A 45° angle attack directly on the corner cushion intersection, where the cue ball "splits" the corner rather than striking either rail first. Advanced and situational — it only appears when the balls happen to line up for it — but when it does, it produces one of the cleanest, most reliable 3-cushion routes on the table, because a true 45° corner hit reflects with almost perfect symmetry.
Reference route
Reproducible table setup
A measurable starting point for this route family. The line is a practice reference, not a guaranteed scoring path.
Normalized ball coordinates
| x/L | y/W | |
|---|---|---|
| White cue ball | 0.141 | 0.282 |
| Yellow ball | 0.387 | 0.775 |
| Red ball | 0.845 | 0.282 |
Two controlled variations
- A · Change only side spin; keep the setup and pace.
- B · Change only pace; keep the setup and contact point.
Arrival tolerance target: ±32 mm
Practice protocol: 4 sets × 5 repetitions
Calculation record: Physics 3.0.0-beta · Solver 4.2.0
Physics V3 remains measurement-pending; verify the line on your own cloth and cushions.
Open this exact setup in 3ball →Diagonal Position — Setup
Object balls sit in opposite quadrants of the table. The cue ball is positioned so a line drawn to the corner intersection forms exactly 45° with both rails — not roughly 45°, but as close to exact as the position allows, since the whole pattern depends on that symmetry.
Stroke and english
Medium pace with a half-tip of english, the side depending on which way you need the route to curve after the corner. Strike through the center of the cue ball rather than pulling up short; a corner hit at true 45° needs a clean, committed stroke to reflect predictably; hesitant strokes tend to catch one rail fractionally before the other and throw the whole pattern off.
When to use it
Use it when a corner attack creates a genuinely clean 3-cushion path — usually spotted by noticing the cue ball, first object ball, and corner intersection nearly forming a straight 45° line. Less common than ticky or bricole patterns, but valuable to recognise because players who don't look for it will default to a much harder route.
Common mistakes
An off-angle attack — anything noticeably more or less than 45° — ruins the symmetry the whole shot depends on and sends the cue ball off in an unpredictable direction. Too much pace overshoots the third-cushion target; too little dies before completing the route. Because the margin for angle error is smaller here than in most position play, aiming carelessly is punished more harshly than usual.
Practice notes
There is no universal hit rate for this position. Repeat it under the same table conditions and compare your own accuracy, route and speed consistency over time.
Pro players who use it
No player-specific usage claim is made without a position-level match sample. Treat this as a geometry and practice pattern, not as an attributed signature shot.
Practise this position
Open it directly in 3ball — adjust ball positions, stroke, and english to match your real-table setup.
Open in 3ball →Related positions: