Don't Beat Yourself

“Is your opponent making balls on the break? Watch where he or she is breaking!”

-Tina Hardt

Every table breaks a little differently. Some give up balls easily, others are as stingy as a squirrel gathering nuts. Check out the table marks to see if there are any favorite spots and try them out. See if your break works from those spots. If not, you’ll need to adjust the speed or cue ball placement.

Ideally, you’ll want to try this before the tournament starts, but often there’s no time. In that case, you’ll need to do it on the fly.

Once the match has started, and your break isn’t working, but your opponent’s is, watch him like a hawk.

Take note of his cue ball placement and stroke speed. Try to identify if he is using any spin. Once you have figured out what he is doing, try to duplicate it on your next break. If that works, stay with it. If not, look closer.

You are essentially going to break school. You don’t need a bag full of books, but you do need to make mental notes and learn quickly.

The break shot is extremely important and can sometimes easily determine who is going to win the match. So sit at the front of the class with your eyes open and pay attention!