“Up table playing combos” beats scratching. “Stuck to the pack” suggests inadequate draw (happens to me often when contact is between the one & four, and the rack is less than perfectly tight).I hit it with high left and end up uptable playing combinations.
I hit it with draw and either am stuck in the pack or uptable often playing combinations.
This just always has been a problem break for me. I think it looks ideal but my results stink.
Actually having second thoughts re: using ‘follow’. While the more acute angle break largely eliminates scratching in the corner, I’ve noticed a CB following thru the pack sometimes gets kicked into the side. So, drawing off into center table (and away from the resulting melee) might be more beneficial (?).“Up table playing combos” beats scratching. “Stuck to the pack” suggests inadequate draw (happens to me often when contact is between the one & four, and the rack is less than perfectly tight).
“Ideal” break position: Shaw’s record run indicates a more acute angle works better, since the scratch is so unlikely, you can safely slam the pack with follow regardless of the target point (his template racking system especially eliminated the “stuck” issue).
Not a sharp enough angle to hit high, this angle needs a draw stroke.I hit this with high right and all to often go straight thru to the corner. What is a better way?
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So the overhead should allow anyone to set this up , if you use draw where do you want to contact the stack?Not a sharp enough angle to hit high, this angle needs a draw stroke.
Top right might leave the CB against the bottom of the pack. I like top left, which usually goes two rails back to center table before the pack can spread/interfere.You can't tell much about the angle by any of your pics. Take a pic from the top of the table that includes the CB, the left side pocket, the entire rack and the left bottom pocket. Off hand, from what I can see, I'd probably shoot this with top right. If you do that and scratch in the bottom left then you're most likely not hitting the shot hard enough and/or not generating good topspin.
Hi. You should consider hitting this with draw instead. The shot is right on the border of the balls being perpendicular to the rail, and I would consider this to be in "draw" territory.I hit this with high right and all to often go straight thru to the corner. What is a better way?
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The simple fact is that most players are not as confident in their pocketing on a break shot like this using inside spin as opposed to outside or center ball. Obviously making the shot takes precedence.Top right might leave the CB against the bottom of the pack. I like top left, which usually goes two rails back to center table before the pack can spread/interfere.
Topspin won’t help anyway if you hit the rack hard at the wrong spot (you’ll be in the corner pocket before the CB stops sliding). The breakshot seems more ‘art’ than ‘science’, as there are a myriad # of things to consider when deciding how to approach it: If the tangent line/contact point looks like a dead scratch, a softer break can better allow time for english to steer (especially if the balls are clean/polished). Choice of new contact point will often determine whether to use draw or follow. If clean balls are racked tight, soft/draw is usually safer when the tangent line/point is iffy. If it’s naturally high on the OB, then the CB is temporarily stunned with a hard break, and follow will take & beat the scratch.
Which is why it’s likely better to leave yourself a steeper cut angle on the breakshot. You don’t have to overhit it for the same spread action and use any side english (or risk the corner scratch). Shaw’s record run was a real ‘eye opener’ in that respect (though the template racking system IS rather deceiving, in that the CB never seems to end up stuck in the pack). With the OP’s photo leave though, I always have to resist the temptation to overhit the shot (for max. spread), since I too often thus end up missing.The simple fact is that most players are not as confident in their pocketing on a break shot like this using inside spin as opposed to outside or center ball. Obviously making the shot takes precedence.
Me, too. Ray Martin often played this shot that way.Hit it with low right between the 1 and 5 and draw it back to mid table.