Breaking from the center of the table

A

Aten

m8
Silver Member
I generally break from the side rail because I've mostly played 9 ball... I think I've gotten a functional break going for me but with the rising popularity of 10 ball, my focus has turned towards learning how to break from the center of the table.

For some reason, I just can't seem to generate anywhere near as much power on my hit as my side-rail break... any advice on what I might be doing wrong? I make sure to keep my bridge hand firm during the stroke, but I'm just not quite able to get that 'pop' hit.
 
Break stance, position

Aten said:
I generally break from the side rail because I've mostly played 9 ball... I think I've gotten a functional break going for me but with the rising popularity of 10 ball, my focus has turned towards learning how to break from the center of the table.
For some reason, I just can't seem to generate anywhere near as much power on my hit as my side-rail break... any advice on what I might be doing wrong? I make sure to keep my bridge hand firm during the stroke, but I'm just not quite able to get that 'pop' hit.
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I actually have had the opposite experience! Probably because I broke from the center for many years before the side break became popular.

I think it's mostly a psychological thing that affects the physical delivery of the break shot. When you move from the side break position to the center break position, you may be unconsciously making a change in your delivery....standing a little more upright, positioning the feet differently, etc.
Ask someone to watch you break from both positions and see if they can see any physical differences in your stance or delivery.

When you break from the center, do you bridge on the rail, or do you place the cue ball at the head string (edge of "kitchen")? If you bridge on the short (end) rail, it's a different bridge than when breaking from the side rail, and while forming this slightly different bridge, you may be taking a slightly different stance. Same if you place the cue ball at the head spot and use your "normal" (not on the rail) bridge.

Most new players begin by using the short rail to bridge on for the center table break. Logic would dictate that by moving the cue ball closer (to the head string), you can be more ACCURATE with your break. Accuracy, by the way, is far more important on the break than force.
 
Aten said:
I generally break from the side rail because I've mostly played 9 ball... I think I've gotten a functional break going for me but with the rising popularity of 10 ball, my focus has turned towards learning how to break from the center of the table.

For some reason, I just can't seem to generate anywhere near as much power on my hit as my side-rail break... any advice on what I might be doing wrong? I make sure to keep my bridge hand firm during the stroke, but I'm just not quite able to get that 'pop' hit.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything Donny had to say....... Here is a vid of the best break in pool.. Hope this helps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOLH4loShWU
 
Aten said:
I generally break from the side rail because I've mostly played 9 ball... I think I've gotten a functional break going for me but with the rising popularity of 10 ball, my focus has turned towards learning how to break from the center of the table.

For some reason, I just can't seem to generate anywhere near as much power on my hit as my side-rail break... any advice on what I might be doing wrong? I make sure to keep my bridge hand firm during the stroke, but I'm just not quite able to get that 'pop' hit.
Click to expand...
I find the most important thing for max power is to hit the CB dead center - any little amount of unwanted side, follow or draw reduces power noticably. Changing your break bridge/stance might cause this.

Try breaking with a measles ball (or striped object ball) to see if you're spinning it.

pj
chgo
 
John Novak said:
Here is a vid of the best break in pool...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOLH4loShWU
Click to expand...
Yep, Shane sure makes it look effortless.

I never noticed before that his break stroke is kinda sidearm - wonder if that helps. Maybe it brings the pectoral (chest) muscle into play?

In this vid you can see that he doesn't lunge forward much, which illustrates that it's really the straightening of the arm that helps most ("big lever" action with shoulder muscles).

pj
chgo
 
Best break I ever "seen"

The best break I ever saw was in Webster, Mass 1958 The room owner was old(about60)I guess. He would make the 9 ball at least every 3rd break. Very fast table. He hit the 1 ball dead center with maximum draw on the CB which returned back to the end rail and then some. These were the old dead balls?
Patrick Johnson said:
I find the most important thing for max power is to hit the CB dead center - any little amount of unwanted side, follow or draw reduces power noticably. Changing your break bridge/stance might cause this.

Try breaking with a measles ball (or striped object ball) to see if you're spinning it.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
 
I agree with most all of what Mr. Don said. If I were you, I would break from the center using the rail as your bridge. When I was 13 yrs. old the first thing my Dad did was pound on the rail & said you will never find a more solid bridge than the rail, use it when ever you can.

Experiment from the rail by moving forward a bit at a time & see if the move foward off of the rail becomes a benefit or a disadvantage.

I do not totally agree with PJ. I use both high & low spin when breaking for different reasons & find little, or as some would say 'insignificant', difference of spread from a flat break as long as you stay on the center of the verticle line.

