Kinda of a Dumb Question...

Fatboy

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
While I was on my 12 year lay-off from pool other than playing at home, I ignored the pro's, BCA tournments, leagues etc. Then I come back to pool and there is a soft break-that works for 9B.

My question is: Who discovered it? and when? Or was it a progressive thing done by alot of players?

I know alot about pool and been around for years but that one slipped past me. thanks in advance.
 
Corey D has been given credit for it.....

He was the first to do it on television for sure......


It has been said that Corey works on his break more than any other part of his game...
 
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The first I head of it was Corey. I think it was in Milwaukee. It worked so good that Earl broke unscrewed and went home in the middle of the championship match. About 2000?
 
Alot of players started doing it at the U.S. Open when they were racking the 9 ball on the spot instead of the 1 ball, but like everyone else has said, I think Corey actually started doing it in tournies and it caugh on. Personally, I hate seeing it. To me its like going to Wimbeldon and watching the players serve underhanded. JMO.

Southpaw
 
I think it is natural to want to hit the balls really hard, it's fun tho not as productive since the balls usually hit the rails and then move back into clusters to quote a wise man...Blackjack. A long time ago I noticed when my back was giving me trouble and I couldn't break hard that my breaks were better and I pocketed more balls. It's about control, controling the ball and controling one's ego.
 
Corey

is not the one to invent the soft break, I saw it back in the 60's and 70's some, but he is the one to perfect it to a degree, and has the most noterity from it.
 
But there is a difference

Southpaw said:
Alot of players started doing it at the U.S. Open when they were racking the 9 ball on the spot instead of the 1 ball, but like everyone else has said, I think Corey actually started doing it in tournies and it caugh on. Personally, I hate seeing it. To me its like going to Wimbeldon and watching the players serve underhanded. JMO.

Southpaw
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Underhand will get you killed whereas the soft break can make u a winner. Everybody has their opiniion but if you go to a baseball game and you have a junk pitcher or heat thrower, do you dislike the game any more? You shouldn't. If a guy wants to soft break so be it, he will at least not make any 9 balls on the break too often. So you could say that he is at a disadvantage then. I cannot believe so many people worry about the speed of the break shot. What are we going to do start using a radar gun to decide how hard they hit the ball. Imagine in other sports controlling the way a person goes about winning. The whole idea is to play to win within the rules.
 
nfty9er said:
Underhand will get you killed whereas the soft break can make u a winner. Everybody has their opiniion but if you go to a baseball game and you have a junk pitcher or heat thrower, do you dislike the game any more? You shouldn't. If a guy wants to soft break so be it, he will at least not make any 9 balls on the break too often. So you could say that he is at a disadvantage then. I cannot believe so many people worry about the speed of the break shot. What are we going to do start using a radar gun to decide how hard they hit the ball. Imagine in other sports controlling the way a person goes about winning. The whole idea is to play to win within the rules.
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Think of it this way...most people say that the only thing that keeps Alison Fisher from beating alot of the top males is her break. You dont have to hit them as hard as you can to be effective, but you have to give yourself a chance to make balls and keep shooting. I just think that a soft break has alot to do with the equipment you are on and if you are on tough equipment, then the soft break will not win against an equal opponent that breaks them hard. JMO.

Southpaw
 
Didn't a guy strike out Reggie Jackson pitching underhanded in a game? Was it another slugger? It seems like someone was called in to pitch to someone and he actually threw a high arcing underhand ball.

Kelly
 
I have been teaching players the soft break for almost 20 years. About 10 years ago I was working with many Asian players in Taiwan, Manila, and Tokyo ... who knows - this mess might be all my fault.
:p :p :p
 
Well that is the whole point

Southpaw said:
Think of it this way...most people say that the only thing that keeps Alison Fisher from beating alot of the top males is her break. You dont have to hit them as hard as you can to be effective, but you have to give yourself a chance to make balls and keep shooting. I just think that a soft break has alot to do with the equipment you are on and if you are on tough equipment, then the soft break will not win against an equal opponent that breaks them hard. JMO.

Southpaw
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You play and do what you personally have to do that gives you a better chance to win. Just like on some golf courses, favor the big hitters and some favor the short hitters(soft break) but manage a short game better.
But if a guy plays either way se la ve, let it be.
 
Sardo

I think the use of the Sardo rack had alot to do with players developing the soft break originally. I think it's only natural that as the racking and equipment become more consistent and predicable the best players will seek methods that produce consistent and predictable results.

Especially when you consider the fact that these guys are OUT FROM EVERYWHERE. Peach made every rack look simple as if the balls had just fallen right, EVERY TIME.

Kevin
 
Corey gets the credit for refining the soft break for nine ball. However, I think the poor boy was confused at that time because in one pocket he was blasting the break wide open. Remember that?
 
dabarbr said:
Corey gets the credit for refining the soft break for nine ball. However, I think the poor boy was confused at that time because in one pocket he was blasting the break wide open. Remember that?
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Yes, I do. I have the video where Corey was playing Shannon Daulton one pocket. Grady made the comment to Billy that "if I could find someone that breaks like that, I will pay the cab fair to play him". Retracted that statement when Corey won...:D

Also, depends on the table that you are playing on. That is the reason that they changed tables in the Peach/Gomez finals. The table they switched to wasn't breaking good for the soft break.

The soft break can be very intimidating to your opponent or to yourself if it is working against you, (spoken from a man of experience). Nothing more frustrating than watching someone consistantly run racks against you and you can't do a thing about it.
 
When Corey D has the soft break working to perfection you can rack the balls in any order and he will tell you the layout and what ball is going where before he breaks the balls. He is like a Savant when it comes to pool. If he ever dedicates himself back to the game like when he was around 14-17 years old no one has to like it ever. I have been around champions for my whole life and he is unreal with his creativity and natural talent.
 
Kelly_Guy said:
Didn't a guy strike out Reggie Jackson pitching underhanded in a game? Was it another slugger? It seems like someone was called in to pitch to someone and he actually threw a high arcing underhand ball.

Kelly
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Not sure of the pitcher's name but I believe he played in the 40's. I read a Ted Williams biography when I was a kid and that is one the few things I remember from the book. The pitcher would lob the ball high into the air and would rarely throw strikes because of the steep angle it was coming down, but batters would swing like hell. Apparently, it was quite effective.. except when Ted came up to bat.
 
A little bit different than what is thought of as a "soft break" by todays standards...... but Parica was splitting the one softly with draw 15-20 years ago depending on how the balls were spreading on a table to get better movement (and he wasnt just doing it from the breakbox)
Chuck
 
Sardo 2001 Womens Sponsor

The womens Pro tour had sardo as sponsor. They played the chip in the side because you could't put the one on the spot. It was at the Allen Hopkins Show in 2001. I walked back to the distributors and went straight to ricky phillippi and nyc 1,100. cue case 500. And could't believe what I saw I quit taping the finals it was a joke. In my mind it still is. I would be like every rack freeze the cue ball to the one MARK
 
HollyWood said:
The womens Pro tour had sardo as sponsor. They played the chip in the side because you could't put the one on the spot. It was at the Allen Hopkins Show in 2001. I walked back to the distributors and went straight to ricky phillippi and nyc 1,100. cue case 500. And could't believe what I saw I quit taping the finals it was a joke. In my mind it still is. I would be like every rack freeze the cue ball to the one MARK
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Huh? Does anyone know what he said?
 
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