Billiards Digest — House Pro Tony Robles

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BD House Pro
Tony Robles

A longtime teaching pro at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City, Tony has dozens of regional and national titles to his name, including the 2004 BCA Open Championships.

Instruction Articles:

• September 2010
Through & Through

• August 2010
Along the Rail

• July 2010
The Small Stuff

• June 2010
Three in One

• May 2010
One Ball At a Time

• April 2010
Going Thin to Win

• March 2010
Know Your Game

• February 2010
14.1 For 8-Ballers

• January 2010
Setting It Straight

• December 2009
Hanging Out, Part II

• November 2009
Hanging Out

• October 2009
Control Your Speed

• September 2009
Busting Out of a Slump

• August 2009
Easy Errors, Part III

• July 2009
Easy Errors, Part II

• June 2009
Easy Errors, Part I

• May 2009
Body Language & Breaking

• March 2009
Must-Reads from Robles

• February 2009
Position: Four Square

• January 2009
Romancing the Stance

• October 2008
Look Out for Boingy Rails

• September 2008
Build a Better Break

• August 2008
Q&A: Ask the Pro

• July 2008
‘Buzz’ Kill: Stay Down

• June 2008
Stop Shots Safeties III

• May 2008
Stop Shots Part II

• April 2008
STOP-SHOT Safeties

• March 2008
How to Keep Winning

• February 2008
The Dreaded Straight-In Shot

• January 2008
Trying the Soft Break

• December 2007
The Hard Way Makes It Easier

• November 2007
How to Sight the Cue

• October 2007
Win from Your Chair

The Break: Body Language

April 2009

THIS MONTH, let’s revisit the break shot.

Back in September ’08, I detailed the importance of accuracy on the break. Before you even think about upping the power of your shot, you need to be able to hit a simple stop shot. With the 1 ball on the foot spot and the cue ball at any point on the head string, work on hitting the center of the object ball with the center of the cue ball. Moving only your arm, try to consistently hit a stop shot.

This is not an easy task if you’ve never tried, believe me. But learning an accurate break, which in turn leads to a controlled cue ball, then allows you to focus on putting more power behind the shot. Often, a player tries to throw his whole body into the shot, all before knowing how to make the cue ball sit in the middle of the table.

When you’ve mastered the arm-only version of the break, then — and only then — are you ready to incorporate a little bit of body movement. First, study how far you can follow through when you move only your back arm. You’ll notice the cue tip will reach, at the most, two feet past the cue ball. Then, with your cue fully extended forward, lift up your back leg and slowly shift your body forward. You will notice that cue stick will suddenly reach farther — almost to the center of the table.

The key is incorporating this type of body movement, while still placing a premium on an accurate, controlled stroke. Start with a small shift of your weight forward as you hit the cue ball. If you are still hitting the center of the object ball with the center of the object ball, add a little more body movement. But remember, you can only incorporate more of a weight transfer when you’re able to consistently control the cue ball.

You can even play a game to track your progress. Every time the cue ball hits a rail, rolls forward toward the bottom rail or scratches (the red zones in the diagram), give your “opponent” a point. If you hit the rack and the cue ball sits in the middle of the table without hiting a rail, you get one point. You’ll be on your way to an powerfully accurate break when you can win a race to 10.

Featured Video: Harriman's Drawing
(courtesy Accu-Stats)