Sal:
(Hope you don't mind the friendly contraction to your screenname?)
I don't know your speed, so please take this as it is -- just some off-the-cuff observations based on what I know of myself, and of folks I've helped over the years in the game.
It sounds to me -- and again, apologies if I'm wrong, but it's only an observation -- that you're afraid of break shots, because you're afraid of failure. And it's understandable, when one considers what feelings one gets when "everytime" one takes a break shot, he/she splatters the rack (a satisfying result in its own right), but misses the break shot itself.
It could be that you are FAR too focused on that rack, and relegate the break shot itself, in your own mind, as a "foregone conclusion." If so, here are some tips to bring the break ball back into focus, and relegate the rack itself to the back:
- The rack "sticks out too much" for you, because you're so focused on it. Try this tip: the "1"-ball and the "5"-ball (yellow and orange, respectively) are the BRIGHTEST balls in the traditional ball set. (This is the reason, by the way, why it USED TO BE in the WPA rules that the "1" and the "5" had to be placed as the two corner balls in the rack; it's so that the referee and the opponent can more easily see that two balls -- the two corner balls, specifically -- touched a rail on the opening break. This situation is easier to notice when those two balls are also the two brightest balls in the rack.) Use this in your favor. Try practicing break shots, at various angles, using either the "1" or the "5" ball as your break ball. The bright colors of these two balls will help divert your attention away from the rack, and over to the break ball, thus breaking your fixation with the rack. That is, of course, if the problem is merely "fixation," and not "relegation" -- two different things. This tip is only good if the problem is "fixation." Relegation is addressed in the next bullet...
- If as the last sentence in the above states, the problem is not so much fixation with the rack as it is relegating the shooting the break ball purely out of your peripheral vision (i.e. you're able to "see" the break ball well using your peripheral vision and therefore "trust" your peripheral vision), then use some reverse psychology. Use the DULLEST ball in the rack -- one that blends in with the color of cloth on your table. If you have green cloth, use the "6"-ball as your break ball. If you use bright tournament blue, use either the "2" ball or the "4" ball (the former preferred). If you have maroon/burgundy cloth, use the "7" ball. ...You get the idea. The idea here is to blend the break ball into the cloth, so that it doesn't "stick out" to the point where your subconscious says, "oh, I can easily see that without directly looking at it -- I'll just use peripheral vision to shoot this." Nope, in this case, you are forced to focus on the break ball, because you can't easily see it out of your peripheral vision. It's a good way to break a bad habit. How do I know this? I used to have precisely this problem! I'd focus too much on the rack, thinking the break ball was a "foregone conclusion," and would just shoot it using peripheral vision -- I trusted my stroke, so subconsciously, I thought as long as I delivered the cue straight, that break ball was "as good as gone." Boy, was I wrong on a lot of instances! Using this exercise of choosing a break ball that most closely matches the color of the cloth broke me out of this very bad habit.
- Try always using a stripe ball as your break ball, repositioning the stripe in various ways. A good variation is use a stripe ball where the stripe itself matches the color of your cloth (e.g. the 14-ball for green cloth; the 10-ball for tournament blue cloth). Situation the stripe in various ways for the same break ball shot. See what effect that has. You might be surprised how markings on the ball (especially when certain parts of the ball "disappear" into the cloth) "jump out at you" and become part of your shot -- they shouldn't! You should be able to see the whole ball for what it is -- a sphere. "Cheats" like light reflections, dirty spots on the ball, markings on the ball, etc. are for beginners.
- At first, try easing off on your break shot stroke. Power-down, not up. Do you really need all that power to open those balls up? Chances are, you don't. And if you don't make 'em open up like a flower, so what? Look at the remainder of the rack carefully (that's your *job* in this game anyway), and find another break ball. Find a way to get on it, and open 'em up again. And again, if need be. The key with these secondary break shots, in most cases, is NEVER to hit them hard. Just gently open 'em up. The last thing you want to do, is to open-up one cluster, only to have two more clusters creating by hitting the initial cluster too hard.
I had a nasty phase of missing the break ball (and thus fearing them), but I was able to break myself out of this fear with the above tips. (I thought of these myself, by the way. A sort of self-diagnosis, trying to find out why I was missing these crucial shots and basically selling out the match.) Now, break shots are my favorite part of the game (besides admiring the pattern I used to *get* to that break ball). I love to "do a Gene Nagy" and really slam that break ball into the back of the pocket, splashing the rack in the process.
I hope these are helpful for you!
-Sean
