Big 9 ball break

M

Mcdermott1981

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been working hard on my break lately but still not getting the results that I want. I watch videos of Shane and even Fedor Gorst. When they break, the cue ball jumps off the table at least 3-4 inches. Is that due to just hitting the cue ball very hard with center English?

I am right handed and usually break from the left side rail. Does anybody have any good 9 ball break techniques that I can work on to have a more consistent break?
 
Well, first off... You are not being fair to yourself, comparing to the top Pros.
Second, do you have a breakrak? It is really the best way to train that skill
 
The cueball jumping, is a result of them stroking down, causing the cueball to leave the table in route to the headball, thus a bounce.
 
Mcdermott1981 said:
I have been working hard on my break lately but still not getting the results that I want. I watch videos of Shane and even Fedor Gorst. When they break, the cue ball jumps off the table at least 3-4 inches. Is that due to just hitting the cue ball very hard with center English?

I am right handed and usually break from the left side rail. Does anybody have any good 9 ball break techniques that I can work on to have a more consistent break?
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My biggest thing was learning to follow through on your stroke past impact. Most people immediately after impact with the Cueball begin to slow their cue down. Make sure you are not doing that. In fact on my follow through. I don't stop until I feel the joint pass my bridge.

Where do you break from and what are you trying to accomplish...?
 
I typically break from the left side rail. I'm not as worried about getting the cue ball to jump as just making solid contact with the one ball. When I use a magic rack, I typically make 1-2 balls on the break. When I'm not using the magic rack, my break is just wild and not consistent.
 
Mcdermott1981 said:
I typically break from the left side rail. I'm not as worried about getting the cue ball to jump as just making solid contact with the one ball. When I use a magic rack, I typically make 1-2 balls on the break. When I'm not using the magic rack, my break is just wild and not consistent.
Click to expand...

That's all of us, m-Man . Sad but true.
 
Mcdermott1981 said:
I typically break from the left side rail. I'm not as worried about getting the cue ball to jump as just making solid contact with the one ball. When I use a magic rack, I typically make 1-2 balls on the break. When I'm not using the magic rack, my break is just wild and not consistent.
Click to expand...

If you can control the break with a template rack but have issues with a regular rack, seems you need to work on racking not breaking. Breaking from the rail is probably the toughest way to control the cueball, a trick is to line up the shot from the cueball through the 1 ball and to the rail behind the rack so you have a full ball hit on the 1, then try to aim at that point through the 1 ball. That may help you contact the ball better and keep the cueball from going all over the place.

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If I do a head-on break, I strive to pop the cueball also.

The most important thing is the long follow through. To get your body trained, on a bar table try extending your follow-through almost all the way to the rack. Perhaps your final break stroke won’t get that far but it’s good practice to really stroke through your break rather than muscle through it.

The next focus is to get the pop. That requires hitting the break like a mini-jump shot. There’s three more things that go into that for me.
1) It means you will actually be hitting the cue ball slightly above center.
2) It means you will be bringing your body up and forward. This is not a hard stop shot with your regular stroke. This break is like a golf swing. Your whole body goes into it.
3) Choke up on the stick some. This balances out the standing-up action. If you are just getting a feel for it, try choking up to the top of your wrap. Like the follow through, your final break won’t be that exaggerated but it will start showing your body the difference.

And of course, hit the rack square. If your cue ball cuts sideways either way, consider that attempt a flub and don’t put any stock in what the outcome was.
 
I must be the only one that is not worried about how hard I hit the rack but am more concerned about controlling the CB. I don't want to scratch on the break as I play a lot of guys that make you pay for a scratch on the break in a game of rotation with ball in hand . I try to leave the CB in the middle of the table.You don't have to smash the wrack to make a ball on the break.
 
De420MadHatter said:
The cueball jumping, is a result of them stroking down, causing the cueball to leave the table in route to the headball, thus a bounce.
Click to expand...
On a hard break shot in which the breaker's cue is just slightly elevated in to the contact zone, the CB is not jumping as much as it is gliding just barely above the surface of the cloth, then landing/skidding back on the cloth at some point within a 1-3 feet of the head ball in the rack - evidenced by the burn marks on the cloth in this area. Trying to duplicate the break of the pro players in which the CB sometimes jumps up a little bit after contact with the head ball then parking itself in the middle of the table is going to be very hard to do consistently, without the CB jumping off the table often enough to cost you dearly in any match against a good player. More importantly is just to try to break them solidly, pocket at least one ball, and controlling the CB to come back to somewhere between the head string and center of the table.
 
Mcdermott1981 said:
...Shane and even Fedor Gorst. When they break, the cue ball jumps off the table at least 3-4 inches. Is that due to just hitting the cue ball very hard with center English?
Click to expand...

De420MadHatter said:
The cueball jumping, is a result of them stroking down, causing the cueball to leave the table in route to the headball, thus a bounce.
Click to expand...

MattPoland said:
If I do a head-on break, I strive to pop the cueball also. ... That requires hitting the break like a mini-jump shot.
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The CB hopping after contact with the rack isn't something you want to accomplish - it's something you want to avoid if possible. That's because the energy that pops the CB up would be put to better use moving object balls around.

The reason it happens, as others have said, is because the CB leaves the table and bounces toward the rack on the break and actually hits the head ball while airborne. (The CB actually hops at least a little on just about every shot.)

