break off with right hand side

[stjimmy18-1991]

i usually break off between the brown and the yellow, hitting the end red with some right hand side, but lately i have been and hitting the blue, stupid mistake!

well, i was speaking to my practice partner about breaking off and using side. i told him what i do, and he was shocked to see that i use side. he does the exact same break off with no side and it works out fine for him. he then goes thats probs why i hit the blue alot.

any thoughts? i thought all pros use side in their break off?

[The Statman]

i usually break off between the brown and the yellow, hitting the end red with some right hand side, but lately i have been and hitting the blue, stupid mistake!

well, i was speaking to my practice partner about breaking off and using side. i told him what i do, and he was shocked to see that i use side. he does the exact same break off with no side and it works out fine for him. he then goes thats probs why i hit the blue alot.

any thoughts? i thought all pros use side in their break off?

Could it be that your friend is not using the corner red, but aiming for the second red in such a way that the cue-ball then cannons the corner red?

That way, the angle from the first red would be widened by the cannon on the second, maybe reducing the need for side?

I usually play the break-off as you describe, and do not normally hit the blue (I presume you mean you hit the blue on the way back!) but as with everything it sometimes goes a bit wrong.

[stjimmy18-1991]

nooo defo on the way back lol

my friend aims for the same red i do with no side but still manages the same break of i attempt with side

[Blondie]

I usually play the break-off as you describe, and do not normally hit the blue (I presume you mean you hit the blue on the way back!) but as with everything it sometimes goes a bit wrong.

Hey Statman/Jimmy,

....I also break off this way, and occasionally have hit the blue. Interesting one, and I think for this kind of break off you need to apply enough 'side' so the cueball comes off the second cushion at an angle, which will leave no risk of a kiss on the blue. When I've had a thin contact, 9 times out of 10 the cueball will hit the blue on it's way back to baulk.

All the best.

Lol....xx

[The Statman]

Blondie

Yes, you definitely need a thick enough contact with the corner red to avoid the blue, as you say. I would have thought that, without side, hitting as much of the corner red as is showing will provide great danger of catching the blue; I would have thought side almost essential to avoid it.

I believe the standard break-off used to be with no side, and the cue-ball returning to baulk on the same side of the table, i.e. not crossing the centre line at all. It then became more popular to cross the centre line near the blue, and that is the break-off almost always seen today.

It is interesting that such an ostensibly unremarkable shot can have such importance.

[hegeland]

Blondie

Yes, you definitely need a thick enough contact with the corner red to avoid the blue, as you say. I would have thought that, without side, hitting as much of the corner red as is showing will provide great danger of catching the blue; I would have thought side almost essential to avoid it.

Yes, htting the corner red pretty thick with a pronounced side is the common way to go.

[apa147]

If you're struggling to miss the blue try putting the white close to the brown in the D. Hit the end red with side and you've got to hit it pretty bad to make contact with the blue. Too thick on the end red and you can bring it back up over a middle pocket.

[Semih_Sayginer]

worth noting that the amount of side required to miss the blue depends on the contact on the end red(s) and also from where you hit the cueball from (taking into account the pace of the cueball hit)

[cocked hat]

Just hit the white a bit lower,same amount of side,just a tad more bottom.

[snookaman]

i usually break off between the brown and the yellow, hitting the end red with some right hand side, but lately i have been and hitting the blue, stupid mistake!

well, i was speaking to my practice partner about breaking off and using side. i told him what i do, and he was shocked to see that i use side. he does the exact same break off with no side and it works out fine for him. he then goes thats probs why i hit the blue alot.

any thoughts? i thought all pros use side in their break off?

Hi ST Jimmy,

I think your approach is correct. However, it seems that you have applied too much side. Or, you may have placed the cue ball too far away from the yellow ball. Your problem is mentioned in Jim Meadowcroft's book - Play to Win Snooker - on page 52, Octopus Books ed 1988.

[Stunrunthru]

i usually break off between the brown and the yellow, hitting the end red with some right hand side, but lately i have been and hitting the blue, stupid mistake!

well, i was speaking to my practice partner about breaking off and using side. i told him what i do, and he was shocked to see that i use side. he does the exact same break off with no side and it works out fine for him. he then goes thats probs why i hit the blue alot.

any thoughts? i thought all pros use side in their break off?

I can only imagine your mate is playing with stun and no side off the second red up in the pack when he breaks so that he comes inside the blue on his way back to baulk. That's a very unorthodox way to break. If I were you I'd persevere with the break that you are playing.

[poolqjunkie]

May be you need to check the rack as well because sometimes the rack may be loose, or not straight or too far away from the pink or whatever.
I think you need to use enough side on the cue ball to avoid hitting the blue. I always line the cue ball almost mide way between the yellow and brown on the right hand side, then hit center right hand side, not too hard, aim to hit the end red about 1/4 to 1/2 ball. It usually works and the cue ball would end up close to the bottom cushion behind the green spot.
If the rack is not tight, sometiems a red will come up table to leave a shot in the middle pocket. If the rack is not straight, sometimes, the black will be pushed to the bottom, and the cue ball will not follow the path I expected.
I do not hit this shot too hard because I need the side to take so it will swing the ball off the cushions. If I hit it too hard and "dead" like a stun then the side sometimes will not release and the cue ball may go in off or do something funny like hitting the blue.
I have never spoken to anyone about this so I dont know if this is really true, just what I thought, and I usually get quite good result with the break off whether it is on a slow or fast table.
I also try a different break sometimes when I want to break out the balls right off the game. I would hit the third ball, with check side, so the cue ball will come back down the same side which I am breaking from, and the check side holds the cue ball from bouncing off the bottom cushion. This shot should break the rack wide open, and is relatively safe unless you leave a red in front of a hole. I usually use this break if I know the person I play with has weak long potting.
You can also just break with plain top and hit the end red to bring the cue ball down the same id eof the table. But with his break I sometimes hit the brown. Also, you would not realy leave a tough shot for your opponent because the loose reds will be on the other side of the table as the cue ball. With the break shot with side, the cue ball is left on the table where the loose reds are so your opponent needs a better shot to get out.

[RonnieJunior]

he could be using right hand side already

but unintentionally cueing across the white.