For those of You that don't know... The BreakRAK is getting some attention...

It’s the OP’s own product. Was relatively popular in the hard break era.
The BreakRAK was never intended for breaking hard. It is/was a training Tool, to learn an accurate delivery & control of the Cue Ball after impact. We sell more annually, now, than we did 10 years ago...

Van Boening vs. Gorst 10-Ball Race to 120, Rematch June 2025 -- General Comments Thread

There's much wisdom in this post.

Playing conditions haven't changed much in the past twenty years and I'm not convinced that the equipment has advanced very far, either, but to compare the players of this generation to those that played alongside Earl, Sigel, Varner, and Hall is a bit problematic because the game itself has changed.

Last November, Mike Sigel and I had a chat about how the stroke needed to succeed today is different than what was needed some forty years ago. He noted that the short, compact stroke that is in vogue today reminds him of that of Allen Hopkins in his prime. I think that equipment has evolved to suit the players (and strokes) of this generation, and that the equipment of forty years ago was perfect for that generation of players.

All that said, your premise is correct. Ultimately, the comparison across generations is almost impossible, and in the end, excellence can only be measured in the context of how any player performs against his/her contemporaries.

Thanks for your input.


Interesting that he brought up Hopkins. The first time I saw peak Hopkins play he was playing 9 ball in Queens NY at the Golden Cue. He missed one shot in over an hour of play. He was insanely good that night. I was a teenager at the time and tried to mimic his stroke a little because I personally used a very short bridge and punchy stroke playing mostly 14.1. I felt it was more accurate. I never really stayed with his stroke. It was too extreme. Over time I switched from 14.1 to 9 ball and my bridge length and stroke got longer. But I think there's something to be said for shorter more compact strokes and accuracy. I saw some film of Lassiter one time and it looked like he gripped pretty far forward and had a short stroke also. I'm not going to argue with Lassiter. haha

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