Learning Carrom Skills
a guide on how to develop skills and accuracy for the game of Carrom
Carrom is a game of skill and accuracy which can be easy to pick up and a real joy to play. If you are new to the game the idea of flicking the striker at the coins will seem easy but, you may soon find that the game is more challenging than the players you see in online videos belay.
A lot of new players find that they flick the sticker and this causes them real pain in their fingers. This guide will explain how to avoid this and will give you away to quickly improve your game so that you go from novice to proficient avoiding the pitfalls.
Where to Start
So you have purchased you shiny new carrom board and have set it up as explained in the rules. Line up your striker and give it a good flick, smacking you finger into the board - OW!To avoid this (and to impress your family and friends with what a natural you are) take some time before your first game to practice. I know they say practice makes perfect and we all launch in day one and try and learn the rules as we play our first game but, trust me if you take a few moments to practise you will get a lot more enjoyment out of the game.
At this stage and probably for your first few games ignore the rules. Focus on the techniques and accuracy of your shots.
To give yourself a head start, set up the board but leave off all the carrom men. Just pop your striker on either of the moons (circles printed or painted on the surface) and try flicking in to the pockets on the opposite corners of the board.
Perfect the Shot
To flick the striker correctly you have your fingers as close to the striker as possible. The further away you finger is when you "flick" it the more it is likely to cause you pain. Flick straight at the striker rather than down towards it. This will prevent your finger hitting the board at the completion of your shot.Best flick the striker a few times to get the hang of it and try different styles to feel what works best for you.
You will eventually get the hang of flicking the striker and once you have managed to get at least 5 shots in a row straight into the pocket you meant to (fluke shots into another pocket by accident sadly do not count), you can advance further.
Practise Makes Perfect
Once you have the hang of striking accurately you can add a coin to the board and begin to shoot them straight into the pockets. As you become more confident add more coins or try more tricky angled shots.There is a lot of strategy to the game of carrom but once you have basic control over your shots you will find that you are much better able to pick these up.
If you are trying to encourage younger family members to play, start with a game of most coins pocketed and move onto the more advanced game once they have a degree of control over their shots.
A real passion for the game will develop naturally but control is the start to everything in this wonderful and colourful family game.