So, I seldom offer much in the way of advice and or knowledge gained…
For what it's worth, maybe alot to some maybe nothing to others.. I spent the day thinking about you folks and want to give what I can back...
When I first joined AZ, my first post was in regard to what I thought was my biggest “leak” in my game. I play 9ball almost exclusively. My biggest leak was my break. It is no longer a leak, and is becoming an asset. I offer a template I have used combined with a ton of table time that is showing real results
I got lots of advice (thank you) and spent a considerable amount of time not only studying what resources were available on the subject but also practicing an array of different techniques. From the extremely powerful, which I practiced (months) to the point that I was controlling the cue ball reasonably well (and by reasonable I mean I wasn’t scratching or flying the ball off the table and could keep it in the middle half of the table 75% of the time) and was able to impart some serious thunder on the rock. Some of you may recall, I snapped a BK2 in half at the joint using such a break… all the way through cut & soft breaks, Which as some of you can attest are much, much more difficult to do consistently and effectively than they appear… To watch any of the pro’s or even high level “open” players perform this break, it looks pretty easy. It’s not.
Long story short, after a couple years I’m certain the soft break is the way to go (for me)… and I believe I have learned enough to at least offer you the template by which I think I have begun to understand and use this effectively.
As with any shot you intend understand and effectively manipulate you need a baseline to start out with… Something you can do virtually every time to some degree so that you may be able to adjust from there…. And you’ll find from table to table, condition to condition you will need to adjust this break to get effective results.
So, this is how to establish a really basic baseline… (or how I established one for myself)
Starting cue ball position: One ball length from the left rail on the head string.
Starting baseline speed: stop/stun shot using 1 tip below center (I use a Z shaft which has a smaller tip, so for users of standard larger tipped cues your baseline should probably start at ¾ tip below center.) Practice this extensively because it’s absolutely critical. At least for me, different days different tables my “soft” break varied in speed, while always “soft” compared to a “standard” break shot the slight variations in speed on a break by break basis are the adjustments you need to be able to make on a conscious level and not having a dead perfect baseline throws a wrench into this whole thing.
Practice on that on is fairly simple, but again I found it critical. Take the cue ball in normal breaking position, set up JUST the one ball on the footspot. Aim to hit the one ball dead, use exactly ¾ (or 1 tip) of a tip of bottom english and continue to shoot the 1 ball over and over until you have a dead perfect stop shot everytime. That’s your speed baseline. Make a mental note of the exactly speed / stroke it took to execute that shot.
Based the idea that your on a perfect table, perfect rack, and you hit the head ball square at this recommended speed (or there abouts). The one ball should travel towards the opposite side pocket (right in the baseline case) and the wingball on the left-hand side should travel directly into the left hand far corner pocket.
By Beware_of_Dawg
Now here’s where I have to/you have to pay attention. I tried watching where all the balls go every break and for me, that’s just too much to remember exactly which ball was where when one finally falls… Personally, Ive found if I just pay attention to where the wings and head are going I can figure out how the table is flying… When I get down on a break I think about the color of the wings on the bird… ie; like on the table in the above pic I think blue & red (with a yellow head (obv, the head is always yellow).. I watch where the bird flys… as long as Im using my baseline speed & aim, I can adjust from there… The “bird” tell you where the table is flying, the bullet (cueball) tells me where the gun is firing. If you’re finding that the cueball is going right/left/back/forward the sights on the gun might need to be adjusted. The cueball should tell you the story of what you did, the bird should tell you what the table did.
Now before I touch on the adjustments I make based on what I see with a break using my baseline understand most racks are slightly different, some looser some tighter some more forward some more further back (even by the slightest, sometimes virtually undetectable degree)..
Here’s a simple “rack reading” pointer or two I picked up talking to old timers and really digging for information… I’d noticed some people I played or saw play looking at the rack closely and initially thought they were inspecting the rack for tightness and like some people I even felt a degree of defensiveness about them inspecting my racks like I was trying to give them a loose rack or something… Not the case, not all all.
When you look at the rack, don’t worry too much about inspecting the front ball for tightness, it’s usually tight. look at the next two balls back and see what their relationship is to the middle row of balls. That’s where you’ll find your good read. So assuming you do inspect the rack and there is a slightest gap between the one ball and a ball behind it… BREAK from that side of the table. Based on the size of the space or the size of the combined spaces you see between the balls on that side of the rack move the cueball closer to the middle of the table. So, always break from the gap side (if there is one) and if it’s a teenie weenie gap, just adjust the cueball a little bitty bit towards the middle of the table, if it a really obvious gap or a couple gaps on one side… get the cueball all the way towards the middle of the table..
