Ball on the break

TY2 · Jun 28, 2015

The last 2 guys I've played 1P with were either making a ball on the break or coming very close every time (and I wasn't even coming close on my breaks).

What's up with that? Are they tilting the rack or leaving a ball a certain way or what? Thanks.

TY2

androd · Jun 28, 2015

TY2 said:
The last 2 guys I've played 1P with were either making a ball on the break or coming very close every time (and I wasn't even coming close on my breaks).

What's up with that? Are they tilting the rack or leaving a ball a certain way or what? Thanks.

TY2

Rack for each other and you'll find if it's the rack or how they hit it.
Rod.

Tom Wirth · Jun 28, 2015

TY2 said:
The last 2 guys I've played 1P with were either making a ball on the break or coming very close every time (and I wasn't even coming close on my breaks).

What's up with that? Are they tilting the rack or leaving a ball a certain way or what? Thanks.

TY2

Over the years I've had a lot of success making a ball on the break. I beat Jose Parica in the finals of Strawberry's International One Pocket Championships (1993) due in great part to my "awesome" break, as Jose described it. In a race to five, I made a ball on the break four times out of the five and of those four breaks I ran eight and out three of them and six in the fourth game. It still went hill-hill. He was and still is a great player and I sincerely doubt I would have won that match without those great breaks. The rules then were to rack for each other so I had no way of manipulating the rack.

I don't know of any great secret to breaking a ball in with regularity but the way I approach breaking is much like the bowler in Ten Pins. Once I know I can be aggressive with the break without selling out the corner ball, I begin placing the cue ball closer toward the side rail. With a slight elevation and considerable inside English, I try to curve the cue ball just a little and direct it into the pocket between the head and second object ball in the stack. This shot must be hit somewhat firmly, not hard, because of the direct route to the stack. Takes practice, and sometimes when I haven't played much I might miss the head ball and really sell out the game, but usually I get super results even if I don't make a ball. BTW. I am not trying to make a ball on the break. I'm only trying to get a good spread of the balls and hide the rock along his side rail. A ball on the break should be considered a bonus.

Tom

Jeff sparks · Jun 28, 2015

Tom Wirth said:
Over the years I've had a lot of success making a ball on the break. I beat Jose Parica in the finals of Strawberry's International One Pocket Championships (1993) due in great part to my "awesome" break, as Jose described it. In a race to five, I made a ball on the break four times out of the five and of those four breaks I ran eight and out three of them and six in the fourth game. It still went hill-hill. He was and still is a great player and I sincerely doubt I would have won that match without those great breaks. The rules then were to rack for each other so I had no way of manipulating the rack.

I don't know of any great secret to breaking a ball in with regularity but the way I approach breaking is much like the bowler in Ten Pins. Once I know I can be aggressive with the break without selling out the corner ball, I begin placing the cue ball closer toward the side rail. With a slight elevation and considerable inside English, I try to curve the cue ball just a little and direct it into the pocket between the head and second object ball in the stack. This shot must be hit somewhat firmly, not hard, because of the direct route to the stack. Takes practice, and sometimes when I haven't played much I might miss the head ball and really sell out the game, but usually I get super results even if I don't make a ball. BTW. I am not trying to make a ball on the break. I'm only trying to get a good spread of the balls and hide the rock along his side rail. A ball on the break should be considered a bonus.

Tom

I've never made a ball on the break when I hit the shot poorly. Seems like when I make that perfect hit, ( a perfect split of the top two balls ) it sounds totally different and the results are usually very good. I have noticed that when I do make that corner ball, it's always on that perfect hit, with just the right amount of inside English and usually with correct speed also.

I always rack my own, they are welcome to check it out of course, but it's just to important a shot to have the balls racked poorly. Before ever playing the first game, I always practice the break at least 5 times, just to get a feel for the amount of swing I have to allow and also to find the correct placement for the CB from the side rail.

lll · Jun 28, 2015

fwiw
yesterday with colonel bille and tom at my house a ball was made on the break by me several times and by tom
cross my heart
pinky to the sky
no funny business
its never happened to me before in my house when i practice the break
cant tell you why or any "secret " to it

gulfportdoc · Jun 28, 2015

All the balls must be frozen to the ones around them in the rack. Then the breaker must achieve a perfect split on the first two balls. Obviously it's very rare that all these conditions occur at the same time....

So it's not possible to practice in order to try to make a ball on the break (like one could practice making the 1-ball on the break in 9 ball). The best a guy can do is to practice trying to get that perfect hit from various positions. And then once in awhile the corner ball will go!

~Doc

TY2 · Jun 28, 2015

Thanks for the replies. Was just wondering if there was something there that I needed to know.

Recently during the Danny Smith/Tony Chohan 1P match, Tony was making a ball on most breaks. So much that eventually Danny's camp wouldn't continue playing unless a ball made on the break had to be spotted.

tylerdurden · Jun 30, 2015

TY2 said:
Thanks for the replies. Was just wondering if there was something there that I needed to know.

