Breaking Techniques

L

lawful777

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I posted this earlier in the Ask the Instructor column where I got a few responses. Looking for any more.....What would you suggest as some good techniques for breaking and pocketing balls in a 9ball rack on Valley 7ft tables. I have been trying soft breaks, stun breaks, draw, follow, shooting from the side, kitchen, middle. It seems that I am consistently scattering the balls well, dropping nothing and leaving my opponent for my runout. As I play better A players, it is becoming more apparent just how crucial a good break is but I am not finding a good consistent break yet.

Where is a good cue ball placement, aim on the rack and aim on the cue ball. Center ball, low, top, english. I have been watching several videos and youtube clips and seems the soft break works well but is being banned a lot. I try power breaking but seem to lose control and scratch or stop the cue and nothing goes in. I think you get the idea. I see a lot of pros aiming really low on the cue and stopping it center table which contradicts what I though would be a stun shot, hitting above center. I am trying really hard and could use some good honest opinions or drills to try and improve. No sarcasm please. PMs welcome. Thank you.
 
lawful777 said:
I posted this earlier in the Ask the Instructor column where I got a few responses. Looking for any more.....What would you suggest as some good techniques for breaking and pocketing balls in a 9ball rack on Valley 7ft tables. I have been trying soft breaks, stun breaks, draw, follow, shooting from the side, kitchen, middle. It seems that I am consistently scattering the balls well, dropping nothing and leaving my opponent for my runout. As I play better A players, it is becoming more apparent just how crucial a good break is but I am not finding a good consistent break yet.

Where is a good cue ball placement, aim on the rack and aim on the cue ball. Center ball, low, top, english. I have been watching several videos and youtube clips and seems the soft break works well but is being banned a lot. I try power breaking but seem to lose control and scratch or stop the cue and nothing goes in. I think you get the idea. I see a lot of pros aiming really low on the cue and stopping it center table which contradicts what I though would be a stun shot, hitting above center. I am trying really hard and could use some good honest opinions or drills to try and improve. No sarcasm please. PMs welcome. Thank you.
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Go to youtube and watch the asian girls breaking. That break makes balls in any rack on any table.
 
personally I use a side break, med/hrd speed and straight low english. if the balls are numbered 1 for the head ball, and counted up from there, I aim for the 7 ball (from a right side break, the 8 from the left side...) and really focus on my follow through. the wing ball goes nearly every time, and the one ball comes one rail to the lower corner pocket with the cue ball dying out mid table most times. Unfortunately, the moving OBs have a nasty habit of kicking the slowly drawing cueball often, but a decent shot is nearly always possible.....

stand up a little higher and "choke up" on the cue a bit. This will allow you to generate more cue speed at the time of impact, allowing you to get very good movement with repeatable cue ball control, all at a comfortable power level....

but then again.... I am not very good.....

D
 
First you need to know where you are actually hitting the CB when you break. A measles, red dot and blue dot are the best to find that out with.

Find a spot on the measles ball where one of the red spots has a mark near the dot so you can mark the top/bottom of the dot. Center the dot where you want to hit it on that spot and break. After you break pick up the CB and find the chalk mark to see where you actually hit the CB. You'll be surprised as to where you are aiming and where you are hitting.

This is how I proved to myself that I was slightly snatching the cue on the break which caused me to hit a little higher than I was aiming. I never hit left or right of the spot, just a little high which was good news that I was doing almost everything right. Just had to work on a loose grip for a bit and I was good to go.
 
I don't think there's much percentage in moving your break spot around when every rack is different. Your break spot should be the one you scratch the least from, and get the most consistent spread on the table. You can shift it if you need to find some other way to break a particular person's rack, but don't run all over the table with it.

Rather than asking for everyone else's input, I would spend a half hour or more racking and breaking, never mind the run out, just rack and break. Assume you're racking them the same way, and pick five or six specific spots to break from. Hit from each spot about 20 times, and keep track of whether you scratched, made a ball, hooked the cue, dropped the 9, anything that's important to you on a break. Keep track, also, of whether you were hitting high, low, right/left, 100% speed, 80%, 60%. Obviously this takes a while and you have to pay a hell of a lot of attention to what you were doing, but at the end you should be able to choose one or two spots to break from where you're really consistent.

