US Open Break Shots

[enzo]

I though it sucked it when the ref warned him about breaking too softly. That seemed to be the turning point in the match.

i think this is full blown abominable. i mean i guess he knew about the rules before he entered, but this really does warrant some serious discussion for tournament officials. here are the facts in my mind....

first, if there was a strategic advantage when breaking soft in terms of the breaker having the best of it if an ensuing defensive battle arises, i could kinda see not permitting a soft break because you dont want every game of 9 ball to start off with 10 safties for the spectators sake. but, this is not the case, there is no data to show breakers have some tactical, defensive advantage after a soft break shot.

so, i think most of us know from experience and discussion that most players break soft to be offensive, AND (perhaps more importantly) to avoid scratching. seeing that the soft break is actually offensive in nature, i see no logical argument for prohibiting players from breaking soft. further, if you do want them to break soft, you HAVE to have a well defined, enforceable rule. you simply CANT say "you guys need to be breaking hard." that is nothing short of idiotic if i may be frank, people are playing for thousands of dollars, livelihoods and careers at stake, you CANT have ambiguous rules that require subjective enforcement.

what is the solution, it is so simple. i say this stuff over and over, but i really dont understand why we dont get it as pool players. these things we discuss are cumulatively the reason why pool stays in the gutter, these are terrible rules people. the solution is JUST TO LET PLAYERS BREAK WHATEVER SPEED THEY SEE FIT. WHAT THE HELL IS PEOPLE'S PROBLEM WITH THIS, IT IS VERY SIMPLE, LET PROFESSIONALS DO AS THEY SEE FIT ON THE POOL TABLE. to take that right away from them woulnt be any different than telling a golfer you can't to lay up in front of greens anymore, you have to go for it. WE WANT THE PLAYERS TO USE THEIR BEST DISCRETION IN TOURNAMENTS, AS THIS IS THE ONLY WAY THE BEST PLAYERS WILL RISE TO THE TOP AND EXCEL.

anyway, truth be told this rule against breaking soft will probably prevail, just another travesty in a sport that is truly full of nothing but ill advised decisions and poor judgement. i have come to actually expect the poor decisions to prevail in the pool world.

 

[spoons]

Here's a rule that eliminates most of the problems with the rack:

Breaker Shoots: At short-rack games (8, 9, 10), the person who breaks shoots the next shot regardless of whether he makes a ball on the break or not, unless the break is a foul, in which case the opponent gets ball in hand as usual. The break alternates.​

I suppose you could also have "person behind breaks' with this rule if you want close matches.

That really seems like a very simple and sensible solution. Have many tournaments implemented that rule? And if not, why not?

I suppose if we were to combine that with a couple things like call pocket, all ball fouls and the option to push out on any shot, we might have an all around test of ability.

 

[Zbotiman]

"Is the break a shot?"

I'm troubled by the very concept that speed, can or should, be a part of the "legal domain" of the tournament director and or promoter. Most, if not all, of these measures were originally implimented under the guise of helping T.V. pool move faster for the televised pool fan base. The break stuff is to insure that no player could run away with a match, because of the break again for the pool fans benefit. Guess what, a player "is" going to master the very essence of what it takes to win. Big suprise, right? So if it takes a lot of extra time to evaluate the rack, guess what, be prepared for 3-hour matches! And no suprise, that's just what happened on several occasions.

Early in this whole process of promoting pool for the benefit of viewers, it became; no straight pool, but 9-ball, no push out, but Texas exspress, now it's no rail break, but break but break from the box at the Open, and this scenario, is said to be all for the fans benefit. Well, when somebody stares at the rack for 3 to 5 minutes before breaking, what does that do for the fans?
Personally as a pool player I can understand that's what it takes to win over the best breakers in the game. For my money, Donnie Mills proved to me, that he knows something more (than the average professional pool playing person) about the rack and the speeds, position placement of the cueball, and angle of attack, necessary to capitolize on that observed information. Is this going to be the next trend? Learn at the table, in the middle of the tournament, what it takes to master each indiviual rack? That definately doesn't benefit the game overall, or the fans!

At some point there is going to have to be "a real governing body" that makes rules and sticks to them for each of the main disciplines of the individual games. This whole debate over the 9-ball break and its futher evolution, should spark that realization in everyones minds, that professional pool needs a players organization and a real governing body to answer to it. If the pool world, as it is, can't ever agree on anything solid, make some decent, conscience choices for the benefit of the sports growth, then it's going to stay on the same path it's been on for the last 40 years( and that's heading for the abyss, for good this time, I'm afraid)!
Next Question? Who pays willingly for that? Oh yeah, I remember this from the 80's, "Nobody!"

 

[Jason Robichaud]

Really fast tables/rails and tight pockets don't like hard breaks. The soft break worked great there.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Breaker shoots -- new rule

That really seems like a very simple and sensible solution. Have many tournaments implemented that rule? And if not, why not?
...

I don't know of any tournaments that have tried it. I think it has a good chance to greatly improve the game.

 

[Celtic]

This is why the shift to 10-ball is taking place. Want huge breaks? Play 8-ball, there is no way a soft break will prevail.

 

[spoons]

This is why the shift to 10-ball is taking place. Want huge breaks? Play 8-ball, there is no way a soft break will prevail.

Not necessarily. As difficult as it can be to make a ball on the break in 8-ball, I wouldn't put it past a patient player with a weaker break, or inferior run-out skills to soft break and try to grind it out from there. You see it in league play all the time for those exact reasons.

In fact, a good straight pool player might actually have a fairly large advantage playing that way, as opposed to spreading the balls for the opponent and only making one on the break 50% of the time on a good day.

That said, I think the IPT actually got one right by choosing 8-ball over the other games. The public identifies with 8-ball very easily. The bigger breaks are more common. And, my guess is, fewer matches in 8-ball are determined by luck than in 9-ball or 10-ball. So, assuming straight pool and one pocket are out of the question, 8-ball would be on my short list of games to play. Also on that list...banks.

 

[dave sutton]

This is why the shift to 10-ball is taking place. Want huge breaks? Play 8-ball, there is no way a soft break will prevail.

why wouldnt a soft break prevail in 8 ball. 8 is more of a chess game then 9 ball... an ok player can win a set of 9 against a good player but a good player has much more advantage in 8 over the same player. shooting moving taking pockets playing safe. playing smart overall.