There are a few ways to stop the CB from hopping up off the head ball:

1. Break with a more level cue.

2. Change the speed of your break (faster or slower) so the CB is landing on the cloth right as it hits the head ball.

3. Change the distance of your break (move the CB forward or back a few inches) to accomplish the same thing.

4. Some combination of the above.

pj
chgo
 
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No offense sir, but extended followthrough (on the break, or any other shot) has no bearing on how effective your break is. The CB is gone 1/1000th of second after impact with the cuetip. What happens afterwards has little effect on the outcome. You could followthrough 4 feet or 6 inches...the end result would be the same. As you mentioned, you certainly don't want to decelerate the cuestick.

To the OP...the absolute best way to improve your break is to back off how hard you're trying to hit the CB, and concentrate on accuracy, which will result in better control of the CB after impact with the rack. The second thing is to quit moving your body (many players "lunge" at the rack with their bodies). The 3rd suggestion is to learn a pendulum stroke (no elbow drop, but a fast acceleration of the cue through the CB). The break is a high speed stopshot. It's not about how strong you are, or the best breaker would be a gigantic bodybuilder. That's certainly not the case. It's about speed and timing, with a relaxed grip on the cuestick. I agree with Black Balled and many others, that the Breakrak is a fantastic training tool to train yourself for a better break.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Coop1701 said:
My biggest thing was learning to follow through on your stroke past impact. Most people immediately after impact with the Cueball begin to slow their cue down. Make sure you are not doing that. In fact on my follow through. I don't stop until I feel the joint pass my bridge.

Where do you break from and what are you trying to accomplish...?
Click to expand...
 
Patrick Johnson said:
The CB hopping after contact with the rack isn't something you want to accomplish - it's something you want to avoid if possible. That's because the energy that pops the CB up would be put to better use moving object balls around.



The reason it happens, as others have said, is because the CB leaves the table and bounces toward the rack on the break and actually hits the head ball while airborne. (The CB actually hops at least a little on just about every shot.)



There are two ways to stop the CB from hopping up off the head ball:



1. Change the speed of your break (faster or slower) so the CB is landing on the cloth right as it hits the head ball.



2. Change the distance of your break (move the CB forward or back a few inches) to accomplish the same thing.



3. Both of the above.



pj

chgo
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I caught a detail in my second reading of this. You seem to be advocating all the mechanics that would lead to a cueball hop except you are trying to time the landing ball so that it squats.

It’s worth clarifying that difference over trying to simply execute a hard stop shot as your break (cueball never gliding in air). I would much rather have the cue ball pop back and roll-up a little to mid table than try to do a hard stop shot. But I also do not want a big hop because that means too much of the force is deflected vertically.
 
Scott Lee said:
To the OP...the absolute best way to improve your break is to back off how hard you're trying to hit the CB, and concentrate on accuracy, which will result in better control of the CB after impact with the rack. The second thing is to quit moving your body (many players "lunge" at the rack with their bodies). The 3rd suggestion is to learn a pendulum stroke (no elbow drop, but a fast acceleration of the cue through the CB). The break is a high speed stopshot. It's not about how strong you are, or the best breaker would be a gigantic bodybuilder. That's certainly not the case. It's about speed and timing, with a relaxed grip on the cuestick. I agree with Black Balled and many others, that the Breakrak is a fantastic training tool to train yourself for a better break.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

To the OP,
I agree with Mr. Lee on this. I have taken lessons from a lot of people including instructors, players, and perhaps the greatest all around player to ever patrol around the table. And the one thing that virtually all of them told me regarding the break is this - YOU DONT HAVE TO HIT THEM REAL HARD, JUST REAL GOOD.

In other words, hit them solid, with control, etc. And just to be sure there's no misunderstanding, I am NOT advocating the "Soft Break" that some people use.

r/DCP
 
Start by breaking relatively soft until you are always hitting the one ball where you want, not Corey soft, just focus on hitting the spot you want on the one ball. Then when you are consistent you can start to ramp up the speed until you are smashing the pack and squatting the rock at the same time.

With nine ball you will probably find that you don't have to have a sledgehammer break to be successful. Making a ball, spreading the rack and getting a shot on the one or two ball, depending on whether your intention is to make the one in the side, are the key factors. I know that the old timers are for some reason dead set on smashing the balls with reckless abandon, but that is not at all necessary. I don't agree with pattern racking and soft breaking, but even with a three point rule and breaking from the box you don't have to hit max speed to be successful.

Now ten ball is a little different. I have found the harder I hit them the more likely I am to be successful. the same with eight ball for that matter.
 
MattPoland said:
I caught a detail in my second reading of this. You seem to be advocating all the mechanics that would lead to a cueball hop except you are trying to time the landing ball so that it squats.
Click to expand...
Yes, because it's impossible to prevent the CB from hopping (on every firm-to-hard shot, not just the break), so that's the best alternative.

I also do not want a big hop because that means too much of the force is deflected vertically.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's my point. Try to minimize the hop, not emulate it.

Others have pointed out that accuracy is more important than speed on the break. Slowing the break down could also help with the hop - and the energy focus gained by a more direct hit on the head ball will make up for at least some of the reduced speed.

pj
chgo
 
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