I can't remember the last time i saw a Full Power Athletic Break in a TV 9ball

D

Desmondp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think it is really disappointing that we have lost this aspect of the sport

I used to love watching the full athletic bustamante break or the insane follow through of Johnney Archer's most powerful break

Because of the tables and the rack, just a medium power precise shot is required.

Chris Melling i tell you has an insanely powerful break, yet again we only see a watered down version of it

Something has to change again to reward the harder breaks

Personally i don't think the rack should be racked in the same spot on the time. There should be an area within which the rack can be racked so there is never a guarantee of making the wing ball hitting the rack a certain way.
 
Entertaining viewers doesn't seem to be a high priority for pool. The pros are probably playing in a manner that they feel gives them control of the table and thus an advantage.
 
Appleton was hard breaking on the TV table at the Open as was Nevel, Alex and a few others.... The hard break is only 24mph because anything harder is useless you blow your shot on the one... Been that way for years now... Not sure if Buste is still breaking them at 27 but he was one of the few world class players up that high...

I watched Sigel try and power break at the open 2 years ago and it was insane... He kept powering them and getting the same bad results...

The better balls and faster cloth have killed the power break.... don't expect it to come back..
 
Even in 10 ball they don't put everything into it. They are still controlling the layout as much as possible and they have to in order to win. I understand that the power break is more entertaining for the fans, but so are 300 yard drives in golf, and 135 mph serves in tennis. But you won't see a golfer take out the driver on par 3 or Tennis player hit his biggest serve on second serve because they players first order of business is to win, not to entertain. Which is why there are professionals in every sport with incredibly boring playing styles.
 
Power break?

Desmondp said:
I think it is really disappointing that we have lost this aspect of the sport

I used to love watching the full athletic bustamante break or the insane follow through of Johnney Archer's most powerful break

Because of the tables and the rack, just a medium power precise shot is required.

Chris Melling i tell you has an insanely powerful break, yet again we only see a watered down version of it

Something has to change again to reward the harder breaks

Personally i don't think the rack should be racked in the same spot on the time. There should be an area within which the rack can be racked so there is never a guarantee of making the wing ball hitting the rack a certain way.
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The "power" break is a relatively new thing in pool. Up until a few decades ago, most of the legendary players didn't own break cues and didn't use a power break. It's certainly a "macho" thing, but is it necessarily good for pool? Do we want to turn pool into a pro sport where size and strength are the first criterion in assessing an athlete's skills? What's next, steroids for pool players so they can break at 50 MPH?

Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, FL
 
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This is why I prefer ten ball to nine ball. The nine ball break is a trick shot.
 
One suggestion was to have a speed gun and players have to break at a minimum of 20 mph

that would be good
 
Desmondp said:
One suggestion was to have a speed gun and players have to break at a minimum of 20 mph

that would be good
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Good for who? Not the players, or the sport in my opinion. That's like telling golfers they can't use a lob wedge.
 
Desmondp said:
... Something has to change again to reward the harder breaks...
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But even back in the day the break was not an advantage. Remember the Accu-Stats study that showed the breaker usually lost in pro matches?
 
Break advantage?

Bob Jewett said:
But even back in the day the break was not an advantage. Remember the Accu-Stats study that showed the breaker usually lost in pro matches?
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I agree. Unless one of the players clearly has a better break, it is not necessarily an advantage in 8-ball or 9-ball. This is true because of the odds of success on the break, and luck. Also, the typical "good" player averages about one miss per game. So whoever misses first usually wins!
I actually did a study of this in the '80s, when running weekly tournaments. Only at high amateur and professional levels does the player who misses first usually lose.
When I used to gamble, the first spot I would offer was always the break, and I won a bit.

Donny L
BCA/ACS Instructor
Gainesville, Fl
 
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