Power breaking

tedkaufman

tedkaufman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My break, in a word, sucks. I don't get nearly the speed I should, nor do I hit the balls consistently solid.

I'm a very experienced player, but never paid much attention to breaking because for years I mostly played 14.1. When I did play 9-ball or 8-ball I could hold my own with most because I control the cueball well and would run out when I got a shot.

But I'm frustrated since playing more breaking games that my sorry break turns the table over to my opponent too often, whereby he either ties me up with an easy safe or runs out.

Can anyone offer advice to generate more power and more consistently solid contact on the break? Do powerful breakers alter their stance for breaking? What's the secret?
 
Howdy Ted
I have been using Fast Larry's advice on Breaking.
Don't do what the Pros do ie break from the side rail. This takes such a groved stroke a slight error and you lose the CB.
For nine ball place the CB between the center diamond and next dimond I move it up to just behind the head string on that angle between the dimonds. (I hope this makes sence) Your choice left of right I alternate. You do NOT want to hit them as Hard as you can leave 20% in your back pocket. The Key is a full contact hit!!! I use 1/2 cue tip low center This will draw the CB slightly if purfect to the center of the table. If not perfect draw the CB to the head rail and maybe off it but thats OK you are still in the center. Now watch your one ball come with the CB for a nice shot at the upper end of the table. Thats good if you make one right I have have lots of luck with a GOOD Rack pocketing the wing balls in the lower corners and getting the nine rolling. Now start incresing the the speed of your stroke focus on speed not power. If you feel your bicep really flexing thats going for power try to keep your arm limber and lose go for the quick draw not the power lift. Last week this was working from both the left and right really well I was making balls on every break and I was lucky enough to roll the nine toward the lower cornners for a couple of quick combos!
Good luck I hope it works for you too.
Oh one other tip I use a phnolic (sic) tip on my break cue that adds a lot!!!
 
I think the most important part of a solid break is to hit the head ball square and to Follow Thru. All of the guys have seen that have a monster break have the same extreme follow thru.
 
One thing that's helped my break of late is to not just try and SLAM the cue ball into the rack - stroke through more. Find a good balance between power and stroke-through. I used to just go POW and hit it as hard as I could - but of course the harder you hit, the more chance you're throwing your arm off course.

Reducing the power I use, and consciously following through (to the point of leaving the end of the shaft out on the table a bit after striking the cue ball) has vastly improved my break, as far as spread goes - far more balls make it back down to my end of the table than used to. I still don't sink a ball on a break as often as I'd like, though. :D

(Heh - I was writing the above before Grinder's post popped up. Twisted minds think alike. :D)
 
tedkaufman said:
My break, in a word, sucks. I don't get nearly the speed I should, nor do I hit the balls consistently solid.

I'm a very experienced player, but never paid much attention to breaking because for years I mostly played 14.1. When I did play 9-ball or 8-ball I could hold my own with most because I control the cueball well and would run out when I got a shot.

But I'm frustrated since playing more breaking games that my sorry break turns the table over to my opponent too often, whereby he either ties me up with an easy safe or runs out.

Can anyone offer advice to generate more power and more consistently solid contact on the break? Do powerful breakers alter their stance for breaking? What's the secret?
Click to expand...
I believe the single most effective way to increase break speed significantly, in an easy and controllable way is through practicing the wrist flick.

Basically, to do this you need to relax the wrist, let it flex back on a slowish (not fast) backswing, and don't rush to tense - flick the wrist until it feels like you're almost about to hit the CB.

Once you work out the timing, you'll feel the wrist and cue accellerate rapidly through the delivery phase, adding 20-30% speed to what is possible with the tense locked wrist that many players wrongly adapt when trying to create speed.

Hit 50 shots like this working on the timing of when to relax and when to flick. You'll feel it when you time it right. Then improve upon this timing through more practice and refinement and you'll soon discover what's called neuro-muscular adaptation. That means the nerves activating muscle fiber contractions become more efficient in their order of firing. Hence continual speed increases.

This is why some little guys can hit with so much power!

Good luck and please report the results of trying this.
Colin
 
tedkaufman said:
My break, in a word, sucks. I don't get nearly the speed I should, nor do I hit the balls consistently solid.

I'm a very experienced player, but never paid much attention to breaking because for years I mostly played 14.1. When I did play 9-ball or 8-ball I could hold my own with most because I control the cueball well and would run out when I got a shot.

But I'm frustrated since playing more breaking games that my sorry break turns the table over to my opponent too often, whereby he either ties me up with an easy safe or runs out.

Can anyone offer advice to generate more power and more consistently solid contact on the break? Do powerful breakers alter their stance for breaking? What's the secret?
Click to expand...

For nine ball, get Joe Tuckers DVD, it will help alot, even with a weaker break. Other than that, if your going to use a bridge on the table, make it a little higher to simulate a rail bridge. Choke up a little on the cue. Do your warm ups and pause at the cue ball. Then draw back, at the end of that draw, gently pull your hip back just a little maybe 1-3 inches. Break the balls and follow through. If you get the timing down, it will up the speed of the break.

