Help with my Eight Ball Break Shot

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bruce S. de Lis
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Bruce S. de Lis

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Well I just got back from the Local Pool Room, and am Totally Frustrated with my BREAK SHOT, and hopefully someone can give me a Pointer or Two.

First off I break with a House Q, do not presently OWN a Dedicated Break Q, so there is ZERO CONSISTENCY in Weight, Tip, or Shaft Diameter.

I am Left Handed so for Point of Illustration I always Break From JUST LEFT of Center Table about 3-5 Inches behind what I call the Kitchen Line.

My point of Aim is Dead Center on the Ball in the “ONE Position”.

My hit on the Cue Ball is Slightly below a Center Ball Hit.

Speeds I have been experimenting with a Medium to Fast HIT.

My expectation are easy, to sink one or more balls on the Break, and have my Cue Ball wined up between the Side Pockets at Tables Center so that I have a next shot.
 
A lefty, huh?

Bruce ... This can be used from either side of the table,
whichever feels more natural, but can switch sides if
table does not break good from one side you first choose.

Line up with Headstring and 1 diamond over from left corner
pocket on headrail. From there move 2" to the right on the
headstring. Place the cue ball there. Aim to hit the head
rack ball hard using low right english on the cue. Do not
use the headrail as a bridge, bridge with your right hand,
and if anything, you might shorten up maybe an inch.
You will have to practice this break maybe 15-30 times
before it starts clicking for you. If you switch sides,
remember, it is inside english on the cue, not outside.

Slow table, cloth is old, ball don't have much action,
then it is good to side break. On the headstring just
inside on the long rail, put the cue ball. Rest your cue
on the long rail and use bridge hand to keep it steady
and smooth. Hit the second ball in the rack as full as
possible with outside low english on the cue ball at
about 2/3 speed of a normal hard break for you.
Once you get this working good, it is a good to fall
back on depending on table conditions.
 
Snapshot9 said:
Bruce ... This can be used from either side of the table,
whichever feels more natural, but can switch sides if
table does not break good from one side you first choose.

Line up with Headstring and 1 diamond over from left corner
pocket on headrail. From there move 2" to the right on the
headstring. Place the cue ball there. Aim to hit the head
rack ball hard using low right english on the cue. Do not
use the headrail as a bridge, bridge with your right hand,
and if anything, you might shorten up maybe an inch.
You will have to practice this break maybe 15-30 times
before it starts clicking for you. If you switch sides,
remember, it is inside english on the cue, not outside.

Slow table, cloth is old, ball don't have much action,
then it is good to side break. On the headstring just
inside on the long rail, put the cue ball. Rest your cue
on the long rail and use bridge hand to keep it steady
and smooth. Hit the second ball in the rack as full as
possible with outside low english on the cue ball at
about 2/3 speed of a normal hard break for you.
Once you get this working good, it is a good to fall
back on depending on table conditions.
Click to expand...

Good 8 ball break is to hit the sec-ball from the head useing no english.and go right thru with your stroke...
Best 8 ball tape i have ever seen was Jeff Carter v J Archer...If u can find the tape watch it and u'll see whati'm sayin..
 
Bruce S. de Lis said:
Well I just got back from the Local Pool Room, and am Totally Frustrated with my BREAK SHOT, and hopefully someone can give me a Pointer or Two.

First off I break with a House Q, do not presently OWN a Dedicated Break Q, so there is ZERO CONSISTENCY in Weight, Tip, or Shaft Diameter.

I am Left Handed so for Point of Illustration I always Break From JUST LEFT of Center Table about 3-5 Inches behind what I call the Kitchen Line.

My point of Aim is Dead Center on the Ball in the “ONE Position”.

My hit on the Cue Ball is Slightly below a Center Ball Hit.

Speeds I have been experimenting with a Medium to Fast HIT.

My expectation are easy, to sink one or more balls on the Break, and have my Cue Ball wined up between the Side Pockets at Tables Center so that I have a next shot.
Click to expand...


Something to keep in mind, since you're not playing a rotation game, having the cue-ball in the center of the table is not absolutely necessary. You might be best off using a center-ball hit, perhaps even a little follow to keep the cue-ball down table which is typically where all the object balls are going to be.

The last time I played 8-ball, a bunch of us (a couple of semi-pro players and a few A's, I was a B) were experiementing with the second-ball break (even though making the 8 on the break was not a win). We determined that this was actually a fairly legitimate break shot simply because the cue-ball ended up in the middle of where you needed to be. Often times, center-table position will force you to shoot at perimeter balls. When the cue-ball ends up in the middle of a mess, you get an opportunity to shoot from the inside of the mess, leaving the perimeter balls for last.

