need some help with my break

dcb1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been working on my break lately and have it where I'm hitting it pretty solid and I'm pocketing balls but my cue ball is all over the place. What are some tips to getting the cb to stop in the middle of the table?

I'm aiming at the head ball for a full hit. Should I be hitting the cb dead center or a bit above or below center? Any tips would be greatly appreciated. My speed is around 21 mph. I know someone who really knows what they are doing can get the speed over 25mph, but for me the speed is fine...just looking for some cb control.

Thanks.
 
The first key is hitting the head ball at the horizontal center. If the cue ball goes to the right or left after hitting the rack, then you are hitting to right or left of the center of the headball respectively.

If the cue ball goes forward after contact, you are hitting it with too much follow, if the cue ball comes back to far, too much draw. All of this is dependent upon the speed of your stroke, so it is going to require a lot of work on your part to dial this in. Where you need to hit the cueball on the vertical axis depends upon what the cueball does after contact with the rack.

I would start at the center of the cueball first then adjust.

Accuracy is key on the break shot, and it is one of the shots where I don't look at the OB last, I look at the cueball last, to help me make sure I am hitting it in the exact spot I intend.

When practicing the break, use a cueball with a dot, or use a striped ball as the cueball, this way you can align it up with some reference points, and after breaking look for the chalk mark on the ball so you can determine if you are hitting the ball where you intended.

Hope this helps.
 
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If the cueball runs wild, you probably didnt hit the head ball squarely enough. A little above or below center works well for most players(or anywhere in between). Too much follow and you burrow towards the pack. Too much draw and you draw down table, maybe even back up again. Too much of either one, and bad things can happen.
 
I find that if I hit the cue ball a little below center (no sidespin) and use a really good follow through, this helps me a lot to squat the cue ball around the middle of the table. A good follow through seems to make the biggest difference for me.

Go to youtube. Watch the pros and study the techniques they use on their break shots.
 
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