I use low English to break and I break hard. I get mixed results. Should I break different?

Question

I break them up good but I often scratch or don't leave myself a shot

Answer 1

No Dirt and Matt have the right idea. Try hitting the cue ball slightly above center. Maybe a half a tip at the most and with a little luck the cue ball should stay near the center of the table. That is provided it doesn't get kicked around by one of the other object balls. Try to hit the head ball as fully as possible. This will give you maximum power transfer into the rack. Keep your cue hand and arm as loose as possible. This will give you a good fast stroke. If you tighten up and try to muscle the stroke it will only slow it down. If you have access to a free table keep racking them up and practice that break. It's usually the most important shot in a game of 9 ball or 8 ball. Good luck to ya.

Answer 2

you may not be hitting the head ball.....i dont know if you are playing 8 ball or 9 ball or what....but you have to really make sure that you hit that head ball as solidly and fully as you possibly can. this will help with the scratching. you may also be hitting the ball too low....the main thing though is to hit the head ball as full on and solid....that should help with consistancy. Also, make sure you have a nice tight rack!! you may also want to move spots from where you are breaking.

Answer 3

personally i dont use english or i use top english(very slight).  try no english and different angles ... till u find one that works for u ( should break several times form each spot and try to be consistant about it.

Answer 4

The ideal break will use a stun shot. The results you want are to transfer as much power as possible to the rack while keeping the cue ball in the middle of the table. Try hitting center ball, or even slightly above center. Also, do not just slam the rack as hard as you can if you cannot control it. A controlled break will usually send more energy into the rack than a wild, super hard break.

Spend a day just practicing your break sometime. Just rack them up and break them over and over without running out the balls. Start by hitting the rack with a medium stroke, and focus on keeping the cue ball in the center of the table. Then gradually increase your break speed until you find the point at which you can hit with the most power and still keep control of the cue ball. Once you do that, you're on your way to running out a lot more often.

Answer 5

What I do is hit the ball a little above center. It puts a little top spin on the ball and it helps to keep it centered once it connects with the head ball. Low English is going to make your que go all over the place as it will have backwards force bringing it from the center of the table. You don't necessarily need to hit the que as hard as possible to get a good break, you just need decent spread and good que placement. I have played against people that have very bad ways of breaking, and trust me, it effects their entire game (in fact I can usually take them by the third time I'm at the table). Just remember, strength is not the key, it's placement.