Do yourself a favor.. this is a very valuable cue ball location adjustment based on the rack.. look at it closely. Ive found that in most cases if the rack is exactly the same and is tight. The adjustments to pocketing that break side wing ball are just slight adjustments to speed of break or slight fine tuning of cue ball breakspot. Usually if the wing balls is coming high on the rail and I’m not getting it going towards the lower corner if I fine tune closer to the rail side Im breaking from and/or take a little more off of it I can get that ball heading towards the pocket Im targeting. In the rare case that no matter what I do through my adjustments that I simple can’t get that wingball going down towards that corner, I will focus my attention on the one ball and start fine tuning what it takes to get her up into the side.
Here’s what Ive found about fine tuning the speed. Im ALWAYS trying to execute a spot shot. So when Im thinking of taking something “off of or on too” my baseline speed, I will combine a slight adjustment on my cue ball aim moving ¼ inch up or down the ball and a slight stroke speed adjustment. But always a stop shot in my head.
In it’s basics I start with 3 speeds, 3 spots. Baseline speed, a little harder & a little softer. A cue ball & a half off the rail, one diamond out and 1.5 diamonds out. As soon as you have looked & seen a tight rack, found a spot & speed and pocketed the wing ball… Make a mental flag… there’s your spot for the night. Adjusting from there is largely a matter of inspecting the rack to see how they lie and adjusting according to gaps.
So anyway, there is obviously more to it and each of us will have to walk our own path and make a map for ourselves, these are some scribbles I made on my map, if they help one of you find you way a little easier, Im happy.
I’m still learning everyday (god willing we all are) But I thought I would offer up a little contribution. I don’t know how useful it will be to some of you… But it is the holidays, and this is my little gift.. in the end, it is the thought that counts. Right?
I may have more to add, I havent even proof read this.. and for all I know it could be jumbled up, incoheret babble... I prolly forgot a bunch I meant to say... But Im tired right now.
Best,
Dave
For what it's worth, maybe alot to some maybe nothing to others.. I spent the day thinking about you folks and want to give what I can back...
When I first joined AZ, my first post was in regard to what I thought was my biggest “leak” in my game. I play 9ball almost exclusively. My biggest leak was my break. It is no longer a leak, and is becoming an asset. I offer a template I have used combined with a ton of table time that is showing real results
I got lots of advice (thank you) and spent a considerable amount of time not only studying what resources were available on the subject but also practicing an array of different techniques. From the extremely powerful, which I practiced (months) to the point that I was controlling the cue ball reasonably well (and by reasonable I mean I wasn’t scratching or flying the ball off the table and could keep it in the middle half of the table 75% of the time) and was able to impart some serious thunder on the rock. Some of you may recall, I snapped a BK2 in half at the joint using such a break… all the way through cut & soft breaks, Which as some of you can attest are much, much more difficult to do consistently and effectively than they appear… To watch any of the pro’s or even high level “open” players perform this break, it looks pretty easy. It’s not.
Long story short, after a couple years I’m certain the soft break is the way to go (for me)… and I believe I have learned enough to at least offer you the template by which I think I have begun to understand and use this effectively.
As with any shot you intend understand and effectively manipulate you need a baseline to start out with… Something you can do virtually every time to some degree so that you may be able to adjust from there…. And you’ll find from table to table, condition to condition you will need to adjust this break to get effective results.
So, this is how to establish a really basic baseline… (or how I established one for myself)
Starting cue ball position: One ball length from the left rail on the head string.
Starting baseline speed: stop/stun shot using 1 tip below center (I use a Z shaft which has a smaller tip, so for users of standard larger tipped cues your baseline should probably start at ¾ tip below center.) Practice this extensively because it’s absolutely critical. At least for me, different days different tables my “soft” break varied in speed, while always “soft” compared to a “standard” break shot the slight variations in speed on a break by break basis are the adjustments you need to be able to make on a conscious level and not having a dead perfect baseline throws a wrench into this whole thing.
