Actually, different balls affect the cloth in different ways. From heavy compression to light compression. The cloth is not "burnt" it is compressed and will come back to normal height when the cloth is cleaned.
As you know I was responsible for bringing the Bunjee Jumper to America and was the first person to sell a sub-$100 jump cue that really worked in the USA in a big way. As that person I did a lot of research to make sure that the cue I was selling would NOT HARM the cloth in any way. I spent thousands of hours over nearly ten years doing demonstrations to PROVE that using the jump cue did NOT HURT the cloth.
What is pliable? Who determines it? How will this be enforced?
The thing is that any material should be allowed which does not harm the ball or any of the other equipment. Phenolic tips do not harm the balls nor do they harm the cloth. I don't care what anyone wants to use on their tip as long as those two criteria are adhered to.
Now surely you will tell me that the tips do harm to the balls and cloth. Well, all I have as proof against that is the thousands of hours of demonstrations as well as thousands of cues sold. I did these demonstrations for room owners among others and most of my Bunjee wholesale customers were room owners.
The fact is that the super hard tip does facilitate the jump shot to a higher degree than any other tip. So what? The fact that this was discovered and honed to perfection is only proof that innovation is alive and well. A need was created through the enactment of one-foul ball in hand and the modern jump cue was developed to fill that need. Along the way it has brought the jump shot to the same degree of performance as any other shot. Meaning that the ONLY limitation is the shooter's own skill and not the cue.
You are correct that previous versions had limitations. Just as previous versions of cues limited their users range of makeable shots as well.
If someone made a rule that everyone had to play with a shaft with the same taper, tip, ferrule and weight then I am sure that most people on this board would be up in arms and in open rebellion. Is there any different to suggest that we go back jump cues which are very limiting in the range of shots that they allow?
Why on earth does anyone care?
It's not the cue that is making the shot. It is the person wielding the cue. So what if the cue makes the shot possible? Send an APA4 back in time with a leather tip and a cube of chalk and they will be the world champion in the time before leather tips and chalk.
However when tips and chalk became widespread the champions stayed the champions but the overall level of skill went up dramatically because the ability to control the cueball to a greater degree was GRANTED through the discovery and implementation of leather tips and chalk.
I have never noticed that but what about when people say that they switched to a Moori from a LePRo and have noticed a huge difference, or from a stock one piece shaft to a laminated shaft? Should we ban those items because people are getting better performance out of them?
Last time I checked I haven't seen any shortstop suddenly beating everyone because they have a jump cue. In ten years of selling jump cues I have yet to see that a jump cue has made any difference in a person's skill level and subsequently elevated them to a level that they shouldn't be at simply because they possess one. I have however seen many people start practicing to master the shots that the jump cue makes possible and those people have better control and accuracy when jumping. Those same people also practicing kicking and banking and safety play and well......whatever they need to in order to succeed.
Sure it is. That's the same as saying that putting a piece of leather on the end of a piece of wood isn't innovation. Or figuring out that chalk would work to increase friction isn't innovation. People worked out the bugs on jump cues until those sold today are just about perfect for the task. Many people have tried out a lot of different combinations to achieve this. It's not like someone tripped one day and accidentally glued a piece of phenolic onto the end of a cue.
No, they were skilled. Those same guys are SUPER SKILLED now with jump cues in their hands.
Have you watched any pro pool lately? We are still treated to fantastic safety battles. Those battles now include the jump cue as something to use to get out of safeties and as something to defend against with tighter safeties. Because of the jump cue safeties have to be very tight to defend against them and this FORCES players to get better. Because of the jump cue allowing a HUGE RANGE of jump shots, including straight jumps from a credit card's width to 8ft into a six inch target and jump banks, jump masse' , jump-stop shots, jump follow, jump shots with sidespin, jump kicks, etc... players now have many more shots to learn and master. This makes the game much much better.
Aside from the facts that jump cues do no harm to the game and have in fact elevated it much in the same way the leather tip and chalk did, there is the crowd pleasing aspect of the shot. In a time when we are all complaining about the demise of pool we should definitely embrace something like this that makes the game more exciting. It is a STONE COLD FACT that knowledgeable audiences, such as those at the US OPEN go NUTS when a great jump shot under pressure is executed. More times than I can count I have seen it first hand that audiences go nuts when a great jump shot is made.
On any jump shot whether using a "full cue" or a shorter "jump cue" the player still has to do EVERYTHING that he/she must do on every other shot PLUS they have to do in an elevated position facing the table bed.
That's right, they have to line up right, aim correctly, judge the speed correctly, control their stroke, apply the right amount of spin, AND they have to do this while elevated in an awkward position and using a super hard tip prone to miscues.
And this is somehow seen as easy?????
Well, I have $10,000 that says no person on the planet earth can make my ten EASY shots on the first try if they have a ball blocking them. I don't care what tip they have on the cue or what cue they have. At the upcoming Super Billiards Expo I will give ten to one odds against it. I will set up ten easy shots that any shortstop can make ten for ten. I will put a blocking ball no more than a ball's width away from the cueball and no closer to the object ball than two ball's widths and I will bet $10,000 against $1000 that there is not one person on earth, not even the most skilled jumper on the planet who will make them 10 for 10 on one try.
Prove me wrong and take my money.
