Thanks to my friend Scott Knapik for finding the guy (AZ = hillbilly) and the video I mentioned...
Charlie Bryant break analysis
And thanks Charlie!
Charlie Bryant break analysis
And thanks Charlie!
Last edited:
Help with my break shot
- Thread starter bwally
- Start date
XTP's break is adorable, but doesn't the 45 degree angled cue strike you guys as over-the-top? Or is it just some natural result of her height/stance/arm length or something?
The slow casual stand-up then deliver... does remind me a lot of shane. I just can't see him jacking up the ass end of the cue so much.
The slow casual stand-up then deliver... does remind me a lot of shane. I just can't see him jacking up the ass end of the cue so much.
I think it's just a function of when you deliver the stroke. Since she has such a pause at her backswing, I think the elevation is a little more pronounced than it might otherwise be. Compare/contrast to Charlie Bryant's delivery. He doesn't have the same pause. He gets to the stroke much quicker than XTP...
Just a thought.
I was thinking the same thing, but I had it really working for me. I probably broke at least 20 times that way, which is a moderately small sample size, I suppose, but.....I never miscued, pocketed balls every single time and got a great spread. Only remember one rack where I ended up with an unlucky cluster. Also, no scratches on the break.
Again, results may vary on different tables, different days, different humidity, etc. etc.
I don't know Pan's size, XTP's size, but I'm only 5'5' and about 190 lbs. Yea, I'm a little thick around the middle. There. I said it. But, I have smalls arms, small hands and generally have never generated much power on my breaks.
Last night was a different story.
Although swimming in the wrong pond here, just a couple comments on 2 posts.
First when XTP contacts the CB it appears to me her elevation is the same as her starting elevation.
Second, it seems to me if the CB jumps 2' in the air you're losing power. In other words the CB is in the air on impact. Or should I say too far off the table therefore the effective mass of the CB isn't utilized to its fullest. Its a glancing blow.
First when XTP contacts the CB it appears to me her elevation is the same as her starting elevation.
Second, it seems to me if the CB jumps 2' in the air you're losing power. In other words the CB is in the air on impact. Or should I say too far off the table therefore the effective mass of the CB isn't utilized to its fullest. Its a glancing blow.
I do see where you're going with that. And I don't totally disagree. In a perfect world, if we were to strike the OB dead center with the CB and it sat right there, yes, that would be ideal.
However, I have to wonder how far off the table the CB would have to be cause it to take to the air after striking the OB. If it was very much, then I believe the CB would jump off the table, glancing off the top of the OB.
So, somewhere in there, using common sense......there's a still pretty sweet spot of striking the OB and getting some air, but keeping it in the middle of the table.
All of the above is based on finding a breaking method that works for your body. If I'm breaking badly and with little power, yet keeping the CB on the cloth...........I'd trade that to get a much snappier break with the CB getting a little bit of air, yet staying in the middle of the table, pocketing balls and getting a great spread.
Again, I've only tried it for maybe 20 games over the course of 2 hours last night while I was practicing other things. My opinion could change tomorrow. I fully plan on practicing it more tonite, with my BreakRak, if possible.
I know I've tried breaking a number of different ways and this was the first style that I felt like I had a rhythm, pattern and structure to it.
There's more than one way to skin a cat in this game. Body structure has a lot to do with it, I believe.
Like I said in in the wrong pond buy it seems to me that 2' jump indicates the CB is too high.
When I played the game I did slightly elevate to lift the CB and have it bounce back and sit in the middle. I just think if you have that much uplift your not getting what you deserve and should experement lowering the butt a little.
When I played the game I did slightly elevate to lift the CB and have it bounce back and sit in the middle. I just think if you have that much uplift your not getting what you deserve and should experement lowering the butt a little.
I will definitely try.
Shouldn't you be out playing 3-cushion somewhere? Just teasing.
I've gotten the chance to play true billiards for one day and it was amazing. I really wish it was more popular. I'd love to have a table and people to play against.
Shouldn't you be out playing 3-cushion somewhere? Just teasing.
I've gotten the chance to play true billiards for one day and it was amazing. I really wish it was more popular. I'd love to have a table and people to play against.
From what I saw:
1) Work on hitting the rack more square. Every break in your video had the cueball going off to the right after contact. You will end up scratching in the side sometimes, and will not get the action you want out of the rack.
2) I see you stepping up before you swing, like Shane Van Boening and MANY other pros. Gene Albretch from Perfect Aim gave me a *fantastic* tip that helped my break: Make sure my dominant eye (in my case my left eye is SUPER dominant) **STAYS ON THE LINE OF THE SHOT**. I had a bad habit of swaying to the left slightly when I step up on the break. This results in me often putting significant english on the cueball and often mis hitting the head ball. I can't believe how well this works. If you don't know which is your dominant eye, that shouldn't matter. Just look at what part of your face is directly over the cue on a regular shot, and make sure this part of your face stays *over the line of the shot* the entire time. I can hit 24-26 mph and just PLANT the cue ball right at the rack. Try it!
