A Shortstop on Straight Pool

Chapter 1: Break Shots he straight pool break shot, like the 15 balls shown in every chapter heading, is the shot that opens the rack so the shooter can attempt to continue their run. This is in contrast T to the opening (break) shot of every straight pool game, which is a safety. The break shot in straight pool is unlike that in any other pool game. In one-pocket, every opening shot is a safety, while the rack is usually struck as hard as you possibly can in most other games. The proper force for opening a straight pool rack is between those two extremes, and varies widely depending on many factors. The cue ball is cued in a variety of ways, compared to a one-pocket break which is always struck with high-inside English, while other pool games typically demand striking the cue ball only along the vertical axis. Most importantly, every other game requires the rack to be struck by the cue ball directly, while in straight pool the cue ball caroms into the rack after sending an open ball into a pocket. However, there is an exception to this! Given that, it is no surprise that when a student asks me for a straight pool lesson what they usually want is to learn how to open those fourteen balls. Beginning straight pool players usually adopt a hit-it-and-hope mentality, unless they are trying to smash the balls open like a game of 8-ball. In fact, developing the skill of pocketing a ball while opening a full rack (or cluster of balls, see Chapter 3) is one of the hardest things to learn. You will be glad to know that mastering this skill will elevate your rotation and one-pocket games. These also require focusing on two objectives (object ball and cue ball) while striking the shot forcefully. Straight pool break shots can be organized by two criteria. These are break ball relation to rack and cue ball angle to object ball. The most desirable break shot is when the break ball is located on either side of the rack of fourteen balls (Illustration 1.01). The next most desirable is below the rack, though some players might claim side pocket break shots are the next best. In fact, the rack can be opened from any break ball located anywhere on the table, given a good cue ball angle. The order of break shots presented in this chapter follows generally from most to least desirable. Understanding the cue ball–to-break ball angle is quite important for break shots around the rack. This book refers to “inside” and “outside” angles. Imagine a line through the break ball that is parallel to the rail like the dashed lines in Illustration 1.01. At the object ball labeled “center ball” you see two cue balls, “a” and “b”. Cue ball “a” is an inside angle cut shot because the cue ball is inside or between the dashed line and the rail. Cue ball “b” is an outside angle cut shot because the cue ball is outside of that dashed line. (Another way to describe this is cue ball a is closer to the rail than the break ball, while cue ball “b” is farther away.) The importance of this distinction will become crystal clear as we progress through the shots. But here is a tip. As a general rule, when playing on faster cloth you should play for outside angles while on slower cloth you should play for inside angles. This is because the rack opens up more readily with fast cloth while the cue ball is easier to keep under control with a shallower cut angle. And conversely, with slower cloth a sharp cut angle delivers more power to the rack making it more likely the balls will open up well, while the cue ball is less likely to travel as far. The break shots presented here, and especially my advice about how to hit them, are examples of what I have learned over forty years of playing straight pool. Your results may vary. First of all, if you get ten good pool players gathered around a table you will probably get ten different opinions of the best break shot and how to hit it. And secondly, conditions vary. Your table’s pockets will be configured differently than those in the example DVD. Your cloth might be faster or slower. Your table’s rails might be livelier. Your balls might be of higher or lower quality, or cleaner or dirtier than mine. Humidity effects pool play and varies from season to season and from one part of the world to another. But regardless, I know the advice here will speed up your learning curve as you begin to master this wonderful game. Practice and experiment with the shots found here and you will be well-prepared for the variety of conditions and challenges that straight pool break shots present. The DVD with this book shows video clips of every break shot discussed in this chapter. Each shot is numbered so you can easily match the book discussion with the DVD clip for that shot. I recommend you play the video clips as you read the book. Pause and replay each clip as you read and re-read each description. Then setup and practice each shot as suggested. Rack Separation and Contact Points The rack of fourteen balls has four rows of balls. The top row has two balls, then three, four, and five balls in the bottom row. The break ball location most sought after is the “center” break ball, that is, a ball aligned with the 2nd or 3rd row in the rack. The “sweet spot” for your break ball is between one diamond from the side rail and one ball diameter from the rack. In this zone you can accurately predict the contact point with the rack. From farther away the rack can still be opened well but the cue ball’s path is less predictable. When the cue ball contacts the 2nd or 3rd row rack ball (the 5 or 13 ball in Illustration 1.01) the energy from your shot is transmitted to most of the rack. Both the 5 and 13 balls are frozen to four other balls each. Imagine lines of forces travelling from the 13-ball into those four other balls. The amount of force that each ball frozen to the 13-ball receives depends on which part of the 13-ball is struck by the cue ball and at what angle. Those lines of force travel directly into most every ball in the rack. This is why the center break ball is the most desirable. It has the best chance of moving every ball in the rack, leaving the fewest clusters and thus the most chances for having a shot. Illustration 1.01 To be even more precise, count the degrees-of-separation from each ball on the side of the rack. The 5-ball is frozen to four balls which are frozen to six balls, leaving only three balls that are three degrees of separation from the 5-ball. The 13-ball and 3-ball each leave five balls three degrees away. But the 4-ball leaves eight balls! This is why striking the rack at the 2nd row usually separates the rack the most with the 1st and 3rd rows being nearly as effective. While the 4th row is the least effective at opening the rack. It’s important to also remember that the cue ball’s direction of travel when leaving the rack is determined by where it strikes the ball in the rack. Imagine a tangent line through the center of the ghost ball (cue ball where it strikes the break ball). The tangent line is always 90 degrees from the shot line (center of object ball to the pocket) – see illustration 1.02. When the cue ball strikes the rack ball near the center of its exposed surface, it is called center contact. Note that if the tangent line is pointing at the lower part of the rack ball (see illustration 1.02), the “center contact” cue ball contacts well above the tangent line. Remember when you learned that you cannot point your cue stick at the object ball aiming point? This is the same concept. You have to allow for where the actual ball surfaces align, not their center lines. When the cue ball strikes the break ball above the center of its exposed surface it is called high contact. Below the center is low contact. See dashed cue balls in Illustration 1.02. You have probably noticed many straight pool players leaning over the rack before shooting the break shot. There are determining not only which ball their cue ball will hit but also just which part of that ball will be contacted. Many players use their cue stick to imagine the tangent line, but next-level players know to also visualize the balls’ circumferences, so they see the right contact point. Illustration 1.02 Side of Rack Break Shots - Center Break Ball – Inside Angle Break Shot 1.01 Refer to the video for break shot 1.01. You have determined that the cue ball will strike the 3rd row of balls (the 5-ball) at a high contact. This means that the cue ball’s deflection angle off the 5-ball will be approximately somewhere up-table. I say approximately because although the laws of physics are precise, we cannot precisely predict the cue ball’s actual path of travel because the shot may be slightly overcut or undercut and still pocketed, nor the precise force or spin imparted to the cue ball.

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