I've been watching a lot of pool when I get the time and notion and I still can't believe how MANY pro players have, what I consider, a "sub par" break.
I think a lot of players DON'T realize just how IMPORTANT the break is and, therefore, NEVER practice it EXCLUSIVELY until they get it down. The ONLY American I know of who EXCELS at the break also PRACTICES it for hours and hours...SVB
ANY top-level pro can run ball after ball, over and over, but what SEPARATES them on a lot of occasions is the BREAK. Since most pros can compete shot for shot in a lot of cases, the only discriminators are the break and cueball control.
As everyone KNOWS, luck is a big FACTOR in the break, but there are PARTS of the break that are somewhat "controllable"...the angle, the speed, the English, etc.
The KEY is "controlling" the "controllable" aspects and then letting "luck" take over because it is out of your hands after that. If you DON'T have a GOOD break, you AIN'T going to run 11 or 12 packs. You can only get LUCKY on so many breaks and run the few racks that happen to open up with a good first shot...after that number, the breaker has to have some sort of "control" of the situation to continue really long runs. The same principle applies to most pool games...you don't think Willie Mosconi could have ran 526 in 14-1 without "controlling" the break do you? Earl's break in the Million Dollar win wasn't the best in the world, but it was good enough to keep him in it until he was able to get a string going and take the cash.
I was EMBARRASSED by the breaking in the Mosconi Cup..embarrassed by BOTH teams. It seems that nobody put in the effort to "control" one of the most "critical" shots of the game.
One of the things that I do best is break (even in my old broken down state now). Everybody that watches me break always comments on it. I am FAR from being the world's best breaker, but I would put my 9-ball break up with almost anyone I see playing in the pool hall where I play. I've never counted the number of balls I make on the break or the number of times I make a ball, but the couple of years I played league long ago in ND I had the highest percentage in the league for two consecutive years...most balls pocketed on the break, most breaks making a ball, and most wins from the break (making game ball on the break), and most break and runs. Those would never have happened if my break wasn't a lot better than the majority of the others.
I learned that the break was a "key element" MANY years ago and I always practiced it when I was in my playing and gambling days.
The KEY to the break is hitting the ball SOLID. If you can't hit the one ball solid, you aren't going to be able to control the cueball. If you cant control the cueball, then you are at the mercy of the luck gods when it comes to hopefully coming up with a makeable first shot after the break.
PRACTICE THE BREAK IF YOU WANT TO RUN RACKS!
I guess being a "rack mechanic" might help also, but I never was one for "purposely" putting a slug rack on my opponent. I prefer an "equal" playing field where the "WINNER" is decided by who has played the best and put in the most time and effort to achieve that level of playing.
Complain about the Magic Ball Rack if you will, but I still say it is the "fairest" rack for consistency for both players. If you CAN'T break using the Magic Rack, then you obviously haven't put any time and effort into practicing the break with it.
FWIW, I haven't been able to find my Magic Rack for a couple months and have been using the OLD wooden racks at the table. Looking for anothe rone if the price is right.
I think a lot of players DON'T realize just how IMPORTANT the break is and, therefore, NEVER practice it EXCLUSIVELY until they get it down. The ONLY American I know of who EXCELS at the break also PRACTICES it for hours and hours...SVB
ANY top-level pro can run ball after ball, over and over, but what SEPARATES them on a lot of occasions is the BREAK. Since most pros can compete shot for shot in a lot of cases, the only discriminators are the break and cueball control.
As everyone KNOWS, luck is a big FACTOR in the break, but there are PARTS of the break that are somewhat "controllable"...the angle, the speed, the English, etc.
The KEY is "controlling" the "controllable" aspects and then letting "luck" take over because it is out of your hands after that. If you DON'T have a GOOD break, you AIN'T going to run 11 or 12 packs. You can only get LUCKY on so many breaks and run the few racks that happen to open up with a good first shot...after that number, the breaker has to have some sort of "control" of the situation to continue really long runs. The same principle applies to most pool games...you don't think Willie Mosconi could have ran 526 in 14-1 without "controlling" the break do you? Earl's break in the Million Dollar win wasn't the best in the world, but it was good enough to keep him in it until he was able to get a string going and take the cash.
I was EMBARRASSED by the breaking in the Mosconi Cup..embarrassed by BOTH teams. It seems that nobody put in the effort to "control" one of the most "critical" shots of the game.
One of the things that I do best is break (even in my old broken down state now). Everybody that watches me break always comments on it. I am FAR from being the world's best breaker, but I would put my 9-ball break up with almost anyone I see playing in the pool hall where I play. I've never counted the number of balls I make on the break or the number of times I make a ball, but the couple of years I played league long ago in ND I had the highest percentage in the league for two consecutive years...most balls pocketed on the break, most breaks making a ball, and most wins from the break (making game ball on the break), and most break and runs. Those would never have happened if my break wasn't a lot better than the majority of the others.
I learned that the break was a "key element" MANY years ago and I always practiced it when I was in my playing and gambling days.
The KEY to the break is hitting the ball SOLID. If you can't hit the one ball solid, you aren't going to be able to control the cueball. If you cant control the cueball, then you are at the mercy of the luck gods when it comes to hopefully coming up with a makeable first shot after the break.
PRACTICE THE BREAK IF YOU WANT TO RUN RACKS!
I guess being a "rack mechanic" might help also, but I never was one for "purposely" putting a slug rack on my opponent. I prefer an "equal" playing field where the "WINNER" is decided by who has played the best and put in the most time and effort to achieve that level of playing.
Complain about the Magic Ball Rack if you will, but I still say it is the "fairest" rack for consistency for both players. If you CAN'T break using the Magic Rack, then you obviously haven't put any time and effort into practicing the break with it.
FWIW, I haven't been able to find my Magic Rack for a couple months and have been using the OLD wooden racks at the table. Looking for anothe rone if the price is right.
