The break off shot

[brendan147]

If I'm totally honest I don't think many pro's put in that much practice on their breaks though recent comps suggest they should. Commentators have blamed the sliding of the cushions when certain players have failed to get the ball behind the green, and yet a new match starts on the same table and suddenly these 'new' players are finding the baulk cush right behind the green no problem. If you're not getting behind the green you haven't applied enough side, period. One attempt, at that level, should be all it takes for you to remedy that problem next break.

At one point in history I think players did leave their opponents 'tempters' but with the quality on display nowadays I think any pot left on with the cueball not nailed to the cush is just an inferior safety shot.

Great post mate. However, leaving the CB exactly straight behind with any baulk colours after the break off shot is also another great safety shot for sure. Neil's simple break off shot method by using plain ball strike into the reds pack is just as affective as it is. Giving "temptation" to my opponent is always a PLAN B for me anyway.

i missed the reds once in a league match, too much side and it swerved and missed. Always concentrated on my breaks after that, was a bit embarrassing

This is why I don't prefer using side for the break off shot. It is your first and the most important shot of the frame and has to be done "perfectly" correct as you desired because the frame is develop from where you leave the CB for your opponent.

[themayorofflair]

It is intersting to read everyone's thoughts on the break off ! I am a left hander & break off from the right hand side of the D, a couple of inches to the right of the brown. I aim for the third red down on the right side of the triangle using right hand side & a little topspin. This often results in the cueball ending up somewhere near the baulk cushion behind the green.

By hitting the third red down it opens the reds more than using the fourth or the last & seems to result in the black not being hindered by any stray reds either.

I am a attacking player by nature & see the break off shot as an attacking form of defense. If you hit the last red with no side at all (in order to obtain consistency) the reds will not split well at all leaving your opponent an easy safety or at best a relatively easy escape from a snooker as there will not be many reds left out in the open.

This break does carry the risk of leaving a red ball 'on' from time to time but this is usually a fairly difficult long pot & immediately puts your opponent under pressure (ie if they miss they must leave it safe etc).

By attacking you gain the psychological front foot, so vital if you are an aggressive player !

I believe this break was originally used by Jimmy White ?

[brendan147]

It is intersting to read everyone's thoughts on the break off ! I am a left hander & break off from the right hand side of the D, a couple of inches to the right of the brown. I aim for the third red down on the right side of the triangle using right hand side & a little topspin. This often results in the cueball ending up somewhere near the baulk cushion behind the green.

By hitting the third red down it opens the reds more than using the fourth or the last & seems to result in the black not being hindered by any stray reds either.

I am a attacking player by nature & see the break off shot as an attacking form of defense. If you hit the last red with no side at all (in order to obtain consistency) the reds will not split well at all leaving your opponent an easy safety or at best a relatively easy escape from a snooker as there will not be many reds left out in the open.

This break does carry the risk of leaving a red ball 'on' from time to time but this is usually a fairly difficult long pot & immediately puts your opponent under pressure (ie if they miss they must leave it safe etc).

By attacking you gain the psychological front foot, so vital if you are an aggressive player !

I believe this break was originally used by Jimmy White ?

Great post buddy and thanks for your opinion.

Sometime I just make a very thin cut to the second red of the pack (again with plain ball strike as Neil's suggestion in his youtube), the reds split very nicely, and sending the CB back to the baulk area with "perfect" safety position and leaving my opponent a very tough safety reply.

The idea behind this simple plain ball striking for the break off shot is to gain a better consistency in the amount of power you apply into the shot. As what Terry said before, it is not that easy to have a consistent power when applying side for the break off shot, especially when you playing in the different tables.

However, it is a personal preference. If you can consistently having the reds split nicely and the CB end up safely around the baulk area after you hit the 3rd red using side for the break off shot, then stick with it.

Maybe you can post a video here on how you do it, and we can compare to Neil's break off shot? Different player with different style of break off shot for sure.

Cheers.

[brendan147]

Make your opponent's "life" difficult

I did this few times already.

This is my ultimate goal for the break off shot. I want my opponent to make a mistake at his very first visit for the frame and create an opening for me.

Using the same shot per Neil's suggestion, I managed to leave the CB perfectly behind the brown for my opponent to continue the break. It is very hard to reply it with another safety of course.

TBH, this is a try & error attempt, sometime it's work, sometime it don't. So, I can't really tell you guys how thick/thin I hit the last red of the pack during the break off, I can't be exactly sure where should the CB should be placed before taking the shot. It just somewhere around 1/4, 1/2 or 3/4 ball distance from the brown for sure.

What do you guys think about this? Is it worth to put it into your practice routines?

[Terry Davidson]

The reason I would recommend using the last red with no siding would be for club players who never know what they will be facing on a strange table.