3) Try to envision the feeling of piercing the cueball. Go through it like it isn't even there. Aim for a spot about 6 inches in front of the cueball and just *smooothly* put the cue out there. It does good things for power.
4) I find, as do many power breakers, that the first thing that moves to generate good timing is the left (front) knee. For me, I stand with a slight majority of my weight on my front foot. I just relax my left knee as I pull the cue back. People always use the term "transfer" momentum. This is not accurate. You are "rotating" to create power. You do NOT transfer momentum from your back foot to your front. You *rotate* the momentum around your front foot. Watch the 5 minute youtube vid of Charlie Bryant someone linked. I HIGHLY recommend going to Charlie Bryant's website and *purchasing* the break instruction video he has. It is like 20 minutes long, and goes into *extreme* detail about every part of the body, how it is positioned, and how it moves. VERY helpful for power, in my opinion.
Report back, and good luck!!
KMRUNOUT
1) Work on hitting the rack more square. Every break in your video had the cueball going off to the right after contact. You will end up scratching in the side sometimes, and will not get the action you want out of the rack.
2) I see you stepping up before you swing, like Shane Van Boening and MANY other pros. Gene Albretch from Perfect Aim gave me a *fantastic* tip that helped my break: Make sure my dominant eye (in my case my left eye is SUPER dominant) **STAYS ON THE LINE OF THE SHOT**. I had a bad habit of swaying to the left slightly when I step up on the break. This results in me often putting significant english on the cueball and often mis hitting the head ball. I can't believe how well this works. If you don't know which is your dominant eye, that shouldn't matter. Just look at what part of your face is directly over the cue on a regular shot, and make sure this part of your face stays *over the line of the shot* the entire time. I can hit 24-26 mph and just PLANT the cue ball right at the rack. Try it!
3) Try to envision the feeling of piercing the cueball. Go through it like it isn't even there. Aim for a spot about 6 inches in front of the cueball and just *smooothly* put the cue out there. It does good things for power.
4) I find, as do many power breakers, that the first thing that moves to generate good timing is the left (front) knee. For me, I stand with a slight majority of my weight on my front foot. I just relax my left knee as I pull the cue back. People always use the term "transfer" momentum. This is not accurate. You are "rotating" to create power. You do NOT transfer momentum from your back foot to your front. You *rotate* the momentum around your front foot. Watch the 5 minute youtube vid of Charlie Bryant someone linked. I HIGHLY recommend going to Charlie Bryant's website and *purchasing* the break instruction video he has. It is like 20 minutes long, and goes into *extreme* detail about every part of the body, how it is positioned, and how it moves. VERY helpful for power, in my opinion.
Report back, and good luck!!
KMRUNOUT
dont listen to the people saying that you shouldn't stand up on the break, it is a completely different stroke than a regular shot...
your doing alot of things right in my opinion, just try to lean forward a bit more and hold the cue a bit closer to the joint, by leaning forward and holding the cue higher up, this will get alot more weight behind your break without having to swing the cue faster, which will lead to better accuracy once you get your technique down and more power.
imitating shane's break is a great way to try and improve, notice he stands up and forward and you dont see him trying to swing the cue really fast, its one fluid controlled motion, he's got it down perfect and thats why he hits the balls better than anyone on the break....
my advice is to watch the pro's, dont listen too much to what the instructors say.
your doing alot of things right in my opinion, just try to lean forward a bit more and hold the cue a bit closer to the joint, by leaning forward and holding the cue higher up, this will get alot more weight behind your break without having to swing the cue faster, which will lead to better accuracy once you get your technique down and more power.
imitating shane's break is a great way to try and improve, notice he stands up and forward and you dont see him trying to swing the cue really fast, its one fluid controlled motion, he's got it down perfect and thats why he hits the balls better than anyone on the break....
my advice is to watch the pro's, dont listen too much to what the instructors say.
I didn't read the other post but I thought I would share what works for me
I get a good straight alignment and then aim a little to
the left and cue a little to the left ( CJs method of ball pocketing ) it's easy to accidentally hit the wrong side of the CB. This way you know which side your hitting. I stay down on my break and try to kill the CB. If I am hitting them flat I will raise up a little to increase my power.
But this is just my way.
I get a good straight alignment and then aim a little to
the left and cue a little to the left ( CJs method of ball pocketing ) it's easy to accidentally hit the wrong side of the CB. This way you know which side your hitting. I stay down on my break and try to kill the CB. If I am hitting them flat I will raise up a little to increase my power.
But this is just my way.
