How do I learn to make a better break?
Why is a perfect tight rack important to my break?
How can RackTight provide a perfect tight rack?
How often must I install RackTight on my table?
How long does RackTight last on my table?
How long will it take to install RackTight?
Does RackTight affect the balls during normal play?
If I have RackTight in a 9 Ball pattern can I use it for 8 Ball?
If RackTight is installed on a table will I have to learn to play differently?
Where can I get RackTight?
What is a Break Shot?
Now that I have RackTight installed, How do I make a Powerful Break Shot?
How do I Play a Soft (Safety) Break Shot?
What Tips do the Pros offer about Breaking?
How do I Break for Straight Pool?
THE ANSWERS YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR:
How do I learn to make a better break?
Knowledge is Power. Read this entire list of frequently asked questions learn the secrets of breaking because within this list are explanations of steps to good breaking and Pro Tips to learning a better break.
Why is a perfect tight rack important to my break?
A perfect tight rack disallows space between balls that would absorb the force of the breaking balls and prevent the balls from exploding naturally on cueball impact.
How can RackTight provide a perfect tight rack?
RackTight is fine film pattern installed at the foot spot on your table. The pattern provides a very sublte influence over the balls at rest and holds the rack of balls at exactly the same tight position on your table every time you rack the balls. In this way RackTight insures that every player receives exactly the same explosive rack, EVERY TIME!; which eliminates any possibility of unequal opportunity from a bad rack for all players.
How often must I install RackTight on my table?
Unlike other racking patterns RackTight is only installed once, usually when you are installing a new cloth. It is allways present, never requires annual replacement, or any maintenance.
How long does RackTight last on my table?
RackTight is made from a durable polymer transfer film so the life expectancy under normal constant use conditions is for the life of the cloth. The RackTight pattern is designed to always be on the table so it is never under duress or tear conditons as result in will last the life of the cloth even under commercial use.
How long will it take to install RackTight?
RackTight can be installed in minutes. Although, it is most important to slow down and take your time, to first properly mark the foot spot and center line of the table. Transfering rackTight is so quick that it may be too enticing to just get on with it, and place the RackTight pattern visually without measurement, however, you must know that if you put it down crooked, it is there just as crooked as dropping a set of balls with a wooden rack. Perfection for the next few years of fast racking is worth a few extra minutes only spent once, today.
Does RackTight affect the balls during normal play?
No, RackTight will never interupt the natural flow of your game in any way. RackTight is almost invisible and while it has enough influence to hold a stationary ball from random movement it has little or no affect on a ball in motion.
If I have RackTight in a 9 Ball pattern can I use it for 8 or 10 Ball?
Yes, the basic nine ball RackTight pattern will provide for the majority of core balls in any rack to be completely frozen which will provide the explosive break, in for example 8 ball. The remaining balls may added by hand or with aid of a conventional rack after the diamond balls are frozen on the pattern. If the remaining balls are not as tight as the core of the rack (which could occur if RackTight is applied to worn cloth but are still as tight as you would ever have them normally), these balls at the back of the rack will not have an adverse affect on the explosiveness of the break.
If RackTight is installed on a table will I have to learn to play differently?
You will have to get used to regularly potting balls on your break and having the opportunity to run out but other than this, no, there is nothing about RackTight that will make you adjust your game in any other way.
Where can I get RackTight?
Ask your local dealer to order RackTight in for you, or look at our "Find a Dealer" page to discover a RackTight source close to you.
What is a Break Shot?
The Break: The Beginning Shot of any billiard game with the object balls for that game (except for the white cue ball) tightly racked and placed in a triangle or diamond formation according to the rules of the game with the head ball on the foot spot of the table. The breaking player, places the white cue ball anywhere on or behind the head string of the table, which is furthest from the object balls. The player then "breaks" by shooting the white cue ball at the formation of balls. The first objective during the break, is the player must pocket a ball, while keeping the cue ball on the table in order to continue the attempt to pocket all the object balls. The second objective of the break is to disperse the rack of balls in such an open way as to permit a reasonable shot at every object ball.
Now that I have RackTight installed, How do I make a Powerful Break Shot?
1.Many players will have a special break cue fitted with a special ferral and hard tip to get just the right action on the break. Others just put aside their personal shooting cue and reach for a house cue to keep their personal cue out of harm's way from their intention to serve up a molar-rattling, shaft-bending opening salvo.