Good Luck with it,
 
I break 10 ball and 8 ball from a little over one ball off of the center diamond, 1 diamond up from the short rail, using the short rail to bridge. I keep my body mostly still, focus on a loose and relaxed grip, and maximum cue extension through the cue ball. When I'm hitting them good with a tight rack, the cueball pops up, squats dead center, and either (or both) of the balls behind the head ball go in the side pockets. If the cue ball pops to either side, I know I didn't hit it good and square, but as long as I didn't miss too bad one of the balls may still drop into the side pocket.
 
ENGLISH! said:
I use both high & low spin when breaking for different reasons & find little, or as some would say 'insignificant', difference of spread from a flat break as long as you stay on the center of the verticle line.
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I sometimes practice breaking and measure the results by counting how many balls end up in different parts of the table (foot/middle/kitchen). Try that sometime and (if you feel like it) let us know the results from different hits on the CB. I'd be interested.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I sometimes practice breaking and measure the results by counting how many balls end up in different parts of the table (foot/middle/kitchen). Try that sometime and (if you feel like it) let us know the results from different hits on the CB. I'd be interested.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Breaking from off of the head rail, I can consistanly get 6 to 7, sometimes 8 balls onto the head side of the table with 3,4, or 5 into the kitchen depending on how many get pocketed or cross back to the foot side. I can do it with low, mid, or high cue ball hits. The cue ball reaction tells me if I was successful in my intent of the hit. I just recently got 10 balls into the top 3 diamond section of a 9 ft. Brunswick Century table. Naturally that does not happen that often.

I did not say I can do it all of the time as I am certainly not perfect and do upon occassions mis-hit the cue ball.

I have been playing for 46 years. Why would I want to do an experiment & report back to you. I would think that it is you that should be experimenting to find what is best for you. But... what is best for you or what your experiments reveal about you , does not mean that it is a universal fact & true about & for everyone else, just as what is true for me does not mean it is true for everyone else.

I would bet that you are probably too concerned about making a good hit on the cue ball when venturing off center & are probably subconsciously inhibiting your stroke. I have no such concern as I have been hitting very near the miscue limit a very high percentage of the time during my pool playing life.

I am on the down side of that pool playing life & am simply trying to maintain what I have had. I do not know your age or experience but it seems that you are still on the ascending side, but seem to always be putting up road blocks for yourself & others. Your intelligence may be holding you back. Very good athletes often know nothing regarding the science of their games. Some tennis players have no idea of all of the science of a top spin lob, but they can hit one quite well because they are not afraid to attempt it. They simply hit it when the situation tells them to do so.

Sorry, I'm rambling off topic.

Best Wishes & Merry Christmas or if you would prefer, Happy Holidays to you & yours,
 
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I believe the object is to make one of the balls behind the one ball in the side pocket. I watched a video of Efren playing 10 ball with the magic rack and he was breaking from the middle and making a ball in the side pocket every time.
 
Same issue

I had the same exact issue not that long ago. I always broke from the side rail, and broke good there. But i wasnt consistant enough to be great. I ofter scratched in the side pocket, because I wasnt hitting the ball square. So i decided to start breaking from the center. First i used an open hand bridge to do so, works just fine but not alot of control. I had an issue of drawing the ball too much when i used a closed bridge. I was breaking one day and expressed my frustration to a friend of mine. I told him i wasnt getting that pop on the cue ball i wanted to because i think the angle in which i hit the cue ball was all wrong. He said simple turn your hand. It worked. I found that breaking from the rail your cue is elevated natually. To provide the same power from the center of the table i had to elevate my bridge hand to almost the same angle. If you notice in my avatar i kinda figured it out. Now Im breaking much better and no scratching.
I will say this, it took a while for me to get comfortable with a high bridge while my hand was on the table. My hand is firm on the table and I just found it to be awkward. Try turning your hand inward and changing the angle, also choke up just a hair on the butt. I break kinda side arm because of the keg i carry around. It might help generate some power. Hope some of that helps. Sometimes it helps to know you arent all alone in that boat.
 
I broke from the spot almost as soon as I started playing 9 ball regularly. Moved out around the spot over time. I tried breaking from the side but lost the cue ball too often. I now very seldom play blast break games.
 
Me to PJ, Your intelligence may be holding you back.

PJ to me, Must be nice not to have that problem.

Naaaaah, It's Christmas!
 
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When I started to play more 10 ball, it took me a long time to nail the break from inside the box. One thing I've learned to do is to really play with your bridge hand/forearm angle, and to really use your elbow and forearm to anchor yourself to the table. Also, look at the CB last.

Now I have trouble hitting center when I break from the side...
 
Your intelligence may be holding you back.

I mean that in good spirits.

I find it hard to believe that comment can ever be meant in "good spirits", but best of luck.

I can't wait to say to my girlfriend "you look incredibly ugly in that outfit, but I mean that in good spirits" and see what my results are. :)
 
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