8-ball break question

[tjlmbklr]

I currently play on an 8-ball league that plays 8-ball break counts as a win. It's kind of a house set of rules slightly modified from BCA's rules. In the past I have played a vast assortment of bar leagues that all play the 8-ball counts as a win. At one time I had my technique down to either making a few balls on the break, with a good chance on the 8 flying out of the pack. Or just plain making the 8. Now I know most of us are aware when a person is going for the 8 and when they are just trying to bust them up hoping for something to fall. Usually you see the person putting the cue ball close to the side rail and usually at the second diamond up (give or take). But what I hate is when someone was just going for just a normal break and lucks the 8 in and hoots and hollors that he made the 8, but all experienced players know that there is a particular place to break that increases your odds. I myself don't feel good when I luck in the 8, there’s no skill behind it, and it just lucked in. Now I know a wins a win, but I like to feel good about what I am doing.

Well anyway, to my point. What technique do you guys/gals use? The reason I ask is I have been out of the 8-ball break game for a while, because I was playing a BCA league. Now I've lost my technique. I have been finding that if I move the CB back further I can hit with more velocity (without flying the CB off the table or scratching in the corner). I just want the opinion of as many people as possible so I can work on perfecting it once again. Here is what has been working best for me.



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I hit it with a med/hard stroke with good follow through, aiming at the second ball.

Now I know there are a lot of variations; like aiming between the second and third, aiming just at the third, or aiming through the rack to the middle ball in the back of the rack. Please be specific!

http://cuetable.com/WeiTable/

[randyg]

What size table?

[tjlmbklr]

Well the tables I play on at league are oversized 8's with high speed cloth. But I still play a lot of pool at bars on, you guessed it, bar boxes.

[sack316]

my "8 ball on the break- break" is still very much a work in progress. But I just got the chance to rejoin an 8 ball team this session, and have been breaking from the side hitting the second ball, using low inside english (medium to hard speed). This has gotten the 8 ball moving out and about better for me and actually made it (usually in the side pocket of the side I'm breaking from) around once every 5 or 6 times. My problem with the break is that I'm still having issues with controlling the cue ball and as well as my accuracy hitting the right spot on the rack. When I hit it right it's been a very good break, with or without dropping the eight. Otherwise I've created some ugly racks, and one time in a match in which I made the 8 on the break 4 times, I lost two of those due to scratching/popping the CB off the table (That was frustrating). I'm sure someone else will have some more solid advice than mine, but to me the break you described works best for what you were looking for... just requires (at least for me) a lot of practice. But then again, what doesn't?

Sack

[PoolSharkAllen]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote sack316:</font><hr> This has gotten the 8 ball moving out and about better for me and actually made it (usually in the side pocket of the side I'm breaking from) around once every 5 or 6 times. My problem with the break is that I'm still having issues with controlling the cue ball and as well as my accuracy hitting the right spot on the rack. When I hit it right it's been a very good break, with or without dropping the eight. Otherwise I've created some ugly racks, and one time in a match in which I made the 8 on the break 4 times, I lost two of those due to scratching/popping the CB off the table (That was frustrating).
Sack <hr /></blockquote>

It sounds to me like there is way too much emphasis here on making the 8-ball on the break (on bar tables).

I play on 9-foot tables and hardly anyone ever makes the 8 on the break. On the rare occassions when they do make the 8, the breaker has the option of asking for a rerack or having the ball spotted (BCA rules).

[randyg]

On a Bar Table, second ball break, medium speed. Eight heads to side pocket or gets kicked up to corner pocket.

[Billy_Bob]

I read somewhere that breaking from the side results in more clusters and breaking from the center results in fewer clusters. Seems true to me.

When breaking from the center of the table, I can get a good spread of the balls with little or no clustered balls(if I hit with correct speed) and can leave the cue ball in the central area of the table (leaving me with a choice of shots many times). I hit the cue ball low and get it to come straight back.

So because my goal is to break and run out, I never break from the side of the table when playing 8-ball. I want the balls spread around the table, no clusters, make at least one ball, and cue ball in central area of table.

FYI - It is not easy to get the cue ball to come straight back when shooting fast. Need to hit the head ball dead center. I've been trying to do this for 2 years and am finally able to sometimes do 3 breaks in a row with cue ball coming straight back. Then 4th break, cue ball comes back to side. So that is on my best days. 75% of breaks.