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The foundation of a good break - for any pocket billiards game, be it 9-ball, 8-ball, straight pool, or any of a variety of house/bar-room adaptations - say cut-throat for 3 or 5 players - is the same as for shooting in general. I will fess up immediately that my confidence to write about such a topic comes from years of making the mistakes, over and over again, that no piece of writing is going to prevent. Sorry - reading an article can certainly be informative, can guide your focus and give you some idea of how to start, but the "a-ha!" moment will only happen for you with cue in hand. That's the first and most universal principal of studying something new - especially something that you *DO*. The transition from learning the FACTS of technique to understanding how they actually WORK, will not occur while your poring through the pages of a how-to guide or gazing studiously at this computer screen. In this case, the journey from theory to practice will occur at the table.

I will also fess up now that I do not intend this article to be an encyclopedic sort of approach. You certainly will not learn *everything*, from this article alone, that would be useful in honing your breakshot. I can promise that what I do report here is accurate - and backed by many years of, um, primary research - and, yes, a handful of serious experiences with more formal "study" - with players who, at the time I sought their guidance anyway, were far better players than I was.

Thus, any errors that I commit, or shortcomings you may find in this article, will absolutely be ones of omission - not commission. It is much easier to fill in some missing information or ADD to your competency, than it is to UNLEARN that which is inaccurate or faulty. So, my promise to you is that you will not be worse off for having tried to apply what you read here - and, if any of the following is new to you, your game, and of course your breakshot, should improve.

The first thing that *I* do before almost every shot, ESPECIALLY the break shot, is to "powder up". Yes - I carry with me a handy little pouch of talc, which you can buy for, at MOST a 5-spot, at the front counter of almost any larger pool hall (not bar, POOL HALL). Likewise, such a facility may very well have those weird looking "talc stations" scattered at maybe a ratio of 1 per ten tables. It'll be this hunk of white stuff suspended on a wood stick or shelf/rack doo-hickey, that you will occasionally see people rubbing as if for good luck.

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