It has been a while since I played 8-ball and when I did consistently, it was when making the 8 on the break was a win. The moment I switched to a second-ball break, my run-outs increased. I don't know how right I am but if you're willing to experiment a little, I'd suggest trying it out. Let me know how you do.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Something to keep in mind, since you're not playing a rotation game, having the cue-ball in the center of the table is not absolutely necessary. You might be best off using a center-ball hit, perhaps even a little follow to keep the cue-ball down table which is typically where all the object balls are going to be.

The last time I played 8-ball, a bunch of us (a couple of semi-pro players and a few A's, I was a B) were experiementing with the second-ball break (even though making the 8 on the break was not a win). We determined that this was actually a fairly legitimate break shot simply because the cue-ball ended up in the middle of where you needed to be. Often times, center-table position will force you to shoot at perimeter balls. When the cue-ball ends up in the middle of a mess, you get an opportunity to shoot from the inside of the mess, leaving the perimeter balls for last.

It has been a while since I played 8-ball and when I did consistently, it was when making the 8 on the break was a win. The moment I switched to a second-ball break, my run-outs increased. I don't know how right I am but if you're willing to experiment a little, I'd suggest trying it out. Let me know how you do.
Click to expand...

I have to agree here, i also play eightball alot, more then nineball lets just say. And i find myself pocketing a ball or two about 80% of the time when the rack is racked gooder, if the rack is positioned right, maybe more depending on the cloth, and the condition of the table. On my tables i have it marked where the rack needs to be all the time like on t.v. and no matter where you break you can drop at least one ball. But i find myself breaking alot better, by making sure that i aim to hit the first ball dead center, cause along time ago i use to think hey more the power more the spread and more the ball are going to go in, not true. I see alot of pool players here just putting power into the break, and getting down and not really taking the time to aim and make sure they are aiming dead straight on the first ball, and you want to have your ball spotting in the middle of the table and by doing this you will get your results and not having the cueball flying around the table unless it gets kicked around right. If you watch players break like mention'd here in early posts like Johnny, you notice there cues down into the cloth after the break shot, try this out just my opinion, it has helped me out by making sure my cue tip is down into the cloth and hold it there to make sure you had that nyce follow through. Try out some of the advice given on these posts and post results, sure like to here them. Cole 'TheConArtist'
 
Table conditions permitting, this is the only break I use.

Small differences from what has been already stated though.

From the headstring, place the ball between 2.5 & 3 inches off the side rail.

I use the rail as a steady, keeping the cue between the index and middle finger. IMO, this is a very solid platform and helps with the accuracy of your stroke.

Hit the ball 1/2 low, 1/2 left ( when breaking from left ) 3/4 power of your normal break.

HTH.

Dave
 
Tomarrow I will put the Tips from this Thread into Practice, and see if MY BREAK gets any better ;)
 
Bruce,

I just re-read my suggestion and noticed that I left something out.

I hope you already knew this, but when breaking like this for the 8, you need a nice full face hit on the number two ball in the rack. If you hit too far forward ( or back either ) you may very well scratch.


Keep us posted on how you're doing.


Dave
 
My expectation are easy said:
Your expectations are within reason.

The situation (BCA or APA or a Match Game) might dictate what your actions will be. Your statement above does too.

A second ball break will NOT give these results.

Hitting the lead ball in the break shot can & will give you these results. Joe Tucker makes this statement, "hitting a 10 ball or 15 ball rack, from the side, just fractures a portion of the rack". That statement does not mean that balls will not roll from both sides of the rack, it just means that the force is applied unequally.

Joe Tucker suggests a head-on shot at the lead ball, from 2-3 inches off the longstring, positioned on the headstring, with just a smidgin' of follow. This slight bit of follow will cause the cue ball to stop it's rebound roll somewhere close to mid-table.

Good Luck..
Click to expand...
 
Snapshot9 said:
Bruce ... This can be used from either side of the table,
whichever feels more natural, but can switch sides if
table does not break good from one side you first choose.

Line up with Headstring and 1 diamond over from left corner
pocket on headrail. From there move 2" to the right on the
headstring. Place the cue ball there. Aim to hit the head
rack ball hard using low right english on the cue. Do not
use the headrail as a bridge, bridge with your right hand,
and if anything, you might shorten up maybe an inch.
You will have to practice this break maybe 15-30 times
before it starts clicking for you. If you switch sides,
remember, it is inside english on the cue, not outside.

