Power isn't nearly as important as full contact on the one ball. Pros generally break in the 20 mph range. The fastest breaks are just over 30 mph, but you'll never see pros breaking that hard because of a loss of control. You should break only as hard as you can control.

That caveat being given, I'm going to share some tips on generating power on the break.

In baseball, faster pitches are generated with the legs, not the arm. Faster bat speeds are generated by the hips, not the arms. In basketball, longer jump shots are generated by the legs, not the arms. In golf, faster club speed is generated by the hips, not the arms. So what does this mean? It means that transfer of body weight is far more important than arm speed or strength.

Bustamante, Archer, and Pagulayan can all crush the rack. None of them are built like a Hercules. How do they break so hard? They're masters of weight transfer. They generate power by transferring their weight from the back leg to the front, which is why you see a lot of players' back legs fly up off the floor when they break. The best demonstration of weight transfer is simply to lift one leg off the floor. The leg which remains on the floor MUST have all the weight on it.

There are a few techniques which can be used for weight transfer. One technique is to rock back and forth. This accomplishes the task of transferring weight from the back leg to the front leg, but it has a big downside. That rocking can cause excessive head movement, which decreases accuracy. It can also cause the bridge hand to move, which also decreases accuracy. Some players will actually lift their front legs before the final stroke, causing weight to be transferred to the back leg, then stomp that front leg down on contact. Once again, I feel this is excessive body movement, leading to decreased accuracy. I feel the best method of weight transfer is through rotation of the hips. Ask a golfer how they generate club head speed, and he'll tell you it's in the hips. The same thinking should be applied to the break shot in pool. For right-handed players, the normal stance has the left hip slightly in front of the right hip facing the shot. The break stance should have the left hip well in front of the right hip, allowing the hips to rotate through the break stroke. My personal technique has my hips almost in line with the cue as I address the ball, which means that the position of my feet is a little different on the break shot. Instead of having my left foot at a 45 degree angle with the line of the shot, it's pretty much in line with the shot. This requires lots of flexibility, which is another thing those power breakers have in common. I shoot normal shots with my chin on the cue; on the break shot I raise my head about 6" above the cue.

So that's the stance, let's discuss a couple of other physical aspects of the break shot: bridge and grip. You should increase your bridge length by a few inches. Since the stick will be reaching a higher velocity, you've got to give it more time to reach that maximum velocity. The only way to do this is to increase the distance the tip is going to travel, hence the increased bridge length. Since the bridge length is going to be longer, you'll need to grip farther back on the cue. Get into your break stance and place the cue tip within 1/8" of the CB. The point on the cue which allows your arm to be 90 degrees to the floor is where you should grip.

Now that we've discussed technique, let's put it into play. Get into your stance. Get that right hip (left if you're a lefty) rotated as far back as you can. You'll notice that you can rotate it even farther during the backswing. Address the CB by taking a few practice strokes. Concentrate on hitting dead center on the CB. Any spin transferred to the CB takes away power, as energy will be used to spin the CB instead of being used to propel the CB. When your right arm comes forward at address, your right hip should come forward a little, too. This is your body's way of automatically transferring weight. Before you strike the cue ball, pick out your contact point on the one. At this point in addressing the CB, you have a choice. Some players concentrate on the CB at contact, some people concentrate on the one ball. On normal shots, you definitely should focus on the object ball, but the break shot tears up the rule book when it comes to convention. That choice is going to come down to personal preference on the break shot. I used to focus on the CB during the final stroke, but I now focus on the one ball, trusting my body to get the cue to contact the center of the CB. Either way, find the best method for you by PRACTICING. Now you're ready to strike the CB. Pull the cue back slowly, rotating your hips as you do. You'll be coiling yourself up like a spring. Now, uncork it! Push the cue through the CB, allowing your right hip to come forward with your right hand. This will force your weight to transfer to your left foot, and may also cause that back foot to raise up. If it wants to come off the floor, let it. Don't waste energy trying to keep your foot on the floor. On the other hand, don't waste energy trying to lift it up if it doesn't want to come off the floor, either. Let your body naturally do what it wants to do. Maintain your head position until contact, this will maintain accuracy. After contact, FOLLOW THROUGH! In fact, follow through so much that the cue looks like it's going to hit the one ball. The reason you do this is to allow the stick to decelerate naturally. A short punchy break stroke wastes energy, as you have to use energy to stop the stick. Allow all of your energy to transfer to the CB by letting the cue stick stop naturally. Some players follow through down into the table, causing the stick to bend. Most players follow through with an upward motion, causing them to stand up after contact. I do this, and I have to make sure I don't stand until after contact. I can't stress that enough. Standing up before contact leads to unpredictable results because of decreased accuracy. Now watch the results!

The break shot, just as any other shot in pool, must be practiced with vim and vigor. It is the most important shot in 9 ball, it sets up the game, and can lead to short easy victory if done well, or long hard defeat if done badly. When first practicing the break, you'll notice that you don't get the results you want. That's because your mind is training the body, which means that the mind has to consciously control each and every little movement. This leads to what is known as "purpose tremor," which will cause tension through the break shot. You can read an excellent article on purpose tremor by Max Eberle at AZBilliards. Only after dedicated practice will the mind allow the body to naturally do what it was trained to do, so don't expect sledgehammer breaks during your first practice session. Don't allow that to discourage you, as with all good things, it takes time. And remember, break only as hard as you can control. Using too much power at the expense of accuracy is pointless.