Today I’m going to show you how to properly break a game of 8 Ball. There’s definitely a technique to doing it correctly, so here’s my general routine when I play want to break a game of 8 Ball:
It’s your break, which means you can put your cue ball anywhere on the table, so be sure to pick a place which makes you feel comfortable. Success in breaking a game of 8 ball is mostly going to come down to the force of your body, and not necessarily the placement of your ball. Regardless of where you place the ball on the table, you’ll still want to hit the 1 ball full-on, and with maximum force.
Your body stance shouldn’t be too wide; just a regular stance is enough. Remember to lean your body weight back, because soon you will lean forward, and you want room to move without suddenly hitting the table.
When you strike the cue ball, you’re going to bring your body forward, which adds extra force to your shot. Since you’re moving your mass forward, this will cause your cue stick to rise upwards in the air. To compensate for this, aim low on the cue ball that way, when you take your shot, the cue stick will naturally rise and hit the ball center.
It’s very important to lean forward, so that the shaft goes through with your body weight. Finally, a benefit to putting on those few extra pounds! After you take your shot, you should notice a fairly even disbursement of balls around the table (if you did the break correctly). If you’re lucky, you probably even got a few balls in.