Kicking leg on break

[FranCrimi]

In my experience, most players already have trouble controlling the cue ball on the break. They are nowhere near squatting the cue ball. It flies forwards and backwards and sideways and frequently finds a pocket. For those players to incorporate something that will make them even less stable and their break even less controlled seems like a bad idea.

As for why pros kick their back leg back, mechanically it seems that rotating the back leg back could give a corresponding rotation of the upper body forward. What we need is a sports kinesiologist. Has pool ever had the attention of one?

I think the break shot is the closest you can get to a golf swing. I use those principles when I break, and I have a very hard break when I need it. As in golf, I stand more parallel to the cue on break shots (I'm not alone in this). Then I lead with my right hip, as in a golf swing and transfer my weight from my right side to my left side. The only difference is the extra push off of the back leg, which you don't do in a golf swing.

I don't think it's the back leg that's leading the rotation. It think it's the hip.

 

[BilliardsAbout]

In my experience, most players already have trouble controlling the cue ball on the break. They are nowhere near squatting the cue ball. It flies forwards and backwards and sideways and frequently finds a pocket. For those players to incorporate something that will make them even less stable and their break even less controlled seems like a bad idea.

As for why pros kick their back leg back, mechanically it seems that rotating the back leg back could give a corresponding rotation of the upper body forward. What we need is a sports kinesiologist. Has pool ever had the attention of one?

But strong breakers generate a lot of speed and power and then they can break at 80% of that and smash the rack with control. Arguably for certain hits on the cue ball harder/more force helps control the rock.

 

[WobblyStroke]

I think the break shot is the closest you can get to a golf swing. I use those principles when I break, and I have a very hard break when I need it. As in golf, I stand more parallel to the cue on break shots (I'm not alone in this). Then I lead with my right hip, as in a golf swing and transfer my weight from my right side to my left side. The only difference is the extra push off of the back leg, which you don't do in a golf swing.

I don't think it's the back leg that's leading the rotation. It think it's the hip.

The golf swing is a great analogous move to highlight. There are certainly different ways to make a golf swing go as evidenced by all the different strokes out there. My break is a lot like my golf swing too and in mine, the weightshift happens 'behind me' with back to target and then the post-up on my left leg causes the hips to clear. I use ground forces to rapidly accelerate the club once it has fallen to a certain point (I drive over 300 fairly often), and in the same way, I use ground forces and pressing into the ground with my lead foot to accelerate the arm in my power break.

 

[Grimper]

Wrong.

Well I can't possibly argue with your wonderful research you've shown on your answer.

 

[pagaspoling]

When you accelerate the cue forward the cue will act as it pulls you back with the equal amount of force as you put into it. To counteract this you have to use the ground and push in the opposite way of where you want the cue to go. You can look at the break in two different views, from the side and from the top.

From the side you can see that the player's center of mass and the cues center of mass lines up so you can't use any rotational forces. Instead you have to use linear forces, a bit like tug of war where you push down and forward in order to pull the rope back. So in order to create force forward you have to push down and back. The more you push down the bigger the horizontal vector can become thus enabling you to create more force forward.

From the top the two centers of masses don't line up and then you can create force rotationally around your body. If you push forward with your front foot and back with the back foot you can create a torque that you can use to propel the cue forward. You can also choose to only push from either of the two feet and it will still create some rotational force.

When you push back hard with your back foot this will be the same type of motion that you would use in order to jump or propel the leg up from the ground and that will result in a leg kick when the acceleration of the cue is done.