Good Read - Bustamante's Break
- Thread starter kidrock
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Theres something im confused about. In point 2, it says the majority of the weight is on the left foot and the chin is above the left foot? Was that a typo and supposed to be right foot?
i read the article, good read, thanks for the post. On a side note i tried working on my break and getting my body into it after reading a book, i think it was "playing on the rail", where they talk about twisting your hips like a karate strike to get your power. I worked on breaking and kind of using my hips, twisting, and man i really could crunch the balls but the problem was controlling whitey (which i couldnt). I went back to my old way of breaking which is all arm and follow thru and less power, and i usually do ok, but this article has inspired me, i might go back and try busta's tips.......could be a nice tool to have when nothing else is working on the break
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I believe what you saw was a predator ferrule. He was breaking with a second grade 314 shaft. You can see the line above the joint collar if you look closely at the pictures.AuntyDan said:
Other than the chalk stain and all the scratches, the ferrule was a bit burnt as well from rubbing the table.
Richard
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Hey Fred, I think you're correct about this elbow drop thing. I think this provides the proper mechanics to deliver maximum power on a break shot with minimal effort. I think it's similar to an uppercut in boxing (i'm not a boxing expert)...Cornerman said:
When you raise the cue at the apex of your backswing, you are preserving the 90 degree angle of your elbow. You're just rotating about the shoulder. When you stroke through to hit the CB, you just unwind this rotation while more or less maintaining the angle of your elbow. Gravity helps you swing your elbow down. Your whole body gets into the action, which is how you generate more power, instead of using all arms in your stroke. Just like an uppercut punch, most of the power comes from the rotation of the body and not the arm itself.
If you break with a very level cue, then at the apex of your backswing, your elbow is making an angle significantly greater than 90 degrees. In order to hit the CB, you must decrease your elbow angle back to 90 degrees by pulling your hand in. The majority of this action is all biceps and arm motion. This pulling action is not nearly as strong an uppercut motion. That is why almost all breakers finish with their body straight up as opposed to remaining low.
I don't think gravity provides any significant effect in adding to power here.
I believe the main source of power is that starting the stroke with a higher shoulder position is just a quirly way of ensuring that the cuing arm is lengthened during the accelleration phase.
A long lever produces greater speed. That's why a golf club hits a ball much further than you can throw it. Why longer wires on hammers allow hammer throwers to throw further.
I'd imagine you can achieve the same power benefits by simple raising your shoulder to a higher point as you shoot. Busta's technique for achieving the longer lever just may be a sensible way to coordinate this effect.
I believe the main source of power is that starting the stroke with a higher shoulder position is just a quirly way of ensuring that the cuing arm is lengthened during the accelleration phase.
A long lever produces greater speed. That's why a golf club hits a ball much further than you can throw it. Why longer wires on hammers allow hammer throwers to throw further.
I'd imagine you can achieve the same power benefits by simple raising your shoulder to a higher point as you shoot. Busta's technique for achieving the longer lever just may be a sensible way to coordinate this effect.
You may be correct. It might not be a significant help, but I do think gravity does help a little. Besides, I feel the main source of power is in the rotation of the body as opposed to the gravity benefit.Colin Colenso said:
I agree and disagree with what you said. It's true that a longer lever produces greater speed compared to a shorter lever, but that doesn't mean the longer lever is the most efficient way to generate speed.Colin Colenso said:
Think of throwing a baseball. You don't throw a baseball by accelerating your arm while fully extended, such that you throw it like a catapult. The best technique is more like a sling-shot mechanism. The ball begins behind your ear with your elbow bent and the opposite shoulder pointed to the target. First your hips open up, then your shoulders open, then your arms and hand follow in a whip-like fashion.
I think breaking is similar to throwing/pitching. It's 90% timing and technique, and 10% physical (as in your body). It's not about how tall or heavy you are, but how your total body works to accelerate your cue. Pedro Martinez used to pitch in the upper 90s (mph), and he was barely 5'10 and 160 lbs.
BTW Calc, where ya been? I see you've been taking time away from AZB to work on your blog. Nice blog BTW.
Hi jsp,jsp said:You may be correct. It might not be a significant help, but I do think gravity does help a little. Besides, I feel the main source of power is in the rotation of the body as opposed to the gravity benefit.
I agree and disagree with what you said. It's true that a longer lever produces greater speed compared to a shorter lever, but that doesn't mean the longer lever is the most efficient way to generate speed.
