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Can anyone here recommend any books or videos that go in depth about different break ball positions and how to execute them?
I’m pretty clueless about what areas are good for break balls around the stack. I have a decent feel for the standard side of the stack break shot, but that’s the only one I really know and I feel like I must be overlooking a lot of good break balls.
Even the side of the rack break shot...I feel like I don’t know what spin to use sometimes. I just whack at it and hope for the best. Sometimes the CB squats above the rack area and it’s perfect, sometimes I follow off the stack into the corner I shot the break ball into, sometimes the CB pops back and follows across table into the side pocket, etc. :shrug:
Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated!
I agree. However, Pat's video is a good starting point, especially showing the larger break area. Nevertheless, it's more productive to focus on end game pattern play, those last 6-5 balls. Blackjack has a couple of end pattern drills that are helpful.With no disrespect intended for the OP, Mr. Fleming, or anyone else, I'd have some difficulty suggesting the Fleming tape on break shots as a first resource. I never understood how he could recommend a high or low hit on the CB without consideration/discussion of whether the CB was itself high or low relative to the stack, or where the CB is expected to contact an OB (or OBs) in the stack. Same for his recommendation of right English: he makes it without consideration of these same points. Interestingly, I guess I'd put it, he doesn't even explain why right English. Certainly there are plenty of players who effectively use high left (when CB is on left side of table) when the CB is located low relative to the stack, in order to bring the CB back to the middle of the table. But there are also plenty of fine player-instructors who would say to not use English on a break shot unless, given all the variables, it would offer a notable advantage over a center CB hit, and unless you are very confident and proficient when applying English.
I know he talks about his recommendations as being rules of thumb, not absolutes, but I don't understand how using right English should be a rule of thumb whenever the CB is equidistant with the OB from the side rail, or whenever the CB is located further from the side rail than is the CB. He also doesn't discuss the importance, when the OB is far enough away from the stack to be able to influence the point of contact with the stack by applying high or low on the CB, of contacting the stack other than in its middle. That would be a good rule of thumb.
Finally, I know it's a quibble, and maybe I'm in the minority, but the reference to putting center high or low on the CB as applying "English" struck me as a misapplication of the term.
Having said all of the above, I will be the first to admit that I'm not very good at this tough game and basically feel that I have way, way more to figure out - including about break shots - than I currently know.
Can anyone here recommend any books or videos that go in depth about different break ball positions and how to execute them?
I’m pretty clueless about what areas are good for break balls around the stack. I have a decent feel for the standard side of the stack break shot, but that’s the only one I really know and I feel like I must be overlooking a lot of good break balls.
Even the side of the rack break shot...I feel like I don’t know what spin to use sometimes. I just whack at it and hope for the best. Sometimes the CB squats above the rack area and it’s perfect, sometimes I follow off the stack into the corner I shot the break ball into, sometimes the CB pops back and follows across table into the side pocket, etc. :shrug:
Anyway, any help would be greatly appreciated!
@SethC: Re the Pat Fleming video/advice. I don't believe the right or left english is intended to affect the cueball path to the rack, but how it will come off the 1st rail.
If, for example, right English would be expected to cause the CB come off the end rail and spin back into the bottom of the stack (possibly leaving no shot), but no English (best whenever possible) or left English would cause the CB to angle or spin away from the stack after contacting the end rail and work its way back to center table, why use right English? Maybe you or someone will educate me and I'll learn something new! Regards.
I can see how english is important when breaking from behind the rack (you can’t get uptable without it), but it can certainly complicate shotmaking. It’s bad enough that you must take into consideration the condition of the balls & speed of hit (loft/throw) when making any cut shot, but when you add english to the mix (squirt deflection & spin throw), pocketing the break shot in a pressure situation can often get dicey. After all, if you miss and your opponent is any good, you are usually SOL!
In most cases, the CB, in the examples he gave, will not come off the end rail and back into the rack. That's not the purpose for applying right. It's most usual purpose would be to slow the CB down after coming off the rail. If the same shot is hit with the same speed but no english or left is used there's a good chance it will end up way uptable or even in a pocket. A couple of the main goals when shooting breakshots is to avoid scratching and to stay downtable. The technique he advocates is helpful in accomplishing those 2 things.
He doesn't give reasons for what he says to do but it's only about 5 min. of video.
To explain all the nuances could take more like 5 hrs. He does say that every situation is different and other scenarios may call for doing something differently.
Aspiring 14.1 players may want to take note about something. If you take a look at the table layouts in the 3 times he does the side of rack breakshots you'll see that the 1st 2 table layouts after the break are superior than the 3rd one. That should indicate to you that, with breaksots in general, more angle is better.
It's the one size fits all aspect of the advice that I question. Whether the CB is going to contact the top, middle or bottom of an object ball, and whether the object ball is near/at the corner of the stack or in the middle of the stack, all must be considered in deciding whether to apply English and what kind to apply. Maybe I'm in a minority, but I think trying to get the CB to the middle of the table, rather than down amongst the stack balls and clusters (where no shot might be available) seems like a good goal.
Why is this important? Because once the CB curves and then hits something it comes off what it hits (in this case a ball) and travels along the tangent line, which might lead into the corner pocket.
To avoid this, if hit hard enough, the curve occurs after contact with the rack and though it may be headed towards the pocket it will curve to the right and go into the bottom rail.
Interesting point. The curve after contact with the rail keeps the cb from scratching. I hadn't considered the consequences if that forward curve happens BEFORE contact with the pack. Thanks!
@ Seth: I was annoyed at the constant advice everybody always gave to put a little right english on the cue ball for a right hander's break shot. I looked and looked for the reason and I concluded that it was just what people say for a left cut. Many people put a little english on every cut shot, so I thought maybe that was the reason. In essence, no reason.
But I noticed myself that many shots without english leave the cue ball hitting the foot rail and then rolling all the way to the head rail, or a scratch. It seemed to me that the english would put the breaks on the cb and prevent that. Lo and behold I caught a quick mention of that in Mosconi's video, link below. First he only says that the high right causes the cb to drive through the pack. Of course that's the "high" part and not the "right" part. But on the video he then says almost as an afterthought, "you see it also kept my cue ball down in this position so I have another shot." As an aside, you'll note that Mosconi said, "That's better." Why would he say that? If you look carefully you'll see that the ball spread is different in the overhead view. He didn't like something after the break shot so he shot it over again! lol.
https://youtu.be/Yym21l9_Z3U?t=26m7s
Anyway, Willie and sparkle say the right english is to keep the cue ball down in the bottom area of the rack. Good enough for me!
Edit: I haven't watched this video in a long time. After he runs the first rack he says that he has to hit the next shot harder because of the angle and therefore will need to put more english on the ball to keep it at the foot of the table, "to hold the ball down here" as he puts it.
https://youtu.be/Yym21l9_Z3U?t=29m21s
I can see how english is important when breaking from behind the rack (you can’t get uptable without it), but it can certainly complicate shotmaking. It’s bad enough that you must take into consideration the condition of the balls & speed of hit (loft/throw) when making any cut shot, but when you add english to the mix (squirt deflection & spin throw), pocketing the break shot in a pressure situation can often get dicey. After all, if you miss and your opponent is any good, you are usually SOL!