Pros Breaking Style

[Island Drive]

Have you all noticed the usual cue ball track when the pros break?
They often, and most All do it now the same.
Having whitey first hit the side rail (corresponding to the side they break from) and have whitey come back inwards to the rack middle, zig/zagging towards the breaker, working it's way towards the side pocket and table middle.
Have you ever wondered where they are aiming at?
I'm sure many know the cueing applied.
But where do they aim?
I think I figured it out today.

Your thoughts?

 

[decent dennis]

C’mon Bill! Up the info man!

 

[Poolmanis]

Have you all noticed the usual cue ball track when the pros break?
They often, and most All do it now the same.
Having whitey first hit the side rail (corresponding to the side they break from) and have whitey come back inwards to the rack middle, zig/zagging towards the breaker, working it's way towards the side pocket and table middle.
Have you ever wondered where they are aiming at?
I'm sure many know the cueing applied.
But where do they aim?
I think I figured it out today.

Your thoughts?

If you mean Matchroom 9-ball break it is very close to half ball. Just low english. Almost power draw low. Don´t use outside or your scratch % goes up a lot. fast speed.
When you make 1-ball most of time you´re there

 

[straightline]

Have you all noticed the usual cue ball track when the pros break?
They often, and most All do it now the same.
Having whitey first hit the side rail (corresponding to the side they break from) and have whitey come back inwards to the rack middle, zig/zagging towards the breaker, working it's way towards the side pocket and table middle.
Have you ever wondered where they are aiming at?
I'm sure many know the cueing applied.
But where do they aim?
I think I figured it out today.

Your thoughts?

You mean where in the rack you point? You tell us! As little 9 ball as comes up, my take on the cut break is ready?
Cut the 1.
Sometimes I might use an arbitrary degree of outside.

 

[Island Drive]

C’mon Bill! Up the info man!

Ok.... .
And Straight line, if this isn't clear enough, ask me after this read.
I'm better hands on when explaining, tho sometimes I'm clear.

The top pros break is generally an Extreme high speed cue ball, seldom if ever used in rack play, unless your Shaw drawing your ball straight back around table 16' give or take.

When you're breaking from the left side, use left side lower cueing, hitting thru with tip landing on play surface.
Do just the opposite if breaking from the right.

Aim directly at the second ball (your shot line) during your walk up, adjust your shot line as needed.

Your outside cueing and the Extreme cue ball speed naturally ''pushes'' whitey inward, allowing your cue ball track/crack/collision to hit the head ball slightly outward of center.... your cue ball then, with outside spin will hit the long rail, forcing the cue ball to track back towards the shooter/table middle.

bm

 

[BRKNRUN]

Here is another way you can try...(for any table that has an overhead light).....Most people don't even realize that there is a X marks the spot on almost every decent table......No matter where you are breaking from......Look at the reflection of the overhead light on the front ball....no matter where you move it will move with you as center ball.....For a straight on break...aim dead center of the light....For a cut break from the right aim to the right side of the light....from the left (for cut break) aim to the left side of the light.

I always start with a center light break....If nothing goes (wing ball) I start moving toward the edge of the light until the one ball goes in the side.....If the wing balls are going.....You can also use different points on the light to make the 1-ball "miss" the side and go toward the lower corner pocket

 

[straightline]

I've had people explain the reflection method of aiming. I remember getting it a couple times. Made perfect sense in between the fog. Currently on fog.

 

[boogieman]

Aim directly at the second ball

Which second ball? The one on the side you're breaking from or on the opposite side?

 

[Island Drive]

The head ball is the first ball, the ball behind it on the left is the second ball when breaking from the left.
Vise versa when your breaking from the right side.

 

[straightline]

I need to check tomorrow but if you aim at the far second ball you're cutting across the rack to the far long rail.
The Outsville break they all use cuts to the close long rail and back into the money ball.

 

[BRKNRUN]

I've had people explain the reflection method of aiming. I remember getting it a couple times. Made perfect sense in between the fog. Currently on fog.

BTW...you can also use it on a 8-ball (second ball) break...as a reference on any ball used for straight pool or 1-pocket breaks.

I have no idea if any pro players use the light reflection on the ball as a reference for break shots ...if they do they are not telling...(that I know of)...but at least for me it is a very effective and consistent aim reference.

 

[Poolmanis]

If you mean Matchroom 9-ball break it is very close to half ball. Just low english. Almost power draw low. Don´t use outside or your scratch % goes up a lot. fast speed.
When you make 1-ball most of time you´re there

I did cut breaks from my last money match. All except one of these i ran out. 4+5, first 4 our first match ended it. Then we started another to 7 and i gave 5 on wire. I got first break. did not run 1st one and opponent played good safe but i kick ball in and ran 5 more so 6-5 from there

Look where my cue goes compared closest diamond on it and you can find proper cueball position to break. Again it is about half ball with almost power draw, no outside. It is easy to aim too because of it. Just hit those breaks and observe 1 ball and cueball routes from break and it wont take long to learn if you can hit it good amount of time without accidently putting inside or outside.
I have played 3 hour period where i made 1 ball every time. It is pretty easy.

