Best breaking secrets on a bar table.

JoeyA said:
Chris,
Even though you don't play any more, I'm genuinely curious as to what you think.

Do you think an instructor needs to either play at a high level or to have played at a very high level at one time or another in order to be able to teach some else how to play at a high level?

This isn't a slap at any instructors that don't play at a high level because I know that there are some things that any instructor can help most players with.

I've got my own thoughts about this and one day I will share them in another thread.
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a little of both.
i think they can help out even if they were never a great player.
but i think they can help more if they played say a low pro speed or better.
 
9BallMarksman said:
Man, I just typed out a ton of good advice for 8 ball breaking ... and then noticed you were asking for 9 ball advice. Story of my life!
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I would love hear that advice as I don't think I have a good 8-ball BB break. I usually get a semi-decent spread, but hardly sink a ball.
 
BRKNRUN said:
BACK ball tight to the two balls above it... make sure the two balls above the back ball are touching if you want to make the wing ball.

Oh...and keep the CB on the table!!!!
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Just FYI, those balls being froze *should* eliminate the 9 from going (so when you're racking for you opponent, make sure they are).

JoeyA - can you use your own racks? IE: The Magic Rack? That might help the break some too. :)
 
Neil's advice is very solid. You MUST hit the 1B solid. It ensures you don't scratch and you get the most energy into the rack for a given CB speed. You must not allow the CB to "bend forward" to the foot of the table (excessive top spin). IME you need the CB to trickle up table with the 1B (slight top spin is optimum). Of course, center of table is best.

You can find a spot that makes the corner ball often and rolls the 1B directly at the upper corner pocket for easy position play. Here's an example of great technique, but Morra allows the CB to trickle to the foot end of the table and 1B falls on the short rail. He needed to move his CB a bit (to put the 1B in front of the corner) and lower his tip slightly to allow the CB to trickle back towards him. That small change is the difference between a B&R and playing safe on the 1B.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gDzbnxMeVg

Even though this is an 8B video, this is your goal...pop, squat, & run-out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zg4KMjgY0k
 
I have an article somewhere on this site about breaking. In that article, I give the following advice :

Never scrifice accuracy for power.

A large portion of the first section of my 9 ball book covers the break - I've got good feedback from hundreds of players that have had success with that information. Myself, I rarely come up dry on the break, and I rarely lose the rock. My method works and it works well.

Watch the videos by Hillbilly Bryant on youtube - unlike me, Charlie's a thousand-story skyscraper of pool knowledge - he hits 'em hard, but he hits 'em accurate. That is some of the best info you will ever find about the break.
 
$$$$$$$$$$$$$

cleary said:
I feel like I have improved my break a whole lot lately because a few small adjstments.

The biggest thing is using The BreakRak. Thing is great for working on controling the cueball and finding your speed. It's not how hard you smash em, it's how you end up after the break.

You say, rack your own, so the wingball should be locked.

For a while I caught myself not following through enough on my break. With the help if the BreakRak, I learned to follow my tip to the center of the table, with a 10" bridge, and park my cueball with just a half tip of low inside english.

The other night I was practicing, I was making 2-4 balls every break. Not getting out, but breaking great. Hahaha
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When Cleary speaks that means I am about to make some money. Now I don't know from who but someone is going to give me some money. Cleary always has good info that works for me...that is vivid in my minds eye. I have personally thanked Charlie Bryant this year at DCC for his breaking video now I will incorporate this with Cleary's information and watch the money seed start to grow. Cleary I still owe you drinks until you pass out. Thanks again.
 
mosconiac said:
Neil's advice is very solid. You MUST hit the 1B solid. It ensures you don't scratch and you get the most energy into the rack for a given CB speed. You must not allow the CB to "bend forward" to the foot of the table (excessive top spin). IME you need the CB to trickle up table with the 1B (slight top spin is optimum). Of course, center of table is best.

You can find a spot that makes the corner ball often and rolls the 1B directly at the upper corner pocket for easy position play. Here's an example of great technique, but Morra allows the CB to trickle to the foot end of the table and 1B falls on the short rail. He needed to move his CB a bit (to put the 1B in front of the corner) and lower his tip slightly to allow the CB to trickle back towards him. That small change is the difference between a B&R and playing safe on the 1B.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gDzbnxMeVg

Even though this is an 8B video, this is your goal...pop, squat, & run-out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zg4KMjgY0k
Click to expand...

