can someone explain how to soft break?
positioning, english, speed etc.
positioning, english, speed etc.
How Do You Soft Break?
- Thread starter imissedthe9
- Start date
imissedthe9 said:
Here's how I do it:
CB goes 1 diamond left or right of center and 1 diamond up from the head rail.
Shoot the 1-ball straight into the wing ball with no more than half a tip of outside.
How hard you hit depends on how it's working that day. Imagine the rack is not there, shoot the cueball 4 rails to the middle of the table. That's about how hard I hit it.
It works on some days on the table I usually play. I had 3 consecutive 9-ball breaks with it. But it's a touchy break. If it's working use it.
Well, there is a "soft break" and there is a "cut break". The cut break is when the shooter hits part of the 1-ball. In most instances any english used is to promote cue-ball positioning. For example, if the shooter is aiming to hit the right side of the 1-ball, he'll use bottom-right english so that the cue-ball will come off the side-rail and settle at center table. If the shooter is employing a simple "soft break" and hitting the 1-ball full, he'll use only center-ball (maybe a bit of draw) so that the cue-ball stops at the center of the table.
Although some will argue this point, from my experiences, spin has very little impact on the break. The lone exception would be the 1-ball which may have its path affected by top or bottom spin.
Although some will argue this point, from my experiences, spin has very little impact on the break. The lone exception would be the 1-ball which may have its path affected by top or bottom spin.
Although some will argue this point, from my experiences, spin has very little impact on the break. The lone exception would be the 1-ball which may have its path affected by top or bottom spin
I'd agree with you there. I tried a phenolic tip for a while. My CB was spinning so much that I had to weight for it to stop before I could shoot the next ball. The break was pretty standard, i was just not cueing the CB with center ball.
I'd agree with you there. I tried a phenolic tip for a while. My CB was spinning so much that I had to weight for it to stop before I could shoot the next ball. The break was pretty standard, i was just not cueing the CB with center ball.
I attach a cotton ball to the end of my break stick, deadens the cue every time.
Actionhound
Banned
imissedthe9 said:
when your breaking you hit the rack softer than normal... aproximately 32.678% of your normal break speed is considered a soft break.
and if that doesnt work for you, then just kick it in and run out.
Strange fact - made up statistical data usually contains a 3 or a 7.Actionhound said:
32.678% - contains both. I would have believed you if you said 29.65%.
i use a soft break on a few tables regularly. dont get me wrong, i love to crush the rack but on certain tables where the wing ball is almost always gone, u bet your butt im going to take advantage of it. my table at home breaks better when using a soft break. the way i soft break is hitting the one perfectly square (trying to be perfectly square) with just a touch of draw. i want to spread the balls gently but evenly and pocket the wing ball. when breaking from the left, the one ball generaly hits the side rail on the right and bounces back toward me depending on how hard the break is. no english at all, just a square hit with a touch of draw. practice it untill you get the right speed down. the balls will spread better the more square you hit IMO.
Jay
Jay
pharaoh68 said:
Damn, you stole my thunder.
I used to employ a cut break in bartable 9B to great effect. I never had the same consistency on the 9'.
I would vary the starting position of the CB in response to how "high" the rack was on the spot and vary the speed of the break in response to where the corner ball hit the side or end rail (the next break would be harder if it hit the side, softer if it hit the end). The CB would be played with low, outside spin and contact the middle of the side rail and spin to the middle of the table. The 1B would hit just below the side pocket and roll up table for a shot.
The end result was I could very consistently make the corner ball as long as the rack was reasonably good. I play bartable 9B so rarely now that I don't even try the cut break any more.
I would vary the starting position of the CB in response to how "high" the rack was on the spot and vary the speed of the break in response to where the corner ball hit the side or end rail (the next break would be harder if it hit the side, softer if it hit the end). The CB would be played with low, outside spin and contact the middle of the side rail and spin to the middle of the table. The 1B would hit just below the side pocket and roll up table for a shot.
The end result was I could very consistently make the corner ball as long as the rack was reasonably good. I play bartable 9B so rarely now that I don't even try the cut break any more.
If you are referring to the break used on the TV table in Manila during the World Pool Championships, then it is pretty simple. The hard part is to get a really, really tight solid rack with all the balls touching. Put the cue ball over by the side rail and shoot straight at the one ball. Shoot it at the same speed as a firm stop shot. The wing ball on your side of the table goes in and with luck you will have shape on the one ball. If it doesn't work on one side of the table, try the other.imissedthe9 said:
One of the videos on youtube from the WPC showed a break and it was at barely stop-shot speed. I don't think I've seen anyone break that softly in competition before. I don't remember who was shooting.
By the way, if the rack is really tight, the nine ball doesn't move.