Power Breaking Instructional Video - By Request.

[PoolSharkAllen]

What I found is tiring is the constant intense concentration. Trying to find the best patterns and decide clearly on shot execution so intensely, trying not to make any lazy errors.

For someone like Efren who knows the game so well and is so used to tournament play, it probably just feels like any other day. He's been switched on so long he hardly ever goes off.
Colin

Colin,
Did you ever buy Capelle's book, "Play your best 8-ball"? Are you getting any benefit from his book?

In watching the various IPT tournaments on tv, I've noticed that Efren isn't the best 8-ball breaker. However, Efren compensates for not being the best breaker by having superb cue ball control in getting whitey to move around the table to where he wants it to go. Efren also has superior cluster-busting skills which allows him to keep his run going.

If you're not already doing this, I would watch the televised 8-ball matches that Efren plays in. And watch the Bustamante, Hohmann and Manalo matches too. These are the best players in 8-ball so one can learn a lot by watching them play.

 

[Jal]

Hi Jal,
No time to read the article right now, but I think your summary is accurate from my memory. I simplified things a bit. Obviously as a muscle approaches full contraction, it loses the ability to accellerate the limbs or connection points towards each other.

So there is an intermediate point at which a muscle can most forcefully accellerate the two connection points toward each other. This will depend on the particular angles of limbs and the attachments of the tendons relative to their distance to the pivoting point. It gets very complex as I'm sure you can imagine.

But the general explaination that moving the hand up the cue, so as to reduce the length of the pectoral and front deltoid muscles, does place those muscles into a length of contraction that allows greater contractive force, and hence greater accelleration.

Very astute observation. I'll see if I can find a better way of explaining it so that it is both accurate and easily comprehended.

Colin

As the responses prove, you did a superb job of explaining it in the video. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about moving the grip hand forward, since I can get more draw (cue speed) by moving my hand back. But you also explained this in your next post (which has the diagram of the actin/myosin) by noting the difference between the normal shooting position (bicep) versus power break position (pecs and delts) .

Thanks once again Colin. My cup runneth over. (But keep it coming if you're so disposed.)

Jim

 

[DougT]

Thanks, Colin, that is an awesome video.
Rep points to you!

 

[Colin Colenso]

Colin,
Did you ever buy Capelle's book, "Play your best 8-ball"? Are you getting any benefit from his book?

In watching the various IPT tournaments on tv, I've noticed that Efren isn't the best 8-ball breaker. However, Efren compensates for not being the best breaker by having superb cue ball control in getting whitey to move around the table to where he wants it to go. Efren also has superior cluster-busting skills which allows him to keep his run going.

If you're not already doing this, I would watch the televised 8-ball matches that Efren plays in. And watch the Bustamante, Hohmann and Manalo matches too. These are the best players in 8-ball so one can learn a lot by watching them play.

Hi PSA,
Unfortunately I still haven't got Capelle's book. From China, getting funds into my Australian credit card account is quite difficult, so I am hesitant to use it at this stage, as it's kind of an emergency fund if I need it when travelling to the US. I very much want to get Capelle's books and some videos and other things. Will probably do that soon when I sort out how to transfer my finances. I will probably be leaving China soon to return to Australia and will sort things out with the move.

Yes I've watched a lot of games and worked on the patterns, shot choices a lot and this part of my game has improved. My english 8-ball background helps a lot but it still took me a while to get my 8-ball brain working clearly after years of not playing regular competition.

By far my biggest obstacle is not feeling totally in control if the US cue ball on some shots, but that's just hard work and time to fix I figure. Also, my eyes aren't what they once were, so I tend not to see the line as easily as I imagine I once did. A seed of doubt in making some pots makes for the odd missed pot and positional error. At this level one or two extra unforced errors during a match can make the difference.

At Reno I wet broke legally about 70% with 31.25% BRO, so my conversion was only around 40% compared with the top echelon players who converted at 60-70% it appears.

These are conversion figures that a lot of guys here can do in practice, but it can be quite another thing to pull out high stats in a big tourney where every game is counted and there are other things on your mind. Quite a few known good players actually had pretty ordinary stats. My BRO% actually ranked around no.50 out of 200 players in that stat. Unfortunately, 3 guys in my group played strong enough to make it into the last 50 of the tourney, (with 40 groups playing in round 1 that is a bit of an anomaly), so with hindsight I had one of the toughest groups in round 1 it seems

I think I've got most the knowledge and skills in place to be competitive. It just needs some fine tuning and maybe a few more good tournaments and wins under my belt would help that happen. I'm still in warm up mode

Colin

 

[Solartje]

A seed of doubt in making some pots makes for the odd missed pot and positional error. Colin

and removing the doubt remember colin, pool is easy dont make it harder then it is. at your level its all about the brain, not the stroke anymore.

says the B player

 

[Colin Colenso]

and removing the doubt remember colin, pool is easy dont make it harder then it is. at your level its all about the brain, not the stroke anymore.

says the B player

If it were easy everyone would be a top 30 player, which of course has an internal contradiction

Clearly it takes some pretty hard work and or special abilities to play with the consistancy of the elite players.

Colin

 

[Colin Colenso]

The 4th Power Factor I forgot to mention in the Video!!

I put this video together after taking notes for about 5 minutes.

In my haste I neglected to mention another aspect of developing power that can be quite significant. And it's something I suspect most have never considered.

The Centrifical Force Effect

When the arm is swinging, its accelleration forward can be increased by pulling at 90 degrees from this movement. In other words, lifting the arm toward the sky.

Now if we pull the hand up too quick we'd just shorten our lever, but if our whole body and shoulder is driven upward then that force helps to accellerate the arm forward.

In hammer throw the throwers create accelleration by pulling backward on the weight as it spins. It is the same concept here.

This is probably a significant reason why I can get my biggest hits when I jump into the air powerfully. Though this explosive movement also adds to the eccentric contraction of the shoulder.

Colin