Break Building: Trusting your Instinct?

[The Doctor]

Without doubt you must make a conscious effort to do something right and repeat that prosess in order for it to become a subconscious effort. Like the awkward, mechanical, natural example listed.
An example is tying your shoes. At first it seems very difficult(watch a child try it for the first time) then it becomes easier when you learn the technique, then it becomes natural and subconscious. So in order to learn anything new this prosess will happen. But once you have learned the method, you must trust it.
Another example is walking down the stairs. As a child this would be a very difficult task and one that would bring failure at first(although a child does not think this as failure. another interesting subject in the learning habits).
However once the child learns how to balance the task becomes natural.
Now if you were to think of how to walk down the stairs and try to shift your balance and over think the task, it would become more difficult. Therefor, it is actually easier to just do it(as the famous slogan goes).

On the subject of break-building. I am very much an advocate of playing in the correct areas.
If you watch the top guys(O'Sullivan the best example) you will notice they are always trying to give themselves a large margin for error.
Imagine being on a high black for a choice of 3 reds into the same pocket. The top guys will play for the middle of the three knowing that too hard or soft will probably result in still being on the favorable shot.
Another thing is to try and always get the cue ball travelling toward on on the potting line of the next ball. this will also give a larger margin for error in the positional shot. A good example of this is when playing a low black from the yellow side of table going up for yellow. If the player plays directly up with out hitting a cushion then they will have a far shorter margin for error than if they came of the side cushion before the middle pocket and towards the yellow.
It is very difficult to explain positional play in word but i hope you get the idea.
The secret is 100% giving your self the largest area to be on a ball and also to keep the cue ball on a short leash if that make sense.
Hope this helps.

[the priest]

Ive been lucky enough to make over a hundred tons though now im in my 40s theyre down to maybe one every couple of months.The last one came after i said i was going to make one in that session which is strange because as you mentioned they usually come after a string of good play.. well i had been playing woeful for about 6 months up to that point and a couple of days prior the cue having miss behaved for so long found itself meeting my knee at high speed. So here i am making a ton with my girlfriends cheapo cue.. mad game. Anyway let me tell you what happens psycologically for me when i make one. 1. I find the first 24 or so points im falling onto the line with ease and the pots seem effortless so now my mind frees up to position th white precisely 2. I see reds that are blocking later reds and take them and im thinking hmmm look at me arent i a clever chap so my confidence rises. 3.important one this.. round about 40 or 50 i think hey this could be a big one and in the ensuing excitement immediately mess up position an leave a toughy. 4.Probably the most important thing happens now.. It goes in yay! 5. Right dodged a bullet there now lets concentrate on better position from here on in (again going back to more white ball than pot awareness). 6. Ive slipped into a nice pace neither too fast or too slow people in the room are starting to watch.. well let them.. they wanna see a nice break an i wanna make one so lets keep cueing smooth eh. 7. Right my opponent or the ref just said 74 i think.. right this black will make 81 thats a nice break anything over 80 is good for me.. cue it nice.. great its gone in.(little point here if they are not calling score you will most likely miss around now cos your thinking are they counting or is he gonna say "sorry mate i forgot to score" grrr hate that. 8.ok feeling really good now already made 80 work will be easy tomorrow ha..anything else is a bonus wish that red wasnt on the cush. 9. like 4! 10.Wow pressures on now.. or is it? 1.3 billion people in china wont give a monkeys if i miss (sorry if your chinese maybe substitute africa here.. oh an well done on your grasp of english!) Just keep it smooth keep that white on its string.ok this is it for the ton all sorts of bad things can pop in now if you let em.. dont.. i just think right ball you are not going to touch the sides as you go in that pocket this thought helps you put a great stroke on it. Also helps on game ball too by the way. So there you have it hope this helps if you ever get past point 4! lol.

[thelongbomber]