Personally, I break down the center string (or down the line of the rack if it's crooked), hitting just below center on the cue, dead center on the 1, using 90% speed with just my arm moving, and consistently make one or both wings with the cue ball in the center of the table. But that may or may not work for you depending on your stroke. My body doesn't move at all when I break 9 ball, and I'm also using a 23 oz break cue.
 
walrus_3d said:
I don't think there's much percentage in moving your break spot around when every rack is different. Your break spot should be the one you scratch the least from, and get the most consistent spread on the table. You can shift it if you need to find some other way to break a particular person's rack, but don't run all over the table with it.

Rather than asking for everyone else's input, I would spend a half hour or more racking and breaking, never mind the run out, just rack and break. Assume you're racking them the same way, and pick five or six specific spots to break from. Hit from each spot about 20 times, and keep track of whether you scratched, made a ball, hooked the cue, dropped the 9, anything that's important to you on a break. Keep track, also, of whether you were hitting high, low, right/left, 100% speed, 80%, 60%. Obviously this takes a while and you have to pay a hell of a lot of attention to what you were doing, but at the end you should be able to choose one or two spots to break from where you're really consistent.

Personally, I break down the center string (or down the line of the rack if it's crooked), hitting just below center on the cue, dead center on the 1, using 90% speed with just my arm moving, and consistently make one or both wings with the cue ball in the center of the table. But that may or may not work for you depending on your stroke. My body doesn't move at all when I break 9 ball, and I'm also using a 23 oz break cue.
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Just curious, why not a 25 oz break cue?

Thanks
randyg
 
Not an instructor, just a student. One thing I've learned over the years being the student of this game is to observe how your opponents rack and how they break. In the event when your opponents consistently make the corner ball on your racks, make a mental note on the speed and where they're breaking the rack from. Also, remember where you typically rack relative to the spot. When it's your turn to break, observe the rack and compare that with your own rack. Ask for a re-rack if it's necessary.

All tables tend to have a sweet spot to break from. Some tables are more forgiving than others. It's my experience that by simply paying attention to the rack and where the rack is broken from, I perform similarly, if not better, than my opponents.
 
randyg said:
Just curious, why not a 25 oz break cue?

Thanks
randyg
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...because E=(1/2)mv^2

Want more energy on your break? Move the cue faster. Most people can't stroke a 25oz cue as fast as a 16oz cue.
 
dr_dave said:
They are aiming low but not hitting low. For more info, and video demonstrations, see:

BTW, there is some good break technique advice here:

Regards,
Dave
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Dr. Dave always gives excellent answers! If you look at Wu Chia Ching, his tip literally scratches the table when he is stroking the cue on a break shot, but if you pay closer attention, he doesn't even hit anywhere close to where he is aiming.
 
First and foremost, make sure the rack is TIGHT. Its amazing how much your break is affected by the smallest of gaps.

I put the CB at the headstring approximately 2-3 inches from the left side rail, just enough to get a good full range of motion and support for my bridge hand. I break with about 85-90% power, usually just above center ball. One thing that seems to work for me is putting my whole body weight into the shot. I basically jump off the ground lol. It looks goofy I would imagine, but I consistently have the hardest breaks out of anyone I play and usually drop a ball or 2.

Good luck, hope this helps.:cool:
 
The Best Rackers are usually the best breakers.

Lawful,
The first thing that you have to realize is that RACKING is the most important part of being able to break consistently well.

If ANY of the balls have even very slight gaps between them, each time you break, the ball spread will be different. With a loose rack, the energy from the break is lessened and the balls don't move as well.

First, either rack them yourself and make sure you don't have any gaps or inspect your opponent's rack to see if there are ANY gaps and have them corrected.

The best players know how to rack but sometimes they, like anyone else, don't pay as much attention to their racking when their opponent is breaking the balls. You already have plenty of other good suggestions.

JoeyA
 
I would recommend Joe Tuckers Racking Secrets #1 (don't know about #2 I haven't had a chance to see it yet.) In it is everything there is to know about reading racks.
Also the book which I just got from Joe for a great deal "The Great Break Shot".
Easy to read & understand & everything you would want to know about reading racks.
Both are well worth the $$$
 
Playing in APA tournaments on 7 ft Valleys, I tried every technique I could think of to consistently make balls. The only thing that gave me good success was to break from center table, and SMASH the rack hard, hitting the head ball dead square with a dead cue ball (no spin). This is not normally what I would expect to be an effective 9 ball break, but I couldn't deny the results. I was making anywhere from 1 to 5 balls on the break! The cue ball was often center table or a bit closer to the head rail, and I usually had a shot. My APA 9 ball opponents were not enjoying this break at all!

If you can't get a typical break from the side at a controlled speed type of break working, give this a shot. FYI, I was breaking between 22-26 mph.

KMRUNOUT
 
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