First up - this is a very narrow question that may not have much universal appeal, sorry
OK – I play 9 ball quite a bit and have a reasonable game. However, I have no consistency when breaking. At a tournament several years ago I saw Mika Immonen carefully inspecting the racked balls and then walk back and shoot the break shot, sinking the 9-ball off the break. He did this three times in a row. I’ve seen other players do the same kind of thing so obviously there is some method to this.
I was lucky enough to speak with him that day and asked him how he managed to win off the break 3 times in a row, and he said he was simply exploiting the bad job the ref had done in racking them up. Anyway, I don’t want to get THAT technical, but my question is, assuming that the rack is correctly and tightly packed, what, in your opinion, is the best approach to breaking. In particular,
Where do you position the cue ball?
Do you draw it or top-spin?
Do you aim to hit the top ball directly or obliquely?
Any other tips, dim suppositions, deranged theories, overheard scraps of conversation, half remembered pieces of bad advice, exaggerated anecdotes that amount to rank supersition? (apologies to Neal Stephenson;) )
If you don’t mind, please indicate your level of proficiency (eg University of Michigan, RecCenter 9-ball, runner-up 1992-1995, etc.)
I always go for a top spin direct shot at the top ball, and hit it as hard as I can and still have it go straight. My theory is that the top spin puts the most energy into the rack as possible, and I want to spread the balls as much as I can. I am just a bar room player though.
I’ve never been very good at it but I believe the traditional thinking is to put the cue ball a few inches from either side rail. I think this is supposed to give you as much 9-ball travel as possible so you can just win on the break, though it is very rare. You also put english so you can draw the ball back to the center of the table (I’m not sure which way though).
I believe the idea is to break with lots of force. You can usually get one to go in and if your english is right the cue ball in sitting in the center of the table, giving you your best chance at the next shot, wherever the next object ball may be.
Yeah Rhum, I also basically just try to smack the cue ball as hard as I can but its only around 50% effective - as in I get a ball in around 50% of the time. But looking at the pro’s, there seems to be a better way…?
Cyberhwk - Hmmm…yeah I see a lot of people, Earl ‘The Pearl’ Strickland for one, breaking like that with the cue ball over to the left rail side. However, from what I can see on ESPN (which isn’t much), on his breakshot, the cue ball actually leaves the table and ‘lands’ on the front face of the top ball! Unfortunately it all happens too fast to see the details and even too fast for the stop motion on my video player.
Anyway, thanks guys for the contribution! As expected, its not such a popular thread, but I was hoping there might have been a pro player out there who could help.
I play a fair amount of pool (5-10+ hrs/wk) but not competitively, and I’m not as good as I should be (IMHO), so make of this what you will. I break with the cue ball about 6 inches in from the left rail, about 1 inch behind the second diamond. I hit center on the ball, as hard as I can, trying to hit the 1-ball solidly. This always results in pretty even dispersal, usually one or two balls in, and have made the nine a few times this way. No where near 3 in a row, though. Just my $0.02.
Since I am undefeated* in pool tournaments I feel I can answer this with my expert opinion. You have to hit it hard and just right.
< with Croce’s “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” playing to set the tone >
I took Pool/Billiards as a PE course in college as a freshman and was pretty much the second best player in the class. The best player was a black guy, a little older than most of kids, and he had very likely hustled pool in bars. At first he didn’t seem that good and he got some of the frat boys to play for money after class early on, but when word got out how good he was no one would play him. So, as the semester went on he started showing off his skill with the stick and could make some amazingly tough shots, run a table or leave you jammed if he wanted. He’s the best I’ve ever seen in person. I’ll call him “Jim” you can call me “Slim.”
At the end, as a final exam of sorts, we had a tournament and the winner got an automatic “A” grade. I worked my way through the rounds and got to the final against “Jim” of course. Best two out of three games.
First game, 8-ball, I think I was able to sink maybe 4 balls but “Jim” easily beat me. Second game, his choice, 8-ball, and after we traded a couple shots I believe he ran the table and had only the 8-ball to sink for the win and the “A” for the class. Most everyone in the class had gathered to watch, but instead of taking the shot straight on, he tried to bank the cue ball off the rail just to make it tricky, and he . . . scratched.
So, we’re tied 1-1 and I get to call the next game. Nine-ball, my break. As I mentioned above, I hit it hard and just right. The balls scatter and roll about and the 9 ball heads slowly towards the corner pocket and it has just enough momentum to drop. “Slim” got the “A” and never played in an organized tournament again.
‘Now they say
You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Slim’
I use lots of chalk and hand powder. I line up about 10 degrees left of where most do and I take a very deliberate back motion, aiming for about 11 oclock on the front of the rack.
Then I either shank the cue ball, sink nothing and swear.
I’ve gotten the 9 a few times with some consistency in the cue ball placement and rack arangement.
I look at the rack arrangement to see if it’s titled clockwise or counter-clockwise. (I rarely see a rack that’s perfectly aligned at 12 o’clock) If it’s titled clockwise then I place the cue ball about 1"-2" off the center line and midway from the foot line to the foot rail. If the rack is off counter-clockwise I mirror the cue ball placement on the left side.
I hit the cue ball about center and I aim for the 1-ball directly.
Summary: I line the cue ball in the center and adjust left or right depending on the rotation of the rack.
I like to place the cue-ball about a balls width from the right rail and about an inch from the headstring and then hit the one ball with a fairly good stroke. I dont hit too hard, I want to control the cue and break the rack, not just spread the balls. What I try to do is hit the one ball and then have the cue ball hit the rail between the footstring and the lower left corner pocket and then come back into the rack and end up somewhere in the middle of the table between the footstring and the lower cushion. This also tends to break up any balls that where still in the rack area. The problem with the technique is you cant blast the cue ball on the break because the cue may jump off the rack or jump off the rail. So control and speed are more important to me then power.
I use center/slight upper left english on the break. I try to hit the one ball just left of square on the break.
When you play 9-Ball, the break is very important, so i play it a few inches off the left rail (being right handed) and hit the cue ball dead on have it hit alittle of center of the lead ball (1 ball). If the nine ball is racked correctly, with the 9-ball in the center, then the 1 ball and cue ball will split all the balls up, leaving yourself with the possiblilities of combonation shots.
My credentials? I once won 9 games in a row! if that counts for anything. I hope I could help.
I’ve been playing off and on for about 11 years. At one point I was playing daily, around 15 hours a week. I don’t compete but I do own my own cue stick.
My breaks start with the cue about 8-12 inches off the back rail and roughly the same distance from the side rails. For variety, I break off both the left and right sides. I prefer a top spin over drawing the cue back, mostly to avoid accidentally send the ball flying off the table. I break fairly hard, and aim to hit the front ball squarely. It could just be the way I break, but I feel I get a better spread of the balls that way.
Damn, I feel like playing now. I don’t absolutely need it to play, but I really wish my stick wasn’t back home in Hawaii.
I have played pool for the last 30 years and currently play in a national amateur team league. Our team qualified for the national tournament in Las Vegas twice (we got waxed fairly early both times). What does tell you about my qualifications? Nothing! But I felt like saying it anyway. I never try for the 9-ball on the break. I just want to sink at least one ball so I can shoot again. IMHO, the best break for 9-Ball is line up the cue ball, so you can picture a straight line through the cue, the 1 ball and the ball directly behind the 9 ball. You can break from either side, as you like. I place the cue about 10 inches off the head rail and use a slight top/center English with a good solid stroke. This usually drops two balls and keeps the cue towards the middle of the table.
if that counts for anything. I hope I could help.