Still Struggling with the break !

stevekur1

stevekur1

The "COMMISH"
Silver Member
I have been having some real issues with the break lately, cant seem to plant the cue ball, always getting follow on the ball. and i know its because my arm is dropping causing the tip to come up.

I Once had a phenomenal break! ever since i started playing around with differant break techniques, my break went south! and cant get my original break back.


Been playing around with the cut-break, seems to be rather effective. although sometimes i end up stroking it like a shot, maybe cause i am aiming to draw to the rail and out to the middle. I Guess i have to keep on practicing it!

Anyone have any tips on the Cut-Break ?

Thanks
Steve
 
I constantly struggle with my break too. Some of it is bad-luck induced, some of it is due to poor ability/stroke. I either break the $h1t out of the balls and do not pocket anything (this is certain death against a decent opponent) or I get the darn cue ball kicked into a pocket (rarely ever the same one, so it ain't necessarily my fault). I have a hard time comprehending the odds of 15 balls/6 pockets with the balls strewn out all over the table with nary a single one of them finding a hole :( . I probably scratch on the barbox about 20% of the time. I've tried different cues, different starting points, different speeds, different English/spin until I'm blue in the face. I will say this though, I can scatter the balls just as well and with more control over the cueball by hitting the apex ball at about 50%-60% speed. This is for the most part what I use now with varying success. At least I am scratching less. I may invest in a good break cue someday and see if I can't get some noticable improvement. The ones that I have used in the past (including the BK2) didn't impress me all that much though.

Maniac
 
I got the Joe Tucker tacking and breaking searects. It really open my eyes to thing about the rack. Its not all in how you break them. Its mostly in the rack itself. Ty is, it really works, Doug
 
huh?

stevekur1 said:
Where did you get the book?

Post a link


Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...
work the google machine!! lol i had to, if you worked where i do you would get it lol:D
 
Thanks, i wouldnt have expected that to be a video!

I Did some work on the break today, and i gained some control of my power break. i moved my back hand back further on the cue, and i didnt force follow the CB once, and i maintained the power. if this isnt the definate answer it sure worked for me.

Thanks
Steve

I will continue working on the Cut-Break this week though, it is a good idea to have a back-up plan!
 
Charley Bond's book

stevekur1 said:
I have been having some real issues with the break lately, cant seem to plant the cue ball, always getting follow on the ball. and i know its because my arm is dropping causing the tip to come up.

I Once had a phenomenal break! ever since i started playing around with differant break techniques, my break went south! and cant get my original break back.


Been playing around with the cut-break, seems to be rather effective. although sometimes i end up stroking it like a shot, maybe cause i am aiming to draw to the rail and out to the middle. I Guess i have to keep on practicing it!

Anyone have any tips on the Cut-Break ?

Thanks
Steve
Click to expand...

Charley Bond's book on breaking is quite comprehensive & useful. It also has a chapter by Tucker. I replaced the phenolic tip on my Sledgehammer with a G-10 & I find that it holds chalk better, despite the increased hardness. I thought that this might be a placebo effect, but I was recently invited to play in an informal league, including some excellent veteran players, & they were impressed by the cue when they tried it.

Of course, nothing beats practice. When I scratch, it is usually because I lost concentration & inadvertently raised the cue.
 
I was struggling too with inconsistency on the break until recently. I completely changed my break. I switched to what Archer has been doing lately and it really works. I don't break from the rail anymore.
Here's what I do:
I hit the cut ball slightly above center with bit of a downward angle on the cue stick. Just so that the pool cue isn't level. Like a mini jump, but not that extreme. If you concentrate on hitting the cue ball above center and hit the one ball square, it parks the cue center table. The key is the angle of the cue stick. The cue ball jumps a bit but it does park. I used to bring the shaft back to my bridge hand then start my shifting of weight, but now I shift my weight as I'm bringing the shaft back. This let's me get a good rhythm to send the cue stick all the way through the shot kind of like Van Boening does.
I consistently make a ball on the break now and can park the cue for my next shot.
Give it a try...hope this all made sense.
 
The Break Shot has to be practiced. And perfect practice isn't easy. Address is critical to accurate delivery. Correct stroking is something to be learned & periodically practiced. There are few muscle groups used in a regular Pool Stroke. There are many muscle groups used in the Break Shot, many of which are for maintaining balance.

Velocity or speed is developed, not instantly gained unless by mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic or other means. Pull the cue back, like you might cock a hammer, pause, then begin the stroke to it's completion. Somewhere in the stroke, the cue ball is hit.

Good Luck...
 
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