BreakRak

[John G]

I don't usually recommend anything, but in this case I feel obligated to highly recommend this tool to players at any level. Why? Because of what it's already done for me. We all
think we can play, some stronger then others but inside we all think we know alot. Many of us who can break the balls hard think we have a strong break. But be honest with
yourself can you control the rock and do it repeatedly on command. If not read on!


Please bear with me while I tell this story, it can change your game. I broke my elbow in Dec 04 and in doing so damaged the radial nerve in my right arm. /ccboard/images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm right handed. The radial nerve is what allows all those wonderful fine motor movements we all take for granted. Like hitting the ball hard or soft. Like keeping your arm in the stroke plane. Controling wrist movement, etc. and for reasons not clear to me becauses of the damage the tricep is slow to release..


After spending months in therapy I found I had still lost a great deal of control in my arm. The doctors said it would take 16 to 18 months to retrain the arm. I'm 63 years old, I don't have 18 months to waste on that. So I went in search of some training aid that I could use to bring my arm back. I tried the stroke trainer, I filmed myself, I had people watch to try and identify the problem. And of course I practiced and played. Really not much help from any of this.

I had seen the BreakRak on the web and considered it, but I wouldn't believe it could work. Finally in desperation I ordered one. I worked with it for 8 hours the day it arrived.
I won a single elimination qualifier the following day from the corrections I made that day.The feedback from this tool is both instant and accurate. I had been practicing bad
habits for months and not knowing how to correct it. The BreakRak helped me to identify and make corrections. Also because the setup is constant it allows you to maintain your
focus on your objective. This thing will absolutly teach you to squat the rock repeatedly. Your break has to improve if you work with this tool. Your accuracy will improve as
will your stroke.

It does as advertized “break shots sold here”. For all the money we blow on pool you do yourself a disservice not to have one of these in your arsenal. This is a great product and I’m thankful to the inventor. By the way his book on breaking is purty damn good too. And to answer a probable question, no I don’t know Charlie Bond. I get nothing for these words. It’s a great tool and it deserves the praise and should be used by everyone.

Sincerely
John Gardner. /ccboard/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Rod]

John, I'll reply to this one. I have never used the rack. However people will never know how much a good break can mean. I use to pay young guys 5 bucks an hour just to rack the balls. I insisted on a tight rack. An old road partner and I use to rack balls for each other as well. All I can say is practicing your break, in depth, is time well spent.

It will carry over to your regular game.

Rod

[cycopath]

I practiced some with my father's BreakRak and loved it.

Talk about instant feedback. Immediately I saw a problem in my break and corrected it with the BreakRak. Just a few days of practice and I had a break I could be proud of, literally.

Later in league everyone commented how well I was breaking.

It's a pricey little device, but it's also quite effective.

[John G]

Rod, yes the break is the most overlooked shot in billiards and without question the most important. In an even matchup The break can and usually does dictate who prevails. Every game from 3 cushion billiards, one pocket, 14-1, 8 ball, and the most popular 9 ball the "break" can make or break ones game. No pun intended.

What I found interesting was I didn't buy it to enhance my break. I bought it because I could have a static setup for aiming feedback. True one can fire balls into a pocket and see the result. But not a finite result. Your feedback only tells you wether you did or didn't pocket the ball.

What I did, because I was/am having difficulty controling the finer movement in my arm, I placed an ink dot on the contact point of the lead ball. If my aim is true the dot will be transfered to the cueball. A great deal more feedback than simply pocketing a ball. I'm now dialing in in thousands of an inch rather then fractions of an inch. The other positive is I'm not bothered by constantly having to reset the balls. I can give all my focus to my stroke plane, my stance and my aim without having to "reload".

It was after a few hours of doing this that I turned my attention to my break and realized what an important tool this thing really is. Many of us have what we feel is a 'good' break. The problem comes from the moving ball on the table. When something goes wrong You can't always tell if it was lack of control or bad luck. Because this setup is staionary the results of your stroke are clearly reflected without interuption. I found a very subtle change in my bridge height would/could drasticly change the outcome of cue ball position. That's the value of this tool that's being overlooked.

John G

[John G]

Well yes, at first look it does seem 'pricey'. But when compared against the amount of table time you have to spend to receive a fraction of the information it's false econimics. It's more cost effective in the long run. And once purchased you have a constant to check yourself against when a problem arises.

John G

[cycopath]

You're right, the cost seems pretty small compared to the cost of a new high-end production cue or even a mid-level custom cue.

Still $175 'clams' is a lot for a training aid, in my opinion.

I will say that for someone that is truly dedicated to being a better player or more specifically a better breaker, it is a bargain at the price.

[ceebee]

Thanks John, for your positive words about the BreakRAK. My aim is to be a helping hand to my fellow Pool Players.

Cycopath, the BreakRAK III is $125. Pool Players that cannot afford a training aid, should ask their Pool Room to provide the training aid for all the players that want to progress. Having "A Spider", A "StrokeTrainer", "practice Cue Balls", a"BreakRAK", a "good pool library" & an "Instructor" would do wonders for their customers & their business.

Thanks to all of you CCBers that have placed your comments on this public forum about this training aid.

[cycopath]

That's a good idea Charley.

Poolhall owners should have one to rent out at their hall.

Just 10 bucks an hour or something. The manager could set the thing up for them, and then let 'em at it.

[Chopstick]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote ceebee:</font><hr> Thanks John, for your positive words about the BreakRAK. My aim is to be a helping hand to my fellow Pool Players.

Cycopath, the BreakRAK III is $125. Pool Players that cannot afford a training aid, should ask their Pool Room to provide the training aid for all the players that want to progress. Having "A Spider", A "StrokeTrainer", "practice Cue Balls", a"BreakRAK", a "good pool library" &amp; an "Instructor" would do wonders for their customers &amp; their business.

Thanks to all of you CCBers that have placed your comments on this public forum about this training aid. <hr /></blockquote>

That is a great idea. It puts me in a bind of conscience though. You are a good friend and I wish you all the success in the world. But after having the BreakRak for almost a year now and your new book, I don't want people knowing about it.

I hope you sell a million of them. Just not in Central Florida. /ccboard/images/graemlins/laugh.gif