Ive been lucky enough to make over a hundred tons though now im in my 40s theyre down to maybe one every couple of months.The last one came after i said i was going to make one in that session which is strange because as you mentioned they usually come after a string of good play.. well i had been playing woeful for about 6 months up to that point and a couple of days prior the cue having miss behaved for so long found itself meeting my knee at high speed. So here i am making a ton with my girlfriends cheapo cue.. mad game. Anyway let me tell you what happens psycologically for me when i make one. 1. I find the first 24 or so points im falling onto the line with ease and the pots seem effortless so now my mind frees up to position th white precisely 2. I see reds that are blocking later reds and take them and im thinking hmmm look at me arent i a clever chap so my confidence rises. 3.important one this.. round about 40 or 50 i think hey this could be a big one and in the ensuing excitement immediately mess up position an leave a toughy. 4.Probably the most important thing happens now.. It goes in yay! 5. Right dodged a bullet there now lets concentrate on better position from here on in (again going back to more white ball than pot awareness). 6. Ive slipped into a nice pace neither too fast or too slow people in the room are starting to watch.. well let them.. they wanna see a nice break an i wanna make one so lets keep cueing smooth eh. 7. Right my opponent or the ref just said 74 i think.. right this black will make 81 thats a nice break anything over 80 is good for me.. cue it nice.. great its gone in.(little point here if they are not calling score you will most likely miss around now cos your thinking are they counting or is he gonna say "sorry mate i forgot to score" grrr hate that. 8.ok feeling really good now already made 80 work will be easy tomorrow ha..anything else is a bonus wish that red wasnt on the cush. 9. like 4! 10.Wow pressures on now.. or is it? 1.3 billion people in china wont give a monkeys if i miss (sorry if your chinese maybe substitute africa here.. oh an well done on your grasp of english!) Just keep it smooth keep that white on its string.ok this is it for the ton all sorts of bad things can pop in now if you let em.. dont.. i just think right ball you are not going to touch the sides as you go in that pocket this thought helps you put a great stroke on it. Also helps on game ball too by the way. So there you have it hope this helps if you ever get past point 4! lol.

Awesome! There is a lot of great stuff here! A tad hard to read but it's excellent insight into the mind of a ton breaker!

[The Doctor]

Interesting point of view.
As a former Pro and coach to Top Pros. I would never advocate thinking different for any shots especially as the gain get greater.
You should try to maintain rhythm and consistency regardless of whats at stake.
This is what separates the best from the rest, they have this ability and trust in themselves and their method to continue with it no matter what.

I like examples so lets look at another.
If you have a black of its spot with nothing at stake you will go down with no worry and knock it in 99.9% of the time, but, when you have the same shot for £100 or to make a ton or to win a match etc etc, then the shot becomes seemingly more difficult, but it's not. The difference is in your mind and transfers into your method. The controllables(as i call them, IE the table your cue, the shot, the balls etc etc) have not changed at all.

[the priest]

Sorry about the look of that post or any others i make am bloody hopeless at typing! The thing is once you realise no one but yourself is really gonna care if you make that ton or not the pressure really drops. still stand by my point 4. though.You will see so many good players or even pros miss around 40 or 50 even with perfect technique.

[The Doctor]

I agree with you there m8. Even the best miss and for a number of reasons.
I guess thats part of the beauty of the game and why we all love(and sometimes hate)the game.

[thelongbomber]

Interesting point of view.
....then the shot becomes seemingly more difficult, but it's not. The difference is in your mind and transfers into your method. The controllables(as i call them, IE the table your cue, the shot, the balls etc etc) have not changed at all.

Interesting feedback Doc. Love the statement you made. Has provided some new awareness about important/pressure shots in a match. If I just tell myself "well the shot is the same one you have made in practice a thousand times. Ignore the pressure, get down, focus on good cueing, and just make it." :snooker:

Easier said than done of course, but at leasts it's one way trick your mind!

[deant1982]

Just curious if you ever actually managed to make a century?
I was never a "natural" player, but wasn't a "technical" player either, but made consistant high breaks playing in both styles. More often it was the Technical, as I had a solid game to back me up, but occasionally, it doesn't matter how technical you are, you do just get "in the zone" and start potting balls without realising what you are doing. The cue automatically aims at exactly where you are going to hit the white, it hits it cleanly, you get the pot crisply, and your positional play is to within half an inch. I always found I had a very steady pace when I played. Not fast, but not slow. When you get "in the zone" I found I tended to speed up very slightly. Wonder if anyone else does?
The other thing is whilst you are making a break when you are in the zone, everything feels right. You just know how hard to play that black, with enough bottom to come off the cushion and out for this red etc. The balls always seem to shrink as well if you have been playing well. For my first hundred, when I got past 40, all up to 99, it was like aiming ping pong balls at a bucket. There was never a danger of anything missing, the pack opened up nicely, and the position was perfect. (The blue when on 99 was the only pressure shot, but although I was the wrong side of it, I was almost straight, so just rolled it in to leave a long pink).
The thing to remember is that with players having more facilities nowadays to practice, and more coaches and television and internet to learn from, professionals are making them every few frames, and more and more "club players" are making centuries. The downside is, this does detract a little from the remarkable achievement that it is to make a century . If you do ever make a century, it really is something to be proud of. No one will ever be able to take it away from you. I know plenty of very good older players from years back that have never made one, so to do something that someone of their ability never has, you should be proud. If you don't ever get one though, it certainly isn't the end of the world, and that doesn't mean it never will happen. Again, I watched one former team mate make his first ever hundred one night after a competition (he went out in the first round lol) at the age of 71!
Good luck with it (you will ALWAYS require a little bit of luck to make a hundred), and I hope you do make one. From what I have understood, you have made 70+ breaks. If you are good enough to make a 70 (in the words of Steve Davis) you are good enough to make a hundred. The only thing stopping you is something psychological.
Dean

[thelongbomber]

Thanks Deant. I have gone off kilter lately trying to figure out an alignment issue but the century still eludes me.

