Break Shot Focus Technique
10/24/2012 2:58:53 PM
Break Shot Focus Technique
Mitch and Zeke,
My name is Zeek, and I am 42 years old and severely disabled. I am confined to a wheelchair.
I cannot remember shooting positions as they were natural to me. In this guide I offer an excellent break technique, but I don't know if it will work.
Will you guys be so kind as to email me at zeek-i-said@cfl.rr.com?
I will reply with the technique for you to try.
Break Shot Focus Technique
Replies & Comments
Zeke on 10/25/2012 6:15:56 AM
Zeek, why not share it here with all of us?
Besides, I'm a straight pool addict and power breaks are verboten.
zeek on 10/25/2012 8:42:21 AM
OK Zeke, but i do need feedback fellas.
I've been coaching a chick friend, i emailed her the below 3 times in different words, she's still clueless; women! the 7 and 7 rule discussed is a physics theory, buy the book to learn more.
- Do not chalk on the break! Chalk is an adhesive to ensure contact with the cue ball to avoid miscues. But be sure to chalk after or before every shot.
- Walk up to the head of the table. You hips stay vertical with the head. Widen your gate 6 to 12 inches. Step your left foot back 3 to 6 inches and your right an inch or two forward.
- Your hips should almost be 125 degrees with the head, but not quite. You should be facing 10 o'clock to 10:30.
- Now stretch your torso(upper Body) clock-wise. Until your chest is comfortably vertical with the head. Is this comfortable? I have absolutely no clue. If not bring you left foot forward slightly and stretch again. The idea here is to get you right shoulder to snap into the break. You might want to try this: when I was in college, my breaking bridge was a bit obscure. I put the cue stick's shaft between my index finger and middle finger, I'd hold the rail, straighten my left arm as if someone was pulling me back in my wheelchair. I kept my fingers firm, my shoulders were well fit from pushing my wheelchair, so I nearly always got a good power break. With a firm bridge it created a tension that resulted in more power. Imagine this; holding a base-ball batter's swing back by the bat, then releasing it to hit the ball, "line drive home-run" I'd say. However being so low for the break is not recommended.
- Make your bridge no less than 6 inches from the cue ball, if you use the 7 and 7 rule, moving the cue ball forward a few inches is not a "no-no". add this extra space to your bridge distance.
- keep your knees slightly bent. Back straight, but bent over some applying most body weight into your bridge hand. Keep your aiming eye in line with the potential cue ball path.
- Bend you left elbow as much as possible.
- Keep your bridge hand down firmly on the felt almost digging your fingers into the nap.
- Try both ways, decide if comfort is better than effectiveness: a: grip the but of the stick firmly or b:simply put the but in your hand and close with your thumb and middle finger together(only if you don't use my bridge or a tight bridge).
- Your but grasp should be directly below you right elbow.
- Deep breath. Give it all you got, but halfway before impact with the cue ball abruptly straighten your left arm and knees, this ensures your right shoulder helps. No more village people!
Hi Zeek,
- I disagree with your point #1 and #2. In these steps, you avoid the most critical aspect of the break shot (and any billiard shot) i.e., "be natural and relaxed when taking any shot".
- I also disagree with #3 for the same reasons as #2.
- Regarding point #4; Since the focus of your tome is "the power break" - and I'm a student of straight pool, nothing seems relevant to my game.
- Point #5 makes sense.
- Point #6 is problematic. You made no reference to the shooter's height.
- Point #7 has the same problem as point #6.
- Point #8 makes sense.
- Regarding point #9; I try to avoid a tight grip at any time. The wrist - and the "snap" it can generate - cannot be executed easily with tight fingers. It is that "snap" - that produces the most energy IMO.
- Regarding point #10; Certainly the correct starting point - but adjustments before and after can effect major improvements, even if the adjustment is just an inch or two.
- Regarding point #11; I never "consciously" examined that aspect of the break. I may (or may not) do as your tutorial suggested. But then again, and as previously stated, I rarely play "hard break" pool games.
Mitch Alsup on 10/27/2012 10:24:10 PM
I am a proponent of acuracy on the break rather than power on the break. Placing the CB at exactly the right spot drops OBs on the break more often then sending/scatering most of them around the table.
In addition, strategically, it is often to your advantage to soft break when you have an opponent who is not so good at breaking clusters. IF the break scatered the balls well, you end up at a significant disadvantage.
Thank you Zeke for the well thought feedback.
Mitch, the advice of where the cue ball should slam into the rack is also covered in chapter 2.
Any feedback from others?
It becomes "game" dependent.
There is a spot on the head ball whey the head ball rolls right into the opposite pocket when hit correctly. This works in 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball.
There is a spot on the easy side fo the head ball that makes a wing ball (9-ball) almost all the time, this spot seems to be several hundredths wide. The CB is placed at the kitchen string about 1 balls width (9-foot table) from the rail and aimed about 4mm to the inside of head on with the head ball. Soft break, hard break the wing ball pretty much just goes in.
There is a spot on the second ball back from the head ball where the 8-ball rolls towards the side pocket, a few hundredth of an inch farther back and the 8-ball rolls towards the opposite corner pocket. And a few hundredths of an inch farther the wing ball rolls into the opposite corner pocket. The thing to notice is that there are 3 different shots that all impact a single ball within a few hundredths of an inch of each other.
If you think you can hit such a small spot with a massive break stroke, you are far more advanced in breaking than am I.
The only way to find these spots on your table (as they are ball dependent and cloth dependent) is to Break-rack-break-rack,... until you figure it out. A video camera helps, a still camera with a long shutter time (2-seconds) also helps a lot. Also note: the balls must be pock-mark free and the racks "tight as a drum".
In this guide I am writing, I offer screens from VP3 trick shots.
This shows path and trajectory.
The physics have it.
Anyone with VP3 version 3.0.99 I would be happy to connect and play with. eBay has VP3 for less than $8. Stay away from VP4. I find that it is too new and too many bugs and quirks.
Break Shot Focus Technique
- Title: Break Shot Focus Technique
- Author: zeek
- Published: 10/24/2012 2:58:53 PM