Slow table, cloth is old, ball don't have much action,
then it is good to side break. On the headstring just
inside on the long rail, put the cue ball. Rest your cue
on the long rail and use bridge hand to keep it steady
and smooth. Hit the second ball in the rack as full as
possible with outside low english on the cue ball at
about 2/3 speed of a normal hard break for you.
Once you get this working good, it is a good to fall
back on depending on table conditions.
Click to expand...


I was sometimes using this exact break hitting the 2nd ball first with low outside. But Troy told me to try and hit the same break with high inside. When hiting that shot good the cue call will go three rails and back out to the middle of the table. Troy and I have been very successful using that break.
 
Your expectations are within reason.
Joe Tucker suggests a head-on shot at the lead ball, from 2-3 inches off the longstring, positioned on the headstring, with just a smidgin' of follow. This slight bit of follow will cause the cue ball to stop it's rebound roll somewhere close to mid-table.

Good Luck..
Click to expand...

This is going to sound llike an ad for CeeBee, but it's not. I bought ceebee's book "The Great Break Shot" and it's helped my break TREMENDOUSLY. I now have 4 basic 8-Ball breaks that I use, depending on how the rack is (location to spot, which balls are loose, tight, etc). Between the advice offered in his book and the inclusion of Joe Tuckers racking secrets within the book, it's a great read, loaded with excellent info.

It hasn't just helped my 8-Ball break, it's helped my break in 9-Ball, 1P and 14.1.

I own a LOT of books on pool, and I usually pick them apart pretty hard. IMHO, most of the books have a few good things in them, but for the most part are a waste of time. I found this book to be just the opposite. It's a wealth of info that I think is a must for every pool player.

Later,
Bob
 
Last edited:
8-Ball Break...

Bruce,

I to have been struggling with my 8-Ball break, used to break from here:

START(
%AN7O5%BL7P8%CJ5O4%DL7N1%EM7P1%FK6P1%GK6N8%HM7N8%IL7O4%JK6M5
%KJ5P7%LJ5N2%MK6Q4%NJ5R0%OJ5M0%Pi7G6
)END

Recently moved to more of a 9-Ball position, and it's been much more productive. Hitting the second ball much more squarely now...here:

START(
%AN7O5%BL7P8%CJ5O4%DL7N1%EM7P1%FK6P1%GK6N8%HM7N8%IL7O4%JK6M5
%KJ5P7%LJ5N2%MK6Q4%NJ5R0%OJ5M0%Pl5D4
)END

It's worked for me so far...sometimes you gotta move the rock around to find what works for your stroke, power, speed and action...
 
more power on your break

Corey taught me for more power to break from either side rail and move your bridge hand down near the corner pocket and place the cue ball up by the the 2nd diamond. This makes you bridge extreamly long. By having your bridge this long it lets you take it back longer allowing you to pull back your whole body. When you come through your whole body weight is now coming into the shot with an extremly long follow through. This will add about 3 to 5 mph to your break. It is very hard to control and will take some time. Corey learned this break from the current 16 year old World Champion. Corey came back and showed me this and he was breaking over 30mph. Corey was using it in 9-ball on the big table but I tried it in some bar box 8-ball and it worked great.
 
I play a lot of 8-ball in bars, so a lot of the time i'm playin with worn balls n cloth.....
I use the same break all the time, and if I play the shot in reality the same way I picture it in my mind, and the cue ball hits where i want it to, then this break works beautifully all the time.....(in other words, if my stroke is spot on)

Draw an imaginary line between the centre of the head ball in the rack, and the centre of one of the middle balls in the fourth row of the rack (the row with 4 balls). Now place the cue ball on the headstring, and on the same imaginary line..So now you have the cue ball, head ball, and a middle ball from 4th row, all in 1 straight line..... That is the path I always use..centre cueball hit or maybe just a lil below centre....Always works great for me...

Remember that no matter what cueball position you use, or english you use, or speed you use,,, the break will never reach full potential if 100% of the energy from cueball is not transferred into the rack. And that is done by getting a full hit, in my case, the head ball...Dead centre..Full hit...Bang!
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Something to keep in mind, since you're not playing a rotation game, having the cue-ball in the center of the table is not absolutely necessary. You might be best off using a center-ball hit, perhaps even a little follow to keep the cue-ball down table which is typically where all the object balls are going to be.

The last time I played 8-ball, a bunch of us (a couple of semi-pro players and a few A's, I was a B) were experiementing with the second-ball break (even though making the 8 on the break was not a win). We determined that this was actually a fairly legitimate break shot simply because the cue-ball ended up in the middle of where you needed to be. Often times, center-table position will force you to shoot at perimeter balls. When the cue-ball ends up in the middle of a mess, you get an opportunity to shoot from the inside of the mess, leaving the perimeter balls for last.

