break cue question

FranCrimi said:
It might be a good idea to research which players break with a low-squirt shaft before debating their break qualities. I don't know of anyone who breaks hard who breaks with one. I think they are too fragile for breaking.

Anyone out there using one for breaking?
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The Predator BK2 is probably the most widely used break cue out there and it is their typical LD construction

Quite a significant number of pros and ams use the bk and bk2
 
break cue

Snapshot9 said:
I have played for 50 years, and I rate things in Pool by efficiency rates and percentages. FWIW, I rate that a good Break cue will improve your Break by about 15%. Now, if that 15% improvement means that you make a ball where you didn't before, and gives you pretty good position, then the Break cue is entirely worth it. It is nice to make 3 or 4 balls on the break, but really all you need is 1 ball to go in, and halfway decent shape on the next ball to be shot. So, the bottom line is consistency on the break.

Redoing your break and form can also improve your break. Hitting the first ball solid is surely a plus, I have seen guys smack the head ball with no english or just low, balls scattering all over the place, and not one of them drops in. Every good player knows that if they hit the head ball a lttle on the right or left with a certain english, that they have a greater chance on making a ball on the break. In other words, some english will have a tendency to throw balls towards pockets, and some will throw balls out of the pockets, depending on where the cue ball is when you hit it, where on the head ball you hit it, and the english you use. A good example is the 10 ball break. SVB had the jump on most players in 10 ball breaking, but other pros have now caught up. I notice about 3 different places where they put the cue ball, and about the same english when they break.

Another example might be the 9 ball break to make a wing ball on the break. And yet another would be the soft break to make the 1 in the side that Alcano used to win a world championship.

Really, I think the wear and tear a Break cue saves on your playing cue makes a Break cue worth it. And most break shafts are different from playing cue shafts. My J&J break shaft is much more stiffer (13.25 mm), and has no give whatsoever when I break with it.
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I've been playing for 45 years & I agree with you. I love the soft break, spot ball in the side pocket for 8 ball. I can make it 70 to 80% of the time on a non coin table. When I miss the balls are not all spread out & chances are I'm shooting again. But I don't have to tell you. That was for those that don't know.
 
FranCrimi said:
I was under the impression that low squirt shafts are more delicate, for example: the laminated ones and those constructed with a hole drilled in the top. Players are breaking with them now with no consequences?
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McDermott I shafts aren't made that way.


I have a Jerico Stinger with the original shaft and I added the I-1 Bigboy. I break better with the I shaft and jump better as well.

I'll break with my player, but I get better results with the bigboy.

:cool:
 
ENGLISH! said:
I've been playing for 45 years & I agree with you. I love the soft break, spot ball in the side pocket for 8 ball. I can make it 70 to 80% of the time on a non coin table. When I miss the balls are not all spread out & chances are I'm shooting again. But I don't have to tell you. That was for those that don't know.
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Then your percentage is higher than the pro players. Good for you! By the way, no we don't know everything but this is the ask the instructor forum.
 
FranCrimi said:
I was under the impression that low squirt shafts are more delicate, for example: the laminated ones and those constructed with a hole drilled in the top. Players are breaking with them now with no consequences?
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Predator BK2 is probably used by more pros than any other specifically designed break cue being manufactured today.

There are pros that use other playing cues but still break with the Predator BK2

not the least bit delicate
 
joelpope said:
Predator BK2 is probably used by more pros than any other specifically designed break cue being manufactured today.

There are pros that use other playing cues but still break with the Predator BK2

not the least bit delicate
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Yes, and the entire cue was constructed and tested for breaking, including the tip.

That doesn't answer the question regarding playing shafts, including the ferrule and tip.
 
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The break cue is designed to transfer as much energy from your hand to the cue as possible. That's why they have such stiff tapers and hard tips. They lose less energy to shaft flexion and tip compression on impact with the cue ball. They often are lighter than standard playing cues to achieve maximum cue ball speed. As in baseball, a lighter club makes for a faster ball.

Applying side spin would require more dedicated practice. English on the break shot means the cue ball isn't going straight. That alone is enough to keep aiming at the vertical axis of the cue ball.
 
I know who has made more 8 balls on the break than anybody else in Mid TN APA, and he uses the BK 2. He's close to 300 lbs and bruises the ball. That's not to say it will last forever or that he couldn't do better with a solid shaft with a stiffer taper. Anecdotal evidence isn't always proof.
 
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