Breaking: Tip up into the air -vs- Down touching cloth

Billy_Bob

Billy_Bob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Recently I started breaking by shooting downward so my tip shoots through the ball then follows through so the tip of my cue ends touching the cloth on the table. (Before I was breaking up into the air.)

It seems like I have a lot more control over the break and cue ball suddenly. I guess this makes sense as this works with stroking on a regular shot.

Comments? Break up in air or leave tip touching cloth?
 
Billy_Bob said:
Recently I started breaking by shooting downward so my tip shoots through the ball then follows through so the tip of my cue ends touching the cloth on the table. (Before I was breaking up into the air.)

It seems like I have a lot more control over the break and cue ball suddenly. I guess this makes sense as this works with stroking on a regular shot.

Comments? Break up in air or leave tip touching cloth?
Click to expand...

I break tip down with a str8 stroke putting my body in it, with a little bit of snap. i can break hard or soft like this. even when i break full strenght my cue ball does not leave the table.
i do not put my stick in the air. it kind of takes away from the power and control. and too much snap takes away from the control as well...
 
Having the cue tip up in the air at the end of the break stroke, generally implies a dropped elbow...
 
From what I have observed, the pros with the best breaks aim down thru the cueball to the cloth, but they keep their cue in a straight line. They dont use a downwards choppy motion at the end of the stroke. If you watch the players with the biggest breaks you will see what I mean.
 
Personally I think having the tip end up on the cloth after the break is more the sign of a controlled stroke where the person doesn't get up off the ball than it is something a person should be trying to do.

What I mean is if you're concentrating on ending up with your tip on the cloth after the break stroke, you may be neglecting something fundamental in order to achieve what is just a symptom of a controlled stroke.

I think concentrating on keeping your bridge hand in place and following through with a smooth stroke is more important and will most likely result in the tip hitting the cloth on the follow through.
 
I think if you're stroking correctly your tip will always end up on the cloth. Just don't do the over exaggerated stroke like Sigel used to. Those he's a world champion and I'm not :o .

Jim
 
Part of it.

Depends on how you throw your body into the break, and at what point in your hit stroke. Some players have an up-then-forward motion while others have a forward-then-up motion.

Then there is the rocker-arm type break (me for years) to get more power into my breaks. I tried to reprogram my break ala Bustamante, which helped, but I still rocker-arm some, but now with a phenolic tipped breaking cue, I can use less power for the same break with better accuracy.
 
wu

cha ching wu or whatever his name is has one of the best breaks i've seen.it show too with how he's always stringing racks together.youtube has one where he broke and ran seven.seven isn't a lot but his break was just perfect everytime.cueball center and balls flyin everywhere.landon shuffet impressed the hell outta me breaking in chattanooga a few weeks ago.4 ft nothin and just flat out knockin the piss outta em.
 
> In that video of Kucharo's break,it didn't look to me like he hit them all that well,at least for him. I saw him at the same tournament,and the cue ball was jumping 2,3,sometimes 4 feet in the air,and landed within a handspan of the same spot every time. He definitely has his technique down. I too focus on keeping my hand down on the table until I hear the contact with the rack,the tip finishes on the cloth with the joint collar stopping at my bridge loop,and yes the shaft bends. The other side of the coin also has it's proponents. Take a close look at the breaks of Earl in his prime,Archer,and Bustamante. Their tips may make contact with the cloth at some point,but finish up with the tip about a foor from the spot,and you surely cannot dispute the results. Sometimes,experimenting with the other style shows you something you didn't see or could execute before. Tommy D.
 
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