2. Cue weight is a consideration for this important stroke. You want to hit the break with as much force and speed as you can control. While many amatures believe a heavyier cue; the heaviest they can get their hands on is the answer to a powerful break, it is not! A heavier cue just requires even more arm muscle strength to get the same explosive break as a lighter cue and because of the muscle required is less likely to be an accurate stroke. Consider that in the physics of the explosive break it is more important to address the cue ball with more speed than force in your stroke. A relatively lightweight cue takes less tensil muscle strength therefore is easier to snap speed into the stroke with accuracy providing both the explosive power and the required winning control. Select a cue of 19 ounces or less.
3. Chalk adds friction and spin to the contact between cue and cue ball. You want the tip to adhere to the ball without slipping into miscue but also to release the ball so ensure the chalk is lightly and evenly applied but not thick and heavy.
5. Stand more upright than for a classic pool stroke. Standing higher allows for a long, flowing motion with the shooting arm.
6. Cue up with a back and forth motion to check your body position comfort to be in line with the stroke and also memorize the flow of your straight stroke. Whe comfortable and ready, with a relaxed shooting hand draw back slowly and deliberately for the break like cocking a gun or bow and arrow. Feel as though you are drawing a bow, gathering energy to propel forward again. See the shot, and fire.
7. Strike the cue ball somewhere just below its equator. Any topspin on the cue ball could cause the ball to leap into the air dispersing valuable break energy. A ball struck with topspin might also leave the table entirely after striking a rail! Shoot low instead for skid or a bit of draw on the ball.
8. For most breaks, hit the headmost ball of the rack so the cue ball bounces back toward the center of the table, in order for the cue ball to be in good position where a variety of shots may be made successfully.
9. Assess your results. If you are having trouble with breaking powerfully with accuracy, clear all balls from the table except the cue ball and shoot it cross corner into a pocket on the other side of the table. Ram the cue ball into the pocket until you can shoot it in with confidence. Apply that same stroke to the break shot.
How do I Play a Soft (Safety) Break Shot?
1.Unlike the Powerful Break Shot for the soft Break Shot or safe break shot your stroke intention will not be a ball shattering force so you may choose your personal shooting cue.
2. Chalk up the way someone applies lipstick elegantly, with an even, light coating.
3. Place the cue ball on or behind the head string in a comfortable position to execute the soft break.
4. Plan to hit the cue ball just hard enough to drive at least two balls from the rack to touch a rail in order to avoid a foul call. (For some pool games such as Eight Ball, four balls must touch a rail on the break or the break is considered illegal and a penalty is imposed.)
5. Skillful breakers will practice to leave the cue ball in a disadvantageous spot for the incoming player, perhaps nestled near a corner pocket.
What Tips do the Pros offer about Breaking?
21 Pro Tips to Explosive Breaking
are provided by the player's friend,
BiLLiARDS DIGEST.
It is essential to have a good break. In most games, it determines whether or not you can continue playing. And let's be serious - you want to win, right? So we turned to the pros for their top tips on serving up a molar-rattling, shaft-bending opening salvo. Try 'em all. You'll feel like a star in no time.
1. Power and accuracy. Surprise: They're intimately related. The number one rule in breaking is to hit the head ball - almost always the 1 ball - as fully as possible. An accurate, dead-center hit will transfer all of the ball's momentum - i.e., power - into the rack. "It's like hitting a golf ball," says Johnny Archer. "If you hit a golf ball at dead-center at 105 mph, you are going to hit it just as far as somebody swinging at 120 mph and hitting it off center. In pool, if you hit the 1 ball at dead-center, you don't have to hit them as hard to get the action."
2. Best results. In the end, the only good break shot is the one that sinks a ball, so be prepared to adjust your tactics. That could mean switching cue ball positions, changing speeds, or even trying a less-than-full hit on the head ball (in extreme situations). For example, "some people refuse to soft break because they are stubborn," says Thorsten Hohmann. "They think, 'I have to break hard.' But you want to win."
3. Sidespin. Avoid left or right hand English. You want to keep the cue ball from scratching, and side English will impel the cue ball to dance around the table until it falls drunkenly into a pocket. Some pros may use a hair of left or right if they're consistently scratching on otherwise solid breaks (for example, a little left if you're always scratching in the right side pocket, says Shawn Putnam), but they're professionals.
