Missing The Break Ball

Blackjack

Blackjack

Illuminati Blacksmack
Silver Member
Here is a topic that we are all familiar with. We've all done it hundreds of times, and here are some of the more frequent misses that I have seen (and experienced).

SHOT 1
This one here is not that uncommon. Right handers cannot reach this shot and run the risk of spraying it. It is always important to place the cue ball where you can reach it, or you'll pay for it like this.

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SHOT 2
In this shot, we have a break ball that is high of the stack. In our attempt to steer the cue ball into the rack, we miss the shot. This is caused by trying to do too much with the cue ball.

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SHOT 3
I see guys do this all of the time. They get kind of straight on the break ball, and they try to power draw the cue ball back into the rack. This works great when the ball drops, but when you do this, its a disaster.

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SHOT 4
Here is another that you will see all of the time.

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Why do we miss these shots? For me I know it is because I try to do too much with the cue ball, and not enough with the object ball. If you have any that you would like to add, feel free to do so - these are the common break balls that I mess up on.
 
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Oft times the tendency si to really clobber a break ball often sacrificing accuracy in the process. I try to concentrate on delivering a good, smooth stroke with speed appropriate to the situation (ball positions). Yet, there are still times when I apply the bonehead power jab and usually pay the price...

_Rick
 
I've developed much more accuracy with my break shots by employing a few thoughts and techniques that raise my confidence. I'd like to share them with everyone and see if they don't help some.

First of all I think the rack itself can be an intimidating factor while concentrating on pocketing the object ball. I'm a big believer in rather than trying to avoid thinking of the things that we see as negatives, try to turn them into positives and be relaxed by thinking of them.

In terms of the rack, I now view it as an aiming aide rather than an obstacle that impedes my thoughts. Look over the shot, the angle the cue will deflect into the rack when the break ball is hit perfectly, and then use that entire mental picture to help achieve the goal.

You can use the rack to guide the shot much like you would use a rail while cutting a ball down the long rail into the pocket when you are off the rail a few inches with the object ball and it has to run parallel to it on its path to the pocket. The rail actually helps guide the shot. Thinking of the rack like this turns into an aid.

The other thing that was a common problem with me was loosing the point of contact on the object ball on steeper angle breaks. As I walked from the perspective of behind the object ball to behind the cue ball, I could still mentally picture the point of contact, but as I got down on the shot I seemed to loose the contact point a little.

Now, I picture the contact point from behind the OB, then as I walk around to behind the cue ball, I name the contact point in my mind from the perspective behind the cue ball as a time on a clock before I get down in my stance.

For example if I'm cutting a break shot to my left rather steeply, I'll picture the contact point as either 4 oclock or even steeper, 3 oclock when viewed from behind the cue ball. Now when I get down on the shot, I don't concern myself with loosing the contact point. I can feel confident that it is still 4 oclock from this shooting stance.

I concentrate on smoothly stroking the cue ball into that contact point of the clock while being very confident that the deflection angle off the rack is as pictured.

The last thing I've been doing with great success is stopping at the cue ball with the tip of my stick during practice strokes and evaluating what exactly would have happened if I followed through on the last practice stroke. What part of the pocket would the OB have gone to, what ball would the cue carom off of and I adjust as needed. I also take extra care that the last stroke is not wailing at the break but rather is an exact copy of my last practice stroke once honed in. (this is a good way to approach all shots)
 
personally, if i miss the break ball,
90% of these are because i am not familiar enough with how cb and ob deflect/squirt/etc... at high speed. i've been trying to play my game with this sentence i read: try to move the cb around with minimal effort aka minimum power.

should i train pocketing balls at high speed?

i need to almost aim the ball into an imaginary pocket that is next to the real pocket.

:(

my name is solly, and i am a breakballmisseroholic.
 
IMO I'd rather suggest trying to give yourself a steeper angle to the break than having a lesser angle that require wailing at the shot.

Its far more critical than most players realize to hit the cue ball exactly as you have addressed it in your practice strokes. The harder you have to hit a shot to make the angle work, the more likely it is that in your effort to hit hard, you hit the cue ball in an entirely different spot than you aimed since you are winding up to do it.

So again, create deeper angles that allow softer smoother flowing breakshots with confident follow through.

*edit ...
If you do end up out of line with a slighter angle that does require hitting the ball hard, make your practice strokes emulate what you feel you are going to need to make the break. As I mentioned, I stop my practice stroke at the cue ball and evaluate what would have happened if I followed through.

Doing this with a hard sweeping stroke may reveal to you some weird results in how you would have hit the shot. :)
 
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What helps me the most now is to pretend that I'm playing 8-ball or 9-ball and must just shoot a normal corner pocket cut that needs 3 rail position. The shot is pretty automatic in 9 ball, but the same angle on a straight pool break suddenly is terrifying. So I just imagine that the cut is routine and I'm gonna watch the cue ball travel several rails for position on an imaginary ball somewhere on the head rail.

I may hit the break shot harder than is needed to get this imagined position, but just the mental trick is enough to help me sink the ball.