Also find a good solid stick like a house cue with a flatter tip, or a good break cue I have a BK.

Pete
 
Thank you all for your advice. I'm going to visit the pool room later and work on some of your suggestions. I'll report and likely have more questions as I delve into this problem.
 
tedkaufman said:
Can anyone offer advice to generate more power and more consistently solid contact on the break?
Click to expand...

If you haven't read the Bustamante breaking article, you should.

Also check out this post by Colin Colenso:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=239129&postcount=17

Take whatever will work for you, as far as power goes. Bustamante uses three or four things.

At the Derby City, I watched intensely some of the hardest breakers. The timing and coordination is something that if it's not natural, it would take some work. Again, add a few things at a time, and it could work wonders.

Elbow

There are two distinct power breaks that I've seen: Elbow Drop and Elbow Rise.

Elbow Drop Breakers: most hard breakers. For pros, this might include Bustamante, Sigel, Strickland, etc.

Elbow Rise Breakers: Archer, Breedlove, Lil John, Sparky Ferrule, Sarah Rousey.

In either case, the elbow drops, but since the Risers rise, the tip dips down on the back stroke, and shoots up on the final stroke. So, Elbow Risers aim at the center or a hair high on their setup.

For Droppers, most will aim low. Really low. Some aim right to the base of the ball or lower. Since they do this, and they get good contact, I assume the elbow is dropping before the tip contacts the ball.

Tip

Most of the hard breakers seem to be able to take that tip all the way to the bridge loop, often actually passing through it. This ensures the longest travel to get up to higher speed, without having to bully the stroke.

Backswing/Pause

I notice that most hard breakers take the final backswing relatively slowly, like they're drawing a bow. Players like Sarah will actually pull it back to the loop and almost freeze with her raised elbow high in the air. Archer also freezes with the elbow higher, but not nearly as high as Sarah's nor for as long a time.

Hips
There is definitely something to be said about rocking your hips back slowly on your final backswing and then leading with the hips on the final stroke before you start the forward swing. Pagulayan is a good example of this. On video, this might cause you to think he's pausing his stroke because the stick stop at the full back position while his hips start their move forward. This is probably the most difficult timing transition. The hip lead is part of the aforementioned freeze.

Follow Through

A lot of today's breakers follow through by letting go of the bridge hand, and bring the cue forward past the center of the table (if they can reach). I don't know if this really helps, but the act of following through helps to not check up your stroke. I still follow through to the table like Sigel, but not so pronounced.

So, even if you do any of the above in small controlled doses, rather than the wild lunge like Breedlove or Sarah, it will add power.

Whatever you do, if you find the cueball going forward after hitting the rack, either lowering your tip at address, or raising your elbow during the backswing can prove helpful.



Fred
 
Cornerman said:
If you haven't read the Bustamante breaking article, you should.

Also check out this post by Colin Colenso:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=239129&postcount=17

Take whatever will work for you, as far as power goes. Bustamante uses three or four things.

At the Derby City, I watched intensely some of the hardest breakers. The timing and coordination is something that if it's not natural, it would take some work. Again, add a few things at a time, and it could work wonders.

Elbow

There are two distinct power breaks that I've seen: Elbow Drop and Elbow Rise.

Elbow Drop Breakers: most hard breakers. For pros, this might include Bustamante, Sigel, Strickland, etc.

Elbow Rise Breakers: Archer, Breedlove, Lil John, Sparky Ferrule, Sarah Rousey.

In either case, the elbow drops, but since the Risers rise, the tip dips down on the back stroke, and shoots up on the final stroke. So, Elbow Risers aim at the center or a hair high on their setup.

For Droppers, most will aim low. Really low. Some aim right to the base of the ball or lower. Since they do this, and they get good contact, I assume the elbow is dropping before the tip contacts the ball.

Tip

Most of the hard breakers seem to be able to take that tip all the way to the bridge loop, often actually passing through it. This ensures the longest travel to get up to higher speed, without having to bully the stroke.

Backswing/Pause

I notice that most hard breakers take the final backswing relatively slowly, like they're drawing a bow. Players like Sarah will actually pull it back to the loop and almost freeze with her raised elbow high in the air. Archer also freezes with the elbow higher, but not nearly as high as Sarah's nor for as long a time.

Hips
There is definitely something to be said about rocking your hips back slowly on your final backswing and then leading with the hips on the final stroke before you start the forward swing. Pagulayan is a good example of this. On video, this might cause you to think he's pausing his stroke because the stick stop at the full back position while his hips start their move forward. This is probably the most difficult timing transition. The hip lead is part of the aforementioned freeze.

Follow Through

A lot of today's breakers follow through by letting go of the bridge hand, and bring the cue forward past the center of the table (if they can reach). I don't know if this really helps, but the act of following through helps to not check up your stroke. I still follow through to the table like Sigel, but not so pronounced.

