Fine points on hitting the head ball on break
- Thread starter berlowmj
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berlowmj said:
as close to head on as possable always worked well for me no mater how well you can get the cue ball to sit after the break you cant control all the other 15 balls flying around the table
I might add that a few years ago I videotaped myself and a few friends breaking. Each time we broke, the cue ball hit the head ball in a different spot!
As it turns out, shooting fast *and* shooting accurately at the same time is quite a difficult thing to do! (Being able to hit the head ball in the same exact spot for each break.)
Evidence of where you hit the head ball is where the cue ball goes after the break. Forward/backward = head on (if breaking from center of table), then to left or right if hitting left or right side of the head ball.
For several years I have been trying to break from the center of the table with draw and hit the head ball square on. Then the cue ball will come straight back if my aiming is accurate. I did this 3 or 4 times in a row the other night and was quite happy with myself. But it has taken me a long time to be able to do this with a lot of speed.
So anyway try breaking from the center of the table and getting the cue ball to come straight back each time. This will help you learn to break and hit an exact spot (give you feedback on your aiming).
Then once you get your aiming down, I suppose you could try slightly different spots to maybe make the headball into the side pocket or whatever.
As it turns out, shooting fast *and* shooting accurately at the same time is quite a difficult thing to do! (Being able to hit the head ball in the same exact spot for each break.)
Evidence of where you hit the head ball is where the cue ball goes after the break. Forward/backward = head on (if breaking from center of table), then to left or right if hitting left or right side of the head ball.
For several years I have been trying to break from the center of the table with draw and hit the head ball square on. Then the cue ball will come straight back if my aiming is accurate. I did this 3 or 4 times in a row the other night and was quite happy with myself. But it has taken me a long time to be able to do this with a lot of speed.
So anyway try breaking from the center of the table and getting the cue ball to come straight back each time. This will help you learn to break and hit an exact spot (give you feedback on your aiming).
Then once you get your aiming down, I suppose you could try slightly different spots to maybe make the headball into the side pocket or whatever.
berlowmj said:
Off to the center aiming for the head ball as much as possable and stay down on the break also just like any other shot get your sholder into it
I use full hit as if to make a perfect stop shot for the aiming point on the break. If I am breaking from near a side rail I want to hit the apex ball full toward the side from which I break. If I try to hit the center of the apex ball in relation to the rack formation the cue ball is more likely to shoot off sideways away from where it came from. Sadly, we still get our cbs kicked in more than we like....pool Gods mess with us sometimes
If you are not hitting the head ball straight try aiming at the base instead of the contact point.
Another thing that has helped my break is to pivot my arm at the shoulder and keep the elbow locked. It takes incredible timing if you pivot both. This will help you hit the english you want.
Another thing that has helped my break is to pivot my arm at the shoulder and keep the elbow locked. It takes incredible timing if you pivot both. This will help you hit the english you want.
Break Thoughts
Different Ideas given to me over the years by good players
"Watch" the cue contacting head ball (Try to SEE it hit)
Loose Grip
Fast is better than hard
Let the cue stop at the back of the final back stroke
2nd Thought
If you want to practice your break the best thing you could have is a "break rack" so you do not have to rack the balls every time
Different Ideas given to me over the years by good players
"Watch" the cue contacting head ball (Try to SEE it hit)
Loose Grip
Fast is better than hard
Let the cue stop at the back of the final back stroke
2nd Thought
If you want to practice your break the best thing you could have is a "break rack" so you do not have to rack the balls every time
Aim at something, for example to hit the head ball full. If the cue ball goes to the left after the hit, aim more to the right, even if that doesn't look full. If the cue ball goes to the right after the hit, aim more to the left, even if that doesn't look full.berlowmj said:
Ideally, you should be able to aim full and hit full and the cue ball should bounce back to the middle of the table. At break speed, your mechanics may have a pull to one side or the other. The best solution is to fix your mechanics so the aim is the same as the hit. The quick solution, above, can be used to temporarily fix your faulty break mechanics.
The cue ball should not hit a cushion on the break. Well, at least that's the standard teaching. If you watch Alcano's matches in the World Championship finals on youtube, you will see that he very consistently brought the cue ball back two rails (side, head) to leave it free and probably near the one ball. If you watch further, you will see that he was actually fairly inconsistent in where he hit the first rail and risked scratching with that technique.
Thank you so much. I tried your suggestions today. I abandoned my rail bridge & replaced it with my loop bridge, but lenghtened it considerably. I put the CB on the head string line, slightly off center to the right. My first hit on the head ball deflected slightly to the right. As per your suggestion, I moved my aim point to the left & the CB stopped in the center of the table & right in line with the spot where the head ball had been. I made a ball on 7 out of 10 breaks, mostly head or wing balls & stopped in the center of the table with good ball scatter. Just like the textbooks say it should be. I am using my new 21 ounce Sledgehammer with no miscues. On 2 occasions, the balls moved fast enough that I did not see them go into the pocket.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!!
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!!