8 ball breaking dilemma....

P

poolshrk

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am a intermediate/advanced player and play 8 ball a lot because its big here. I do not break very well/consistently. I always spread balls well but only drop one less than 50% of the time.

Because of this, i have resorted to a 2nd ball down break with a half of tip of low and i have been having success. I make balls almost everytime, but have to play small ball - which i like, but usually dont run out near as often. What are your opinions? Should i be working on a better break? We play mostly on bar boxes and I love saftey defensive battles... i am very good at them.

opinions plz!
 
In my opinion, go with the break that sinks a ball. That way you remain in control of the table whether you are running or playing safe. I wouldn't want to give my opponent control if I knew I didn't have to.

I use the 2nd ball break with about 60% speed on a bar box (diamond tables) and have had good success.
 
I've tried both and still haven't settled on one over the other. Overall, I'm leaning more to the second ball break because it does seem to pocket balls more often.

Main reason I'm still experimenting with both is that the cue ball generally doesn't end up near the center of the table with the second ball break and scratching is a little bit more likely too. Also, head ball break spreads the balls better so when I do make one it is usually a better setup. I play on 9 foot tables if you think that might matter.

I initially tried it because many of the higher level players in my league were doing it. Still not convinced it is better overall though.
 
@hooper - where do you place the cue ball when you break. I am placing it parallel to the 1st diamond on the headstring. where do you place yours?

@purpdrag - you will not scratch if you put a bit of low on it... like a stun shot.... it will hit the long rail and come back through the rack in the center of the table... you may be hitting them too hard
 
poolshrk:
...have to play small ball - which i like, but usually dont run out near as often.
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Does this mean you have to play solids? Why? And why would that matter to how often you can run out?

I am placing [the CB] parallel to the 1st diamond on the headstring.
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I think a second ball break works better from closer to the side rail - you can see more of the second ball from there and hit it more squarely.

pj
chgo
 
The answer will lie with how strong your opponent is?

If your playing a run out player, the last thing you want to do is get a great spread and not make a ball.
 
unless you have a monster head on break that you can hit square 9/10 times the second ball break is the way to go on a barbox. The second ball break can work if the rack is a little loose too, not so for the hard head on break. I've found that the best way to do it is to not concentrate on power but make sure you hit the second ball as full as possible with a nice medium to semi hard stroke with steady follow through, usually with a tip or so of bottom. After much practice with it i find myself spreading the balls just as good as a hard break and usually the 8 shoots out like a rocket.
 
I place the cue ball about two or three finger widths from the second diamond right on the "line." I hit with a little bottom right at about 60% speed. it has worked extremely well for me.
 
I agree guys... i do stuff a little different... i break with a tip of bottom, but if you meet the 1st diamond on the short rail and the 1st diamond on the long rail... where they intersect is where i break from... I can hit it harder it seems....
\

i refer to small ball as shooting pool with all the balls kinda on one side of the table.... instead of all spread out... kinda in clusters
 
poolshrk said:
I am a intermediate/advanced player and play 8 ball a lot because its big here. I do not break very well/consistently. I always spread balls well but only drop one less than 50% of the time.

Because of this, i have resorted to a 2nd ball down break with a half of tip of low and i have been having success. I make balls almost everytime, but have to play small ball - which i like, but usually dont run out near as often. What are your opinions? Should i be working on a better break? We play mostly on bar boxes and I love saftey defensive battles... i am very good at them.

opinions plz!
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people (myself included) are in exactly the same boat as you. In my opinion, you'll need to master both breaks to really be a great player. Some tables suck down the balls with the second ball break, some don't. Having a good power break is definitely a necessity to play high calibre 8-ball. You simply can't afford to be caught on a table where you can't make a ball at least 50% of the time (pro average is 80%).

Equally important is "break knowledge". So many amateurs either refuse to believe, or don't want to believe that a solid hit on the head ball is more important than an extra 1-2MPH on their break. If you consider a standard shot, say a head on stop shot, you get complete transfer of translational energy to the object ball. Now consider the half ball hit, you get 50% transfer of translational energy to the OB and 50% remains with the cue ball. A lot of safety techniques are based on this principle because it allows the CB and OB to rebound off of a rail to the same distance. Apply this information to the break, and it becomes obvious that slight errors in accuracy rob you of energy transfer into the rack. Say if you break with control at 22MPH, and 24MPH at full steam, that's 9% more energy in the CB, but if the CB hits the head ball at the 3/4 ball mark, or even the 7/8 ball mark, you're looking at a loss of energy transfer of 25-13%. The net result is less energy transferred into the rack. (And you don't keep the CB in the center the table.)

This is a good example of what I think any decent amateur should be able to achieve:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8F-b2HEpU4&feature=related

At 23.4MPH, it's not a bone crushing break, but it's decent speed, decent accuracy, and he definitely gets a few balls on the break ;)
 
Try a 3rd ball break from the rail. I find I can hit it harder than a 2nd ball break, and get a better spread.
 
Break is luck, believe it or not, its kinda sad that break became so important in our game (specially in 9ball and 8ball) and yet its' pure lucky shot, lets face it.

The only things that ARE in your control with the break are:

a. trying to hit the head ball square, if your breaking on the first ball (which I like)
b. try to make the cueball bounce back few inches then Stops, this shot is a feel.

other than these two, its not in your hand, even if you make balls on the break with a certain break, then go to another table and break the same way, sometimes you just don't make balls, the table is in control no matter what.

sometimes you break square, and solid, make stun shot that makes cueball stops in the middle, to only watch another ball bounce and hit the cueball and make it scratch.

so in my opinion, there's not much you can do about it, just practice breaking solidly, squarely, that is all.
 
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