A good break is in your technique!

[Matt_24]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

 

[acedotcom]

I use my break cue for 8-ball and 9-ball when I want to break the crap out of the balls, but use my playing cue when I go for an 8-ball on the break since I go for the second ball and have to use draw to prevent scratching. For power, my break stroke is a lot different than my regular poke - I put a lot of shoulder into it.

 

[macguy]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

I have always liked breaking with my playing cue. The days when I have broken best were the days it seemed the most effortless. There may be sort of a golf stroke type thing to it. When the timing and technique is just right a strong break is within everybody's capabilities. There is no need to try yo kill it or come out of your shoes.

 

[GMAC]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

Matt, thanks for the advice, however you never mention what you do with your lower body. Do you even think about the timing between your stroke and lower body or does it just come natural to you.

I believe the most important thing when breaking the balls is timing. It is being able to crush the balls without going out of your way to do it. If your timing is good you will destroy the balls with little effort.

If I can make a comparison it is like watching Albert Pujois (spelling) hit a home run. He doesn't look like he is trying to kill the ball but he is generating more bat speed than anyone else in baseball. How??

Timing. His upper and lower body are in cink and he is keeping his hands back. When you break make sure your stroke is playing catch up. Meaning your lower body is coming first and your stroke arm is playing catching up to meet perfectly on the CB.

Our stroke arm moves much faster than our lower body so we have to start our lower body first and the stroke arm will catch it - I promise. It takes some practice to get the timing down but when you do - you will destroy the balls with little effort. Just my 2 cents.

 

[poolpro]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

Hey thanks for the post. Good advice.


One thing that I am still not sure about though ... what about my grip hand, should it be loose? You really should say something more about that!

Just kidding, good post!:thumbup:


Jw

 

[Realizm]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

I know why to went back to your playing cue .
Pm me i'll tell you .. But you can't tell ..

 

[Johnnyt]

I think in 9-ball it's been just about proven that you don't have to use a power break. It looks and sounds cool, but a 3/4 of what I can control works a lot better for me. Making the 1-ball and/or the wing ball, spreading the balls and having a shot on the 1-ball or the lowest ball left on the table is far more important than a sledgehammer break IMO. When I started doing this I started beating the 9-ball ghost most of the time with BIH after the break, and beating it about 40% of the time W/O BIH.

Ten-ball I break a lot harder, but still not as hard as I can. I know most say 10-ball is harder because of the extra ball, but I say its harder because making balls on the break is harder. When I use all my power breaking 10-ball I make more balls when I hit the 1-ball where I want. Maybe that's about 5 out of 10 breaks with one of them having the QB fly off the table. So I took a bit off the power and learned how to make the 1-ball a good % of the time and I have fast enough cloth so the corner balls can still get around and crisscross going 3 or 4 ralis back to the foot pockets if they don't collide with other balls on their way. Perfect tight rack is a must. Johnnyt

 

[Predator5K4]

There's a video by Charlie Bryant talking about the mechanics of a power break, and he does go into some detail on the lower body. The back foot at 45 degrees, how the hips turn into the break, etc. I think it was an Inside Pool video, I'll try to find it.

 

[Predator5K4]

Here's a link to the video that I was referring to earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkByJCwTqSo

 

[8ball-alex]

Followed your "innstructions" to day, and got a hell of a break! Really happy whit it

 

[JoeyA]

Matt,
I know exactly what you are talking about when you say "slap" the rack with the cue ball.

When I keep a loose grip and just kind of slap at the rack, the balls seem to find a hole to go in. However, when I put my gorilla break on the rack, it SEEMS like I am hitting the rack with more power/speed but the results are dismal.

The attempt to hit the one ball square is important for controlling whitey and probably for getting as much energy into the rack as is possible.

There are a couple of other things that I have seen players do that puzzles me, like jacking up just a bit so that the cue ball pops up after hitting the one ball. Is that just to get the cue ball out of the way of the one ball and the rack or does the slight hop have something else to do with the break.

Unfortunately, I play in a very humid environment and the balls are SEVERAL years old and it is hard to get the same exact rack each time no matter how hard you try.

What I would like to know is what does the attempt to "slap" the rack instead of "pile drive" the rack do? I know it works but what does it do?: Increase the speed of the cue ball, decrease the speed of the cue ball, increase the accuracy of the path of the cue ball, bounces the cue ball off of the rack so that the energy can be transferred to the object balls better?

