When your break power is Max'd OUT

StormHotRod300

StormHotRod300

BigSexy
Silver Member
Lately when I have been practicing my break, I've noticed that I seem to only be able to get X amount of power out of my break. I typically practice my break alot, because it alot of the time its the deciding factor in the match.

I will say that i control the CB fairly well, but my break tends to be more of a controlled break or a Medium break power. But on the tables I practice on ( Diamond Pro-am ) its generally plenty of power because of how fast the table plays.

But if i goto the other pool halls in town, I tend to find my break lacks a bit because the tables play alot slower. And a friend of mine pointed out that because of my lack of power on the slower tables, i generally leave the 1 ball on the end rail and the CB in the middle of the table. But on the diamonds the 1ball comes back out.

Now I've basically come to the realization that I can only generate so much power on the break before loosing CB control.

So my situation is I can either stick with what I have and deal with it. Or try to find a way to generate more power. Personally I'd rather stick with the controlled break and just figure out a way to get the CB to head towards a pocket so its make-able, than try to find more power in my break and end up with no CB control.

I'm just looking for idea's :D
 
i also have the same problem as you, i play on the slowest tables in the world here in uk and the 1 ball used to always stick to the middle of the end rail leaving a hard shot or no makeable shot but when i play on our pro tour the tables are alot faster and i don't have this problem.

In the end i changed my break completely because i only play on slow tables regulary and the fast ones every month or so, so now i play a medium soft break screwing back to the middle of the end rail and back to just before the middle of table leaving the one over middle pocket.
 
One thing that I've found has increased my breaking power is to practice by starting out very very slow and slowly increasing the speed and power from there. That way it doesn't seem like you're really hitting it a whole lot harder with each break but by the end of the day you've accumulated quite a bit more power.

Also, check out Colin's online video on breaking, it helped me out a lot.
 
Practice and develop multiple breaks, e.g. from the side rail full hit on the 1, from the side rail cut break, from the box full hit, from the box cut break, square on from the center, etc. Practice them each, and maybe others too, until you can hit them fairly hard and control the CB within reason. You should get different action out of the balls with each break, and when your favorite break isn't working on a certain table because of conditions, go to a different one. You'll probably find one that gives you better results on that table that night.

I've heard a lot of good players say that if you want to win consistently, you have to have multiple breaks in your arsenal, for exactly the reason you describe.

-Andrew
 
break power

I don't feel that the power break is the big benefit that most people believe, I do think that technique and CHECK the rack. JMHO It's like watching old golfers....hit down the middle slow and steady and next thing you know your kicking ass!
 
Since you mentioned that increasing your break power is not what you want to do right now, the only suggestion I can make (it sounded like you were talking about playing 9 ball) is to hit the break a little softer than you are now, so that you are playing the 1 ball into the other head rail corner pocket, instead of driving it off the siderail-endrail-near-corner-pocket you broke from. This way, if you are parking the CB like you said, you should have a playable shot on the 1, instead of having it stuck on the head rail.

I like that better than drawing the CB back to the head rail because of the bad things that can happen to the CB (scratch, etc).


Eric
 
StormHotRod300 said:
Lately when I have been practicing my break, I've noticed that I seem to only be able to get X amount of power out of my break. I typically practice my break alot, because it alot of the time its the deciding factor in the match.

I will say that i control the CB fairly well, but my break tends to be more of a controlled break or a Medium break power. But on the tables I practice on ( Diamond Pro-am ) its generally plenty of power because of how fast the table plays.

But if i goto the other pool halls in town, I tend to find my break lacks a bit because the tables play alot slower. And a friend of mine pointed out that because of my lack of power on the slower tables, i generally leave the 1 ball on the end rail and the CB in the middle of the table. But on the diamonds the 1ball comes back out.

Now I've basically come to the realization that I can only generate so much power on the break before loosing CB control.

So my situation is I can either stick with what I have and deal with it. Or try to find a way to generate more power. Personally I'd rather stick with the controlled break and just figure out a way to get the CB to head towards a pocket so its make-able, than try to find more power in my break and end up with no CB control.

