The best way to practice single, straight shots is to play Golf Croquet. This also gives you the practice for running Hoops - where the points in croquet are always made.

        In Golf Croquet (or "One Ball") you can play against yourself by counting the shots needed to run the six (or 12 or more) Hoops. Try to reduce that score each time for your best round on that lawn.

        This is good practice to learn the "speed" of unfamiliar courts.

        (1) Stalk the ball before taking up your stance.

        (2) Keep your head down and your eye on the ball until you have hit it. This is the cause of 95% of missed roquets and miss hits.

        (3) Think ahead - especially with Hoop approaches.

        (4) Follow through - especially when running Hoops and making Roquets

        (5) Follow through along the line of swing when playing split Croquet strokes

        (6) When laying up at the end of your turn, remember the following points:
             (a) put both opponent balls where they will be useful to you in your next turn - not just as far away as possible.
             (b) don't leave your balls so that your opponent has a double target with either of his balls.
             (c) don't leave either of your opponent's balls wired from all others - if this happens, leave your balls well away from both Baulk lines.
             (d) if you want to leave a ball at your opponent's Hoop make certain it is the ball for that Hoop.
 
        (7) When shooting for a ball which is in the middle of the court hit hard enough to send your ball off the court if you miss. Otherwise your opponent gets the benefit of a free shot at you.

       (8) Avoid joining up in mid court so giving your opponent a free shot.

        (9) Concentrate on getting your Pioneers precisely in good position when playing a break. A good Pioneer allows for small lead up mistakes or over runs.

        (10) Look for good opportunities to take Bisques - make them pay. Don't finish a game without winning with Bisques still in hand.

        (11) If you are several yards away from a ball you want to Roquet - when playing a break with Bisques available, play gently to remain close by the ball if you miss - particularly if you can then rush it to where you want it.

        (12) When conceding Bisques be careful at the end of your turn not to leave a good opportunity for your opponent to use a Bisque to make a big break.

        Or set him up to use a Bisque but not make much from it.

        (13) Remember! You are your own Referee when playing - declare any Faults you make.

        (14) Call in a Referee or consult your opponent if you are about to play a stroke which could result in a Fault because you are hampered.

                     NOTES ON A RUSH
         Effective:
        (1) A Rush for a roquet is effective up to about 2 metres. After that its ultimate destination is anyone's guess

         Stalk, Stance, Stare and Swing:
        (2) A Rush is best made by first, stalking the balls at the angle at which to play. Then taking the stance and thus moving both feet back a step while raising the toe of the mallet about 20mm off the ground or 10 degrees off the horizontal. A Stop Shot Rush!

         Reasons:
        (3) There are eight reasons why the above is technically so:

         Jumping:
        (a) Stepping back should prevent hitting the Striker's ball above horizontal centre. This otherwise, would drive the ball into the ground from which it would jump - up and over the Target ball.

        Leading Edge:
       (b) With the angle of attack of the mallet raised 10 degrees the leading edge of the mallet - the bottom edge - strikes the ball, first, about 4 o'clock (if 3 o'clock is right on the back of the ball)

      (Continued Right Column)       

         {Next}  {Back}  {Index} {Comment} {E-mail}  

        Back Spin:
        This sends the ball off, not only with the momentum of collision of two bodies, but also, with a back spin or rotation contrary to that of a normal rolling ball. (Torque)

        (Opposite to "top spin" as in rolls or the jump shot at the hoop - all hit at about 2 o'clock = forward spin or roll)

       Applied Force as in Physics:
       (c) If, at the same time, the shot is stopped (i.e. no follow through but mallet grounded on impact) most of the applied energy (NM or Joules or Torque of the swinging mallet due to "g" gravity acceleration) is translated into two forces x velocity (F x d/t =  P:  or Nxm/s = W  (watt)) and Torque/second or NM/s = Watt we talk about as Power of a stroke. OK?

        Timing:
        (d) As the Striker's ball is streaking towards the Target ball it is actually spinning in reverse with "Torque". Naturally, this is applying the brakes to the ball. So a rush with a stop shot is only as good as the applied backspin that actually gets to the Target ball - which brings in "timing".

        Energy Dissipated:
        If the back spin is dissipated by the time the Strikers ball gets to collide with the Target ball the Striker's ball is either skidding or has started to roll forward. If rolling forward the meshing will produce backward spin on the Target ball so slowing it up a bit.

        Coefficient of Friction:
        It is the friction of the grass on the bottom of the ball that produces the braking effect. The skid and then the roll forward for if there were no coefficient of friction i.e. the ball skidded on a horizontal plain,  the ball would go on for ever. You would fall flat on your face - so be thankful.

        Smoke There's Fire:
        Did you notice the smoke as  the ball slowed down - energy dissipation due to friction i.e. rub your hands together = energy = friction = heat = rise in temperature = combustion/oxidation = smoke.    Simple! OK?

         Ploughs not Rolls:
        (e) As the Strikers ball is turning in reverse it has a tendency to tear through the hills and valleys, tufts of grass and ant nests etc. rather than roll and bounce over the obstacle course which is a well prepared lawn. If you are a Cricket fan you might understand where a Spin Bowler is coming from.

        Too many Stop Shots would damage the lawn - agreed? Same as spin bowling.

          Distortion:
         (f) Now if the Strikers ball is rotating backwards and collides with the Target ball the elasticity of the material will allow distortion of both balls. They will, for a fraction of a second, be pressed tightly together like flat boards one rotating and one stopped like two gears suddenly crunched together.

         Imparted Spin and Forward Thrust:
        The static ball will be forced to rotate opposite to the rotation of the dynamic ball. Torque will be transmitted from one ball to the other. But this time the spin of rotation is in the direction of a naturally rolling body.

         There is no (little) skidding which would dissipate energy. So the maximum amount of momentum and torque is translated from the Striker's ball to the Target ball.

        Total Energy Equation:
        NB If the total energy (99%) of the Strikers ball is transmitted to the static ball then the Striker's ball becomes static (stopped) and the Target ball becomes dynamic.

         Efficiency n:
        The efficiency "n" of the shot can be recorded by how well the Striker's ball stops and the sound
(energy) given off as the distortion first 'implodes" then "explodes". The noise is that lost energy (1%).

         A Long Journey:
        (g) If the reverse rotation has been killed off due to the friction of a long journey through the long grass the Striker's ball may hit the Target ball in two other types of physical behaviour - skidding or rolling forward.

        Skid Row:
        If skidding then the Target ball can only skid away from the collision using up energy or power (which is related by time) and producing sound and heat energy losses until it begins the forward roll.

        Rolling Stone:
        (h) If rolling forward there is nothing to stop the Striker's ball from rolling right over the Target ball so that the total energy is not transferred efficiently to the Target ball. Both balls flop around like chooks with no heads - giving up the original energy in any haphazard way.

         Newton wrote in his Engineer's Bible "Principae":  [Besides  his Laws of Motion and his "Computer"]

          "The fault is not in the Art but in the Artisan. He    who can work with the most precision is the better for it"