9 ball break - 1 in the side

J

jack

Registered
I don't play 9-ball that much, but after reading about peoples high runs, and realizing that I hadn't broke and run out in 9 ball in forever, IF ever, I set about to practice...I eventually got into a groove and ran a rack out...

It took a while and some experiementation but I ended up getting pretty good at pocketing the 1 in the side off the break...and if not, i'd seem to get another ball to drop and have a shot...

So, to those who've got it down, any pieces of advice? I'm breaking from the side rail, maybe a ball width away, no english, slightly less than center ball hit...but most importantly, i'm trying to figure out precisely where to hit the 1...i tried the left side, but this didn't work well...then i tried slightly left of center and this seemed to have more success...(breaking from the left side of the table where it feels natural for me, being a righty...)

fwiw, i'm breaking with a sledgehammer...

any advice is appreciated as always...
 
jack said:
fwiw, i'm breaking with a sledgehammer...
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How is your Qball control with that cue does the q fly to the top rail? I would say about 50% of the time my Q hits the top rail and winds up in the middle of the table. That is breaking with the sledgehammer of course. I have broke with 2 different ones and both of them sounded different. The one I currently have sounds more hollow and has more force behind it. But other then that sometimes i just shoot a rack with that cue and pocket more balls maybe its just the free stroke :D
 
if i hit the 1 full and hard it'll fly off and not necessarily stay in a good place...as we all know, bustamante has one of, if not the best, breaks in the game...i've seen him nail the rack, make the one, other balls as well, and have great position on the two...so ideally i'll be able to develop a strong break with position, while making the one.....

or maybe its just better to hit solid and hard, hold the cueball in the middle of the table, and know i have a good chance of pocketing a ball, regardless of whether or not the 1 goes in the side?
 
I don't think it is a good idea to try to play the one in the side. The two ball will always be in a different place in the rack and therefore you will have much less control over its position after the break. The one is obviously always in the front, so you can work on its position much easier.

Most people try to pocket one of the wing balls in the corner. Instead of pocketing the one in the side, if it hits the long rail just above or below the side pocket, the one ball will bank towards the corner pocket at the bottom of the table. Now, if you keep the cue ball in the center of the table, you will end up with a shot on the one ball in the corner.
 
XzyluM said:
Couldn't have said it better. :D
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If I put near the bottom of the rack and you make the one in the side and get no shot on the two, whats the point, I can defeat that ploy with my rack.
 
definitely good points...why do so many pros do the soft break then? only with a sardo rack?

i noticed at times when i'd go for the one i'd miss, but i'd make a ball and the one would bank towards the corner pocket...i think that's the way to go...
 
In 9-Ball, I prefer the Medium Break Shot, trying to make a wing ball, while bouncing the 1-Ball off the right side rail towards the (near to me) left side rail corner pocket. Movement across the head string is sometimes necessary to find that collision point you are looking for.

If I've hit the Cue Ball correctly, it will have hit the lead ball & rebounded into the left side rail & heads cross table to the right side rail & head string intersection, good position for the 1-ball.

Whatever your method is, Cue Ball CONTROL on the snap will win you games. Breaking the rack, getting a good spread & having no shot will cost you lots of games.

If my opponent is doing a better job of breaking than I am, I pay close attention to where they are breaking from & how the Cue Ball is being struck & where the lead ball is being hit. Sometimes a different table has idiosyncrisies that you have pick up through your opponent's game.

Charley Bond
www.breakrak.com
 
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I just hit it hard and full on the 1 ball while aiming low on the cue and coming up at the last second and probably hitting it like a force follow shot. When I'm playing good, the break is what makes it happen. If the cue ball is controlled on the break, the run outs will come in big numbers.
 
jack said:
definitely good points...why do so many pros do the soft break then? only with a sardo rack?

i noticed at times when i'd go for the one i'd miss, but i'd make a ball and the one would bank towards the corner pocket...i think that's the way to go...
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Ahh, Glasshoppa...you touch truth of issue: With a sardo, the balls always sit exactly the same way, so there is exactly the same shot, each break.

IMO, hand-racked balls leave too many variables to play the 1 in the side. You can, however, send the 1 up table...

-pigy
 
you didn't say

Are you breaking on a big table or bar box? They break different, you know ...

Just put the cue ball about 2-3 inches even with the middle diamond on either the left or right side, use straight low english, and hit the 1 ball straight on hard.

Cue stays in good position, balls usually drop, and have a 1 ball shot greater than 85% of the time. I started on the left side, but have had greater success with the right side lately. It depends partly on the table, and your mood at the time. Sometimes you will overpower the cue ball from one side, but not the other side. And I have found that if your opponent undermines your side break with his rack, you can switch to a front break, and drop 2-4 balls on the break so as to keep him off his guard.

I play a lot of young players that have a pretty good break, but only have a 1 ball shot about 10-15% of the time. Another mistake they make is kicking for the 1 ball instead of rolling out .... considering the odds of pocketing a ball from kicking at it or get a good leave as opposed to rolling the cue ball anywhere you want on the table ... The first is an educated guess that involves just plain luck, the second is a strategy ... and if you are playing a very good player, you better have a strategy in mind, because you will hardly ever beat him with just plain luck ...

If you want to gain mental toughness for Pool, then read

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (considered the best strategist that ever lived)
 
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