[thelongbomber]

Thanks Dean. I appreciate your feedback. I think if I quit the game and never made a century, I wouldn't be sad about it. I would, however, be dissappointed that so much knowledge about cueing, position, was never available to me or that I didn't have the resources or capacity or funds to learn how.

I'm pleased with my accomplishments in the game so far, and I feel I'm getting better every year but sometimes I feel that the more I learn, the worse I get. I guess this happens to anyone that changes their fundamentals: you get worse before you get better.

I'm one of these people that always tries to understand something deeply. When I was 12 I took apart my mom's radio cause I wanted to know how. Over the last 10 years I have researched and learned about a dozen topics cause I'm just curious and persistent by nature and I don't stop at the surface. I always try to understand something deeply. That's just me.

The way I see it, if thousands of 12-year-olds can make a century, then so can I. The only difference is practice, knowledge, and patience.

[deant1982]

As I said a bit of luck is required in making a century. You can play everyshot perfectly to 99, and get a lousy kick for the hundred. You can go into a pack multiple times, but they won't open or they do and cover each other at the 50 mark. It is that bit of luck you need, mixed with ability (which if you can make 70+ breaks, you must have sufficient), concerntration, confidence, and finally BOTTLE! This will become even more important if you are practicing on your own, as you will be counting, and when you get near that first ton, you will get nervous, even if only briefly.
If you do even get a shot at potting a ball for a hundred, all I would say is focus on that pot alone. One ball, you would have potted hundreds of times. Take a deep breath, compose yourself, and make sure you get it. You will eventually feel better knowing you made 100 and missed the next ball than you made 93, missed the black but were perfect on the next ball.
My guess, you will at some point make one if you are able to maintain practice time, cue action etc. I'd even go so far to say I bet it will come out of the blue. You will be playing well, making good but not massive breaks (50,60 etc), will go off for a couple of frames and struggle to make 30, then wham! It will all come together, you will relax, start flowing, and eventually, run out of balls to pot!
If you've got a good action and a good head, it will come.

[thelongbomber]

Thanks Dean. That's what others have said to me too. I wish I had a practice table at home and then I could record myself and get further help. I know one thing I need to invest in is a cue mechanic coach that can see me play and correct minor faults (which I'm sure there are).

[1blonde]

i think you should practice clearing up with just two or three reds left on and try to play low on the blue from the last red because it is easier to get on the yellow from the blue. (Steve Davis tip)
Then clear up the colours from their spots. This should be a practice you do very regularly because it will become engrained and then when you next find yourself on 70 on the last colours you will not be in any doubt you can do the rest.

My highest break is 18 lol so dont beat yourself up.

[ace man]

A couple of days ago I managed to equal my best break of 61 against a mate in the club. I started with just one or two reds available. Played several good cannons, planned the break well, had the cueball under tight control, no wild movement, no overly difficult pots. However, as I approached 50, I started to feel the pressure and couldn't control myself at all and as a result my cueball went away a little. The very easy red in the middle pocket which I potted for 61 was a super negative shot with about 2 centimetres of backswing LOL. Then I was on a semi difficult green. The shot needed topspin so that the cueball rebounds off the baulk cushion down for several reds which were still available. I thought to myself if I was only a bit braver on the shot before, now I would have had natural angle to go back down for the reds instead of using the baulk cushion. Of course, my own record match break was on my mind as I executed the shot. I was totally unprepared for the shot, but still went for it. The result? I missed the pocket by almost half a metre.

Still a good break, but this is exactly what one must not do during break building, to bottle it like that with a completely wrong thought process. I lost control of myself, plain and simple.

[Tom Read]

I just tend to make sure I choose the best shot for next position. I mean I'm no expert, but I see a lot of people in the league play a difficult red in order to get on the black, as opposed to a simple red to get on a baulk colour, to then continue the break. This is something I've got better at, not being over greedy. As instinct goes, I guess my instinct is to keep it as simple as, even if it means having to pot a few reds followed by low valued colours.