Let's Look @ Archer's Break Now

I'm sorry tsw_521 but I have to agree with Scott Lee when he says:

"you get just as good a result (and for the majority of us, a better result), without all the gyrations and antics, imo".
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I grew up playing snooker for about 10 years and because the break uses no body movement whatsoever when I eventually moved over to pool I just kept this break style and yes at first it got me nowhere but as I learned and watched the top players use a power break where they come off the ground with extreme body movement I also tried that and to start with it produced results but in the last couple of months this technique has diminished my cue power and cb control.

That is until I found this video of Charlie Bryant teaching breaking technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkByJCwTqSo&playnext_from=TL&videos=qRkr5clqbSk

Now with the aid of this video I have found that by turning my feet @ a 45 degree angle, brining my back hand further to the front of the cue thus shortening my backswing my power and cb control has increased without my body ever moving because all the power comes from my legs when they are ever so slightly bent and all I have to do to generate the power is push up into a standing position without having my legs and arms flayling wildly.

Sorry for the long rant but this is just my 2 cents

9 Ball
 
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Three thoughts...

1) Old threads pop up because they contained valuable information (maybe you don't think so, but the person posting did) and the poster didn't want to start a NEW thread to see the same old info regurgitated, which you would probably b!tch about too. I applaud the technique of building on existing material/information and limiting redundancies.

2) Many, many people have improved their break power & accuracy by emulating the best breakers. I know this because I've received many, many positive PM's & reps about these particular threads. Oh, and my own break speed & accuracy has improved impressively from the same work...and it didn't take YEARS to improve. Within a 1/2 hour I was seeing much more power & much more accuracy. I guess I'll side with the "supporters" (and their empirical data) rather than the "naysayers".

3) Dismissing this information as "gyrations and antics" is absurb.

BTW, I don't always break hard, it's just another tool in my kit!
 
Scott, sfleinen,

Is there anything wrong with searching subject matter from old threads? Anything wrong with searching, then posting on those threads instead of creating a new, rendundant thread.... or asking a question that has already been answered (sometimes dozens of times)? ...... or, in this case.....Is there anything wrong with thanking someone for their opinion/contribution/information/etc, even if the thread is old.... or if you, personally, don't agree with the content? How old is too old for a thread to be posted on?
 
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9 ball said:
...

That is until I found this video of Charlie Bryant teaching breaking technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkByJCwTqSo&playnext_from=TL&videos=qRkr5clqbSk

Now with the aid of this video I have found that by turning my feet @ a 45 degree angle, brining my back hand further to the front of the cue thus shortening my backswing my power and cb control has increased without my body ever moving because all the power comes from my legs when they are ever so slightly bent and all I have to do to generate the power is push up into a standing position without having my legs and arms flayling wildly.

Sorry for the long rant but this is just my 2 cents

9 Ball
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9 ball,

I think we are talking about the same thing. Charlie Bryant makes a big deal about the hip rotation in that video - cocking back and then unwinding forward ahead of the cue. You don't need the bouncy motion of a Bustamante but you absolutely need hip rotation in order to get a power break. So it's not accurate to say your body "never" moves. It just moves in a more compact manner.

Every sport that involves hitting a ball with a club requires hip rotation. Golf, baseball, hockey, tennis, etc. They all derive their power from the rotation of the body. Pool is no different.
 
I'm sorry tsw_521 if it came across as if I meant that my feet don't move on the up stroke they do but if they do then it is minimal movement of my heels off the floor, btw I think everybody should try having the feet @ a 45 degree angle because I think it works wonders for stability not just on the break but for most shots around the table.
 
JoeW said:
Here are some interesting photos of breaks and other shots by pros that I collected and wrote about.

http://www.sunburstselect.com/PBReview/ShootLikePros.htm

Not everyone agrees with my ideas but the photos don't lie. The first few and the last are break shots by the pros.
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Joe, I want to thank you for that article. I brought the adductor pollicis thing to the table today, and even after just one session playing against the regular bar crowd on a shitty valley barbox I'm shooting straighter than I was before.
 
interman said:
Joe, I want to thank you for that article. I brought the adductor pollicis thing to the table today, and even after just one session playing against the regular bar crowd on a shitty valley barbox I'm shooting straighter than I was before.
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Your welcome. It did the same for my game on the break and on all other shots. Seems to keep the cue on line. I think there is a reason it can be seen in so many pros who have high pocketing consistency.
 
JoeW said:
Your welcome. It did the same for my game on the break and on all other shots. Seems to keep the cue on line. I think there is a reason it can be seen in so many pros who have high pocketing consistency.
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One of the problems I have / have had until now was that I kept adding quite a bit of english unintentionally when doing relatively powerful shots. This wasn't a huge deal on shorter range shots, but as you mention in the article it made long shorts tougher than they should be.

This is why I love azb. One tiny tidbit might improve your game almost instantly.
 
Anyone with video of Mizerak's break??

Obviously different players get good breaking results with different techniques. The late, great Steve Mizerak had a terrific break and could generate a lot of power with little to no body movement. I have 1 old Accu-Stats video of him playing Buddy Hall and Miz absolutely crushes several breaks in this manner. Unfortunately, the old VCR is kaput, so I don't have a method to post these breaks here or on YouTube.

Although I take the "different strokes for different folks" approach, I agree with Mr. Scott Lee that most body motion is unnecessary, and for most people it likely damages their break by reducing their accuracy.
 
Scott Lee said:
Amazing to me how these YEARS OLD threads keep resurfacing. Here's the facts folks...the CB is gone from the tip in 1/1000th of a second. It doesn't matter what you do with your body, it has no bearing on the outcome or result. The question is why do the top pros do what they do? The answer is that they all devote years of practice to eccentric movement. Personally, I'd rather practice a smooth transition from the final backswing to the forward stroke...and let the cue do the work. You get just as good a result (and for the majority of us, a better result), without all the gyrations and antics, imo.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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This is fine IF you want to be of the majority, but this thread can also be about if you want to be of a very small minority that can dominate with a big break.Without question,10-ball in a winner break format,and svb has a big advantage.Obviously foundation work and knowledge of basic principles are essential to being a good player but analysis of the extremes is also essential in order for players to see what is possible and to reach for being exceptional rather than simply above average.
 
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CreeDo said:
Interesting observation about the elbow tuck. I've noticed the same tendency in my arm. Maybe our arms are just built so that when they go back, and you keep the elbow bent, the elbow wants to tuck in. Or maybe it's that he's adding power with the hip torquing so the elbow tuck is actually the body rotating a little away from the break, and then it rotates the opposite direction on the final swing.
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if you watch shane, he tucks his elbow in too. i believe that he sidearms it for effortless power just like throwing a baseball. im messing with it and you easily find power. the first couple weeks were really awkard and felt really innacurate but then something clicked and i found accuracy. try sidearming sometime. your elbow just automatically tucks in.
 
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