gromulan said:
Well it's the single most important shot in nine ball, so yeah, I guess you could say it means a lot.
The Break Shot is very, very important in every game of Pocket Billiards.
8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, One-Pocket, Straight Pool & Snooker are all governed by a player with a good break shot.
A successful method of cue ball control is to attempt to use the semi-soft break. Pool players are getting smarter, they are learning new speeds to spread balls and still be allowed to run out without having to "Hit HARD & Hope."
"Hit HARD & Hope" is striking the cue ball as hard as you can, into the rack, hoping something falls, and hoping the CB gets lucky shape on the lowest-numbered ball. Sometimes you'll pocket a ball and get good shape on the lowest-numbered ball, sometimes you won't. You can't predict what's going to happen. "Hit HARD & Hope" will prove unsuccessful against a good player.
All that being said, there is always a factor of LUCK on the break. If you control the lowest numbered object ball and CB perfectly, along with the corner ball. You may still be relying on luck to insure no balls end up resting between the CB and the lowest numbered object ball.
Good pool is all about using percentages to work in your favor. Break only as hard as you can & still control the Cue Ball. Accuracy is far more important than power, which is why the soft break is being used more and more.
The break is the most important shot in any game. It sets the table (no pun intended) for the rest of the rack. As such, it should be practiced just as much as any other shot. Don't just bash the rack in practice, the point is to learn shots that can be reproduced time after time. The same mindset is applied to the break shot.
The lesson here is this; use whatever means necessary to keep yourself at the table after the break. The difficulty is finding the method which works for you. That method can be found by disciplined practice.