4. Stance. Some experts suggest narrowing your stance, and that helps if you plan on propelling your hips and torso forward on the break stroke (see Tip 18). Most pros favor their front foot on the break anyway. And it's a good idea to stand more upright than you would on a regular shot. Your stroke will need some clearance for a big follow-through, and upward motion is just wasted on the shot anyway. But make sure you still keep your legs bent. That will help you generate momentum. Everybody has their own interpretation of these principles, and you can see Thorsten Hohmann's in Diagram 4 below.
5. Position tricks. Every table breaks differently, but there are a few tricky ways to find the sweet spot in a hurry. First, check the cloth for tell-tale signs of wear. Previous players will have found the best cue-ball position for the break, so you should see marks for that position, and streaks leading to the foot spot. Second, if you know your table ahead of time, check out an earlier match to see where the players are breaking and what speed seems to be working.
6. Where to start - 9-ball. Unless the rules mandate breaking from the box, most pros start breaking from a point a few inches from either the left or right rail. Depending on the result, they could move in a few more inches, which usually will affect the path of the 1 ball as it flirts with the side pocket (and the wing balls to a varying degree). Another option is to switch sides and/or the speed of your stroke.
7. Object ball paths - 9-ball. In Diagram 1 below is a map of the tendencies of the object balls on a 9-ball break. Obviously, these are best-case scenarios. The key balls to watch are the head ball (1 in the diagram) and the wing balls (7 and 3), as they are the most reliable. Expert players will adjust the position of their cue ball along the headstring, and/or the speed of their break, until they can reliably sink one or more of these balls.
8. Where to start - 8-ball, Part I. In 8-ball, it's crucial to make a solid hit with the energy of the stroke directed straight into the head ball and rack, so many pros break within the first diamond from center (left or right).
9. Object ball paths - 8-ball. Obviously, the 8-ball break is exponentially more complex than the 9-ball break, so it's difficult to control any of the object balls with any precision. But we do know that your best friends are the two balls after the head ball, which tend to meander toward their respective side pockets (see Diagram 2).
10. Where to start - 8-ball, Part II. Billiards Digest 8-ball guru Larry Schwartz recommends using another break if the rules say you win by sinking the 8 on the break. (Some rules call for spotting the 8.) In this circumstance (Diagram 3), hit the second ball as fully as possible, either from the right or left. Strike the cue ball with low right English if you are breaking from the left, and use low left if you are breaking from the right. The English helps to keep you from scratching. This break helps propel the 8 from the pack toward the pockets, and you get a good spread no matter what. Plus, there's a secondary break when the cue ball comes off the rails.
11. Bridge Style. Whether you're breaking from the rail or the center of the table, you want to use a closed bridge (see Diagram 4). You'll have more accuracy on your cue-ball hit, and the closed bridge will help you keep the tip down as your body rises up. "I put a little pressure on my bridge hand so I don't raise up," says Stevie Moore. "I'll lean on it a little bit."
12. Bridge arm. It should be relaxed and bent at a slight angle. If it's straight and stiff, it will inhibit your body on the backswing and keep your body from moving into the shot.
13. Bridge distance from cue ball. A lot of pros set up a bit farther away than normal on the break shot - maybe 8 or 10 inches (see Diagram 4). "You have to take it back farther on the backswing, and you follow-through so much that you need to make more room," says Johnny Archer. The extra distance certainly allows for more acceleration on your stroke. (If you're bridging from the rail, the distance will tend to be shorter.) But be careful: the longer the bridge distance, the less accurate your stroke will tend to be.
14. Back hand position. There's a lot of debate over whether you should reach a few inches farther back on the cue for your break shot - giving you a longer stroke - or to keep your back hand in its usual position. Experiment, and go with what's comfortable. For the record, Thorsten Hohmann actually chokes up a few inches for the break for more control (see Diagram 4). Jeanette Lee also chokes up, as does hot new Filipino Jeff De Luna.
15. Cue ball aiming point. It's nearly unanimous: You should contact the cue ball a hair to a full tip below center. The point is to squat the cue ball at the middle of the table once it hits the head ball. The backspin that you're applying will dissipate after the collision, leaving the cue ball with no locomotion. But be careful: A lot of folks aim low, but their cues creep up on the break stroke.
16. Backswing. "I've always had problems with my break," says Jeanette Lee. "There are many different techniques that people use, but the universal commonality between them is the slow backswing. On your last stroke, pull the cue back in a controlled motion, and then start forward smoothly and accelerate." Think of it as pulling back the string of a bow before launching an arrow.
