Effective Breakshots by Thorsten Hohmann at World 14.1 Championship 2007

Generally I prefer to use inside English on the CB also, making the BB in the corner and going 3 rails and out to centre field :)

There is another behind the stack break shot that I use, if the BB and CB are both much closer to the stack, with a simple cut into the corner pocket, but hitting the with a regular stroke leaves the CB stuck to the stack, and so, instead I would tend to jack up and play a 1/2 jump shot, where I make the ball in the corner, but make the CB hop up, in a way that it slides across and comes down on top of the stack, opening them from the inside, it is a risky break shot to use, but if you play the CB to come down on the opposite half of the stack, (Playing the break shot from the right hand side of the stack, to bring the CB down on top of the left side of the stack) then you will have a better chance of the CB clearing the stack and having a few shots to choose from :)

Other than Torsten's break shot, what is the most unorthodox break shot you have seen and/or played in Straight Pool? :)

Willie
 
Willie, its funny you mentioned the hop into the middle of the stack shot. I like that also. I mentioned that in the other thread here while we talked about jumpsticks in 14.1 .

I guess one unorthodox break that I'm very comfortable using is when the break OB is lying very near the jaws of the pocket at the other end of the table. I like to put the cue ball parallel to it, the same distance off the end/short rail and by the other corner pocket.

I like to hit the shot with force follow outside english and have the cue hit the long rail and then kind of bend and dive into the top of the rack. For some reason I can just feel that shot well consistently.

But aside from the nutty breaks, I do like the standard side of the rack breaks, sort of high, and with the cue ball closer to the side rail than the OB by maybe 2 or 3 ball widths. Thats what I try to play for whenever I can.

These days I'm finding it very difficult to get in the zone for extended periods. It's very frustrating for me. Years ago, I can remember being so lost in that great place, running balls and bombs could be going off around me and I'd never know it.

Of course I am only playing 5 or 6 hrs a week ... LOL .. so for me, its not like it used to be. Not to mention finding a straight pool game is like finding hen's teeth. I walked into a pool room near by a few months ago and I felt like Eddie Felson seeing all the kids smashing balls, loud obnoxious music blaring, haha... I don't think I saw one table using all 15 balls. :)

The kids all play 9 ball so well, that I suppose if I did find a straight pool game it would be with some 17yr old hundred ball runner anyhow. :)
 
Yes, funnily enough, I played that shot occasionally when I first started playing Straight Pool as a kid, but as I got better, I didn't play it that much and had forgotten about it, but then I saw Jimmy Rempe use that shot, when he played Oliver Ortman, in the 2000 US Open, which I had enjoyed watching as it was a kind of like refreshing the memory on other shots that I hadn't used in quite a while, and so, it's nice to be able to finally remember some of the shots, that used to be played as if it were second nature to me, especially if there is ever the situation, where that shot would come in handy :)

I know what you mean :) lol, I've had that same feeling myself a few times, when looking for a game of Straight Pool, but luckily enough, there's a few guys in the room, that will play anything, but although I'm 27, (Turned 27 last Friday) I still feel like I'm a much older player, because I prefer the older and tougher games like Straight Pool, One Pocket and Full Rack Banks, compared to all the 9ball and 10ball that's being played :)

I enjoy playing on the original type equipment, the slower heavier cloth, centennial balls, wooden racks, having the rack area marked out on the table, along with the spooting string, and a centre spot, in case of those very rare occasions where the CB has to go on the 50 yard line :)

Like you, I'm lucky to get to the pool room once a week, simply because the only place that has American tables worth playing on, is 15 mjiles from me, there are a few other rooms that are closer, but one room dowsn;t know what windows are, and the other has bar stools bolted into the floor at the corners of the tables, and so, anytime you're shooting from certain corner pockets, there's the problem of a bar stool messing up your stance and stroke :) lol, and so, as you can imagine, I avoid them like the plague :) lol

I would very much love to come over to the US and play straight pool, with some solid players, it wouldn't matter if they could run 100+ or not, just to be able to play would be great, as my high run is still 104 unfinished, and that's been from 5 years ago, as I haven't had much oppertunity to play Straight Pool since then :)

If you guys had the choice to play straight pool on either Simonis 860 or the heavier bar box type cloth, which would you choose and why? :)

Willie
 
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I'm pretty sure that I have posted this diagram before, but as it says, I learned this break shot by accident... lol

:p

modified_side_break-1.jpg


Hey... whatever works!
 
Willie, on my table which is in my basement with a dehumidifier but no A/C, I opted for the 760 actually since I felt with the little use it had and relatively warm semi humid conditions it would mimic a worn 860 that the poolrooms use. ha... I dunno, but I like it anyway.

For me it seems easier to adapt to slower cloth than the other way around.

Blackjack, for me that shot would require one of two things, either an opponent who can't get through a rack, or 4 + bud lights. :)
 
I prefer the slower cloth myself also, not because I find it easier to adapt or anything like that, but for me, I feel that Straight Pool is played on heavier cloth, but that's just my own views and I'm a more traditional style player :)

That's actually a very useful breakshot to have in your case, especially for those times when you least expect to need it :), nice one, Blackjack :)

Willie
 
I set up the "toastie-shot" 10 times today, smacked the balls with all my power and left-english draw and it worked as hell all 10 tries. Blowed up the pack and had wide open table each time.

Guess it will work different in a match-setting when I can't put the cueball and breakball where I want it, but for me it is definitely something to consider if I have the chance to play position for that shot.

Niels Feijen wrote on his website that he prefers the hard breaks aswell. He said that he might scratch 1 out of 10 breaks, but the other 9 times he will have wide open tables.

Btw: European 14-1 Championship this year: Niels Feijen - Thorsten Hohmann. Hohmann has the opening shot, Niels ran 114 +-, then scratched on the break. Hohmann ran 56+- then scratched on the break. Niels won the match... I think both scratched in the upper corner.
 
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