I've played in tournaments where the cueballs were light, the side cushion was bad, the cloths were slow, the balls were dirty and the tables were dirty. When you have to face conditions where you don't know what will happen with that cueball I recommend keeping it as simple as possible on your first break until you find out how the table is playing.

On a match table with a new cloth, good balls and good cushions I would recommend for a 100-break player that he use the most agressive break he can while still getting the cueball to the baulk cushion.

Under normal club conditions I think the third red up break with tons of top stuff would be too dangerous, especially with a light cueball

Terry

[brendan147]

On a match table with a new cloth, good balls and good cushions I would recommend for a 100-break player that he use the most agressive break he can while still getting the cueball to the baulk cushion.

Can you give some example of the most aggressive break off shot as you mentioned here?

Thanks.

[Terry Davidson]

Second or third red up with tons of top stuff to avoid the in-off

Terry

[brendan147]

You mean top spin? Anyway, what is the grade/brand for the cloth they use in PRO tournament right now? Are they still using Aramith PRO Tournament balls as well? I'm asking this because I'm planning to have my own steel block cushion table within this/next year.

Cheers.

p/s-Have you e-mail Neil?

[Terry Davidson]

brendan:

They are still using the Aramith Pro Tournament (sometimes called Pro Cup) balls.

The cloth they use is called West of England #10 which is only available to pros from Strachan & Stroud. It is West of England Gold 6811 but double-shaved to make the nap shorter and uniform (this is what I've been told but there might be a better informed person on here who can give a better answer).

I recently played in Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli, Wales and he is using Hainsworth Ultra Fine cloth on his match tables. I know it was Hainsworth but not sure of the 'Ultra Fine' designation, but it is the Hainsworth pro match cloth.

I found the Hainsworth to play as well as the #10 (which I've only played on a few times) and Wayne Griffiths says it stands up better and they prefer it.

By the way, you can purchase the #10 from EBay - uk which is slightly used and comes with 6811 for the cushions and the price is good and the cloth is hardly worn at all. We have a club here in Canada who have installed #10 on their 2 match Riley tables and it does play fine. I recently had 2 best-of-7 matches on it (won both of them) with a high break of 76.

Cheers,
Terry

[Terry Davidson]

Yes, top spin, run-through, follow or whatever. On a scale of Height1 (screw) to Height10 (top spin) hit the cueball at H9 for the third red up. It may also help to hit it H9R1 to get a little side on there. This should avoid the in-off or juggling in the top jaws unless you have a light cueball.

Terry

[brendan147]

brendan:

They are still using the Aramith Pro Tournament (sometimes called Pro Cup) balls.

The cloth they use is called West of England #10 which is only available to pros from Strachan & Stroud. It is West of England Gold 6811 but double-shaved to make the nap shorter and uniform (this is what I've been told but there might be a better informed person on here who can give a better answer).

I recently played in Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli, Wales and he is using Hainsworth Ultra Fine cloth on his match tables. I know it was Hainsworth but not sure of the 'Ultra Fine' designation, but it is the Hainsworth pro match cloth.

I found the Hainsworth to play as well as the #10 (which I've only played on a few times) and Wayne Griffiths says it stands up better and they prefer it.

By the way, you can purchase the #10 from EBay - uk which is slightly used and comes with 6811 for the cushions and the price is good and the cloth is hardly worn at all. We have a club here in Canada who have installed #10 on their 2 match Riley tables and it does play fine. I recently had 2 best-of-7 matches on it (won both of them) with a high break of 76.

Cheers,
Terry

Thanks for the info Terry. I never heard about West of England #10 or West of England Gold 6811 cloth but Hainsworth is a very famous brand. The SEA Games also using this cloth for the ASEAN Top Amateur players.

I might need your help someday to give me information about this high grade cloth seller. Need to buy a table first.

Also, thinks for the tip of the break off shot. H9R1...will remember that always...

Cheers.

[mike.crowe]

I have also caught the pack to thick and ended up scattering reds all over the table!!

[brendan147]

You mean too thick? How thick it is? You use side? And where the CB ended?

[mike.crowe]

You mean too thick? How thick it is? You use side? And where the CB ended?

Thanks for the grammar lesson Brendan! lol. Normally I'm ok if I apply RH side and I catch the second from last red but if you catch the 3rd from last red by accident Its usually a disaster with the CB catching the jaw of the pocket and coming back into the pink or the pack.

[brendan147]

Thanks for the grammar lesson Brendan! lol. Normally I'm ok if I apply RH side and I catch the second from last red but if you catch the 3rd from last red by accident Its usually a disaster with the CB catching the jaw of the pocket and coming back into the pink or the pack.

Wow...that's disaster mate...need loads of practice if I want to apply side for the break off shot anyway (because I prefer the simple plain shot...easy to control)...

cheers...