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Billiards is an extremely popular sport, especially for social occasions. However, it can also seem extremely confusing and frustrating to many beginners. They watch the professionals effortlessly clear the table every time. Many beginners relate clearing the table to a hole-in-one in golf or bowling a 300, and they believe it is a feat they can never accomplish. However, billiards can actually be pretty simple when people learn some proper fundamentals. The most important fundamental in billiards is learning how to properly break.

When most people line the ball up for a break they set the ball halfway between the two sides of the table. Then they pull their cue back as fast as possible and slam it towards the ball. The first problem is the speed of the cue. When professionals take the cue back, they do it in a slow, controllable manner. This ensures that they will hit the ball square, and it will roll towards the intended target. Most people do not believe they can get the same amount of speed by bringing the cue back slowly, but they can actually get more.

Now that people know to bring the cue back on a straight line, they need to understand where to position the ball. When people place the ball halfway between each wall, they are not going to have much luck. This will simply hit the ball on top of the rack, which will spin around and possibly scatter the balls around. If they are really lucky, a ball or two may accidentally roll into a pocket. However, the ideal break position is to line up on the side of the table, and take aim towards the middle of the rack. This position will allow the balls to all break towards a pocket, instead of into a position that benefits the second player.