Practice on that on is fairly simple, but again I found it critical. Take the cue ball in normal breaking position, set up JUST the one ball on the footspot. Aim to hit the one ball dead, use exactly ¾ (or 1 tip) of a tip of bottom english and continue to shoot the 1 ball over and over until you have a dead perfect stop shot everytime. That’s your speed baseline. Make a mental note of the exactly speed / stroke it took to execute that shot.
Based the idea that your on a perfect table, perfect rack, and you hit the head ball square at this recommended speed (or there abouts). The one ball should travel towards the opposite side pocket (right in the baseline case) and the wingball on the left-hand side should travel directly into the left hand far corner pocket.
By Beware_of_Dawg
Now here’s where I have to/you have to pay attention. I tried watching where all the balls go every break and for me, that’s just too much to remember exactly which ball was where when one finally falls… Personally, Ive found if I just pay attention to where the wings and head are going I can figure out how the table is flying… When I get down on a break I think about the color of the wings on the bird… ie; like on the table in the above pic I think blue & red (with a yellow head (obv, the head is always yellow).. I watch where the bird flys… as long as Im using my baseline speed & aim, I can adjust from there… The “bird” tell you where the table is flying, the bullet (cueball) tells me where the gun is firing. If you’re finding that the cueball is going right/left/back/forward the sights on the gun might need to be adjusted. The cueball should tell you the story of what you did, the bird should tell you what the table did.
Now before I touch on the adjustments I make based on what I see with a break using my baseline understand most racks are slightly different, some looser some tighter some more forward some more further back (even by the slightest, sometimes virtually undetectable degree)..
Here’s a simple “rack reading” pointer or two I picked up talking to old timers and really digging for information… I’d noticed some people I played or saw play looking at the rack closely and initially thought they were inspecting the rack for tightness and like some people I even felt a degree of defensiveness about them inspecting my racks like I was trying to give them a loose rack or something… Not the case, not all all.
When you look at the rack, don’t worry too much about inspecting the front ball for tightness, it’s usually tight. look at the next two balls back and see what their relationship is to the middle row of balls. That’s where you’ll find your good read. So assuming you do inspect the rack and there is a slightest gap between the one ball and a ball behind it… BREAK from that side of the table. Based on the size of the space or the size of the combined spaces you see between the balls on that side of the rack move the cueball closer to the middle of the table. So, always break from the gap side (if there is one) and if it’s a teenie weenie gap, just adjust the cueball a little bitty bit towards the middle of the table, if it a really obvious gap or a couple gaps on one side… get the cueball all the way towards the middle of the table..
Do yourself a favor.. this is a very valuable cue ball location adjustment based on the rack.. look at it closely. Ive found that in most cases if the rack is exactly the same and is tight. The adjustments to pocketing that break side wing ball are just slight adjustments to speed of break or slight fine tuning of cue ball breakspot. Usually if the wing balls is coming high on the rail and I’m not getting it going towards the lower corner if I fine tune closer to the rail side Im breaking from and/or take a little more off of it I can get that ball heading towards the pocket Im targeting. In the rare case that no matter what I do through my adjustments that I simple can’t get that wingball going down towards that corner, I will focus my attention on the one ball and start fine tuning what it takes to get her up into the side.
Here’s what Ive found about fine tuning the speed. Im ALWAYS trying to execute a spot shot. So when Im thinking of taking something “off of or on too” my baseline speed, I will combine a slight adjustment on my cue ball aim moving ¼ inch up or down the ball and a slight stroke speed adjustment. But always a stop shot in my head.
In it’s basics I start with 3 speeds, 3 spots. Baseline speed, a little harder & a little softer. A cue ball & a half off the rail, one diamond out and 1.5 diamonds out. As soon as you have looked & seen a tight rack, found a spot & speed and pocketed the wing ball… Make a mental flag… there’s your spot for the night. Adjusting from there is largely a matter of inspecting the rack to see how they lie and adjusting according to gaps.
So anyway, there is obviously more to it and each of us will have to walk our own path and make a map for ourselves, these are some scribbles I made on my map, if they help one of you find you way a little easier, Im happy.
I’m still learning everyday (god willing we all are) But I thought I would offer up a little contribution. I don’t know how useful it will be to some of you… But it is the holidays, and this is my little gift.. in the end, it is the thought that counts. Right?
I may have more to add, I havent even proof read this.. and for all I know it could be jumbled up, incoheret babble... I prolly forgot a bunch I meant to say... But Im tired right now.
Best,
Dave
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