The Basic Break
We all know that a game cannot start without the break. A good break will lead to a good game. There are many factors one needs to consider when breaking the rack. Often a different cue is used specifically for breaking. It's best not to get too anxious and try to be a power breaker from the get go. Start with a basic break until your game progresses. The most important part of your game will be your break, so be sure you are very comfortable with it. Once you find a position and stance that is comfortable and you break the balls effectively, stay with that technique.
It can be particularly difficult for a beginning pool player to break a racked set of balls. This is a good way to practice and become comfortable with breaking. Start by putting the cue ball on the head spot. (When you get better, you can position the cue ball anywhere next to or behind the head spot to make the break.) After making sure your grip is correct and you have a comfortable stance, aim the cue ball to hit the leading ball of the rack squarely in the front. Do not stop your shot when you make contact with the cue. Follow through with a smooth motion for an extra 6-18 inches. Practicing this now will help you later as you add speed and power to your break. Always try to hit the cue ball as hard as you can without your cue slipping off to one side or off the ball completely. A foul on a break is a very embarrassing way to start.
You will find that once you begin to gain confidence in your break, you will shoot harder and perform better breaks. Ideally, a good break is one in which no balls are left touching another ball. The perfect break, when playing eight ball, would be to sink the eight ball off the break shot, thus gaining an immediate win! Though this situation arises rarely, it has been achieved and can be quite a thrill the first time it is accomplished.
The break is probably the most important shot of the game. It will set the playing field for all the shots to follow. Spend time on your breaking techniques and styles. Once you are comfortable breaking with the cue on the head spot, move the cue around to different positions. Moving the cue and striking the rack from different angles will have a different effect on the break. Many players have mastered their break so that they sink at least two balls every time they break. It will take time and patience, but this is a shot you must master if you ever want to become a decent player. Often, players place the cue ball in the same position on the table when breaking. After trial and error and many hours of practice, you will find your own "hot spot" and will have an effective break almost every time.
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... which the balls scatter and none are left touching another. Initially, one would expect to use a heavy weighted cue for the break. Theoretically, that would make sense, to get the most power for your break. First, one must understand the weights of different cue sticks. The average weight would be 19 ...
... and their only function was to keep the balls from falling off the table. The rails resembled river banks, and were even used to be called banks. When players found out that the balls would bounce off the rails, they began to deliberately aiming at the banks. That was the invention of the "bank shot". ...
... the cue, you will aim your shot. You will be striking the cue ball on an outer surface causing the spin needed to curve around the object. The only way to truly perfect this shot is to try it over and over again. This could prove to be an expensive ordeal as you will be repairing your table quite often. ...
... stick, you are paying for brand and ornamentation, not so much quality. A good tip is probably more important than the cue. Shun a cue that's more than two parts, has a screw-on tip, is painted in festive colors, or is made in Taiwan. Made in Japan is OK, the Adam line, made there, is one of the best. ...
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... called caroms). Most of us are familiar with pool and pool tables. Some of us may be aware of the different variations of the pool game, a few being eight-ball, nine-ball and cut throat. As stated above, billiards is played on a table with no pockets. We know that pool tables are constructed with 6 pockets. ...