 

[Island Drive]

I need to check tomorrow but if you aim at the far second ball you're cutting across the rack to the far long rail.
The Outsville break they all use cuts to the close long rail and back into the money ball.

Your aim/shot line is at the middle of the second ball.
Your excessive swing speed/combined with outside draw cueing/pushes whitey just left of center of the head ball.
Now an Aramith bar ball, is a whole different deal.
Some cue balls will squirt more than others, it's a developed feel of the table conditions, that will determine your shot line/cue ball squirt.
Practice will tell you

I did cut breaks from my last money match. All except one of these i ran out. 4+5, first 4 our first match ended it. Then we started another to 7 and i gave 5 on wire. I got first break. did not run 1st one and opponent played good safe but i kick ball in and ran 5 more so 6-5 from there

Look where my cue goes compared closest diamond on it and you can find proper cueball position to break. Again it is about half ball with almost power draw, no outside. It is easy to aim too because of it. Just hit those breaks and observe 1 ball and cueball routes from break and it wont take long to learn if you can hit it good amount of time without accidently putting inside or outside.
I have played 3 hour period where i made 1 ball every time. It is pretty easy.

Nice cueing.
I noticed you have allot more draw coming off the head ball, than many other top pros.
No outside squirt draw, which gave you allot more draw off the first long rail.
The top players with their cueing seem to be more prone to come across and hit the 9 ball, your cue ball zig/zags coming up table more.
Your cue ball tho seems allot less prone to a side pocket scratch because of it's track off the second long rail.

Thx for your video

bm

 

[Cue Alchemist]

Remember long ago, the whole point of the break. Was to control your white. Now a days, with this style of break, loosing the cue ball seems to be a bigger issue than before.
We saw that an awful lot in the mosconi.

 

[Island Drive]

Poolmanis....​

Thx for discussing this.
I find this allot more interesting to talk about than the Cut Break, which I think Corey implemented years ago.
Your video zig/zag break is a form of cut break but has more forward cue ball momentum effecting the ball set than a light hit Corey cut break.

The top pros horizontal cue ball zig/zag has Less up table movement than your video.

The forward cue ball speed break shot/as it collides with the head ball, from the centered head string breaking area/left or right side, has more impact force/stunning cue ball effect as it hits the head ball, like Kaci, who to me has Thee most powerful straight thru swing I've seen, other than Shaw.
Therefore, they are getting more ''ball/breaking/action'' due to slightly better/Fuller, forward cue ball movement with not as much full hit draw as in your video.

bm

 

[WobblyStroke]

Your aim/shot line is at the middle of the second ball.
Your excessive swing speed/combined with outside draw cueing/pushes whitey just left of center of the head ball.
Now an Aramith bar ball, is a whole different deal.
Some cue balls will squirt more than others, it's a developed feel of the table conditions, that will determine your shot line/cue ball squirt.
Practice will tell you

Nice cueing.
I noticed you have allot more draw coming off the head ball, than many other top pros.
No outside squirt draw, which gave you allot more draw off the first long rail.
The top players with their cueing seem to be more prone to come across and hit the 9 ball, your cue ball zig/zags coming up table more.
Your cue ball tho seems allot less prone to a side pocket scratch because of it's track off the second long rail.

Thx for your video

bm

The extra draw could just be the difference between a new cloth trny table and a regular poolhall table. On the slick TV tables, the ball will slide more as it takes a bit for the spin to grab.

 

[Island Drive]

Maybe, but with new cloth, a spinning cue ball, when it grabs it's like a second gear, which is what I'm not seeing with top pros zig/zag cue ball, it's more of a gradual lateral back/forth movement, like a kill shot with l/h or r/h spin coming into play after rail contact.

 

[Poolmanis]

Maybe, but with new cloth, a spinning cue ball, when it grabs it's like a second gear, which is what I'm not seeing with top pros zig/zag cue ball, it's more of a gradual lateral back/forth movement, like a kill shot with l/h or r/h spin coming into play after rail contact.

They probably have little less draw on cueball. I made notice when lil Ko played that perfect semi he was cutting ball hair thinner than me. My personal experience is then(less draw, maybe touch outside) you more often hit below 9 and even if you won't hit it you get snookered way more often on lowest ball.

 

[Island Drive]

Thx, yep touch of outside which has to push whitey inward (towards the one ball) and bring c/b back off the long rail to table middle, thx again.

bm

 

[Clusterbuster]

Here is another way you can try...(for any table that has an overhead light).....Most people don't even realize that there is a X marks the spot on almost every decent table......No matter where you are breaking from......Look at the reflection of the overhead light on the front ball....no matter where you move it will move with you as center ball.....For a straight on break...aim dead center of the light....For a cut break from the right aim to the right side of the light....from the left (for cut break) aim to the left side of the light.

I always start with a center light break....If nothing goes (wing ball) I start moving toward the edge of the light until the one ball goes in the side.....If the wing balls are going.....You can also use different points on the light to make the 1-ball "miss" the side and go toward the lower corner pocket

Can this technique be modified or adapted to the different kind of reflection you get from a perimeter light?