One of the burning questions among emerging carrom players is: “I come very close to executing a slam many times, but I always miss it by one or two coins. How do I cross that last mile? Is there a way to practice to improve my chances of hitting slams?” In this blog post, we attempt to answer this question as well as ponder the key ingredients of a successful slam.

Executing a slam in carrom is not easy, especially a white one (a.k.a. break-to-finish). Pocketing ten coins in a row when the board is crowded with obstacles and there is no apparent path to finish is no mean feat! Yet some players make it look simple and seem to hit slams at will, while others spend a whole lifetime waiting to hit their first slam. Is it because the first type of players are just better at pocketing than the second? Not really.

Players often claim they missed a slam by one coin. Such a claim can be true only if that last coin they missed was a straightforward one and they made a simple execution error while attempting to pocket it. But if that last coin was not in an easy position (say it was blocked on all sides and there was no way out), it means they did not plan properly earlier on the board and failed to create the opportunity for a slam. This is a planning error, which can prove costly.

“In ‘Maafi Slam’ practice, execution errors on simple straight shots are forgiven (given a ‘maafi’) so players can isolate and train their planning muscle.”

So how does one develop their planning skills in carrom and improve their ability to hit slams? The answer is “practice”, but a special kind of practice. We hereby present “Maafi Slam”, a practice technique designed to help players improve their planning and shot selection skills.

How it works: After the break, all execution errors on simple straight shots are forgiven (hence the term “maafi”, which means forgiveness in Hindi). For example, if the player misses a simple through-pocket on the third coin, the coin is assumed to be pocketed (given a “maafi”) and removed from the board, and the player continues to pocket the fourth coin. There is no limit to the number of maafis per board. Note that maafis are only allowed for simple/high-probability shots—no maafis are granted for missing tough shots.

After all the maafis, if the player is able to successfully finish the board, the player is considered to have hit a “maafi slam”. It means the player had a proper plan, and if not for those simple execution errors, s/he would have hit a successful slam.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it helpful. Do share your feedback and any “maafi slams” you hit! Next board!