What is the best way to “break” in billiards?
Many people believe that the harder you hit the cue ball, the better your break will be. Although cue ball speed does contribute to your success at breaking through, it is not as important as accuracy. Accuracy allows you to spread the energy of the impact to every ball in the rack. To do this, you need to aim at the core of the cue ball and the center of the head ball. Make sure that you position your aiming eye so that you can see both points. Ideally, you want your cue ball to end up around the middle of the table after breaking the rack, to get out of the way. Achieving this shot requires you to shoot down on the cue ball and hit slightly above the center of the ball.
Cue ball speed is related to the speed of the cue stick as opposed to muscles. A lighter cue, such as 17-19 oz., allows for greater speed while a heaver cue creates more spin on the cue ball.
I like using a 21 ounce stick and I tend to line the cue ball up directly. Heavy sticks add more power to the ball. Also, heavy sticks make it so that you don’t have to hit it that hard if you want power. Lining the cue ball up is the safest way to break because it fans the balls out better and there is a less chance you will scratch.
