I for the life of me am having a hard time consistently making a ball on the break! I play on a 7ft diamond pro cut, and thats what we play on for tournaments and leagues. My breaking dry is costing me matches and is very frustrating! So any tips would be very much appreciated!
Help with my break
- Thread starter Jkshot12
- Start date
You may want to give this a try.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1tsONEI_U
Its finally warming up here in STL.
John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1tsONEI_U
Its finally warming up here in STL.
John
Jkshot12...The biggest problem is your mindset. NOBODY, even the top pros make a ball on the break every time. For the top pros, it's about 60% for 9ball, and 40% for 8ball. So if you make a ball every other rack, you're breaking at pro speed. I'd suggest backing off on how hard you're trying to hit the rack, and work on perfect CB control. You can often make balls with less speed, and have better CB control.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Twist the cue as you go through the cue ball like a "corkscrew".
Try cuing the ball slightly to the right if you're breaking from the right and to the left when breaking from the left. Twist the cue as you go through the cue ball like a "corkscrew"....this will change the way the balls break and give you the results you are looking for.....you do have to experiment with "corkscrewing" the cue both ways until you find the right "formula"......every table is slightly different so move the cue ball around and use the technique I described....I believe you'll like the change it makes.
Try cuing the ball slightly to the right if you're breaking from the right and to the left when breaking from the left. Twist the cue as you go through the cue ball like a "corkscrew"....this will change the way the balls break and give you the results you are looking for.....you do have to experiment with "corkscrewing" the cue both ways until you find the right "formula"......every table is slightly different so move the cue ball around and use the technique I described....I believe you'll like the change it makes.
Breaking
What game are you playing? 8 ball, 9 ball or One Pocket?
Ok, One Pocket was a joke - its near impossible to predictably make a ball on the break in One Pocket.
The most important thing is control the cue ball. Drop down to 50% power and don't think of it as a break, but rather a stop shot. Once you can consistently squat the cue ball near the middle of the table, then add a little more power. Keep repeating this until you can no longer control the cue ball. Back off on speed back to where you could consistently control it.
Why is it so important to control the cue ball?
1) transfer all the energy from the cue ball into the rack
2) if the cue ball doesn't touch a rail then the only way you can scratch is if another ball kicks it into a pocket
3) if the cue ball is near the middle of the table your chances of having any type of shot after are highest
8 Ball Break
Some players like the side break to try to make the 8 ball, but I don't like it due to the spread you get more than 50% of the time. If you don't know the break then it is - cue ball near side rail at headstring (about 1 to 2 balls widths from side rail) and you want to aim to hit the 2nd ball as full as possible with only draw (some players use outside English but it makes the accuracy harder). A tip for this is aim for the middle ball of the last row and use 50-60% power with a smooth draw stroke.
Regular 8 ball break
I typically break 1/2 diamond left or right of the head spot and if i'm not making a ball I either move the cue ball several inches left or right, or another possible change is speed - experiment with hitting a little softer or harder.
9 ball break
Best thing is get a Magic Rack and break of the side, you will make the wing ball and/or the 1 ball 80+ % of the time lol
Joe Tuckers Racking Secrets books and DVD's are great for understanding the rack and how the balls react. It teaches you how to look at the rack and be able break from different places to increase your chances of making particular balls. The first week I got the DVD I had a friend racking for me over and over, I was calling a ball on the break over 75% of the time and making other balls other times too.
A couple other tips:
-For control try to not move your body during the break shot. Let your stroke and the speed of the stroke get the power. Any body movement makes it hard to hit the head ball exactly where you want.
-Keep your grip loose all the way through the break. Don't think of it as a "break shot" or a "power break" because if you 'muscle up' and try to break hard you actually slow your cue down during the stroke and hit softer.
-Accelerate through the cue ball with a good follow through while staying down on the shot.
-If your cue ball is drawing back to you, hit slightly higher on the cue ball. If it is following forward then hit slightly lower on the cue ball.
What game are you playing? 8 ball, 9 ball or One Pocket?
Ok, One Pocket was a joke - its near impossible to predictably make a ball on the break in One Pocket.
The most important thing is control the cue ball. Drop down to 50% power and don't think of it as a break, but rather a stop shot. Once you can consistently squat the cue ball near the middle of the table, then add a little more power. Keep repeating this until you can no longer control the cue ball. Back off on speed back to where you could consistently control it.
Why is it so important to control the cue ball?
1) transfer all the energy from the cue ball into the rack
2) if the cue ball doesn't touch a rail then the only way you can scratch is if another ball kicks it into a pocket
3) if the cue ball is near the middle of the table your chances of having any type of shot after are highest
8 Ball Break
Some players like the side break to try to make the 8 ball, but I don't like it due to the spread you get more than 50% of the time. If you don't know the break then it is - cue ball near side rail at headstring (about 1 to 2 balls widths from side rail) and you want to aim to hit the 2nd ball as full as possible with only draw (some players use outside English but it makes the accuracy harder). A tip for this is aim for the middle ball of the last row and use 50-60% power with a smooth draw stroke.
Regular 8 ball break
I typically break 1/2 diamond left or right of the head spot and if i'm not making a ball I either move the cue ball several inches left or right, or another possible change is speed - experiment with hitting a little softer or harder.
9 ball break
Best thing is get a Magic Rack and break of the side, you will make the wing ball and/or the 1 ball 80+ % of the time lol
Joe Tuckers Racking Secrets books and DVD's are great for understanding the rack and how the balls react. It teaches you how to look at the rack and be able break from different places to increase your chances of making particular balls. The first week I got the DVD I had a friend racking for me over and over, I was calling a ball on the break over 75% of the time and making other balls other times too.
A couple other tips:
-For control try to not move your body during the break shot. Let your stroke and the speed of the stroke get the power. Any body movement makes it hard to hit the head ball exactly where you want.
-Keep your grip loose all the way through the break. Don't think of it as a "break shot" or a "power break" because if you 'muscle up' and try to break hard you actually slow your cue down during the stroke and hit softer.
-Accelerate through the cue ball with a good follow through while staying down on the shot.
-If your cue ball is drawing back to you, hit slightly higher on the cue ball. If it is following forward then hit slightly lower on the cue ball.