Searching for predictable break shots.

mnorwood said:

Can anyone post a diagram of a break shot that is the most predictable and why?

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The predictability depends on a lot of details. A major detail is how solid the rack is.

For the standard side of the rack break, as a back-cut with outside english and follow, the action of the cue ball often depends on which part of which ball you hit. So, the ability of the player to predict will depend on how much attention he pays to the details and his experience with the shot.

When Irving Crane played the ball-on-headspot break, his result was very predictable: the cue ball would hit the side rail just above the side pocket, the running english would take it to right between the two head balls and then it would go to the side cushion and come out to the middle of the table. Like clockwork. But that was Crane shooting.

Another shot that seems remarkably predictable is a softer side of the rack break shot where the shot is nearly straight. The standard old-timer method for this shot was to play it relatively softly with just enough follow to get the cue ball down to the foot cushion. It seems that nearly always a ball will come off the back of the rack to become a next break shot.

The standard back-of-the-rack shots can also be quite predictable in where the cue ball goes, both the 3-railer and the 1-railer to get to the center of the table. Both of these shots require you to spin the cue ball.