As I'm going through my closet of old cues I noticed how many different break cues I've purchased over the years and then stuffed away because I didn't like them. I also notice how many nearly new break cues end up in the For Sale section after only breaking a few racks.
Admittedly, I can't break worth a lick. I've been studying the break and working on it for 10 years and still think it's the weakest link in my game. I remember seeing a post 9-ball match interview with Irving Crane where he stated that he's NEVER had a good break and couldn't compete with guys like Luther Lassiter when it comes to that. He was in his seventies at the time.
I realize now that I purchased all those different break cues in an attempt to "buy a break" and when it didn't cure my ails I just bought another one until I found my "magic cue". It never arrived.
Anyone else ready to admit they do (or did) the same thing?. :wink:
Any break you keep the cue ball in play on, is a good break. You can practice the break all you want, but you need to realize that it's an unconrtollable demolition. None of the factors are the same, you'ld like them to be, but in fact they aren't. The balls are never in the same spot, you NEVER hit the cueball with the same speed, same English. The rack could be slightly skewed from the position of the last break. So what do you expect to happen? What is reasonable to expect?
I saw a guy that everyone said had a strong break... 3 times I saw him the ball was on the floor. Last I looked, you cannot shoot from the floor.
The balls won't come off the rail the same, they don't collide the same. So in a situation where you cannot get repetitive results, what are you practicing? Break cues? I have a phenolic tip cue that is a good breaking cue. As long as I maintain the ball after the break, that's my main concern. When you give up the cue ball, is when your break has failed.
JV
The person behind the cue is to blame for 99.44% of the break mistakes.