What Pro has that absolute best brake?

preacherman

preacherman

CPPA Founder
Silver Member
I'm not going to say who I believe has the all around best brake (just yet).

Include factors of: speed, accuracy, cue ball control and success.

I'm talking a real brake, not one of those light brakes some have turned too.

Personally, I think it is a narrow field, let see what you all say.

Thanks,
 
preacherman said:
I'm not going to say who I believe has the all around best brake (just yet).

Include factors of: speed, accuracy, cue ball control and success.

I'm talking a real brake, not one of those light brakes some have turned too.

Personally, I think it is a narrow field, let see what you all say.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

In men's pool, I've got to go with Johnny Archer here. There are some who hit the balls a little harder, but Archer's hit on the one is always square, and his cue ball control is excellent. The reason is that he follows through on his break better than anybody that has ever played nine ball. Combine all this with his success rate in making a ball and his runout skills and he's, quite simply, the most likely to string racks of nine ball in the pro game.

Honorable mention to Bustamante, but to me, Johnny breaks the balls better than Francisco. Rodney Morris, Chin Shun Yang and Larry Nevel would, in my opinion, round out the top five.

In women's pro pool, my vote goes to Ga Young Kim. Helena Thornfeldt and Tiffany Nelson aren't far behind.
 
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preacherman said:
I'm not going to say who I believe has the all around best brake (just yet).

Include factors of: speed, accuracy, cue ball control and success.

I'm talking a real brake, not one of those light brakes some have turned too.

Personally, I think it is a narrow field, let see what you all say.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

I think Bustamante, Alex P., and from what I saw awhile ago at a tournament in Vineland,NJ....Mika. Just my 2 cents.
 
I heard John Kucharo (spelling?) has such a powerful break, it makes Busta's look like a joke. Is this true?
 
Ching-Shun Yang has a very good break. With lots of power, he still manages to control the cueball.

Have to admit that Cory Deuel has the best soft break by far...
 
break

preacherman said:
I'm not going to say who I believe has the all around best brake (just yet).

Include factors of: speed, accuracy, cue ball control and success.

I'm talking a real brake, not one of those light brakes some have turned too.

Personally, I think it is a narrow field, let see what you all say.

Thanks,
Click to expand...
hello preacherman,
my choice is tommy kennedy,mark tad, george bredlove,john kucharo
when they're breaking and their foot is jumping off the floor,
that's power breaking
and by the way your talking pool break- not car auto brake (right)
 
I may get run off the boards for saying this because I know a lot of people don't particularly care for him but: Charlie Williams has one of the most explosive and controlled breaks I have ever seen. I would have to put him right up there with Johnny Archer and Bustamante.
 
People have told me my brake is fairly strong, but my cue ball control needs work. I'm professing with this because I'm going to mention a brake I saw two weeks ago. A consistent brake. I probably shouldn't even mention it yet because I can't remember the name of the guy, but I'll find out. (Fred, what was his name?) As I said, I brake pretty hard and I've seen what I've considered much harder brakes than mine. So I was under the impression that I had seen brakes that were about as hard as your going to see. Some with control, some without control. When this guy broke I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was so substantially harder than anything I had ever seen, I just couldn't believe it. I thought it was a fluke. Then he did it again and again. All with very good cue ball control. Notice I didn't say excellent cue ball control. He managed to keep the cue on the head string end of the table, but not necessarily in the middle of the table. Always making one or more balls. One rack against me he made 4 balls and ran out. Oh yea, had I mentioned this guy was really kicking my ass during all this. I just brought this up cause I just couldn't believe I was seeing a brake that was so much harder than anything I had ever seen before. I'll find out his name. He was a very good player, but not a pro yet. He might be on his way to being a pro with that brake. I mean there was no blur. You can usually see a least a slight blur of the cue going to the rack, there was none. The cue ball was sitting in the kitchen, then the balls explode. I couldn't believe someone could hit them that hard, especially with the amount of control he had.
 