I'm just looking for idea's :D
Click to expand...

Mines kind of the opposite. I play in different pool halls, but the ones around my house (i play in the most) you HAVE to smash the rack. And i smash it good. but when i go to the faster tables that i also play on i just hit it with a nice medium break. i still try to smash sometimes lol and i will keep smashing if i control the whitey on the fast tables otherwise i would switch back to the medium break.
 
Assuming that the location of the 1-ball is your main concern, meaning that you are finding ways to make other balls on the break fairly consistently, you might consider moving the cb out from the rail a bit. Taking a more direct route into the rack should lessen the amount of travel you get out of the 1-ball while allowing you to continue breaking at max (controllable) speed. On slower tables, you may be able to get the 1 to stop before it gets to the head rail, possibly leaving you a shot into a top corner pocket.

Good luck!
 
Yes I have checked out Colin's video, on power breaking.

And yes the break i am talking about is 9ball. And yes alot of the time on a table that is slower, i end up with the 1ball on the end rail in the kitchen. I dont break from the rail, I always break from the box. And yes I do move the CB around but i stay in the break box.

And yes unless I make the 1ball on the break, or its right by the pocket or the CB gets kicked or something, I hardly have a shot at the 1ball.
 
Breaking ....

Although Busta is one of the most powerful and best breakers, I have watched TV matches whene his break was not netting him the results that he wanted, either not making balls or not have a 1 ball shot.

Shawn Putnam did not break well in the IPT tournaments, and he is suppose to have a good break.

There is a HAPPY MEDIUM, between powering the balls into the pocket with a power break, and a more finesse break where the balls just roll naturally into the pockets on a medium power break (9 ball mostly).

Last Friday night, I eased up a little on power, found a sweet spot, and was breaking good all night with my J&J Break/jump cue. I had complaints all night about 'He's breaking too damn good' and 'Scott's on fire' going around ... lol And I played in a 3 & 5 way 10 ball ring game besides playing 9 ball.

Hitting the head ball solid with SUFFICIENT power and the PROPER english is what is needed, you have to decide what is sufficient and what the proper english is, just like all players have to do or learn.
 
Snapshot

I know what you mean by the "happy medium" break. Which is why I think i need to just work on different breaks or area's to break from.

And yes I've seen guys like Archer, and Busta and several others just have those days when thier monster break keeps on comming up dry.

I've also had those days where i seem to just be breaking just right and dropping 2 or 3 balls every time, and its like WOW what am I doing so different from any other time lol.

As for what i am doing when breaking, I generally break anywhere from 1ball off the headspot to a few inches inside the break box. And use a just enough high english to get the CB to pop up and stop in the center of the table.
 
StormHotRod300 said:
As for what i am doing when breaking, I generally break anywhere from 1ball off the headspot to a few inches inside the break box.
Click to expand...

In that case, where does your 1-ball generally hit the side rail? I was assuming the standard side-rail break where the cb will often hit just below the side pocket and roll up onto the head rail, but that shouldn't be as common breaking from w/in the box. Is your 1b hitting above the side pocket?
 
"use a just enough high english to get the CB to pop up and stop in the center of the table."

Can you explain how you can do that? Seems your cb acts beyond the laws of physics. Get one of those ez shot balls that has a target on it to see where you are really hitting the cb. If the cb is coming back...you are hitting low.
 
How to explain how i get the CB to pop up and stop in the center of the table???? mmmmm well lol

If i had a video of me breaking that would help obviously, but, I know i use high english when breaking because if i hit anything else, I see it when the cb hits the rack.

When the CB hits the rack, it pops up and back towards the center of the table but still has some forward roll to the cb, which keeps it from comming back into the kitchen.
 
I maintain you are "aiming" high....but you are "hitting" low on your power stroke. Get a red dot ball. Mark the top somehow...make a chalk mark on the top. Now aim as you always do....power into that break. Now look where you actually hit the ball. I suspect you are hitting low.

I know for me...I aim low and have a tendency to HIT high on the power stroke. That always causes the cb to move toward/into the rack...not center table. I am talking about 1/8" or less above center cb.
 
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