I have been playing for 10 years and never got any consistent action on the 8. Lately though, almost every time I've broke I'm sending the 8-ball towards the corner by the rack behind one of the middle balls in the rack. Whats weird is I haven't changed cue ball placement or english. I must be somehow hitting it differently without realizing it. I put the cue ball on the left side at both 1st diamonds and try to hit the cueball dead center as hard as I can hitting the rack as square as I can. But what would produce the break I explained, surely I am imparting some unintentional english.
What exactly am I doing lately with my 8-ball break?
- Thread starter Magyar19
- Start date
Are you aiming and contacting the head ball square?
Or are you hitting the second ball full.
(I always understood there is more movement with the 8 with a second ball hit off the break, but there is a loss of cue ball control for center table)
Head ball square
If you are hitting the head ball it's the rack (gaps). Try a magic rack and then tell me the 8 ball is moving.
This is it. If you are trying to get the 8 ball on the break with a proper rack, the 2. ball break is the way to go. I'm not going to make a video myself, but this is the way to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4-0nsfXbwQ
I think you're breaking too far to the side to be hitting the head ball with full power. Either back off the power and settle for an even spread or hit the second ball with inside spin to get more action on the 8 and that also cause the CB to go to the rail and back into the spreading rack to get further secondary movement. That or just break more from the front and worry about spreading balls to run them, not making the 8on the snap.
For 8 ball, I place the CB on a line through the head ball to to the gap between the middle bottom ball and the ball next to it, and I aim for the back of the rack not front, trying to drive the CB and head ball through the back of the rack. I hit just hair below center on the CB and as long as I get good velocity, the CB usually hops and lands in the middle of the table. This looks like a barely off center break. It gives me the most consistent results by far. The 8 moves plenty but more importantly I get a full table spread so I don't care where the 8 goes, it's rarely tied up.
FWIW in a league match race to 5 tonight, I had three breaks with at least 3 balls down, and running it out every time with balls spread and none tied up. I also hit one 8 on the snap. My opponent got to shoot only twice, on the last rack, both times failing to escape safeties, which was good because in warm up I was not at all feeling it with my stroke, so those monster breaks saved me from actually having to play real pool.
For 8 ball, I place the CB on a line through the head ball to to the gap between the middle bottom ball and the ball next to it, and I aim for the back of the rack not front, trying to drive the CB and head ball through the back of the rack. I hit just hair below center on the CB and as long as I get good velocity, the CB usually hops and lands in the middle of the table. This looks like a barely off center break. It gives me the most consistent results by far. The 8 moves plenty but more importantly I get a full table spread so I don't care where the 8 goes, it's rarely tied up.
FWIW in a league match race to 5 tonight, I had three breaks with at least 3 balls down, and running it out every time with balls spread and none tied up. I also hit one 8 on the snap. My opponent got to shoot only twice, on the last rack, both times failing to escape safeties, which was good because in warm up I was not at all feeling it with my stroke, so those monster breaks saved me from actually having to play real pool.
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