Where is your favorite break spot?

Apocalypse2017

Apocalypse2017

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I decided to play some straight pool last night and was having much better luck breaking from under the rack. When I was breaking from the side of the rack, it seemed like the balls would spread and just go right back into the pack. After breaking from under the rack I'm getting a much better spread. :smile:

Where are most of you setting up your break ball?
 

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This the break shot I have been starting with and I am not having that high of a percentage of breaking up the rack while controlling the cue ball at the same time.

I have been researching this exact thing and trying to come up with a shot that gives me more reliability. I will try your idea. Thanks
 
Yup that's the break shot I was using for a while, but mixed results and a hard time getting out. I think with my 8' table breaking from under the rack might be better:confused:
 
i've gotten skunked breaking from the side too because the balls can go right back into the pack. the only break-balls i avoid are side-pocket breaks.
 
If the opportunity is there, I like behind the rack shots also. I like the angle that allows you to shoot the shot with some inside english and go three rails around the back of the rack. This keeps the CB clear of flying objects and gets you to center table as well.


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BTW, I believe Allen Hopkins also likes behind the rack break shots.
 
If I can get close to this ball I like to hit it very hard with a lot of straight inside spin to come back through the rack and eliminate the chance of scratching cross side.

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I decided to play some straight pool last night and was having much better luck breaking from under the rack. When I was breaking from the side of the rack, it seemed like the balls would spread and just go right back into the pack. After breaking from under the rack I'm getting a much better spread. :smile:

Where are most of you setting up your break ball?[/QUOTE]

I always start with an under the rack break shot going three rails and out. Mainly because I don't have to walk very far, lol. I've been putting it closer to the middle lately to get a better spread.
 
Blackjack said:
For a great little video on rules for 14.1 break shots - check out this video by Pat Fleming - one of the best 14.1 learning tools on the web -

Pat Fleming's Creative Edge - Final Chapter - 14.1 Break Shot Rules

Here are 3 shots that I like to set up for - I wish they would come up more often.

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BJ, in my experience I've scratched quite a bit coming off the side of the pack like this first one. I've also scratched quite a bit by glancing off of a ball while heading to the cushion. Was I possibly further down on the rack when I hit?
MULLY
 
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unknownpro said:
If I can get close to this ball I like to hit it very hard with a lot of straight inside spin to come back through the rack and eliminate the chance of scratching cross side.

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I like this break too but the difference in the way I play it is that I don't add the inside spin and I don't hit it hard. In my personal opinion, adding spin increases your chances of missing that ball, especially inside spin. Again, my opinion. What I like to do with this is control my speed to just come out to mid table off of this. Breaks the rack open enough to get the run started and it reduces the chances of blocking balls being out there.
MULLY
I don't like smashing the rack if I don't have too
 
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Ok I played 14.1 all weekend and I have been using this break shot. I had a lot of 10-14's and a high of 28. I need to work on setting up my break ball and key ball. blackjack where are you?
 
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Apocalypse2012 said:

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Ok I played 14.1 all weekend and I have been using this break shot. I had a lot of 10-14's and a high of 28. I need to work on my setting up my break ball and key ball. blackjack where are you?
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Lot of 14s means you are getting through the rack which is good.

I myself don't particularly like this break shot. Too low and too close to the rack for my taste. Control, I think, would be a problem coming off the rack.
If getting control of the table takes too long, You may not have enough time (balls) left to solve any problems in the rack.

Just my 2cents.
 
mullyman said:
I like this break too but the difference in the way I play it is that I don't add the inside spin and I don't hit it hard. In my personal opinion, adding spin increases your chances of missing that ball, especially inside spin. Again, my opinion. What I like to do with this is control my speed to just come out to mid table off of this. Breaks the rack open enough to get the run started and it reduces the chances of blocking balls being out there.
MULLY
I don't like smashing the rack if I don't have too
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In my opinion, inside (no top or bottom) with a firm stroke is definitely the most consistent way to pocket this break ball. That is one reason I hit it like that. The other is my decade old cloth. Hitting it hard enough to get a good spread with just top sends me into the opposite side way too often.

With a new cloth your method is probably wiser. The inside spin might not catch enough to keep me away from the cross side scratch.
 
I watched the breakshot video by Pat Fleming and found out that I was hitting one of my breakshots incorrectly. With the cueball a bit closer to the rail than the break ball, Fleming recommends hitting it with follow only (I had been drawing out of that shot and ending up at the kitchen side of the table).

I tried the follow only, but had mixed success. I got a good spread of the balls just about everytime. The problem was that I would scratch in the corner off the rack every so often. It got me thinking about the "neat in/neat out" that I've seen on here.

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On the cue table, I've shown two different contact points (page1/page2). My question is: which one should I be trying to get?

I was under the impression that you want to hit a ball solid, not in between two balls. The in between hit can leave you stuck to the rack (which I also had happen).

And my other question is: If I can't get a full ball hit, what should I do with the cueball to stay out of a bad hit?

I hope this isn't too confusing. I have so much to learn, but it's tough to describe a lot of this without seeing it.
 
Hi,

a bit older your thread- but i try to give my 2 cents on it:)

if you have this postion- and u re sure to contact the rack where u placed the *A Ball* and comin out of an angle you shown up, play it like this-

1 Tip below (draw-shot) very smooth follow-through, so that the cueball won t freez and come of a bit out of the rack again- u will have usualy always the corner-ball (last ball left in the rack) as a playable ball for your next shot! this shot isn t easy...but not that hard if your re a good shotmaker with a smooth stroke my friend. Try EVERYTIME to see that u have chance to reproduce where the cornerballs are moving (or eveo son the first 2 balls at top of the rack!). It sounds difficult- but believe me- it just not that hard as it sounds. training/drills on breakshots in straight-pool is the most important thing-and it will give u an amazing boost for your game ( in my opinion on each game in pool!!!). After i received the book *Mastering Pool* from George Fels i learned so much about this game. and i swear: i lost any fear about breakshots- u can learn so much just thru doin drills on your own if your follow the instructions, which are perfectly shown in this book! for straight pool go for *Mastering Pool* , then further the Straight Pool book from Capelle and at least the *straight pool bible* from *Babe* Cranfield. Believe me, if u love this game, u ll love those books-best books ever written for straight pool- it will give u the knowing that u need, to become usualy fearless from any breakshot :)

if u wanna have some examples for breaks, just pm me, and i ll try to post them for u with cuetable my friend:)

lg from germany,

ingo
 
I switched sides

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I have been breaking from the other side of the table. I think I can cut the ball to the right much better. Using a much more servere angle, I'm having much better results.:smile:
 
My preference is very similar to David's (Blackjack) first page, but I like a little lower BB. With the higher BB, I will scratch sometimes if I do not FULLY commit to the follow --or-- get a bad kiss off the lower balls. I NEVER want to hit the top of the 11 or the bottom of the 2 in the diagram. I'll hit the middle or bottom of the 11 (with a firm stroke) or anywhere on the 5 (softer stroke).

The way I've diagramed it works 100% of the time (for me) and I RARELY end up without a shot. CB ends up in the center of the table and there is generally a ball under the stack (4 or 9 in the diagram) that I can get to easily for a secondary break. 10/6/13 will be the key ball.

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I agree. I like being behind the rack. Things just seem to work out better from back there. Me and Irving Crane !!!
 
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