Recently Tommy Kennedy has started breaking really well and Johnny Archer has always had a great break. So of the well known players I have to pick those two. But to be honest I know non-pros who probably have better breaks, but can't do as well after the break so you will probably never hear about them.
Chris
www.internationalcuemakers.com
www.cuesmith.com
 
sjm said:
In men's pool, I've got to go with Johnny Archer here. There are some who hit the balls a little harder, but Archer's hit on the one is always square, and his cue ball control is excellent. The reason is that he follows through on his break better than anybody that has ever played nine ball. Combine all this with his success rate in making a ball and his runout skills and he's, quite simply, the most likely to string racks of nine ball in the pro game.

Honorable mention to Bustamante, but to me, Johnny breaks the balls better than Francisco. Rodney Morris, Chin Shun Yang and Larry Nevel would, in my opinion, round out the top five.

In women's pro pool, my vote goes to Ga Young Kim. Helena Thornfeldt and Tiffany Nelson aren't far behind.
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SJM,
You are right on the money with Johnny Archer. I have video tape of an espn (2000) bca open when Archer played Mika Immomen and Archer broke and ran out 5 rack in a row (he beat mika 7-0 then beat San Souci in the finals 7-4). He made balls on the break, squated the cue ball in the middle of the table from a side break shot and used a medium-hard break which was successful. Playing 9-ball, the break shot is the luckest shot in the entire game. The only thing a player can do is control the cue ball, everything else for the most part up to chance. Yes, you can control the direction of the one ball and know the direction of how the other balls will go, but that doesn't garantee you will make a ball or control the cue ball etc...When you really think about it, anyone, not just "pro" players can have a good break, slow, hard, medium, controlled or uncontrolled break. Who is the luckest on the break is the real question...
 
preacherman said:
I'm not going to say who I believe has the all around best brake (just yet).

Include factors of: speed, accuracy, cue ball control and success.

I'm talking a real brake, not one of those light brakes some have turned too.

Personally, I think it is a narrow field, let see what you all say.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

I'd say the ones who drive a Lexus probably have the best brakes....though, Fred Flinstone has a nice set, too.

Jeff Livingston
 
JustPlay said:
SJM, You are right on the money with Johnny Archer. I have video tape of an espn (2000) bca open when Archer played Mika Immomen and Archer broke and ran out 5 rack in a row (he beat mika 7-0 then beat San Souci in the finals 7-4).
Click to expand...

Yes, JP, I was at that one in Vegas, and it certainly showcased Archer's amazing break. Mika and I had a chat during the interval between that match and the next. I don't think I've ever seen him so disheartened. He had played brilliantly that week to reach the TV round, and felt he didn't even get to shoot when he got there.

That match proved a significant one in the history and evolution of the BCA Open. Winner breaks, no break box, and Sardo rack, was a formula the BCA event organizers would never use again, and with good reason. Now it's an alternate break event.
 
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chefjeff said:
I'd say the ones who drive a Lexus probably have the best brakes....though, Fred Flinstone has a nice set, too.

Jeff Livingston
Click to expand...

Mr. Livingson, you mean Fred FlinTstone, don't you? :p
 
Bustamante makes no attempt to control whitey whatsoever, but when your making 2,3, sometimes 4 balls it's not all that important. Alain Martel breaks as hard as Busty but also has little control as well. I was very impressed with Pei Wei Changs break at this years WPC good mix of power and control.
Anyways my top breakers are:

Alex P
Johnny Archer
Chin Shun Yang
Pei Wei Chang
Fong Pang Chao
 
Just Ask Earl !

While in Atlanta (On Business) about 6-8 yrs ago, I was hanging around the pool room in the late afternoon. Johnny Archer & Earl Strickland started to play some cheap ($100) sets to tune up I guess for an up coming tourney. They played for about 3.5 or 4 hours that day and were to meet the next day to continue. I made it my business to be there the next day and the day after. After 3 days of these two great players playing their hearts out (for their own cash), Earl "Threw In The Towel"! He proclaimed that - Over the long haul - Him or No One could beat Johnny with the power break he had combined with the skill level he was showing. I consider myself lucky to have witnessed these matches and have not seen that level of Nine Ball played since Buddy's reign in Shreveport, LA back in the'70's.
"JOHNNY ARCHER GETS MY VOTE" !
 
Chin Shun Yang gets my vote. The action he gets from the back balls is INCREDIBLE to watch.

-djb
 
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