1hole q: wing ball popping out on break

Egg McDogit

street player
Silver Member
I've been dabbling in 1 hole lately. Sometimes when I break, the wing ball on my opponent's pocket pops off and heads for his hole, sometimes leaving him a shot. I'm doing the break where you stroke it good and thin the 2nd ball with follow/inside english. Is this because of a BS rack or am I just breaking them bad?

While we're at it - I make a ball on the break (in my pocket) every so often...is this possible if the rack is tight? And what should I look for to make sure my opponent isn't rigging the rack to make a ball on their break (if you're willing to share)?

peace
-egg
 
Egg McDogit said:
I've been dabbling in 1 hole lately. Sometimes when I break, the wing ball on my opponent's pocket pops off and heads for his hole, sometimes leaving him a shot. I'm doing the break where you stroke it good and thin the 2nd ball with follow/inside english. Is this because of a BS rack or am I just breaking them bad?

While we're at it - I make a ball on the break (in my pocket) every so often...is this possible if the rack is tight? And what should I look for to make sure my opponent isn't rigging the rack to make a ball on their break (if you're willing to share)?

peace
-egg


Hey Egg, I'm not a 1hole player so you can choose to ignore this completely but I'm a little curious as to why you would use inside english on the break. I mean, I can't imagine the english even holding for such a distance on a soft hit, let alone have an impact. It just appears that you're making it more complicated than need be. The few times I've played 1hole, I aim for as full of a hit as I can get on the 2nd ball with as light a stroke needed for it to be legal. Like I said, my experience is limited but I've never left my opponent a shot after my break.
 
IMO, you are probably hitting the second ball too often. If this happens quite often, I bet you scratch a little more on the break than you should, as you might be hitting the corner ball on your side? Try hitting a tad bit more of the headball, maybe hitting it slighty softer. Spend 15 minutes doing nothing but breaks and tune in the right one for you.

Sometimes, the rack can just be bad. If any ball is not frozen along the side, the chances of having a ball shoot out like that is increased.

Regarding english on the break - 99% of the 1p players use high right english. Believe it or not, it does hold, which is what keeps the cue ball on the long rail rather than running back out into the middle of the table.
 
1pRoscoe said:
Regarding english on the break - 99% of the 1p players use high right english. Believe it or not, it does hold, which is what keeps the cue ball on the long rail rather than running back out into the middle of the table.

Really? I did not know this! Like I said, I've only played a little and honestly, this is an opinion formed from my knowledge of other games. It's not like New York is known for it's 1hole play but I'm going to have to check out some of the few that do dabble and see how they do it. Now I'm curious!
 
1pRoscoe said:
IMO, you are probably hitting the second ball too often. If this happens quite often, I bet you scratch a little more on the break than you should, as you might be hitting the corner ball on your side? Try hitting a tad bit more of the headball, maybe hitting it slighty softer. Spend 15 minutes doing nothing but breaks and tune in the right one for you.

Sometimes, the rack can just be bad. If any ball is not frozen along the side, the chances of having a ball shoot out like that is increased.

Regarding english on the break - 99% of the 1p players use high right english. Believe it or not, it does hold, which is what keeps the cue ball on the long rail rather than running back out into the middle of the table.
Roscoe,
Imagine your break were a straight on shot at a single object ball. If so with the speed for the break being used, how far (in diamonds on a 9'er) would the cue ball follow? I have just started to play a little and I was wondering approximately, what is the speed of the traditional break.

Tracy
 
Hey guys, check out onepocket.org

You guys need to check out the one pocket site. They have an old thread that discusses this in length.
You both describe the break completely wrong. You always should use and describe the one pocket break as using "inside" english when breaking because we do not know what side of the table you break from. Right side, left english, left side, right english. So say inside. Inside english is the correct english to use trying to hit slightly between the 1st and 2nd ball in the rack. This way the inside english hits the end rail then back up so that the cue ball can to to the side rail and stop at or near the second diamond. The idea is mainly to not give your opponent a shot to counter your break and make it difficult to not leave you a shot. If you break correctly you will never have that corner ball pop out, if it does you hit the rack bad, shot too hard or got a bad rack(tilted or loose).
You may break to not leave opponent a shot but its automatic if you break right and then it become leave him a shot that he cannot escape from which is very hard to do as all breaks are tough to duplicate. But close is just as good.
 
