Any good advice for not missing break shots?

Salamander

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Last night I played my buddy Ivan (dogloop) and managed to miss about 10 break shots, and only made about two. It was actually quite comical, by the end of the evening I was dreading running out a rack because I knew what was coming. It would'nt have been so bad except the majority of them were laying pretty good, and not particularly hard. As I look back on my straight pool life, I realize that this has always been my achilles heel.

I must admit that I'm often torn as to how to address certain break shots. I'm guessing that there is something in my mechanics that goes haywire as I try and move into the pack. I suppose that I'm trying to overstroke the shot?

Any insight into how to effectively make the ball, open the pack, and free the cueball? I'm wondering if some sort of "specific pre-shot routine" only for break shots would help? Any helpful advice from someone who doesn't "dog it" as much?

Thanks in advance.
 
First off, and most importantly. Make the shot ! if you are alligned with the shot and have a natural path to the rack, the only thought that should cross your mind is to make the shot.

decide on how you are going to hit the rack before you get down on the shot. this way while you are down on the shot. taking a few prestrokes, the only thing you should be thinking is speed of shot.

take some time and practice break shots, you may find as i have. That you may not have to hit breakshots as hard as you though. study the rack and learn what balls pop out and the direction that they go in, so you can almost play a general position on them to continue a run.

i have had some success at this as of late, when i have a good angle to do so and certainly when i dont slam the rack.


Good Luck, and i hope this helped !
-Steve
 
Thanks Steve, good advice. I do feel that I'm trying too hard to "blast the pack". Oddly enough, when I used to compete more with someone playing straight pool I used to play "make every shot no matter what". Unfortunately, the majority of my time playing straight pool now consists of playing for runs (by myself). As such, I feel the need to get that pack open, or the run might end.

I think that perhaps I need to go back to the approach of playing the game more conservatively, rather than take the unnecessary chances.


First off, and most importantly. Make the shot ! if you are aligned with the shot and have a natural path to the rack, the only thought that should cross your mind is to make the shot.

decide on how you are going to hit the rack before you get down on the shot. this way while you are down on the shot. taking a few prestrokes, the only thing you should be thinking is speed of shot.

take some time and practice break shots, you may find as i have. That you may not have to hit breakshots as hard as you though. study the rack and learn what balls pop out and the direction that they go in, so you can almost play a general position on them to continue a run.

i have had some success at this as of late, when i have a good angle to do so and certainly when i dont slam the rack.


Good Luck, and i hope this helped !
-Steve
 
There is nothing wrong with taking chances and bettering your odds of having a shot to continue, keep that in mind on a breakshot and try to get to a safe area...such as middle of the table with more options.

try not to get stuck down on the bottom rail and certainly not all the way down table with a long tough shot !

-Steve
 
Sal: i too was having trouble with my b-balls. they were stopping my runs and pissing me right off... after watching some of schmidt's vids and how effortlessly he shoots them, i decided to relax and trust my aim and pay more attention to cue position. that worked. how long it will work is anybody's guess. don't over-think the shot, concentrate on a smooth stroke and you'll be fine.
 
Do you have good streaks as well as bad streaks in your break shot performance? If so, I suggest reviewing your shot preparation routine for deviations of which you are unaware. I've had the same problem when I rush sighting the contact point on the object ball.
 
Do you have good streaks as well as bad streaks in your break shot performance? If so, I suggest reviewing your shot preparation routine for deviations of which you are unaware. I've had the same problem when I rush sighting the contact point on the object ball.

Nice insight. Yes, often I have moments were I seems to make them regularly. I do know that my body instinctively tightens up in antipation of the big event.

I think I will try a different shot preparation for the break. Perhaps this will allow my mind to "commit" better to the shot.

Thanks for the advice all.

Doug
 
Pat Fleming's 14.1 Lesson this thursday is on break shots, if you haven't been watching them they're well worth $5.
 
Looks like i should of practiced what i preached today when i missed a breakshot at 70 on a tight pocket table !!! LOL :grin:

-Steve
 
Sal: i too was having trouble with my b-balls. they were stopping my runs and pissing me right off... after watching some of schmidt's vids and how effortlessly he shoots them, i decided to relax and trust my aim and pay more attention to cue position. that worked. how long it will work is anybody's guess. don't over-think the shot, concentrate on a smooth stroke and you'll be fine.

