this forums is full of experts ....i need help.

[lorider]

In all honesty... If you feel there are other areas you need to improve on- work on those first. If you develop a good break before these other areas all you are doing is giving your opponent a nice open table to run out.

Keeping the above in mind- breaking is a trick shot that is dependent on your body type. If you watch the pros they all break a little bit different and there is a large variety of techniques. The break is one of those shots that you just have to practice over and over and there is no shortcut. I would suggest trying the cut break as it can be adapted to various tables depending on how the table is racking. Just make sure you have a tight rack- no matter how good you are if the rack isn't tight you will never see good results.

I dont want to sound like I am one of those that think they are better than they really are and i know I need improvement in all areas but I feel like I shoot well enough to be a s/ l 7.

I think the results of the matches listed below verify my belief.

Apa nationals vs a 7. He wins the lag. He breaks and runs the 1st rack. He breaks and runs to the 9 which he misses the 2nd rack. I am down 18-0 my 1st trip to the table.he WI s 55-37. That means once I got to the table after being down 18-0 I scored 37 points to his 37 points....not bad shooting for a 5.

I faced a 6 and was down 33-12 at one point. I win 38-42. I win 38-42. That means I scored 26 points to his 9 after over coming a 21 point deficit.

Those are just 2 examples of many that show I know my way around a table but again I realize there are weaknesses in my over all game.

I believe my greatest weakness that prevents me from achieving my goal is my break.

Now this may seem strange coming from an apa player. Bro g a bar banger all MT life until joining league o hated 9 ball and never played it until i joined league because of the slop factor. I have since come to accept it for what it is.

I 1st started breaking from the side but never had much luck. I then moved 1 diamond off the side rail and 1 diamond off the top rail...same as my 8 ball break. Again not much luck.i then moved to the middle of the table to.just before the head string...same as my lo...an 8. Have tried various speeds in all locations and medium speed I my current location seems to work best so far but still is not good enough.

 

[TATE]

What???? No...the break is a high speed stop shot that anyone with any body type can learn to be accurate and repeatable with. I think Neil & TATE's posts hold the biggest clues. You can have a great break stroke (which CeeBee's Break Rak will help you achieve), but if you're getting poor racking, on purpose or not, it will have a significant effect on a predictable outcome. I tell most people to back off on how hard they're breaking. That is another good place to start.

Scott Lee
http//poolknowledge.com

Thanks Scott and that's good advice you gave me long ago but took a lot of practice to sink in to my thick skull. For what it's worth, I am a Scott Lee student.

About the speed factor, Oscar Dominguez (3rd in Mosconi Cup points) has a very effective 9 ball break. I asked him his cue ball speed breaking from the side rail. He said 18 or 19 mph. That's pretty much an average speed for a better player. I expected it to be higher because of his spread. The point is he can control the action pretty well at that speed. Most of us would be fine in the 15 to 16 mph range.

 

[ceebee]

Here is real test to see how well you might play with a good break shot.

A) Break 10 racks & shoot until you miss. add up the ball count (1,2,3 = 6). If you scratch or don't have a shot, you get a Zero (0) for ball count.

B) Break 10 racks, take ball in hand in the center of the table & shoot till you miss. Add up the ball count. Scratches & no shot do not apply, because your cue ball ended up in the center of the table.

In both situations, you were able to shoot, even if you did not make a ball.

You can take the test where you only shoot after the break if you make a ball.

Give it a try.

 

[bad_hit]

before you can get better at anything you have to be able to hit the cue ball dead center hard or soft. and hit it straight into the spot you are aiming for.

so to improve your break practice hitting straight on the head ball center ball so the cue ball doesnt go off to the side after it hits the head ball.

only then can you modify your break for the table you are playing on.

^^^^^^this