8-Baller said:
I believe it's the follow-through that drives the tip into the cloth....not because he's preventing himself from falling on his face.... His break is similar to mine.....and it's not like I'm losing balance. That's why the leg naturally goes up on the break, to offer a counter force to keep the body balanced..... It's not the cue doing the balancing.
Not arguing...just chatting...but the tip is not seen to be "driven into the cloth" in this video. The tip is out of the frame by the time it touches the cloth. And you must notice that at impact, the cue is nearly level and almost appears to be slanted slightly upward (probably isn't but CLOSE)
But it is absolutely not the trajectory of the stroke that causes the tip/cloth contact. The trajectory is very level. It is the UP move with his body and grip hand that EVENTUALLY gets the tip onto the cloth...right near the end of the cue's forward movement.
Then, yes, his right foot comes up as a result of the forward component of his up move. If he was rising STRAIGHT up then there would be no point in lifting the foot. It lifts because of the forward component of his body.
Now, just stand up where you are, flex both knees...orient your upper body forward and then LURCH up and forward onto the ball of your left foot while lifting your right foot off the ground.
Your tendency will be to tip forward...I was just exaggerating about falling on his face, of course and to BRACE against tipping forward he clearly uses the cue as a brace against doing so.
BTW, as suggested above, the BEND is MUCH less due to driving the cue into the cloth as it is that he PULLS UP big time with his right grip. THAT is primarily what causes the shaft to bend.
Check it out.
But really...just chatting here. Break any way you want...of course. Just like Fatty once said..."I can break with my TONGUE and stll rob you blind."
(-:
Jim