RSB-Refugee said:
Roscoe,
Imagine your break were a straight on shot at a single object ball. If so with the speed for the break being used, how far (in diamonds on a 9'er) would the cue ball follow? I have just started to play a little and I was wondering approximately, what is the speed of the traditional break.

Tracy

I don't think I quite understand what you are referring to, but the object is to (in a safe-mode break) use high inside english, hit 1/4 head ball, 3/4 second ball. From this point, the cue ball is going to hit the 1st diamond area on the short rail near your pocket and roll up to in between the 2nd and 3rd diamond (nearest the side hole) on the long rail near your pocket. You are hoping to push 2, 3, or even 4 balls your way without giving your opponent a shot, while leaving the cue ball stuck opposite your hole behind the rack.

edit - I think I got what you mean on the break shot. It would probably be the closest to a lag-type speed, possibly a bit harder.

and www.onepocket.org is a great site!
 
Last edited:
nfty9er said:
You guys need to check out the one pocket site. They have an old thread that discusses this in length.
You both describe the break completely wrong. You always should use and describe the one pocket break as using "inside" english when breaking because we do not know what side of the table you break from. Right side, left english, left side, right english. So say inside.

I posted below before I saw this post, but you are 100% correct. I thought about that after I posted, as I do break from both sides, however usually break from the left side, hence using high right.

The correct hit is high inside english.
 
My break...

I have some knowledge of the game of one hole...but I am NO where near as good as say Drivermaker or Jimbo...*rolls his eyes*

But here is what I do on the break. Since I am right handed I always take the right pocket and break from the left side. Depending on how froggy I am feeling, I place the cue ball pretty close to the left side rail, as far forward without fouling, and aim for the second ball, wanting to just barely clip the head ball. I use right top english...about 1:30pm with a full but gentle stroke. The main goal is to do like said earlier...hit em soft enough to let the cue hit the top rail and come back down and stick to the second diamond on the rail. If its a good break, the corner ball will never pop out. Lately I have had ZERO luck with this break...so I been moving my cue further off the left rail, and hitting more top...which is a more conservative break. Some will even recommend hitting the third ball, or even second to the back ball...I HIGHLY recommend reading over at onepocket.org as they have diagrams of different breaks and shot strategies.

Again, I am no expert nor claim to be...I was just taught by a former world champion...*grin*

Now whose gonna gimme 12-3 playing one handed?

Shorty
 
Egg McDogit said:
I've been dabbling in 1 hole lately. Sometimes when I break, the wing ball on my opponent's pocket pops off and heads for his hole, sometimes leaving him a shot. I'm doing the break where you stroke it good and thin the 2nd ball with follow/inside english. Is this because of a BS rack or am I just breaking them bad?

While we're at it - I make a ball on the break (in my pocket) every so often...is this possible if the rack is tight? And what should I look for to make sure my opponent isn't rigging the rack to make a ball on their break (if you're willing to share)?

peace
-egg

Assume you have a good rack --- if the corner ball is sliding out to your opponent's hole you should consider placing the cue ball further away from the rail. I'm not sure if you break from the side rail or not, but I know that it is a riskier break. Also, using inside english is riskier also. While both of my suggestions are less risky, they also have less chances of resulting in total lock down, with the cue ball on the rail and nothing simple to shoot.

For good racks, make sure that the corner balls are frozen and the rack is straight. The rack can be tilted so that when you are breaking you are breaking to the fat side of the rack, causing the side ball to pop out.

Personally, if the opponent gets a chance to shoot one straight in after my break two times in a row, I'm switching sides.
 
