A massé is a curved cue-ball shot associated with an elevated, off-centre stroke. Elevation, initial velocity and rotation interact; an angle alone does not define a successful shot.
Avoid a misleading recipe
Cloth friction acts during sliding; it does not wait for a separate “grab phase” to begin. Alciatore’s elevation discussion relates higher elevation to lower forward speed and earlier curvature in its examples. That is not a guarantee that every harder or steeper shot follows one fixed radius. Side spin alone, with a level cue, is not an equivalent explanation of every curve.
Massé and piqué
Do not sort massé and piqué into universal 45°, 70° or 90° bins. The French federation’s NT3 manual distinguishes piqué-rétro and piqué-rentré; piqué is not simply a gentle massé or necessarily a forward-follow arc. Identify the observed return or lateral curve and consult the demonstration’s setup. A film without a clear tip view cannot reveal an exact contact point.
A comparison you can document
Start with one saved simulator layout and record its table, aim, power, spin and elevation. Compare a lower and higher elevation while leaving other inputs unchanged. Note the initial departure, where curvature becomes visible, clearance from an obstruction and the final arrival. Restore the baseline before the next comparison. These are sensitivity observations inside one model, not a real-table calibration.
Take the physical step responsibly
Before trying an elevated stroke, obtain the room owner’s permission and suitable instruction: a miscue can damage cloth or send a ball off the table. Do not press the tip into the bed or copy an extreme video angle unassisted. A curved route still needs the required contacts to score three-cushion; clearing a blocker alone is not a point. 3Ball does not measure your grip, cue action or table’s response.
Continue: Learning from Saygıner’s Creative Shots Without Inventing His Settings →