Hey I am sure this has been a subject of several thread but can't find them in the search feature.
It amazes me how hard little Tommy Kennedy at a buck twenty soaking wet can hit a Rack and still keep the Rock in the center of the table. My break is the worst part of my game. After studying Tommy's power break I now get balls but no control.
An other guy I know has a very very soft break and gets both balls and control. I realize different tables Etc and different strokes for different folks. But I sure would like some advice on Breaking. I have tried Different sticks, tips and weights and my break still sucks. At present time I am using a Stinger Jump Break Cue and like it very much.
I have helped a number of people with their break shots, and the problem most people seem to have when they break is understanding the difference between power and arm speed.
Power:
Most people think that powering through the ball is gives some one a good or bad break and to some extent this may be true, however, if you are physically using your strength in this process in most cases you can also easier lose control. If you feel the muscles in your bridge hand / arm or your gripe hand / arm or both your ability to maintain cue ball control will be very limited. This is simple because when you muscles are tight you end up steering the cue ball in place of stroking through it to the contact point on the target.
Arm Speed
Arm Speed is how fast you can move your arm in a
True pendulum motion. This is where control comes into the picture, and this is also partly where your power comes from. The additional power used in breaking comes from being able to stay balanced, and using the weight of your body in conjunction with your arm speed. The length of your bridge also has a major effect on your cue ball control, the power achieved using good arm speed, and by throwing your body weight into your follow through stroke you can get all the power you need. Just like when you want less power on any shot you must decrease the time the tip stays on the cue ball, if you want to increase power the opposite must be done so you want to maintain tip to ball contact longer. This done by lengthening or shortening your maximum follow through stroke. To shorten your maximum follow through you must move your bridge hand closer to the cue ball, and to lengthen your maximum follow through move your bridge hand away from the cue ball. If you understand and can accomplish the above you are moving toward good control.
Last but not least, when you break insure that your cue ball is as far forward in the Kitchen as possible. I see people breaking from the foot rail too often for my taste. This is a major mistake, because the farther your cue ball is from the rack the less power it will have when it contacts the rack. The best advise I can give you when breaking is find what works best for you concerning where you break from. Some break form the right, some break from the left, and some break from the center of the table, when your break is not working from one position change to another, different tables will play different ways. I normally break from the left or right side of the table, if I break from the left I will use Low Right English and I will use the opposite when breaking from the right side of the table. This allows me to hit the rack and spin from the rail back out into the center of table. With practice you can also do this with no problem, but practice is the key.
I hope I have been clear enough to help!!!