Jude, a tip for your dabbling (might want to ignore - keep in mind that I'm new to 1hole) - I found that if I use a "punchy" stroke with follow and inside english, I tend to scratch more often. If I really stroke it with follow and inside english...I tend to get much better results in terms of where the rock goes - and don't scratch. By stroke it - I mean a soft stroke where you really follow through smooth and you can feel the CB clinging to your tip - almost like a push. Hopefully that made some sense - although I don't know if it's good advice :eek:

peace
-egg


Jude Rosenstock said:
Hey Egg, I'm not a 1hole player so you can choose to ignore this completely but I'm a little curious as to why you would use inside english on the break. I mean, I can't imagine the english even holding for such a distance on a soft hit, let alone have an impact. It just appears that you're making it more complicated than need be. The few times I've played 1hole, I aim for as full of a hit as I can get on the 2nd ball with as light a stroke needed for it to be legal. Like I said, my experience is limited but I've never left my opponent a shot after my break.
 
thanks for the tips, I'm going to have to do some more reading on the onepocket.org site - and also play around with different racks and my break more to understand what's happening.

peace
-egg
 
Has anyone mentioned that a gap in the opponent's side corner balls can cause the ball to pop out also?
If there is a gap between the corner ball and the ball directly above it, this can cause the ball to come out further than usual.
Always check the headball and this corner ball.

Of course a bad hit will do all kinds of wonderful things, but if you keep having that ball pop out and you think you are hitting the gap correctly, I would consider checking the rack. Its not always a bad hit.
 
If there is a gap between any of the balls, on the opponents side of the rack, this will cause a ball or balls to break out out further than usual. Always check the headball and the opponents line of balls (the line of balls you are shooting to hit & miss)

Bad hits cause all kinds of problems, but that it is a self-imposed penalty. If you keep experiencing loose balls for your opponent & you think you are hitting the gap correctly, I would consider checking the rack. It may not be your doing.

There are lots of tricks one can pull on a One-Pocket break shot.
 
Egg McDogit said:
I've been dabbling in 1 hole lately. Sometimes when I break, the wing ball on my opponent's pocket pops off and heads for his hole, sometimes leaving him a shot. I'm doing the break where you stroke it good and thin the 2nd ball with follow/inside english. Is this because of a BS rack or am I just breaking them bad?

While we're at it - I make a ball on the break (in my pocket) every so often...is this possible if the rack is tight? And what should I look for to make sure my opponent isn't rigging the rack to make a ball on their break (if you're willing to share)?

peace
-egg

the wing ball pops out when the row (on the side) your breaking at is not frozen.

if you aim full at the second ball you should clip the head ball just right.

using the spin you can hit it harder and kill the ball.
 
Recently, at the DCC, I saw the pros breaking away from the side rail because THE t.v. TABLE was causing the corner ball to pop out on the traditional break. It wasn't a matter of gaps between balls because they were using the Sardo Rack. Still, high inside english was used.

I never had it happen to me, but you might want to break a few racks before you actually begin the set. Especially if you're playing in the other guy's room. Not all tables break the same.
 
lewdo26 said:
Recently, at the DCC, I saw the pros breaking away from the side rail because THE t.v. TABLE was causing the corner ball to pop out on the traditional break. It wasn't a matter of gaps between balls because they were using the Sardo Rack. Still, high inside english was used.

I never had it happen to me, but you might want to break a few racks before you actually begin the set. Especially if you're playing in the other guy's room. Not all tables break the same.

The Sardo tight rack does not always give you a perfect rack. It depends on how well the table was "trained" ahead of time. After a couple days of breaking gaps will form between the balls.
 
alinco said:
The Sardo tight rack does not always give you a perfect rack. It depends on how well the table was "trained" ahead of time. After a couple days of breaking gaps will form between the balls.

I have played a number of one pocket tournaments at Hard Times in Bellflower where they used the Sardo tight rack and I have never seen any gaps between the balls no matter which of the 12 tournament tables I played on (this wasn't over the course of a couple of days but over the course of a year). It may not be a popular rack for 9 ball but from my experience it works great for 1-pocket. It sure makes racking a lot easier not having to work to get the balls frozen.

Wayne
 
lewdo26 said:
Recently, at the DCC, I saw the pros breaking away from the side rail because THE t.v. TABLE was causing the corner ball to pop out on the traditional break. It wasn't a matter of gaps between balls because they were using the Sardo Rack. Still, high inside english was used.
Well, the closer to the head spot you break from, the less of the 2nd ball you'll hit on the break. Therefore the break is "safer", but you won't get the spread toward your hole that you would from the rail break.

Doc
 
alinco said:
The Sardo tight rack does not always give you a perfect rack. It depends on how well the table was "trained" ahead of time. After a couple days of breaking gaps will form between the balls.
Point well-taken, alinco. I have no idea since I never played with the Sardo rack.
 
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