Scissors striking style

In this striking style, you need to keep your hand still on the board. Now place the edge of the middle finger behind the striker and overlap the index finger with the middle finger. Now create pressure on the middle finger though index finger by pushing it backward and release the middle finger while moving forward to the index finger to shoot the striker with the generated force. The position of the hand and direction can be set according to the player. The striker will move in an arc direction.



Vertical Long Finger Striking Style

In the vertical long finger striking style, the palm edge of your hand is in a vertical direction rather than resting on the carrom board. The middle finger of your hand is in the perpendicular direction to the board. This style of striking is correctly used when there is no space around your baseline, and the carrom men surround the striker. It seems to be an intricate style of striking, yet very useful when you got surrounded by men on your edge.



Thumb with index Finger striking style

This striking style is quite similar to the middle finger, and thumb striking style where pressure is put backward; instead of this in this style, the index finger is held back with the thumb to generate pressure before flicking the striker.



Index Finger striking styles

In this striking style, place your hand in a stable position on the carrom board with your palm baseline. The thumb will hold on the lateral position of the board. Fold your fingers while resting the tip of the finger on board. Now place your index finger behind the edge of the striker and touch the tip of the striker to generate pressure. Bring down the pressure on the tip of the index finger and flick the striker.



Thumb shot striking style

The thumb shot striking style is followed when there is a need for backshot or when allowed to pull the shot backward. In this, the hand of the player is similarly laid on carrom board like that in index finger except holding back your middle finger before flicking the striker in a backward or sideways direction. The thumb shot game is quite easy for playing backward shots and mostly used by the players.



Middle finger striking style

The middle finger style is similar to index finger except using the middle finger at the edge of the striker rather than the index finger. The thumb will generate the pressure on the middle finger, and the striker will move forward to hit the carrom men. However, you can change the direction of your hand as you required to play the game and according to the position of the carrom men.

Some general rules • The player is allowed to make an attempt to break the center of the carrom men

• The queen is always covered along with a carrom men

• Ten points are given to the player for covering black men and 20 to cover the white men.

• The queen covers the 50 points.

• Foul is considered as a penalty when you pull the striker into the pocket.

• If no carrom men are left on the board, then the queen is covered with the striker put in the pocket.

• To win the game, you need to put at least nine carrom men and queen in the pocket. But the winner can also be decided on the points covered by the opponent player rather than just covering the queen

• If any carrom men flick outside the carrom board, it needs to be put back in the center of the board again.

• The queen should be placed in the center if the player is not able to cover the men along with the queen.

Online carrom board game

The game is reaching to its next level, whether it is offline or online. While playing carrom board online, you dont need to have such equipment like carrom men, strikers, powder, and carrom board. These all things are programming based, and striking turn is based on click. But general rules and covering shot remain the same in the game. Carrom board online can be played between two players and even more.

Doubles game

Carrom can also be played in doubles just like you have seen in badminton. In doubles, the partners will sit opposite to each other but cover the points for both to win the game. The specified rules and the manner of the game remain the same as that of the two-player games. The turn of the players will proceed in the clockwise direction. There is a plus point of doubles games as your partner can move the carrom men for a baseline for you, which you cannot do in singles games.

Some caring tips

Before and after playing the game, make sure to wipe out the powder from coins and boards. Do not put exerted pressure on the board as it will break the plywood of the board.

Conclusion

All love the indoor games, whether you are a kid, an adult, or a youngster. Carrom board games are uniquely designed for indoor purposes, which you can enjoy with your family and friends. People love to play with their striking styles, but the most common methods that we have mentioned here are famous among all people. The international federation of the carrom board games set it to the national as well as the global level to enhance the interest of people in the game. Now it is also available on the online gaming platform where you can enjoy without waiting for the opponent and gaming equipment