I used to be guilty of doing what you said in Shot 2. Now I accept that a high break shot occasionally means clipping the outer ball (in this case the 14). I've always been pretty happy with the results when I hit that ball so I don't see it as a problem.

The point about 'steering' the cue ball into the rack is a very good one. I've seen people try to force it over with body english, with a goofy-looking sideswiping stroke, and with ridiculous amounts of sidespin. It's important for people to understand that if you need the cueball to travel left and hit the rack, putting lots of left english on it doesn't make it go over faster, or with more force, or at a more favorable angle. You're just making the shot harder than it needs to be and not improving the break at all. You also aren't helping it escape the rack. If you want the CB to get into the rack with force and get away from the rack neatly, ot all boils down to how thick you cut the object ball and the fullness of the hit on the rack ball.
 
I can't get these cuetables to load, is anyone else having that problem? It just says they are "decoding." I haven't had any problems with the cuetable in the past, just this thread.:( I installed a flash blocker plugin so that I could view the thread without my computer grinding to a halt after viewing this thread, but they won't even load one at a time.:(

And, on topic, I miss the break ball way too much. When I do make it, I usually get a horrible spread because I'm still a "whack and pray" kind player at 14.1.:)
 
no problems here with cue table. But I've had threads in the past where it's fine one day, then the next I get irritating errors that crash the browser. I think the software has become really flaky. I had to delete and reinstall just to get it working.
 
Bumping up an older thread ...

These days I am STILL missing break shots - mostly because I am not getting the cue ball where I want it. There are times that I have the perfect break shot and I just go up there pound the break ball into the rails like it's cool. Missing these is the difference between high numbers and frustrating mediocrity. Recently I have had a few 70's - ended by trying to power through stack. I think I am going to take a little steam off my break shots for a while and re-evaluate.
 
Great old thread, David. This topic deserves repeating for all of us, and helps us to stay accountable to ourselves for these errors. Thanks for reminding me to stay vigilant :).

- Steve
 
Steve Lipsky said:
Great old thread, David. This topic deserves repeating for all of us, and helps us to stay accountable to ourselves for these errors. Thanks for reminding me to stay vigilant :).

- Steve
Click to expand...

I love the older threads, Steve!

As far as me missing all of these break balls... I believe that the solution to that problem is hidden in the wisdom of George Fels. His words are forever echoing in my mind...

"Perhaps you are hitting balls too hard."

I wish there was more to it than that, but sadly, it really is that simple.
:thud: :thud: :thud:
 
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hehe,

nice thread :)
and i m here with you blackjack and quote also George Fels^^
Just by playing a perfect pocket-speed can help sooooo much, especially in straight-pool...
I m always thinking *WoW* when i see guys like Steve Lipsky is shooting a break-ball with 200mph O_o...- would be too afraid to try this :) very impressive sometimes.

lg
Ingo
 
Ratta said:
hehe,

nice thread :)
and i m here with you blackjack and quote also George Fels^^
Just by playing a perfect pocket-speed can help sooooo much, especially in straight-pool...
I m always thinking *WoW* when i see guys like Steve Lipsky is shooting a break-ball with 200mph O_o...- would be too afraid to try this :) very impressive sometimes.

lg
Ingo
Click to expand...

Ingo,

Most of the time I get away with powering in the break ball and smashing through the stack like a sledgehammer attacking a sugar cube. However, I have noticed that during the final stroke, you will pay dearly for the slightest bit of head movement.

It all goes back to what I have always said - never sacrifice accuracy for power. You can use power, but when you do, only use the level of power that you can control. For most of us, we don't know what that level is - and we usually have our runs end while we are trying to find out.

:)
 
Thanks for revisiting these common break shot errors David. Sometimes we all forget the lessons learned from the past and reminders like these are always welcome.
 
Blackjack said:
Ingo,

Most of the time I get away with powering in the break ball and smashing through the stack like a sledgehammer attacking a sugar cube. However, I have noticed that during the final stroke, you will pay dearly for the slightest bit of head movement.

It all goes back to what I have always said - never sacrifice accuracy for power. You can use power, but when you do, only use the level of power that you can control. For most of us, we don't know what that level is - and we usually have our runs end while we are trying to find out.

:)
Click to expand...

Totally agree-
reached this point also- then i was reading here and there during a research and an older article-the first sentence was " slow down your backswing" , one of the best advices you can give -and this was the key for me at this time. Like Rufus said:Sometimes we just forget about something,

lg
Ingo
 
I think the secret to break shots is to setup for a thin angle and hit them softly (controlled) versus setting up for an "easier" angle and bashing the heck out of them.

Dave
 
I have to spot 90 balls in our 14.1 league so I can't risk missing those break shots. I experimented with just passing them up and playing safe if I can't comfortably reach them or the angle is a little off and it's worked for the last year and a half. The other good players say it's a losing move and it's better to keep your run going, but my experience so far goes against intuition. If the only way you will lose is by spreading the table wide open, then avoiding that at all costs seems to be the most important strategy, especially if you are guaranteed to outmove a player. I will shoot those breaks shots playing even against someone and I just focus on making the ball and shoot it softer than the usual break shots.
 
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