Recently during the Danny Smith/Tony Chohan 1P match, Tony was making a ball on most breaks. So much that eventually Danny's camp wouldn't continue playing unless a ball made on the break had to be spotted.

This is what happens with pool players unfortunately. A guy can be playing great, albeit getting a roll or two perhaps, and the other guy screams whines and moans until he either gets his way or he quits. The messed up part is the player thinks he is right to do this too, as if there is some inalienable right in pool where the opposing player absolutely must come to the table with a chance, or else something is wrong. If you are playing a guy the last 3 holes of a golf course and he happens to knock one in on a par three, you can whine and complain like pool players do all you want, you will never be right though, you will just be the typical, clueless asshole. News flash: people play good every now and again and don't allow their opponents good chances. Why it is so hard for pool players to come to terms with this, and handle it in a sportsmanlike fashion is beyond me.

Jimmy B · Jun 30, 2015

tylerdurden said:
This is what happens with pool players unfortunately. A guy can be playing great, albeit getting a roll or two perhaps, and the other guy screams whines and moans until he either gets his way or he quits. The messed up part is the player thinks he is right to do this too, as if there is some inalienable right in pool where the opposing player absolutely must come to the table with a chance, or else something is wrong. If you are playing a guy the last 3 holes of a golf course and he happens to knock one in on a par three, you can whine and complain like pool players do all you want, you will never be right though, you will just be the typical, clueless asshole. News flash: people play good every now and again and don't allow their opponents good chances. Why it is so hard for pool players to come to terms with this, and handle it in a sportsmanlike fashion is beyond me.

That's not very PC. Don't you realize this is the age of entitlements? Obamacare for all. An Obamaphone in every pocket. An Obama Food Debit card in every wallet. And if the employment rate gets up to 20%, use different calculations to reconfigure it down to 5. If the country starts to struggle, we can borrow and print more $'s to snap our way out of. If officials get in trouble, destroy all evidence including computers and e mails. If someone speaks up like a TRump, dump him. Anybody need some Euro's? I'm off to Greece for vacation. Wait a minute. Puerto Rico I meant. Why expect pool players to be any different?

tylerdurden · Jul 1, 2015

The world's smallest violin playing just for the people who want to axe ball in break

The world's smallest violin playing just for the people who want to axe ball in break

Jimmy B said:
That's not very PC. Don't you realize this is the age of entitlements? Obamacare for all. An Obamaphone in every pocket. An Obama Food Debit card in every wallet. And if the employment rate gets up to 20%, use different calculations to reconfigure it down to 5. If the country starts to struggle, we can borrow and print more $'s to snap our way out of. If officials get in trouble, destroy all evidence including computers and e mails. If someone speaks up like a TRump, dump him. Anybody need some Euro's? I'm off to Greece for vacation. Wait a minute. Puerto Rico I meant. Why expect pool players to be any different?

One of my favorite scenes and quotes..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TPMEoM-cjc

baby huey · Jul 1, 2015

I think you'll find that balls are made on the break more often when the table has recently been recovered. Once a divot has occurred in the spot, making a ball is almost impossible. The best players consistently make balls on the break because they hit the sweet spot more frequently than the rest of us. There is also the type of english and arc that the cue ball takes on its path to the rack. New felt has less arc on the cue ball and worn felt has less slide of the cue ball.I believe that the method of making a ball on the break requires that the cue ball slide somewhat into the rack but I could be wrong. Sometimes people will hit the second ball in the rack head on by mistake and make the corner ball. I have even seen both corner balls being made when the second ball was hit head on by error. In the end no changes should be made to our game regardless of who makes balls on the break.

darmoose · Jul 1, 2015

gulfportdoc said:
All the balls must be frozen to the ones around them in the rack. Then the breaker must achieve a perfect split on the first two balls. Obviously it's very rare that all these conditions occur at the same time....

So it's not possible to practice in order to try to make a ball on the break (like one could practice making the 1-ball on the break in 9 ball). The best a guy can do is to practice trying to get that perfect hit from various positions. And then once in awhile the corner ball will go!

~Doc

Doc

With fifteen balls in the rack, and each of those balls in contact with at least two or three other balls, I don't see how it's possible to say what is absolutely required to make a ball on the break. The numbers of possible kisses and results must be astronomical.

I play three or four times a week, with about a dozen pretty good players, on about a half dozen different tables. Most games are being racked by the opponent. My break is probably as aggressive as anybodys, and more aggressive than most. I place the CB within one inch of the side rail, while most others are further from the side rail. I know no one I play makes a ball on the break more than I do (which ain't often).

None of this proves anything to me other than an aggressive break will make more BOB's than a less aggressive break, and the rack doesn't have to be perfect IMO.

Ball on the break

TY2

New Member

androd

Verified Member

Tom Wirth

Verified Member

Jeff sparks

Verified Member

lll

Verified Member

gulfportdoc

Verified Member

TY2

New Member

tylerdurden

Verified Member

Jimmy B

Verified Member

tylerdurden

Verified Member

baby huey

Verified Member

darmoose

Verified Member