17. Where to look - cue ball vs. object ball. There are two schools of thought on your focus point during the break stroke. Some players recommend looking at the rack's head ball, and other's keep focused on the cue ball to ensure an accurate hit. "I've been trying to look at the 1 ball, and it's pretty tough for me," says Stevie Moore. "I've always looked at the cue ball. I kind of glance back and forth, but my last look has been at the cue ball. I can't really control it. A lot of good players look at the 1 ball. It's hard. You have to really trust your stroke."
Perhaps the most accurate breaker among pros pleads ignorance. "I have no idea what I look at on the break," says Johnny Archer. "Anybody who really believes they know they're looking at, really doesn't know. In the end, we're all playing by feel."
18. Weight transfer and kick. Many of the biggest breakers propel their hips and torsos forward as they're starting their stroke, usually ending in a kick from the back foot (see photo of Jeff DeLuna in Diagram 5). Their weight ends up on the front foot. "You're using your legs to give your arm and stroke more speed and momentum," says Charlie Williams. "Try to focus on using your back leg to generate forward power. And that makes your back leg naturally kick higher." One tip to try out: Think of it as a martial arts move, kicking someone who's standing right in back of you.
19. Timing. It's the key ingredient and the most mysterious element of a successful break. In essence, you're trying to get several body parts to work together in a movement that takes less than a second.
In the end, go with what works for you. But, in a nutshell, here is the progression that most experts suggest: Finish your backswing, pause, start pushing your hips and torso forward, start a smooth acceleration of the cue, strike the cue ball and then follow-through as your back foot leaves the floor.
20. Cue position at contact. Ideally, at the moment your cue tip hits the cue ball, you want your forearm to be perpendicular (at a 90-degree angle) to your cue. "You're in the middle of the range of motion," says Shawn Putnam. "You've started accelerating, but you're not running out of stroke yet." And keep the cue as level as you are comfortable; too much pitch, and the cue ball could jump off the table.
21. Follow-through. After initially hitting the cue ball, the cue should keep moving forward. Since the cue is descending into the shot at a short angle, it's only natural that the cue tip should hit the cloth after the point of contact and continue sliding uptable. Some players, such as Mike Sigel and Thorsten Hohmann, actually plant their cue sticks at the end of the follow-through, and you can see the shaft bending at the end of the stroke. The guys with the most exaggerated follow-throughs, such as Johnny Archer and Francisco Bustamante, travel past that point until their cues are aloft and frozen in a sort of "Hustler"-meets-Heisman pose (see Diagram 6).
Famously, Archer once fouled in tournament play when his cue tip struck the head ball on the follow-through. And that was a good sign. It meant that his aim was right on track. A long follow-through will either improve your accuracy because it's forcing you to stay on line longer, or it will immediately tell you which side of the target you're favoring. "Look at the tip finish - that will tell you a lot," says Jeanette Lee. You also can check out your tip's track marks on the cloth.
How do I Break for Straight Pool?
Straight Pool (or 14.1 Continuous) is a game in which all balls must be called, even on the opening break. So, unless you are able to accurately predict what might fall and in which pocket on a power break, such as that made in the game of Eight-ball, you will need to master the most common and fundamentally defensive traditional opening break of Straight Pool shown in the diagram above. When executed “perfectly”, each of the corner balls can actually end up coming back into the stack in the exact same positions they were in before you shot. Although it is not easy to do, and certainly you should not even expected it to happen each time you shoot it, I have achieved it myself from time to time. So, it is possible! Regardless of whether the “perfect” outcome occurs, what you can more commonly expect to have occur is what is shown in the diagram above, or perhaps even the diagram below where more balls come out of the stack. If you get something more like what is shown below, then you probably hit the corner ball too full which is easy to do on a table length shot such as this.
Even with this result, you have still left a difficult leave for your opponent, who must now either think of a safety play, or take a risky shot by trying to pocket the 11 ball in the lower left corner pocket.
Because it can be difficult to sometimes control how many balls will come out of the stack, the most important aspect of the opening break is that you must learn to get the cue back up table and as close to or preferably ON the headrail as shown. Focusing on placing the cueball on or as close to the headrail as possible will make any potential shots left for your opponent much more difficult to execute. This should be your main goal on the opening break!