So, even if you do any of the above in small controlled doses, rather than the wild lunge like Breedlove or Sarah, it will add power.

Whatever you do, if you find the cueball going forward after hitting the rack, either lowering your tip at address, or raising your elbow during the backswing can prove helpful.

Fred
Click to expand...
Hey Fred,

Although I consider myself to have an adequate break, I tried a few of these recommendations at the pool room last night.

I consider myself an "elbow drop" breaker, but since I feel that Archer has the best break in pool, and I admire Sarah's power, I decided to try the "elbow rise" method.

The results were noticeable. There was noticeably more power on my break shot. The elbow rise method made me feel more "cocked" and ready to explode. And the "tip to the bridge loop" also seemed to add more speed to the break. I have always paused slightly at the end of the final back stroke, but I exaggerated this a little more, too. I didn't worry about changing my hip position, and I have always followed through past the side pocket.

There were the expected pitfalls. Pulling the shaft all the way to the bridgeloop, more pause, and changing the elbow position cause less accuracy, and I scratched and jumped the table more. But I could tell that there was quite a bit more power in my break shot than before. I think with practice, I will incorporate some (if not all) of these changes into my break shot. Any break help can only win more games and matches.

Mike
 
I've always been known for having a powerful break. I notice I had no control on the CB afterwards. I switched to using a really light break cue and started breaking with less power to get accuracy and drop the rock center table. Leaving the CB center table is the overall best place to start shooting your run from. I've seen too many players drop 2-3 balls on the break and have nothing on the 1 ball. I always aim for center ball on the cue, and try hit the 1 ball as square as possible. I honestly don't think follow through on the break really helps though. To me following through on a shot is a must, but a break will only sacrifice control. I'd rather have a very accurate snap break where my CB ends center table and I still drop 2 balls. No matter where you break from, one thing always stays the same...hitting the 1 ball a square as possible and you'll drop a ball. Good Luck!
 
i just got some great advice that has tremendously improved my break. snap the wrist. It is the same wrist action you use for a forehand in racquetball/tennis. if you haven't played that before well sorry. but i loosened my wrist moved feet a little bit closer, got my chin off the cue, and snap the wrist. i noticed a more consistent pop, and a lot more power. now i just need to work on keeping the cue ball center table.
 
Quick tip for speed

1: Relative lose grip, and lose arm, tight muscles kill speed.
2: PRACTICE.
3: Try gripping further back on the cue
4: Plant the bridge hand and close that grip
5: Adjust the distance that your bridge is from the cue ball 13-15 inches
6: PRACTICE
7: Stay down and through; don't want to rise up until the cue is impacting the cue ball
8: PRACTICE
9: Try to imagine a straight line that runs through the center of the 1 ball along the cue and your elbow, cue, are in line with this, and it bisects your head. (Nice to have things in a line for consistency)
10: PRACTICE (break, and rack, break, and rack) you need to find that happy place with bridge distance, and tension in your stroke arm.
11: Realize that no matter how hard you smash the rack, it isn't really that fast. I hit in the very low 20MPH range and it sounds and looks like a cannon went off.
12: Work on hitting the 1 as dead ass flush as you can,
13: Try these techniques, begin working on the full hit, and then start working on speed.
14: PRACTICE
15: Be patient, you'll get it.
:)
 
I break the balls pretty dang hard and I got some tips. First thing is to have the bridge arm bent so you can rock back. Next is to keep your breaking arm in a bent position while you rock back and then move forward with your body and then bring your swing through. The follow through (complete extension) can give you a few extra miles per hour but I lose most of my accuracy that way. You always want to have some follow through but not to the point where you are pointing at the door with your cue. And also very important, I try to get down as low as possible to visually get my tip as close to the center of the cue ball as possible. I also lift up when I am pushing through the cue ball. This takes practice, some more than others, but when it all comes together you will be breakin nicely. It is a good feeling banging the break as hard as you can and having the cue stop in the center. But be careful because sometimes I hit a break so hard it hurts my body haha. Oh and try imagining that the 1 ball is someone you hate and get mad before you break that helps as well. And another thing dont just go and throw out the balls and run them rack the balls and break them everytime practice is most important if you dont already. Hope that helped a little.........
 
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i had settled into what was a pretty decent break for me. Not breaking off the rail, staying down in my stance with good follow thru, basically just a faster more powerful version of my stroke i use now with an exaggerated follow thru. I can usually get a ball on the break and pretty good cueball control, but i swear that article on Busta got me wanting to go back to the old days where id drop 2 or 3 easy. im in my busy tax season so ive only gotten to play once since i read that article, but i was doing some of the things he talked about and durn if i wasnt making 2 and 3 on the break every time, but my cueball control sucked. Soon as april 15th passes im takin that article with me and hiring somebody to rack for me and work this out. If i could get a power break dialed in where im making 2, 3, 4 balls, hell i might could get past my best run(5pack).
 
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