A while ago, I told John Schmidt that I seemed to tense up a bit and over-cut on my break shots. I said maybe I should back off and hit them softer. He said, No, don't do that. Just make sure your fundamentals are good, commit to the shot, stay down and shoot it.

I also set up donuts on the table and practice certain back cuts without the rack being there. I shoot 15 balls, until I make at least 3 in a row. That way at least the shot itself gets familiar to me.
 
Man Steve, you sure have been putting together some good runs lately.
Are you still shooting open handed?

Thanks Mikey,

I have been shooting open handed for a good portion of my shots, certain shots i still feel the need for a closed bridge. as a matter of fact the breakshot i missed was with a closed bridge....hmmmmm....thats because where i was shooting from i couldn't use the open bridge comfortably !!

Felt good though, every keyball i played was a stopshot to the Breakball. those are what i call "what's Up" shots !

-Steve
 
Some good tips to help put your focus back on the break ball (and away from the rack)

Last night I played my buddy Ivan (dogloop) and managed to miss about 10 break shots, and only made about two. It was actually quite comical, by the end of the evening I was dreading running out a rack because I knew what was coming. It would'nt have been so bad except the majority of them were laying pretty good, and not particularly hard. As I look back on my straight pool life, I realize that this has always been my achilles heel.

I must admit that I'm often torn as to how to address certain break shots. I'm guessing that there is something in my mechanics that goes haywire as I try and move into the pack. I suppose that I'm trying to overstroke the shot?

Any insight into how to effectively make the ball, open the pack, and free the cueball? I'm wondering if some sort of "specific pre-shot routine" only for break shots would help? Any helpful advice from someone who doesn't "dog it" as much?

Thanks in advance.

Sal:

(Hope you don't mind the friendly contraction to your screenname?)

I don't know your speed, so please take this as it is -- just some off-the-cuff observations based on what I know of myself, and of folks I've helped over the years in the game.

It sounds to me -- and again, apologies if I'm wrong, but it's only an observation -- that you're afraid of break shots, because you're afraid of failure. And it's understandable, when one considers what feelings one gets when "everytime" one takes a break shot, he/she splatters the rack (a satisfying result in its own right), but misses the break shot itself.

It could be that you are FAR too focused on that rack, and relegate the break shot itself, in your own mind, as a "foregone conclusion." If so, here are some tips to bring the break ball back into focus, and relegate the rack itself to the back:

  1. The rack "sticks out too much" for you, because you're so focused on it. Try this tip: the "1"-ball and the "5"-ball (yellow and orange, respectively) are the BRIGHTEST balls in the traditional ball set. (This is the reason, by the way, why it USED TO BE in the WPA rules that the "1" and the "5" had to be placed as the two corner balls in the rack; it's so that the referee and the opponent can more easily see that two balls -- the two corner balls, specifically -- touched a rail on the opening break. This situation is easier to notice when those two balls are also the two brightest balls in the rack.) Use this in your favor. Try practicing break shots, at various angles, using either the "1" or the "5" ball as your break ball. The bright colors of these two balls will help divert your attention away from the rack, and over to the break ball, thus breaking your fixation with the rack. That is, of course, if the problem is merely "fixation," and not "relegation" -- two different things. This tip is only good if the problem is "fixation." Relegation is addressed in the next bullet...
  2. If as the last sentence in the above states, the problem is not so much fixation with the rack as it is relegating the shooting the break ball purely out of your peripheral vision (i.e. you're able to "see" the break ball well using your peripheral vision and therefore "trust" your peripheral vision), then use some reverse psychology. Use the DULLEST ball in the rack -- one that blends in with the color of cloth on your table. If you have green cloth, use the "6"-ball as your break ball. If you use bright tournament blue, use either the "2" ball or the "4" ball (the former preferred). If you have maroon/burgundy cloth, use the "7" ball. ...You get the idea. The idea here is to blend the break ball into the cloth, so that it doesn't "stick out" to the point where your subconscious says, "oh, I can easily see that without directly looking at it -- I'll just use peripheral vision to shoot this." Nope, in this case, you are forced to focus on the break ball, because you can't easily see it out of your peripheral vision. It's a good way to break a bad habit. How do I know this? I used to have precisely this problem! I'd focus too much on the rack, thinking the break ball was a "foregone conclusion," and would just shoot it using peripheral vision -- I trusted my stroke, so subconsciously, I thought as long as I delivered the cue straight, that break ball was "as good as gone." Boy, was I wrong on a lot of instances! Using this exercise of choosing a break ball that most closely matches the color of the cloth broke me out of this very bad habit.
  3. Try always using a stripe ball as your break ball, repositioning the stripe in various ways. A good variation is use a stripe ball where the stripe itself matches the color of your cloth (e.g. the 14-ball for green cloth; the 10-ball for tournament blue cloth). Situation the stripe in various ways for the same break ball shot. See what effect that has. You might be surprised how markings on the ball (especially when certain parts of the ball "disappear" into the cloth) "jump out at you" and become part of your shot -- they shouldn't! You should be able to see the whole ball for what it is -- a sphere. "Cheats" like light reflections, dirty spots on the ball, markings on the ball, etc. are for beginners.
  4. At first, try easing off on your break shot stroke. Power-down, not up. Do you really need all that power to open those balls up? Chances are, you don't. And if you don't make 'em open up like a flower, so what? Look at the remainder of the rack carefully (that's your *job* in this game anyway), and find another break ball. Find a way to get on it, and open 'em up again. And again, if need be. The key with these secondary break shots, in most cases, is NEVER to hit them hard. Just gently open 'em up. The last thing you want to do, is to open-up one cluster, only to have two more clusters creating by hitting the initial cluster too hard.
I had a nasty phase of missing the break ball (and thus fearing them), but I was able to break myself out of this fear with the above tips. (I thought of these myself, by the way. A sort of self-diagnosis, trying to find out why I was missing these crucial shots and basically selling out the match.) Now, break shots are my favorite part of the game (besides admiring the pattern I used to *get* to that break ball). I love to "do a Gene Nagy" and really slam that break ball into the back of the pocket, splashing the rack in the process.

