Breaking with TopSpin

R

riding9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've always had issues breaking, it seems that if I don't put the cue tip 1 to 2 inches in front of the cue ball and on the felt that I get extreme top spin. There has to be a glitch in my stroke that is raising the cue up but not sure where it is and how to correct it. I'm purchasing the breakrak and was wondering if any of you have any suggestions on how to resolve this and what is the best way to practice a break.

Any book or video related info that would help also?
 
You see many good players lining up low on the cueball because of this phenomenon..... At high speed there are several things done to keep from breaking your hand on the rail including the elbow drop......

Basically don't worry about the topspin... Worry about putting in the time to get your tip placement and break stroke repetitive... The BreakRak has proven effective for this exercise........

Don't buy into the hit center ball, level and make good contact version of the break... It sounds good on paper but most of the pros are flying the cueball or jumping the cueball into the head ball and many are using .....

The break to me is almost like a person's fingerprint... Unique and belonging only to them... Instruction can help along the way but in the end it is going to be 100% on you to develop a break that either keeps you in the middle of the pack or one that when it's working will almost win sets and matches on it's own........

The only tip I can give you is that if your bridge is firmly anchored varying the bridge length and height can go a long way in getting rid of the occasional unintended topspin........
 
riding9 said:
I've always had issues breaking, it seems that if I don't put the cue tip 1 to 2 inches in front of the cue ball and on the felt that I get extreme top spin. There has to be a glitch in my stroke that is raising the cue up but not sure where it is and how to correct it. I'm purchasing the breakrak and was wondering if any of you have any suggestions on how to resolve this and what is the best way to practice a break.

Any book or video related info that would help also?
Click to expand...

You could be jumping up prior to contact. That will cause your shooting arm to raise up. It's very common, btw. Tony Robles taught me a great tip to stay down on break shots. Keep your bridge hand firmly planted on the table until well after the shot is completed.

And while you're at it, try not to let your head rear-up. If you are throwing your body into the break, like players often do, you can still accomplish it by not rearing your head up. If you have any head movement from throwing your body into the shot, it should be slightly forward, but try to avoid upward movement.
 
Some things for you to try.

Turn down the speed on your break shot and practice a controlled hit.

As you get proficient, then start adding more speed.

If you have a cue ball with a dot or small circle (centennial) position it toward you with the circle in the center. This will give you a frame of reference, and you can look at the chalk mark left behind to see if you are striking the cue-ball where you think you are.

Unless you are practicing a cut break, your cueball should not be flying all over the table. Work on getting it to jump back and squat in the middle of the table (for a 9 ball break) It can be done, you just need to practice.
 
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