Why can't older players break well?

M

MisspentYouth

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I'm thinking specifically here of Earl and Efren. Maybe I'm wrong, but Shane or Dechaine's 10 ball break does not seem to be based on pure power. It seems to be a wrist pop and just solid contact making it hop and general racking knowledge. And their 9-ball breaks are great too, but there are players (Larry Nevel, Mike Davis, etc. come to mind) who break really hard but are not nearly as productive as Daz, Shane, Dechaine, Ko, etc. If it isn't based on power then why can't these old dogs learn new tricks? Because once the hurdle of the break is overcome, I defy the average pro to beat Earl at anything.
 
Measureman from Denver has a great break, @ 67. If he makes a ball or two grab the rack cause he is getten out.
 
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Earl had a good break back in the day before the pattern racking rack mechanics came out of the woodwork. Back in the day everyone was hitting them as hard as they could. Johnnyt
 
MisspentYouth said:
I'm thinking specifically here of Earl and Efren. Maybe I'm wrong, but Shane or Dechaine's 10 ball break does not seem to be based on pure power. It seems to be a wrist pop and just solid contact making it hop and general racking knowledge. And their 9-ball breaks are great too, but there are players (Larry Nevel, Mike Davis, etc. come to mind) who break really hard but are not nearly as productive as Daz, Shane, Dechaine, Ko, etc. If it isn't based on power then why can't these old dogs learn new tricks? Because once the hurdle of the break is overcome, I defy the average pro to beat Earl at anything.
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Because those 2 old dogs Earl and Efren were more complete players in their era and need not have powerful break to offset their weaknesses in other areas
These days it is era of big breaks so guys like Shane and Ko rely on their power which is also why they are not very complete players eg. they are not as strong the defence/ safety
:D
 
spartan said:
Because those 2 old dogs Earl and Efren were more complete players in their era and need not have powerful break to offset their weaknesses in other areas
These days it is era of big breaks so guys like Shane and Ko rely on their power which is also why they are not very complete players eg. they are not as strong the defence/ safety
:D
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You do realize that you just said two of the top 5 players in the world are "not very complete players"?

Surely that was by accident.
 
Unless you know the actual answer, like "older players can't break well, because the 5th wrist ligament in their right arm deteriorates because of the angle of the sun" or whatever, then why speak? Telling me that Earl had a great break back in the day or anything else here so far is useless information. I didn't ask a rhetorical question.
 
MisspentYouth said:
Unless you know the actual answer, like "older players can't break well, because the 5th wrist ligament in their right arm deteriorates because of the angle of the sun" or whatever, then why speak? Telling me that Earl had a great break back in the day or anything else here so far is useless information. I didn't ask a rhetorical question.
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You don't always get what you want..... And being an ass doesn't help things
 
MisspentYouth said:
I'm thinking specifically here of Earl and Efren. Maybe I'm wrong, but Shane or Dechaine's 10 ball break does not seem to be based on pure power. It seems to be a wrist pop and just solid contact making it hop and general racking knowledge. And their 9-ball breaks are great too, but there are players (Larry Nevel, Mike Davis, etc. come to mind) who break really hard but are not nearly as productive as Daz, Shane, Dechaine, Ko, etc. If it isn't based on power then why can't these old dogs learn new tricks? Because once the hurdle of the break is overcome, I defy the average pro to beat Earl at anything.
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I never heard of Earl having a bad break even now.

Efren's break has been known to be his worst shot in pool ever since he started playing. I think the only time I have seen him break really well was during the HK 100k Challenge and even then Earl out-broke him by a lot.

10 ball is a different break than 9 ball, much of it depends on getting the rack setup right, which a lot of the old school guys don't bother with.

Bad breakers are simply those that don't practice as much or just don't know what to practice if they do.
 
This secret is they can't do anything. Or, at least not as well as they used to. That's why they call it old, and that's why they call it the blues. :smile:
 
With today's technology. How can anyone have a bad break? Bad form I can understand. Technology in today's break cues take away the need for pure power.
 
Seems to me that Efren's break has always been pretty poor.

Maybe because everything else he does is great, it stands out more.

Ken
 
peteypooldude said:
I like his analogy and agree if Earl had Shane's break he'd still be the top dog
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Thanks tough guy. I didn't know that. Point I was trying to make is, when asking a question, I can't stand it when people offer opinions. I can't tell you how many times I've said, when asking someone directions, "Just admit you don't know, or please stop talking." Because invariably people say things like, "I think it's about a mile up the street to the right," or, "Maybe it's the third building on the left." I never ask anyone what they think about anything unless it's an opinion about a movie or something. If I ask a question, I expect someone to say it's xyz or "I don't know." Other than that, STFU.
 
MisspentYouth said:
I'm thinking specifically here of Earl and Efren. Maybe I'm wrong, but Shane or Dechaine's 10 ball break does not seem to be based on pure power. It seems to be a wrist pop and just solid contact making it hop and general racking knowledge. And their 9-ball breaks are great too, but there are players (Larry Nevel, Mike Davis, etc. come to mind) who break really hard but are not nearly as productive as Daz, Shane, Dechaine, Ko, etc. If it isn't based on power then why can't these old dogs learn new tricks? Because once the hurdle of the break is overcome, I defy the average pro to beat Earl at anything.
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Define breaking well? Are you just referring to hitting them hard? I remember how hard David Howard hit the break. Of course the cue ball ended up on the floor a good percent of the time.
 
Just need the right equipment.
 

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macguy said:
Define breaking well? Are you just referring to hitting them hard? I remember how hard David Howard hit the break. Of course the cue ball ended up on the floor a good percent of the time.
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I think my break is the best part of my game, but I am not a consistent run-out player. My average break speed is 25-27mph tested with the laser contraption used for the breaking contests, and I am 50 years old. My problem is that I have developed arthritis in my hand and wrist, and bursitis in my shoulder, and I think it will probably affect my break as I age further. It hasn't had much of a difference so far, but I think it will in a few more years.
 
Breaking well I guess would be spreading the balls well, getting a shot on the one or some sort of decent position in the middle of the table, knowing how to pattern rack/read a rack and knowing how not to get slugged, knowing when to use what sort of break (cut break, soft break, etc.), knowing how that particular table is breaking and how the room conditions (humidity etc.) are affecting the table.
 
IMO, pattern racking is not a breaking skill, it is a gaming skill. Breaking well from my perspective assumes no foul play relative to the rack. Reading a rack, table conditions, etc. is a different skill set.
 
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