What does the attempt to "slap" the rack have to do with increasing the chances of making balls on the break?

Thanks,
JoeyA

 

[teedotaj]

how exactly do you "slap" the rack? reducing power? body's momentum?

 

[JoeyA]

Slap Breaking

how exactly do you "slap" the rack? reducing power? body's momentum?

I'm kind of embarassed because I can't quite describe it except that I use less overall muscle strength to move the cue stick forward on the last stroke. The looser grip is part of the "slap". I just don't know for sure if the cue ball is going faster or slower. I do know that I would never run out of energy "slap breaking". LOL

JoeyA

 

[BRKNRUN]

Matt,
There are a couple of other things that I have seen players do that puzzles me, like jacking up just a bit so that the cue ball pops up after hitting the one ball. Is that just to get the cue ball out of the way of the one ball and the rack or does the slight hop have something else to do with the break.

Thanks,
JoeyA

You can't transfer more power in the break that way since you are not hitting the 1-ball as full as possible....However.....especially on a bar box...the CB suspended in air for that breif moment seems like it allows the balls in the rack time to spread....

For whatever reason...it seems like when the CB does not hopp in the air it gets kicked by a ball a flies into a pocket at warp speed.

Could just be coincidence...

 

[augustine tan]

-

good break in ur technique-> svb

 

[Quatsch83]

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).


I hope this helps someone!

Wow...this helped me a lot with hitting the ball more solid and avoiding miscues. I wish that I had seen this advice earlier

 

[Darth]

Wow...this helped me a lot with hitting the ball more solid and avoiding miscues. I wish that I had seen this advice earlier

One important thing Matt_24 failed to mention about Jimmy Reid's break is the fact that Jimmy uses a real short bridge....less than 4 inches when breaking. Jimmy has been a good friend of mine since the late 70's and that break of his is legendary. I remember John DiToro telling me of a 10 ball tournament Jimmy was playing on the west coast of Florida a couple of years ago. Jimmy was down something like 6-4 in a race to 7 and was playing a young gun. Jimmy broke the balls so hard, he almost shattered the eardrums of DiToro and a few other players standing around. Jimmy made six balls on the break and beat the kid 7-6.

 

[softshot]

Hitting them SQUARE trumps hitting them HARD.......

EVERY...... SINGLE ......TIME....

have a nice day:thumbup:

 

[suckershot]

Want to know how to break good at 9 Ball or 10 ball?

Well, a good break cue doesn't hurt - but isn't necessary. In fact, I can't control the cue ball as well with it.

A "great" break is in the technique!

Here are a few things I learned personally from Jimmy Reid (in his old house in TN) that really helped my break tremendously.

1. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

2. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

3. You want to aim to hit the one ball solid (regardless of the breaking angle).

4. You take your warm up strokes.

5. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

6. You pull back the cue tip before executing the shot and pause.

7. Keep your grip hand LOOSE!

8. Look at the cue ball LAST (not the one ball).

9. Follow through on the cue ball and keeping your grip hand loose.

10. Last but not lease, you want to think of it as not "hitting" the rack - but SLAPPING the rack with the cue ball.

I broke with a SLEDGEHAMMER for a year - but I'm back to breaking with my playing cue and I like it much better. Now all I need is a jump cue.

I hope this helps someone!

This is a great post.

I see too many bad league players who think a BK2 is the answer to all their breaking problems.

Now, if you want a nice break cue just because of vanity, that's one thing (of this, I am guilty as charged...have an Omen but am often too lazy to pull it out and I break with my playing cue). But buying it solely because you break badly and think it's going to somehow magically change your break...that's quite another thing.

 

[Matt_24]

Jimmy does have a fairly short bridge. He also has ZERO PAUSE in his back stroke before shooting (anything). He just continually strokes until it feels right and he's ready to follow through.

Works for him and I try to do the same thing on hard shots.

Slapping the rack means you're just keeping loose and focusing on cue ball speed and not power. When you think of it in those terms...you break better. BUT cue ball speed is what breaks the rack hard. So - mentally just think of keeping real loose and moving that cue ball FAST.

I don't do all of the jumping up, kicking, etc. Not my style. I break pretty good without all of that in my opinion. HITTING the one solid is hard enough without throwing a high kick in there, LOL.

Lastly, Johnny Archer had the best POWER 9 ball break ever...and he didn't need any special cue/tip.