Sticking to the stack on breakshots

I'm sure others will have different and or better guidelines, but this is what I do for conventional, side of rack, break shots:
1) If the cue ball is closer to the side rail than the break ball, I use follow. I stroke it enough so that after hitting the pack, the cue bends forward and rebounds off the foot rail.
2) If the CB is further away from the side rail than the BB, I typically use a little draw but I also look to see where the tangent line intersects the rack. If the tangent lands on the extreme top side of a ball, I may just hit it with center. If the tangent intersects the outer most point on a ball, I will definitely use draw. If the tangent intersects the lower part of a ball, I may consider to follow to hit the lower ball or I may hit draw.
3) If the CB and BB are the same distance from the side rail, I feel that this is the highest chance of getting stuck to the rack and usually play the shot with a little draw and a little outside English.

Most importantly, you need to set up shots over and over and experiment and figure out what works best for you. I know it's cumbersome to keep reracking, but the shot is so important it deserves this kind of attention.

Just my two cents.

9BallJim said:

I'm sure others will have different and or better guidelines, but this is what I do for conventional, side of rack, break shots:
1) If the cue ball is closer to the side rail than the break ball, I use follow. I stroke it enough so that after hitting the pack, the cue bends forward and rebounds off the foot rail.
2) If the CB is further away from the side rail than the BB, I typically use a little draw but I also look to see where the tangent line intersects the rack. If the tangent lands on the extreme top side of a ball, I may just hit it with center. If the tangent intersects the outer most point on a ball, I will definitely use draw. If the tangent intersects the lower part of a ball, I may consider to follow to hit the lower ball or I may hit draw.
3) If the CB and BB are the same distance from the side rail, I feel that this is the highest chance of getting stuck to the rack and usually play the shot with a little draw and a little outside English.

Most importantly, you need to set up shots over and over and experiment and figure out what works best for you. I know it's cumbersome to keep reracking, but the shot is so important it deserves this kind of attention.

Just my two cents.

Click to expand...

As readers/players weigh in with responses, I'd be interested your added input on the speed with which the shot should be struck. Obviously it is necessary to hit with a certain speed (in combination with tip placement) in order to bend the cue ball more or less, but there is another consideration, I think, that I haven't read much about: sometimes, a little less speed is better than a little more, in regard to creating spread. While it may seem that hitting the stack harder will always spread the balls more, I find that, depending on thr locations of the CB and break ball relative to the side rail, and where the CB will contact the stack, backing off a bit on speed will prevent balls from going to the rails and then returning to recluster in the rack area. Not to mention that backing off a bit (when using draw) can help avoid seeing the CB travel too far toward the head rail. Lastly, of course, the odds of missing the break shot go up (for most players) when the break shot is hit harder. Now, if only I knew exactly when to hit that smoother, slightly less hard break shot, and when to give it mustard! Seth.

1. Strive to strike the rack at an angle.

2. If you have little angle, try to hit the rack at the corners, where it is "weakest". Don't get greedy and try to make something that isn't there. Hit the rack at a calculated spot to break 1 or 2 balls out.

3. In general be careful of using stun. I only use stun for shots where I really power the ball into the meat of the stack. Because the rack weighs more, the cueball will bounce back on these shots instead of sticking. If you DO hit these shots to weakly, you will stick! You can stick using stun, even if you hit the rack at an angle, if you happen to catch a ball full. This principle is used to play full rack safes!

4. I think it is helpful to have a little spin on the ball in the direction you are going. If you are going forward, top spin, if you are going backward; draw. That way, if you do happen to catch a ball full, the cueball will motor on and break free most of the time. Also the bending path will sometimes give you that extra bit of angle you need. Even a near hopeless breakshot can be made viable if you have a good stroke and use lots of spin. Watch snooker players break the stack with the black...

5. Remember to factor in the "bend" caused by top or bottom spin. Sometimes the ball will bend in way that causes you to hit the rack perpendicular, instead of at an angle. This is IMO especially true when you have the breakball close to the rail at the side of the stack, and the cueball out in the middle. These breakshots are very dangerous, if you don't know how to play them.

I offer two pieces of advice:
- always check the tangent line path of the cue ball into the stack. If it's going to contact a ball full, add a little follow or draw.
- never use side spin unless you plan for the cue ball to go to the rail after hitting the stack. I see too many missed shots because people put unnecessary spin on the ball.

Seth C. said:

As readers/players weigh in with responses, I'd be interested your added input on the speed with which the shot should be struck.

Click to expand...

Hi Seth. Jim Rempe says hit it about the speed needed to make the cue ball go three rails (as a general rule of thumb I suppose). In other words, set up a break ball and cue ball at a Mosconi type angle. Hit the break shot with no balls in the rack area. Hit hard enough to make the cue ball travel 3 rails. With a shallower set up, of course, you will have to hit harder to get 3 rails.

I must admit that I never worked at this very much so I can't attest to its effectiveness. Worked for Jim, though!

accustatsfan said:

Is there a list of general principles to follow to lesson the chance of the cueball sticking to the stack on opening break shot of a new rack?

I've read articles/posts or seen videos that advise what english to use on different break shots. I'm interested in a list of principles that advise how to lessen the chance of the cueball sticking to the stack.

Thank you

Click to expand...

Oh baby, that would be a long list! My advice is twofold: firstly, start by realizing that the stack is not one object, but consists of 14 object balls (sounds silly, I know, but a trap we all fall into occasionally), and secondly, be sure to always check where the cue ball is going to contact "the stack" (= which object ball at what angle, whether or not full in the face, if a gap between two object balls, then which ball first and which second so as to determine the direction the cue ball is going to take etc. & etc.). Be sure to check, plan and visualize, then be sure to compare the result with your visualization, remember what happened last time you saw something similar, pay attention to detail to determine if it's indeed the same as differences may be minute etc. Seriously, your question is not one that anyone is going to be able to give you a conclusive answer to, instead, it's the start of a never-ending journey (learning to play Straight Pool, that is) - and by "never-ending" I don't mean you'll get stuck in the rack for the rest of your days, it's just that once you no longer do, you're reaching another level solving a different category of problems (= how to make sure one gets a shot, or more to the point, a makable shot that leads to a predictable re-break scenario etc.) - there's always going to be more to learn!

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

Once you get a good understanding of how you are going to hit the rack, you can learn how to get away from the rack. Of course some straighter angles into the rack it is hard to get away from the rack. Even then there are a few things you can do, such as trying to contact a weaker part of the rack.

Steve

accustatsfan said:

Is there a list of general principles to follow to lesson the chance of the cueball sticking to the stack on opening break shot of a new rack?

I've read articles/posts or seen videos that advise what english to use on different break shots. I'm interested in a list of principles that advise how to lessen the chance of the cueball sticking to the stack.

Thank you

Click to expand...

As stevekur1 alluded to, there is no way for anyone to say how to shoot a ball to keep the cue ball from sticking from the rack.

Cue ball behavior is entirely due to where/how it hits the ball/s in the rack, so know what happens with center ball hit first.

Then adjust hit so cue adjusts to your need, within your comfort level, to avoid problems.

poolmouse said:

As stevekur1 alluded to, there is no way for anyone to say how to shoot a ball to keep the cue ball from sticking from the rack.

Cue ball behavior is entirely due to where/how it hits the ball/s in the rack, so know what happens with center ball hit first.

Then adjust hit so cue adjusts to your need, within your comfort level, to avoid problems.

Click to expand...

I just remembered what an old buddy of mine told me. Practice rolling the cue ball into a rack of balls and predicting where the cue will go. Go from there.