Random ball colliding with the cue ball during the break

B

B.Carson

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is there anything that can be done about this or is it just bad luck?

The qball getting knocked around after I parked it in the center of the table is really getting to me as of late. Although I have not counted an exact number my guess would be around a 30% chance that there will be a collision. I have tried playing the qball of the rail but I lose some power, get inconsistent leaves and collisions (not as much) with this method. I cant be alone with this so has anyone figured it out?

Thanks in advance for your input
 
I prefer CB at top end of table...not center.

nothing you can do, IMO...perhaps soft break or hopping cb 2+ ft in air? Wouldn't think either would really yeild better results though.
 
Just jump the cueball straight up into the air a foot or so and have it bounce to avoid that 30%!

You should be able to reduce the scratch chances down another 10-15%!
 
Depends on what game you're playing. 10 ball, you really have to watch out for the corner balls that go 4 rails. I think that is one of the strongest parts of Shane's break. He flies the cueball back to the headstring, avoiding those two corner balls.

Once you learn the tracks of the balls, you can adjust. I would venture to guess that the collision isn't as random as you think.
 
You can also avoid some of this by playing the break shot with sufficient draw to send the CB to the head rail and then back towards center table. This way the CB is not there when most of the balls are speeding through the area of mid-table.
 
B.Carson said:
Is there anything that can be done about this or is it just bad luck?
Click to expand...

Go to a table,
A) rack up a set of balls in a fixed order (i.e. every time the balls are in the same order)
B) break
C) keep tabs on which ball interfered with the CB
return to A until either
D) the statistics indicate randomness
E) the statistics indicate nonrandomness.
 
i usually break with about 70% power, but with as much follow through as I can muster.
It seems that following through forces the cue ball to jump and the balls scatter underneath it while its in the air.
For me half of tip below center seems to work from the side rail in 9 ball.
You may have to adjust where you hit the cue ball based on how you stroke and follow through.
I think that's why SVBs break is so perfect for 10 ball. He hits them light enough so that they don't fly around the table and they more or less come to rest while the cue ball is in the air.
Doesn't seem like he's hitting them hard.
I usually hit them about 19.5 mph consistently
 
bflojosh said:
i usually break with about 70% power, but with as much follow through as I can muster.
It seems that following through forces the cue ball to jump and the balls scatter underneath it while its in the air.
For me half of tip below center seems to work from the side rail in 9 ball.
You may have to adjust where you hit the cue ball based on how you stroke and follow through.
I think that's why SVBs break is so perfect for 10 ball. He hits them light enough so that they don't fly around the table and they more or less come to rest while the cue ball is in the air.
Doesn't seem like he's hitting them hard.
I usually hit them about 19.5 mph consistently
Click to expand...

Shane's average for 10 ball is around 23-24mph. Pretty damn hard. He just hits them so well it looks that easy.
 
bflojosh:
It seems that following through forces the cue ball to jump and the balls scatter underneath it while its in the air.
Click to expand...
Followthrough has nothing to do with it. If you want the CB to jump (a bad idea IMO), just change something: hit it harder or softer, change the starting position, or change the elevation of your cue.

pj
chgo
 
brandoncook26 said:
Depends on what game you're playing. 10 ball, you really have to watch out for the corner balls that go 4 rails. I think that is one of the strongest parts of Shane's break. He flies the cueball back to the headstring, avoiding those two corner balls.

Once you learn the tracks of the balls, you can adjust. I would venture to guess that the collision isn't as random as you think.
Click to expand...
Just about what I was going to say. SVB breaks the way he does because he has figured all of that out...what he does looks simple, but don't let that fool you. His break is the product of a LOT of effort & thought.

[scientific principle] Complex solutions are quick & easy...it takes great effort to distill them into something elegant & simple. [/scientific principle]
 
I think if you can hit hard and squat whitey dead center, you're doing everything right and you should think hard before changing a good break. I always saw this as bad luck and sometimes a few in a row can make you feel like it's a pattern when really it's just random. Ask your opponent to pattern track for you so you can see if it's the same ball every time, or just try slight tweaks like a few inches off your usual place, a tiny bit harder, etc.
 
It is all fate!

I witnessed such an event Friday Night at a locoal tournament. Gary Abood and Troy Woodard. Race to 3. Troy Breaks and Runs the first rack. Cue Ball parked dead center and no crazy collisions. The next break he plants the cue ball again at dead center,3 balls drop and the last ball rolling comes off a 4th rail and drives the cue ball from center table to a foot corner pocket. Nothing you could do can foresee such a result. When spheres are in motion and collisions take place,it is merely fate. Sometimes you get the Roll,sometimes not. If you let the cueball move around the table along with the other balls,your percentage of scratches increases exponentially. Park Whitey,and let Fate be your Ally!
 
Buy and watch the Break and Run DVD. It explains about everything that happens during a break.
 
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