The Break

8pack

8pack

They call me 2 county !
Silver Member
Playing 9 ball is it a certain speed and exact location that gives one the best chance to make the wing ball?Is the type of hit on the cb also important?I know this topic has been beat to death but I'm really curious if any of you think a certain speed gives you the best chance at pocketing the wing ball on a perfect rack.

Anthony
 
I think any one pool table is as tempermental as a teenage gymnast, and you just have to find what is working on that table under it's particular circumstances of that day/night. I'm talking about outside forces such as temperature, humidity, etc. that have to be dealt with.

This is what I have found to be true on my home table: What works one day may or may not work the next day. For the most part, I break a rack of nine-ball at the same speed from day-to-day. Some days the one ball falls short of the side pocket. Some days it goes in. Some days it goes long. This is also true for the wing balls, some days one goes, some days not so. But usually I can make either the one-ball or one of the wing balls on nearly every break (this being with either a tight rack or by using a MagicRack). There are days on my table where the nine-ball either goes in or at least sets up near the corner (foot) pocket opposite of which side I break from (I like to start from the left-side side rail). Some days it rarely leaves the break area. Tables can be finicky like that.

To try to answer your question, all the things you mentioned are key. Hit the one-ball as square in the face as you can (if you're not cut-breaking), and vary your speed until you find what works for you on that table, on that day/night. I like to hit with low english (one tip of low and a half tip of inside) so if the one balls fails to go into the side (but one of the wing balls goes), then I will have both the one-ball and the cueball on the same end (head) of the table, hopefully for a good shot.

What you may find out in league/tournament play is you may not get enough time to establish what works on the table you are playing on in one particular match. Pay attention to what your opponent does. Adjust from there.

Short answer for your question: Yes, speed and location are key to making the wing ball regularly. But on a finicky table, you may or may not have the time to find out exactly what speed and location will work.

Hope this helps. Remember, these are only my personal experiences. YMMV.

Break well, my friend!!!

Maniac
 
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8pack said:
Playing 9 ball is it a certain speed and exact location that gives one the best chance to make the wing ball?Is the type of hit on the cb also important?I know this topic has been beat to death but I'm really curious if any of you think a certain speed gives you the best chance at pocketing the wing ball on a perfect rack.

Anthony
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Yes.

But it's not always the same , in fact it rarely is the same.

It's something you have to experiment with and learn how changing all the parameters of your break effect the trajectory of the balls in the rack. In fact, sometimes it will be a wing ball you can get to go, sometimes it might be the 1 ball you get to go or.....other variations.

That's why understanding and executing a quality break IS a skill contrary to the handful of break 'haterz' we have here. ;)
 
I break from the same spot with same speed and English every time. Last night I was averaging 2-3 balls a break on a bar box.
 
ctyhntr said:
I learn to read the rack by watching Joe Tucker's racking secrets.
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I've got those, but different tables and conditions require adjustments.

At the bar, where I play on Valleys, I'll break either more directly(closer to center) or over by the rail. On Diamonds, I have better luck taking a little something off of the break and hitting from about a diamond from center. On the GC's at the hall, I was doing real well a little more than a diamond from center with a medium speed center ball strike. Like Maniac said, different tables require different breaks, you just have to be able to figure it out and adjust appropriately.
 
Having tested the crap out of it, it's 99% about the tightness of the rack.

If the rack is perfect, using a magic rack or accu-rack, the margin for error is huge. It's drop-dead easy. You can't miss it.

You can hit anywhere between 8 mph - 30 mph. You can break from right next to the rail, the box, even a few inches off center if you cut the head ball a hair. You can put whatever spin you want on the cue ball.

With a perfectly tight rack, the wing ball goes in over and over. Sometimes you completely mis-hit the rack and then the 'wrong' wing ball goes in. It's hard to NOT make the wing ball unless you hit below a certain minimum speed (8mph is my guesstimate).

If you don't have one of these racks, then you're at the mercy of the gaps. If you have watched tucker's videos then you can learn how to read them, but I wouldn't bet your bottom dollar on the wing ball going in. If you overlook some paper thin gap somewhere, then careful aim and speed control won't help.

The more irregular the balls, the older they are, the dirtier they are, the worst it gets.
I'd say the percentages are something like this:

With MBR: 95-99%
With good triangle & newish or regularly-cleaned balls: 80-85%
With old, mismatched balls, or a crappy triangle: 35-40%, maybe 50% if you really read the rack well.

If your wing balls aren't going in, don't invest time working on your speed or break angle. Invest it in getting the rack perfectly tight.
 
Maniac said:
I think any one pool table is as tempermental as a teenage gymnast, and you just have to find what is working on that table under it's particular circumstances of that day/night. I'm talking about outside forces such as temperature, humidity, etc. that have to be dealt with.

This is what I have found to be true on my home table: What works one day may or may not work the next day. For the most part, I break a rack of nine-ball at the same speed from day-to-day. Some days the one ball falls short of the side pocket. Some days it goes in. Some days it goes long. This is also true for the wing balls, some days one goes, some days not so. But usually I can make either the one-ball or one of the wing balls on nearly every break (this being with either a tight rack or by using a MagicRack). There are days on my table where the nine-ball either goes in or at least sets up near the corner (foot) pocket opposite of which side I break from (I like to start from the left-side side rail). Some days it rarely leaves the break area. Tables can be finicky like that.

