need help with break shot / not hitting cue ball center

D

dcb1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had my break working pretty well for a while and now I'm in a rut and am looking for some tips.

I'm not hitting the cue ball square any more. I'm hitting it high and left on the cue ball. What is the best way to train yourself to hit the cue ball dead center?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
The first thing I'd suggest is to make sure you are focusing on seeing the center of the cb during impact. A slight deviation by reverting your eyes off the cb at that time can cause an off center hit.

If that turns out not to be the issue, then there is a flaw in your stroke and hard to evaluate you without seeing video of you.
 
Increments

dcb1 said:
I had my break working pretty well for a while and now I'm in a rut and am looking for some tips.

I'm not hitting the cue ball square any more. I'm hitting it high and left on the cue ball. What is the best way to train yourself to hit the cue ball dead center?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I actually have the same problem when my break goes off!

Two tricks to developing a good break:

Practice your break by starting with a soft to medium hit and build up the force gradually. It's called "learning in increments", which I discuss on other threads. It's the best way to learn any technique in pretty much anything.

While you should ideally be looking at the OB when you strike the CB, it's quite all right to look at the CB while you're developing your stroke (any stroke) to assure you're striking the CB where you intend to.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
I recently got some tips that helped me...

1. Make sure when you start off and are doing your practice swings, you bring the tip right up to within a quarter inch of the cue ball. Don't practice swing from several inches away.

2. Stare at the center of the CB while you're swinging. This almost never feels natural but it really works and eventually you can get used to it (at least until your stroke is under control).

3. Is there something about your swing that makes you want to lift up the stick or swing it left? At the end of a solid break some players choose to finish on the table (you'll actually see the stick bend) and others go up into the air. I think probably finishing on the table makes more sense, as the stick is angling down a little bit anyway and finishing up feels a bit like 'flailing'. See if finishing down at least prevents you from hitting high at the end.
 
These are all good tips. The fact that you consistently hit a certain part of the cueball probably means there is a flaw in your stroke.

I would videotape yourself and see if you can spot anything or just post it up here on the forum. Make sure you videotape not only your break shot but also a regular shot so we can see.

Any flaws in a stroke will get magnified as you introduce speed as it becomes harder to perform the body kinesthetics required.
 
http://kentuckywindage.com/whatis.html

dcb1 said:
I had my break working pretty well for a while and now I'm in a rut and am looking for some tips.

I'm not hitting the cue ball square any more. I'm hitting it high and left on the cue ball. What is the best way to train yourself to hit the cue ball dead center?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Click to expand...

One mistake I feel players make is to think their stoke needs to be "perfect" to play great pool....there are many examples of Pros cueing the ball in many different ways to get the same consistent outcomes.....Rob Saez and Francisco Bustemante come to mind in this respect.

Have you ever heard of 'Kentucky Windage'? This is used in shooting guns, but also applies to pool....as a matter of fact, when I talk about "calibrating your aiming system" this is a good example of what I'm referring to....so with that being said, since you're naturally hitting High/Left I would suggest you start out Low/Right.....my friend Wade Crane who was credited with the best break in the world told me he started out on the right side of the cue ball (breaking from the right) and tried to hit the center or even on the LEFT side......I see many pros start out with inside and on the last stroke hit it more towards the center. Take Dead Aim.
 
If this is the only time you have this problem, try looking at the cue ball rather than the object ball during the through stroke.

And stay down!
 
Line it up, then stare exactly where you want to hit the cue ball when you break. The rack doesn't move so there's no need to look at the ob when you break. I stare at the cb all the way through impact and follow through. Almost like a golf swing.
 
Breaking

I, personally, do not like breaking with dead center because it comes off like a stun shot and the object balls get no action (spin) on them. So, if an object ball goes straight into the hole or gets kissed in off another ball, you are okay, but many times with dead center, the spread is not great, and the object balls don't have the action on them.

I prefer 1 tip of english when I break.
 
My suggestion is to buy a break-rak from Ceebee. I saw one in the wanted/for sale section not too long ago. Get the book "The Great Break Shot" as as well. You will not be disappointed. Investment should be less than $300.
 
What size table are you playing on and where are you placing the cue ball on the table? I might be able to offer something to look for?
 
I'm on a 7 ft table and I'm breaking from the left side about a half diamond away from the left rail.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2
 
dcb1 said:
I'm on a 7 ft table and I'm breaking from the left side about a half diamond away from the left rail.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Your right hand (if you’re right handed) may be trying to avoid contact with that left corner pocket that it is stroking over on delivery? This happens to a lot of players that when breaking from the table (not off the side rail) and if they have long arms or very straight strokes their back hand is always in danger of hitting the end rail so subconsciously it moves their hand out to one side or the other rather than straight over it. You might be swinging your hand out to the right a little bit unintentionally.
Have someone take a small video from head on and see what happens.
 
Joe, as usual, you got it. I moved the ball to the center and I'm hitting the ball dead center. I moved the ball to the left rail and hit it dead center. I think I was picking the funny spot where my right hand was right over the left corner pocket. Subconsciously, I must have been swerving my back hand to miss the pocket. Problem fixed.

Thanks a lot!
 
I have always found a great deal of similarities between pool playing and golf.
The great Ben Hogan, when asked about looking at the ball said, "I lose track of the ball somewhere in the downswing.", meaning his swing was so well grooved that he really didn't need to worry about it.
A pool players stroke should be the same way. Grooved. :smile:
 
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