Patrick's recent thread got me thinking about its converse; forgetting about cueball positioning for a moment, let's take a close look at the sometimes enormous difference in break yields between two similarly placed break balls.
Interestingly, these differences seem to rear their heads on the less conventional break balls. And this is certainly one of the reasons that the standard side-rack break shot is often the most preferred. While minute differences in the positions of side-rack break shots will affect the break yield, there are usually good results to be had if you hit either variation correctly. Not so on many of these shots.
The shots below are some examples where the results can vary widely by moving the object ball just a few inches.
Shot 1:
The above example is one of the most dramatic. Though the 1 and the 7, at first glance, look similar, in actuality they are drastically different. The 7 is actually almost unusable. (Not entirely, you can still maneuver a break shot out of it by drawing off the rail, but it's a difficult shot and the results are usually sketchy because you have to take some speed off to let the draw take. Positional zone is also much smaller.)
Contrarily, the 1 is a beautiful break shot. It's very easy to play position on, since it's close to the rail, and you can be almost anywhere on that rail and still get into the rack with ease. If you don't believe the break yield on this shot is enormous, I implore you to try it several times. It's really a hanger and this shot should not be overlooked. I put this shot firmly in the second-tier class of breakshots. But remember to take a good look at the exact positioning of this ball, to make sure it's more like the 1 than the 7.
(Interestingly, if these shots were on the other side of the table - the rack side - their utility gets reversed. The 7 becomes the one to use, and the 1 is an impossibility. However, this breakshot is so poor it would probably not even be in the third-tier. It's really garbage, and you should avoid it.)
Shot 2:
In this layout, which is better? The 1 or the 7? Again, we are dealing with one beautiful breakball and one which should really be avoided. In this case, the 7 is the one to use, because you can slam it in the side and go one direct rail into the heart of the pack. This is probably the best-yielding breakshot in all of straight pool; it simply must be seen to appreciate it. Remember - NO TOPSPIN on this shot. The cueball will bend right around the rack if you use topspin. Depending on the exact angle of positioning you achieve, either use draw or stun. You'll get the feel. There is a great chance after this shot that no two balls will be touching.
The 1 is too far out from the pocket to use effectively in this manner, and therefore must be played for to go two rails and into the 4/5. This requires some level of precision and results are often poor regardless.
In terms of which tier I'd consider these breakshots: the 1 is third-tier, and the 7 is first-tier. This is the truth - I'd play the 7 all the time if I could - the only problem is, of course, that balls don't often end up in that "sweet spot" that works perfectly like this.
Shot 3:
I've spoken about this one before, so I won't elaborate too much. And yes, I know these balls are on top of each other
It's done to show how important very minute differences in ball position below the rack are. The 7 isn't bad so much as it basically requires you to go 3 rails with inside english. This should be avoided if possible. The 1 can (should) be played with outside english, going only one rail towards the center of the table.
I am assuming both of these balls will be played in the upper left corner, by the way. I know some very accomplished players on this board play for the short side on these shots - I will not argue with them, I will simply say that I can't seem to consistently get good results from the short side.
Anyway, I hope this thread gets everyone to pay very close attention to exactly where their break ball lies on the more unconventional shots. There are a few more of these, so I will try to post them later.
- Steve
Interestingly, these differences seem to rear their heads on the less conventional break balls. And this is certainly one of the reasons that the standard side-rack break shot is often the most preferred. While minute differences in the positions of side-rack break shots will affect the break yield, there are usually good results to be had if you hit either variation correctly. Not so on many of these shots.
The shots below are some examples where the results can vary widely by moving the object ball just a few inches.
Shot 1:
The above example is one of the most dramatic. Though the 1 and the 7, at first glance, look similar, in actuality they are drastically different. The 7 is actually almost unusable. (Not entirely, you can still maneuver a break shot out of it by drawing off the rail, but it's a difficult shot and the results are usually sketchy because you have to take some speed off to let the draw take. Positional zone is also much smaller.)
Contrarily, the 1 is a beautiful break shot. It's very easy to play position on, since it's close to the rail, and you can be almost anywhere on that rail and still get into the rack with ease. If you don't believe the break yield on this shot is enormous, I implore you to try it several times. It's really a hanger and this shot should not be overlooked. I put this shot firmly in the second-tier class of breakshots. But remember to take a good look at the exact positioning of this ball, to make sure it's more like the 1 than the 7.
(Interestingly, if these shots were on the other side of the table - the rack side - their utility gets reversed. The 7 becomes the one to use, and the 1 is an impossibility. However, this breakshot is so poor it would probably not even be in the third-tier. It's really garbage, and you should avoid it.)
Shot 2:
In this layout, which is better? The 1 or the 7? Again, we are dealing with one beautiful breakball and one which should really be avoided. In this case, the 7 is the one to use, because you can slam it in the side and go one direct rail into the heart of the pack. This is probably the best-yielding breakshot in all of straight pool; it simply must be seen to appreciate it. Remember - NO TOPSPIN on this shot. The cueball will bend right around the rack if you use topspin. Depending on the exact angle of positioning you achieve, either use draw or stun. You'll get the feel. There is a great chance after this shot that no two balls will be touching.
The 1 is too far out from the pocket to use effectively in this manner, and therefore must be played for to go two rails and into the 4/5. This requires some level of precision and results are often poor regardless.
In terms of which tier I'd consider these breakshots: the 1 is third-tier, and the 7 is first-tier. This is the truth - I'd play the 7 all the time if I could - the only problem is, of course, that balls don't often end up in that "sweet spot" that works perfectly like this.
Shot 3:
I've spoken about this one before, so I won't elaborate too much. And yes, I know these balls are on top of each other
It's done to show how important very minute differences in ball position below the rack are. The 7 isn't bad so much as it basically requires you to go 3 rails with inside english. This should be avoided if possible. The 1 can (should) be played with outside english, going only one rail towards the center of the table.I am assuming both of these balls will be played in the upper left corner, by the way. I know some very accomplished players on this board play for the short side on these shots - I will not argue with them, I will simply say that I can't seem to consistently get good results from the short side.
Anyway, I hope this thread gets everyone to pay very close attention to exactly where their break ball lies on the more unconventional shots. There are a few more of these, so I will try to post them later.
- Steve