Think of throwing a baseball. You don't throw a baseball by accelerating your arm while fully extended, such that you throw it like a catapult. The best technique is more like a sling-shot mechanism. The ball begins behind your ear with your elbow bent and the opposite shoulder pointed to the target. First your hips open up, then your shoulders open, then your arms and hand follow in a whip-like fashion.
I think breaking is similar to throwing/pitching. It's 90% timing and technique, and 10% physical (as in your body). It's not about how tall or heavy you are, but how your total body works to accelerate your cue. Pedro Martinez used to pitch in the upper 90s (mph), and he was barely 5'10 and 160 lbs.
BTW Calc, where ya been? I see you've been taking time away from AZB to work on your blog. Nice blog BTW.
Yeah, been working on the blog...still posting a bit here and there though
You make a good point regarding the complexity of forces via various levers working in association with each other via rotational or linear aspects. A lot of this works through the increase in power afforded by eccentric contractions in the muscles which produce the greatest force.
I studied a lot of this stuff when I was an athlete and coach in track & field.
There is not a lot of rotation going on in the body unless you stand away from the cue and get a little discus action going, which will bring in the strong pecs and front deltoid and even lats into the equation a bit more. An active hip pivot preceeding the upper body movement will place those muscles into eccentric contraction, allowing them to explode through more powerfully.
This is why timing is so much more important than pure strength. Flicking a coin is a perfect example of the power increase affected by eccentric contractions. Try flicking a coin without the preceeding resistance.
Back to the long lever. If you look at javelin throwers and baseball pitchers in slow-mo, they bend their arm to create an eccentric contraction in the triceps before accellerating and straightening the arm to generate a long lever. A similar effect may be occuring with Busta's drop down technique.
Still, I think the most powerful untapped force in a power break is timing the eccentric contraction of the wrist. Though the muscles are relatively small, they can exert a very strong force if allowed to flex back and contract eccentrically at the very right time.
If you practice a few shots trying to get the flick in the wrist, like how you flick a coin, or click your fingers, you'll find some impressive power increases with minimal effort and hopefully better control.
Just some ideas
Matt, I remember reading that about Souquet but I was on his one yard line when he played David Howard nine ball at the Derby City Classic and he was looking at the object ball last when he was shooting. Of that I'm sure. I wasn't watching his eyes when he broke the balls.
JoeyA
JoeyA
Matt_24 said:
Colin Colenso said:Hi jsp,
Yeah, been working on the blog...still posting a bit here and there though
You make a good point regarding the complexity of forces via various levers working in association with each other via rotational or linear aspects. A lot of this works through the increase in power afforded by eccentric contractions in the muscles which produce the greatest force.
I studied a lot of this stuff when I was an athlete and coach in track & field.
There is not a lot of rotation going on in the body unless you stand away from the cue and get a little discus action going, which will bring in the strong pecs and front deltoid and even lats into the equation a bit more. An active hip pivot preceeding the upper body movement will place those muscles into eccentric contraction, allowing them to explode through more powerfully.
This is why timing is so much more important than pure strength. Flicking a coin is a perfect example of the power increase affected by eccentric contractions. Try flicking a coin without the preceeding resistance.
Back to the long lever. If you look at javelin throwers and baseball pitchers in slow-mo, they bend their arm to create an eccentric contraction in the triceps before accellerating and straightening the arm to generate a long lever. A similar effect may be occuring with Busta's drop down technique.
Still, I think the most powerful untapped force in a power break is timing the eccentric contraction of the wrist. Though the muscles are relatively small, they can exert a very strong force if allowed to flex back and contract eccentrically at the very right time.
If you practice a few shots trying to get the flick in the wrist, like how you flick a coin, or click your fingers, you'll find some impressive power increases with minimal effort and hopefully better control.
Just some ideas
Simply put...Just like in golf..."Its all angles"
i was watching AFV a couple days ago and they showed these guys being funny and stupid, they were putting their elbows and knees on the tables having there friend shoot the cueball into their bones they thought it was funny but i imagined having Django hit that cueball now theres some bones breaking and crying happening.
Did anyone see when he first won his pro tour title in 93 against Earl, man his break was something. Winner breaks and Earl didn't have a chance, he even took out Efren in the semi's with his break and combo's. His follow through is amazing.
Did anyone see when he first won his pro tour title in 93 against Earl, man his break was something. Winner breaks and Earl didn't have a chance, he even took out Efren in the semi's with his break and combo's. His follow through is amazing.