Is break building an indication of how good a player is?

[gettingbetter]

Or you could say that (good) break building wins you tournaments too.

[ore]

Is the highest break (or freqeucy of breaks), a good indicator of how good a player is?

Yes. Frequency of frame-winning* breaks is.
And not to break down just some points short of a winning break is more & more important, players are so good at stealing frames even after 50-60 break by the other one.

*not centuries, 70-80 breaks. Any stats count those? Or 50+ at least? Centuries are partially a show-off.

[huy]

IMO, break- building ability is a part, not solely, an indication of a player's skill level.

Many other attributes like, temperament, safety exchange, tactics, attitude, knowledge is instrumental in winning matches.

[JoyBell]

without making a break over 50

I see this a lot in open and national ranked events where sometimes a break over 40 hasn't been made by the winner... mostly when the matches have been very close and very tight. At other times when the same player is well ahead in frame scores he will make breaks in excess of 100 and usually take out the high break as well.

The player in question is ranked #2 over here (Robinson is #1).

[fswt30]

agreed with ADR147. there is state of mind taking as consideration. Performance are like wave form. After highest performance, you will start to get down until a low point and then up again. Highest break is an indicator for a player. Thats their ability and perfection.

[wildJONESEYE]

a player would get more satisfaction from a perfectly cued 40 than they would out of a nervy 100.

with the nervy 100 you go in to the next frame 1-0 up not confident but a perfectly cued 40 but 1-0 down says your cuing well and when you get a chance you confident of making it.

[jrc750]

Ide love to get a nervy 100 (or even a nervy 50 would do )

[wildJONESEYE]

Ide love to get a nervy 100 (or even a nervy 50 would do )

ME 2 LOL

but at pro level how you cue is the different between winning and losing not if you can make a century...the old saying goes a century wins you 1 frame.

[Csmith]

It is certainly AN indication but not the only indication. A player who only runs 10's and 20's and then ducks just isn't going to get there against stronger players.

But anyone who has ever played against top notch players can tell you that there is far more to the game than just potting balls. Break building is important as it reduces the number of innings you need to win the frame, the quicker you can get it done the fewer chances you will give your opponent.

However even if you are a good break builder, without a strong tactical game strong players (not even just pros) will tie you in knots. They just won't give you the chances you need, unless you can create them.

[damienlch]

i think a good break builder can also become a good tactical player if he puts his mind into it but can't say the same if it's the other way round...

in my opinion, a good snooker player would is an all-rounder, i.e. break building, tactical play, temperament...

[DeeZiZ]

/..................

[Rane]

not really Robin Hull in his 13th pro season made 100 centuries Greame Dott in his 16th season is on 90 centuries with a World Title,a World Runner Up and many years in the top 16 behind him.

Yes this tells us, that it´s not only about breakbuilding. Another example is Jamie Cope. An excellent player and breakbuilder, but he has some lacks in the safety department and maybe also in stability, and that´s probably the reason why he hasn´t entered top 16 several years ago.