I've seen many of your video stroke analyses of some of the world's best breakers.

It takes time to do all of those things and I wanted you to know that your efforts are appreciated.
 
stljohnny said:
Just FYI, those balls being froze *should* eliminate the 9 from going (so when you're racking for you opponent, make sure they are).

JoeyA - can you use your own racks? IE: The Magic Rack? That might help the break some too. :)
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Some racks don't rack as well as others. I'm not sure if they will allow the Magic Rack or the Delta 13. I've got both and it would be handy to bring them along. Thanks for the idea.
 
Chi2dxa said:
When Cleary speaks that means I am about to make some money. Now I don't know from who but someone is going to give me some money. Cleary always has good info that works for me...that is vivid in my minds eye. I have personally thanked Charlie Bryant this year at DCC for his breaking video now I will incorporate this with Cleary's information and watch the money seed start to grow. Cleary I still owe you drinks until you pass out. Thanks again.
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HAHAHA Thank you chi2dza, I'm glad I'm helping your game. If I ever got to a table, I might be able to help my own.
 
Dave...Who said anything about "restricting" follow through. I said FINISH YOUR STROKE. That means that the stroke is done...accelerated through to the end (which for most people will be somewhere between 1" and 9" past the CB...btw mine is 6 1/2"). An elbow drop is not necessary, and does nothing to improve the outcome. Now I'm not saying Chris Bartram or Hillbilly don't have a great break...they do. That said, all that extra movement, for most players, will simply result in less accuracy. If you want better results, simplify your delivery...not exacerbate it.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

SpiderWebComm said:
I think the "follow through not affecting the outcome" has a direct relation to the acceleration through the CB. True, the CB is gone 1/1000 of a second after contact; however, if you're restricting follow-through you're almost certainly decelerating prior to contact versus accelerating to the moment of contact.
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There is a correlation amongst good breakers that shift and lunge forward in the break....they drop their elbow, its the bodys natural way to balance by extending the limbs to match the forward motion of the torso.

I believe that the shift and extended lunge like JA and others is b/c you have one of two choices....send the bodys momentum up and get one of those wacked tom cruise shaft bend breaks breaks, OR you can send all the bodys momentum forward toward the direction the shot is being applied.

What Scott Lee is saying is 100% correct as this type of breaking is out of the normal bounds of required technique in the game. You really don't have to break that hard to achieve results, and you sacrifice alot to the gains in accuracy since your making an attempt with a much more compound movement, which just compounded the difficulty of attaining a high accuracy strike.

Gotta see it both ways....people talk about charlie and such and such has a HUGE break, but they forget about someone like say Corey Duel that breaks alot softer and makes balls left and right.


-Grey Ghost-
 
elvicash said:
Does any great breaker NOT drop their elbow. I think not.I have seen more than a few of the greats and I know of none who do not drop their elbow. Most of them break at 75% or so of max power. This allows them to stay in their window of control.

I have a Break-Rak and I like it.
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How about Johnny Archer? His elbow rises.:grin-square:

It was interesting talking to Mike Sigel about breaking. He came from an era before the Johnny Archers, and when these power breakers came on board, Mike said he figured out how they broke so hard ----> they throw their hand directly at the one ball in nine ball with so much force and accuracy that their hand ends up way up in the air - unlike Bartram which ends up low in the follow through.

Having said that, which break would you prefer - Bartram's or Archer's, or Busta's?
 
whitewolf said:
How about Johnny Archer? His elbow rises.:grin-square:

It was interesting talking to Mike Sigel about breaking. He came from an era before the Johnny Archers, and when these power breakers came on board, Mike said he figured out how they broke so hard ----> they throw their hand directly at the one ball in nine ball with so much force and accuracy that their hand ends up way up in the air - unlike Bartram which ends up low in the follow through.

Having said that, which break would you prefer - Bartram's or Archer's, or Busta's?
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pool is like golf or baseball or any other sport.
many waysto do things well.
 
real bartram said:
pool is like golf or baseball or any other sport.
many waysto do things well.
Click to expand...

True.

When I watched Cole Dickson break in 9 ball, he placed the cue ball about 6 inches to the right of the head spot and with a controlled break, damn near made the 1 ball in the side every time. If it didn't go in there, it was sitting perfect for him in the middle of the table. The cue ball floated back to the center of the table every time. I believe this is what is called a 'cut break'?

The result was that he ran many racks in a row. From what I could tell he was super accurate on all shots, including the break.
 
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