It has been a while since I played 8-ball and when I did consistently, it was when making the 8 on the break was a win. The moment I switched to a second-ball break, my run-outs increased. I don't know how right I am but if you're willing to experiment a little, I'd suggest trying it out. Let me know how you do.
Click to expand...
Jude, I looked for you yesterday, after team 9 ball league, but didn't see you. I'll try to catch up soon.

Let me just ask you: The rare times I get to play 8 ball, I usually do well with the second ball break IF the cueball doesn't pop right off the table. Have you guys had any problem with that while experimenting with that particular break? Is there anything I don't know about hit, speed, or cueing that makes an off-the-table scratch less likely??
 
lewdo26 said:
What about safety 8 ball breaks, anyone???
Click to expand...
If I do a safety break, I put the cue ball about 1.5" off the left rail at the headstring. I aim for the third ball on the left side of the rack. I put low english and hit the ball softish. I say softish because it's just enough force for the ball to start spinning forward right before it hits the rack. With this, 4 or 5 balls come out of the rack, hit the rail, then go back towards the rack. It looks almost like a one pocket break. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but I can try and explain it a little better if you want.
 
BeeMan said:
I play a lot of 8-ball in bars, so a lot of the time i'm playin with worn balls n cloth.....
I use the same break all the time, and if I play the shot in reality the same way I picture it in my mind, and the cue ball hits where i want it to, then this break works beautifully all the time.....(in other words, if my stroke is spot on)

Draw an imaginary line between the centre of the head ball in the rack, and the centre of one of the middle balls in the fourth row of the rack (the row with 4 balls). Now place the cue ball on the headstring, and on the same imaginary line..So now you have the cue ball, head ball, and a middle ball from 4th row, all in 1 straight line..... That is the path I always use..centre cueball hit or maybe just a lil below centre....Always works great for me...

Remember that no matter what cueball position you use, or english you use, or speed you use,,, the break will never reach full potential if 100% of the energy from cueball is not transferred into the rack. And that is done by getting a full hit, in my case, the head ball...Dead centre..Full hit...Bang!
Click to expand...

That is a good setup BeeMan. Taking that one step further. Those three balls you described line up and form a natural combonation long bank, if the other balls were removed. Visualizing the combo long bank will straighten out your follow through if u have a dendency to hook left or right on shots hit hard. It's a common bad habit.

It's also interesting to imagine your breaking to hit the second ball first as if the head ball wasn't there. Since you've placed the cueball to line up with them you should still achieve a nose hit. But it feels totaly different. It's a "heavy" hit. On some tables it works like Majic. u really need a variety of Breaks anyway to Capitalize on Different tables and conditions. Then go with the one that's paying off that day.

I'm not proud, if i come up dry twice in a row I'll change my break. Or if my opponent is breaking great I'll watch it very closely and try to do the same from the same place. St.
 
lewdo26 said:
Jude, I looked for you yesterday, after team 9 ball league, but didn't see you. I'll try to catch up soon.

Let me just ask you: The rare times I get to play 8 ball, I usually do well with the second ball break IF the cueball doesn't pop right off the table. Have you guys had any problem with that while experimenting with that particular break? Is there anything I don't know about hit, speed, or cueing that makes an off-the-table scratch less likely??
Click to expand...

I have that problem from time to time, especially for the first few breaks when I switch down from my 9' table to a 7 or 8. It's definitely more of a finesse break rather than a power break.

I have a lot of success pocketing balls using the second ball break using low, outside english. I've experimented and have found that it works best for me. It will, however, sometimes result in the cue ball on the foot rail and a long or difficult shot back up table. Someone else suggested in another thread using inside high I believe, but I haven't tried it yet.

There does seem to be a certain cueing to it to avoid jumping the cue ball. I sort of feel the stroke, so I can only explain that maybe its a loose wrist action and I put a lot of spin on it (stroke it, dont' hit it). I also try to run the stroke as level as possible and follow through a lot.

Sorry if this explanation doesn't help more.

-shiny
 
Well I finally got to do some practicing today using everyones ideas, and trying a few new things.

Cue ball is ending up more as to where I desire to have it Post Break. But I am not consistently Pocketing Balls on Break.

Think part of the Problem is the Cues (House) I am Breaking with Have like 12-12.5 mm Shafts, and Handle are Much Thinner in Diameter than my Playing Cues.

More Practice is in ORDER. Racking, Breaking, and ReRacking get VERY BORING. But it is NESSESSARY to fix my Break Shot.....
 
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