DrCue'sProtege said:
i noticed it seemed like all the women are hitting the break shot a lot harder this year in Peoria. however, as i recall i didnt see alot of break and runouts though?
last year some didnt seem to hit them as hard, i dunno, maybe it was just me. Allison was hitting the break a lot harder, and yes, Sarah's break seemed real strong too during her match with Maureen Seto.
what did some of you others think?
DCP
I noticed it, too, DCP. I thought Fisher broke the balls better than she ever has, especially in the final.
As has been noted, the Sardo rack, last used in WPBA play in the 2002 season, had many women changing their breaks. The Sardo rack made it easier to make a ball (other than the nine, of course, which was tougher to make) without high speed, so the cue ball could be controlled with greater reliability. A few, most notably Karen Corr (and in men's pool, Corey Deuel), were willing to spread out the balls a little less in exchange for greater certainty of gaining control of the table, and their results say they made the right adjustment.
The Brunswick rack now in use in WPBA play certainly has brought the hard break into full vogue again, but that's only part of why the women are breaking harder. A lot of it has to do with good old fashioned hard work.
The women of the WPBA have worked hard on their breaks. Looking back five years or so, it seemed that Helena Thornfeldt, Tiffany Nelson, and Jennifer Chen had the only really powerful breaks on the WPBA. Credit the rest of the women for closing the gap considerably. By the way, hope you got to see Ga Young Kim beak the balls --- power to burn.
The women used to break the balls about 25% softer than the men, and the gap has probably been reduced to about 15%. At least part of the explanation is that, thanks to the expansion of WPBA fields to 64 and the associated growth in the women's regional tour qualifying system, the WPBA tour has gotten a little younger. More young women are getting their shot at WPBA play than ever before.
The women still don't spread the balls the way the men do, and this explains why so many more WPBA racks require defense and kicking than in men's pool. I don't see that changing anytime soon, but like you, DCP, I give the ladies a lot of credit for the fact that they are imporving their breaks and working hard at their games.
God bless the women of the WPBA tour, every one.