To try to answer your question, all the things you mentioned are key. Hit the one-ball as square in the face as you can (if you're not cut-breaking), and vary your speed until you find what works for you on that table, on that day/night. I like to hit with low english (one tip of low and a half tip of inside) so if the one balls fails to go into the side (but one of the wing balls goes), then I will have both the one-ball and the cueball on the same end (head) of the table, hopefully for a good shot.

What you may find out in league/tournament play is you may not get enough time to establish what works on the table you are playing on in one particular match. Pay attention to what your opponent does. Adjust from there.

Short answer for your question: Yes, speed and location are key to making the wing ball regularly. But on a finicky table, you may or may not have the time to find out exactly what speed and location will work.

Hope this helps. Remember, these are only my personal experiences. YMMV.

Break well, my friend!!!

Maniac
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I fully agree with this! I have a hard time getting it down on a new table, but at my home bar we play on 9ft Diamond tables and I cannot make the wing ball with my break cue! I have to soft break with my shooting cue to make it, but whatever works!
 
Ahh, the break! Been the biggest pain in my arse since I started playing.

I've struggled making the wing ball with any real consistency for a long time now. Back when soft breaking was the norm it was easier, IMO. Now with the whole 3 point rule I have to use some extra umph and wing balls just don't drop.

Changed to making the 1. I find it way more reliable but at times it will bite you in the arse. Not guaranteed to have a shot on the lowest numbered ball etc. I picked up a break rak a while back and I recommend it highly. I'd avoid making the 1 if you can't hold whitey mid table for obvious reasons.

A friend of mine told me to use the cut break with a magic rack from the edge of the box with a tip of outside. Didn't work for me but it works wonders for him so its worth a shot, eh?

Good luck.
 
Our fellow AZB member "AtLarge" has done well in showing the stats on Break Shots. He also shows the break shot to be a reason for defeat, for most.

His stats show a good player with a good break shot is favored to win. I believe that is a truism. However most players don't practice this part of the game.
 
Exactly!
At a higher level the break is the decider.
And the far bigger amount of intermediate players are too lazy to practice this important shot


Gesendet von meinem GT-I9100 mit Tapatalk 2
 
Da Break(s)

I promised myself to "get serious" on my break this year. I have made one major change, and it is for the better concerning my break.

I play most on Brunswick GC1 & GC2's. To get to the nitty-gritty (I started already! :D ), you need 2 things constant or your results won't matter.

1- the placement of the 1-ball on the footspot.

2- The angle of the rack.

If any of those change; your results will vary and be inaccurate. For this reason I believe you cannot compare hand racking to a magic-rack or a break-rack. My plan of study will come from all 3 , but the results will remain independent of one-another.

I wish e-1 else luck with "the break" too.
 
If you don't know how to read a rack, then how would you know the necessary adjustments? If you give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. You teach a man how to fish, he'll eat for life.

Banks said:
I've got those, but different tables and conditions require adjustments.

At the bar, where I play on Valleys, I'll break either more directly(closer to center) or over by the rail. On Diamonds, I have better luck taking a little something off of the break and hitting from about a diamond from center. On the GC's at the hall, I was doing real well a little more than a diamond from center with a medium speed center ball strike. Like Maniac said, different tables require different breaks, you just have to be able to figure it out and adjust appropriately.
Click to expand...
 
ctyhntr said:
If you don't know how to read a rack, then how would you know the necessary adjustments? If you give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. You teach a man how to fish, he'll eat for life.
Click to expand...

Reading a rack can help, if there's something in it to read. You need to know the general break of the table before you can make the adjustments, though.

"different tables require different breaks, you just have to be able to figure it out and adjust appropriately"

Tables/balls/conditions can affect how the rack opens. Reading the rack will tell you how that opening is affected by gaps. The adjustments I was intending to refer to were the conditions, not the rack. Can't fish if you don't know where to go or how to get there. ;)
 
Somebody's signature on here says it all.

The break is the new trick shot.

I practice break after break after break. I'm fairly consistent on various sized tables as ling as I keep whitey planted in the same start position every time.

Once I decided to use my cheap cue as a break cue, I racked and broke solid for 3 hours until I could throw a good strong back spin into the one ball to have the cue back up and run back in again into the center of the rack again. Not a lot of people can do that consistently but I can :)
 
I always put one tip of outside and one tip of draw, hit the one square and the cue ball should be parked in the middle, with one ball going to the side.
 
Thanks for all the info here.
I've had a lot of inconsistency with my break wish I could figure it out and hopefully I will.I thought it was maybe speed which has given so much trouble.Again thanks for all your opinions.

Anthony
 
You guys ever wonder why some tables break different.Is it because of how clean the balls are?In 9 ball why is it some tables allow certain things and others don't. Shouldn't the same balls racked on different tables break the same?What I'm talking about is the direction of ball coming out of the rack on the break.
 
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8pack said:
You guys ever wonder why some tables break different.Is it because of how clean the balls are?In 9 ball why is it some tables allow certain things and others don't. Shouldn't the same balls racked on different tables break the same?What I'm talking about is the direction of ball coming out of the rack on the break.
Click to expand...

I think it's due to the divots in the racking area affecting whether the balls freeze up or not. Those divots might make it so that as soon as your hand leaves the rack, two touching balls separate a little.

Dead nuts frozen balls should produce the same results on every table but a lot of people settle for calling a rack 'tight' that really isn't. They accept paper-thin gaps as "close enough" even though it changes the results every time. The balls must be touching.

The ball set you're using also matters, some balls might be smaller or more worn than others.
 
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