Traditional Straight Pool Opening Break Shot

Straight Pool (or 14.1 Continuous) is a game in which all balls must be called, even on the opening break. So, unless you are able to accurately predict what might fall and in which pocket on a power break, such as that made in the game of Eight-ball, you will need to master the most common and fundamentally defensive traditional opening break of Straight Pool shown in the diagram above. When executed "perfectly", each of the corner balls can actually end up coming back into the stack in the exact same positions they were in before you shot. Although it is not easy to do, and certainly you should not even expected it to happen each time you shoot it, I have achieved it myself from time to time. So, it is possible! Regardless of whether the "perfect" outcome occurs, what you can more commonly expect to have occur is what is shown in the diagram above, or perhaps even the diagram below where more balls come out of the stack. If you get something more like what is shown below, then you probably hit the corner ball too full which is easy to do on a table length shot such as this.

Even with this result, you have still left a difficult leave for your opponent, who must now either think of a safety play, or take a risky shot by trying to pocket the 11 ball in the lower left corner pocket.

Because it can be difficult to sometimes control how many balls will come out of the stack, the most important aspect of the opening break is that you must learn to get the cue back up table and as close to or preferably ON the headrail as shown. Focusing on placing the cueball on or as close to the headrail as possible will make any potential shots left for your opponent much more difficult to execute. This should be your main goal on the opening break!

Smart play #1: WPBA US Open 2008 Ranola vs Ellerby

Here is a nine-ball situation that came up in a recent match of the WPBA U.S. Open 9-ball Championships, Iris Ranola vs Sarah Ellerby, 6-2 in a race to 7. Iris Ranola was running the table against Sarah Ellerby and in the process of making the 6 ball, accidentally also made the eight which she was going to use later in the run to get on the nine-ball. With the eight off the table, this left her in the above precarious situation. What would you do here?

Ewa Lawrence was commentating the match and made a suggestion (shown below) of making a bank safety on the seven ball, sending the seven off the bottom long rail up to the middle of the right hand short rail in this diagram. Since this would require hitting on the right side of the seven ball, the cueball would travel up table to the right hand short rail and back down again to sit on the same rail as the nine. I like this suggestion alot.

What really happened? Iris chose to try to make the seven by cutting it up to the corner pocket. However, she missed it. If she had made it, she would have left herself an extremely difficult cut on the nine-ball anyway as there was no easy way to get back down for the nine. Sarah got up to shoot next, but stroked the cueball poorly jumping it off the table. Iris was lucky enough to step back to the table and run the seven and nine out with ball in hand. Luck was definitely on her side.

The Lesson: If you are going to shoot one hard shot that will leave you another hard shot, look to see if there is a better safety option instead. I think Ewa's shot would have been the correct choice here.

It's A Matter of Focus by Denny Stewart

Concentration is not something that you can force, or control. Matter of fact if you’re even trying to concentrate that means your not concentrating! Fighting your mind does not work, you can't will a state of mind, or we'd all be willing dead stroke every time. It just doesn’t work that way. What you can do is FOCUS the mind. It works like this, as you achieve your focus, the mind quiets automatically. A quiet mind only picks up what is relevant in the here and now. You will get into a state of relaxed concentration.


Having the proper rhythm helps the player to keep their MIND & BODY
Working together as one unit and to develop the sensation of Deadstroke. Ask yourself this question. Have you ever shot a shot when you weren’t ready? This is one small example of what happens when your mind and body aren’t working together.

Each routine has a starting point called a SWITCH. By having these defined starting points for various routines, it becomes easier to “start over” whenever necessary. Once these starting points have become a habit, it becomes easier to keep the mind and body working together. This starting point becomes a SWITCH that triggers specific responses in the mind and body that helps to keep your rhythm smooth and intact.

Let’s try this now, when your at the table and going into your PreShot routine, or planning a shot, then executing it, it is relatively easy to focus because your actively engrossed in what you’re doing moment by moment. But you are very vulnerable between strokes, shots, or when you’re in the chair.

Something that might benefit you for when you have those stray thoughts of winning, losing, who's there and what if I miss etc. (basically all chatter) is to focus the mind on your breathing. Nothing is more "here and now" than your breath. It also has a beneficial calming effect. So now you have some tools to keep your head in the game. Focus on the here and now while you’re at the table and running balls, and for all else you can erase with some focus on your breathing. It will keep you in a lot more games.

Next time when you’re getting ready to practice try this.
Set up a straight in shot to the side pocket. You’re going to stop the cue ball when you shoot it. Now once you have decided on what tip position and speed you’re going to shoot it at, close your eyes and I want you to feel it, hear it then listen for it to go in the pocket.

Try it and see and feel the effects of it.


This article was provided compliments of Denny Stewart from the Ohio Pool School.

For more information about Denny, visit his website at http://www.myspace.com/ohiopoolschool or email him using the email address shown above.