I hope these are helpful for you!
-Sean
 
Break Shots

Sean,

I'm not sure if you advice will be helpful to Salamander, but it is certainly helpful to me! Thanks for the advice! Now I can't wait to get a chance to practice this. A+ on the advice, sir!!!

Ron F
 
Sean,

That's what I was searching for and I think you are spot on. Thank you for taking the time write it out. I'm going to digest what you say and try and put it into play. By the way, I think #2 applies to me, based on recollections of my break shots

In fact, thanks for everyones input. For me it is the one major item that keeps me from the consistancy that I am searching for.




Sal:

(Hope you don't mind the friendly contraction to your screenname?)

I don't know your speed, so please take this as it is -- just some off-the-cuff observations based on what I know of myself, and of folks I've helped over the years in the game.

It sounds to me -- and again, apologies if I'm wrong, but it's only an observation -- that you're afraid of break shots, because you're afraid of failure. And it's understandable, when one considers what feelings one gets when "everytime" one takes a break shot, he/she splatters the rack (a satisfying result in its own right), but misses the break shot itself.

It could be that you are FAR too focused on that rack, and relegate the break shot itself, in your own mind, as a "foregone conclusion." If so, here are some tips to bring the break ball back into focus, and relegate the rack itself to the back:

  1. The rack "sticks out too much" for you, because you're so focused on it. Try this tip: the "1"-ball and the "5"-ball (yellow and orange, respectively) are the BRIGHTEST balls in the traditional ball set. (This is the reason, by the way, why it USED TO BE in the WPA rules that the "1" and the "5" had to be placed as the two corner balls in the rack; it's so that the referee and the opponent can more easily see that two balls -- the two corner balls, specifically -- touched a rail on the opening break. This situation is easier to notice when those two balls are also the two brightest balls in the rack.) Use this in your favor. Try practicing break shots, at various angles, using either the "1" or the "5" ball as your break ball. The bright colors of these two balls will help divert your attention away from the rack, and over to the break ball, thus breaking your fixation with the rack. That is, of course, if the problem is merely "fixation," and not "relegation" -- two different things. This tip is only good if the problem is "fixation." Relegation is addressed in the next bullet...
  2. If as the last sentence in the above states, the problem is not so much fixation with the rack as it is relegating the shooting the break ball purely out of your peripheral vision (i.e. you're able to "see" the break ball well using your peripheral vision and therefore "trust" your peripheral vision), then use some reverse psychology. Use the DULLEST ball in the rack -- one that blends in with the color of cloth on your table. If you have green cloth, use the "6"-ball as your break ball. If you use bright tournament blue, use either the "2" ball or the "4" ball (the former preferred). If you have maroon/burgundy cloth, use the "7" ball. ...You get the idea. The idea here is to blend the break ball into the cloth, so that it doesn't "stick out" to the point where your subconscious says, "oh, I can easily see that without directly looking at it -- I'll just use peripheral vision to shoot this." Nope, in this case, you are forced to focus on the break ball, because you can't easily see it out of your peripheral vision. It's a good way to break a bad habit. How do I know this? I used to have precisely this problem! I'd focus too much on the rack, thinking the break ball was a "foregone conclusion," and would just shoot it using peripheral vision -- I trusted my stroke, so subconsciously, I thought as long as I delivered the cue straight, that break ball was "as good as gone." Boy, was I wrong on a lot of instances! Using this exercise of choosing a break ball that most closely matches the color of the cloth broke me out of this very bad habit.
  3. Try always using a stripe ball as your break ball, repositioning the stripe in various ways. A good variation is use a stripe ball where the stripe itself matches the color of your cloth (e.g. the 14-ball for green cloth; the 10-ball for tournament blue cloth). Situation the stripe in various ways for the same break ball shot. See what effect that has. You might be surprised how markings on the ball (especially when certain parts of the ball "disappear" into the cloth) "jump out at you" and become part of your shot -- they shouldn't! You should be able to see the whole ball for what it is -- a sphere. "Cheats" like light reflections, dirty spots on the ball, markings on the ball, etc. are for beginners.
  4. At first, try easing off on your break shot stroke. Power-down, not up. Do you really need all that power to open those balls up? Chances are, you don't. And if you don't make 'em open up like a flower, so what? Look at the remainder of the rack carefully (that's your *job* in this game anyway), and find another break ball. Find a way to get on it, and open 'em up again. And again, if need be. The key with these secondary break shots, in most cases, is NEVER to hit them hard. Just gently open 'em up. The last thing you want to do, is to open-up one cluster, only to have two more clusters creating by hitting the initial cluster too hard.
I had a nasty phase of missing the break ball (and thus fearing them), but I was able to break myself out of this fear with the above tips. (I thought of these myself, by the way. A sort of self-diagnosis, trying to find out why I was missing these crucial shots and basically selling out the match.) Now, break shots are my favorite part of the game (besides admiring the pattern I used to *get* to that break ball). I love to "do a Gene Nagy" and really slam that break ball into the back of the pocket, splashing the rack in the process.

I hope these are helpful for you!
-Sean
 
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I agree

Great comments by Sean. Not too much to add to all those good points.
Break shots become easier as one builds up their confidence, at least, I believe it has helped in my game. Remembering that the last three balls before the break ball set up are so important (key ball to key ball). Once you get that down, it will become a natural habit.
Stevie: like I said: you are doing really well with that open hand bridge, keep it up. The confidence will go up and so will the consistency of the higher runs.
 
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what everyone already said. also for me it helps to shoot tons of breakshots. When I practice i rerack after the run ends. It could be only 1 ball, then I rerack and get to shoot another breakshot. Learn what works best for you on any given shot. shoot from both sides of the rack and also from behind. shoot from all angles.
when the shot comes up in a game it should be much easier because you know you have made it so many times.
steven
 
Thanks for the accolades

Hi folks!

Real quick -- because I'm stepping out for a long drive to Long Island to work at a customer site...

It pleases me to know that the info I shared was helpful. I do hope it makes a difference in folks' games -- dying to hear if it did!

I promise to continue to share insight and tips like this, assuming I can break away from that "distraction from pool" (i.e. the day job).

Warmest regards, and best wishes to keep hitting 'em straight,
-Sean

P.S. to RonF and Salamander -- keep us abreast of your findings!
 
I also set up donuts on the table and practice certain back cuts without the rack being there. I shoot 15 balls, until I make at least 3 in a row. That way at least the shot itself gets familiar to me.

Of all the suggestions made so far in this thread, I like this one the most. I would also combine this suggestion with "progressive practice."

Start out with an easy break shot and after you make it, increase the difficulty by setting up a slightly more difficult angle. As your shot-making improves, you can increase the distance from the object ball and/or apply inside/outside English on the cue ball.

If you miss a shot, then either repeat the shot or make it slightly easier until you can make it consistently.
 
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