Can jump shots damage the table or cloth?

I say let them jump! Not by scooping under the ball though!! The cloth will get marks on it, it is unavoidable and a consequence of use.

I would advise that you get a couple of pieces of cloth, 5cm x 5cm, to put under the cue ball when breaking. I have simoonis on my cloth and the visible leftovers of breaking far outnumber those of jumping...

Enjoy the table! It is great for laundry!!

Jump shots are some of the most unreliable, low percentage shots I can think of; unless you're hosting Johnny Archer, Bustamonte, or the like, I wouldn't want anybody practicing jump shots with my equipment.

gobrian77 said:

It's not really marks that worry me- I know they're inevitable- it's flat spots.

Most of the tables on the island where I live are so warped and damaged it's depressing to play on them- it's no fun watching a ball suddenly turn left when it was headed for the pocket.

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Not sure what you mean by 'flat spots'. The bed is slate- a rock- and the cloth is flat already...

Black-Balled said:

I say let them jump! Not by scooping under the ball though!! The cloth will get marks on it, it is unavoidable and a consequence of use.

I would advise that you get a couple of pieces of cloth, 5cm x 5cm, to put under the cue ball when breaking. I have simoonis on my cloth and the visible leftovers of breaking far outnumber those of jumping...

Enjoy the table! It is great for laundry!!

Click to expand...

doesnt the extra cloth high make the ball jump on the break?
maybe u preserve the cloth , but u will be breaking windows, and i dont want 7y of bad luck on my ***

IMHO, use a basic, old-school rack....they work best...

Also, make sure and put a spot to protect the cloth where the head ball is on the break....

Also, the no jump rule sounds like a good one....it will save the cloth, avoid scooping by newbs, and improve your kicking...

Congrats on the table...

gobrian77 said:

I'm (finally) getting a table in a couple of weeks (provided my house is finished ), and I'm pretty concerned with keeping the table in good shape.

I'm covering it with Simonis 860, which isn't available locally so I have to order it from the States (and hire somebody from the factory to make the 450 mile trip from Bangkok to install it)- I'm concerned that jump shots might create "flat" spots that would hinder the balls from rolling true (I kinda doubt the 1" slate will crack or chip... right? ).

One reason I'm wondering about this is that I bought a Sardo Tight-Rack (before researching it) and potential cloth damage was an issue that was often brought up

I'm thinking about a "no jump shots" house rule, but I don't wanna take the aspect out of the game (I like to play 9-ball).

Am I worried over nothing? It's my first table (only an eight-footer but built to international competition specs and pretty darned expensive as the pickings were slim) and I wanna keep it in the best condition possible

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You bet, the first two spots to see the slab are the break and apex spots. Just that we don't always jump on the exact spots, or else we'll see the slabs faster. House rule is good but most people will get turned off not being allowed to jump or masse. Depends on how you wanna weigh it.

gobrian77 said:

I'm (finally) getting a table in a couple of weeks (provided my house is finished ), and I'm pretty concerned with keeping the table in good shape.

I'm covering it with Simonis 860, which isn't available locally so I have to order it from the States (and hire somebody from the factory to make the 450 mile trip from Bangkok to install it)- I'm concerned that jump shots might create "flat" spots that would hinder the balls from rolling true (I kinda doubt the 1" slate will crack or chip... right? ).

One reason I'm wondering about this is that I bought a Sardo Tight-Rack (before researching it) and potential cloth damage was an issue that was often brought up

I'm thinking about a "no jump shots" house rule, but I don't wanna take the aspect out of the game (I like to play 9-ball).

Am I worried over nothing? It's my first table (only an eight-footer but built to international competition specs and pretty darned expensive as the pickings were slim) and I wanna keep it in the best condition possible

Click to expand...

Two things I've learned about this on my table:

1) jumping does compress the cloth. In practicing jumping, I always use a small scrap of table cloth under the cue ball. That scrap is now noticeably compressed in the middle.

2) the quality of your cue ball makes a big difference in the spots or burn marks you get on the cloth. The cue ball I got with the balls that came with my table was cheap, and caused many burn marks. When I switched to a good quality Saluc cue ball the burn marks stopped happening almost entirely.

Number one, forget the Sardo Rack. You don't want it or need it, especially for a home table. Put it on eBay. Use a good wood or fiber triangle. They work just fine for your purposes.

I would only allow highly skilled players to shoot jump shots on your table. Ones who know how to properly execute them. Even worse than the damage the cue ball can do, is the potential damge that an errant cue stick can do to the cloth and even the slate. Slate can be chipped, sorry to have to tell you this.

Enough said. Now it's up to you. Oh, and you don't need the little piece of cloth on the table for break shots. You won't be breaking nearly as much as in a poolroom. A few superficial battle scars on the cloth after several months (or years), will actually look cool. And it won't affect the way the table plays.

Have fun!

Bob Jewett said:

What he said. But be aware that most of what is sold in billiard supply stores is junk. The plastic ones are so flimsy that the sides bulge out or curve in. The wood ones are barely glued, and the corners often don't have a small enough radius so it is impossible to get the front three balls tight. It is worth it to shop around and get a good one. Ask if you can try it in the store.

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There's the thicker one 1cm thick all round and the three rounded corners 2.5cm thick, very strong. But I'm not sure if they're available in the states.

I wouldn't worry soo much about jump shots as masse shots. Personally, I come from the school that you buy a table or a cue to use it, so use it. I'd only let people at a certain level, that have a certain respect for my stuff to jump or masse on my table.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you do as much if not more potential damage to the slate bed with the cue ball landing on the bed as it does taking off from it.

3andstop said:

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that you do as much if not more potential damage to the slate bed with the cue ball landing on the bed as it does taking off from it.

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Correct. Every time I see someone drop a rack of balls on the table I cringe.

From one with more experience doing jump shots than I want to remember.

Jump shots do create flat spots that can be mostly brushed out. I used to use my own table for jump exhibitions and by the end of the day the cloth looked ten years old after 1000's of jump shots - however after 30 minutes of cleaning the cloth only looked a year old ) Not bad for the amount of shots done on it.

On my table in the shop we just play and experiment very little and the jump spots are barely noticeable.

I would not let rank beginners attempt to jump shots or masse' shots on your table. Unless YOU know that THEY know what they are doing I wouldn't allow it unsupervised. Just like a masse' a jump shot is a shot that requires a certain skill set that must be practiced. For those that can do it then let them.

I have had people with no clue and no training rip my cloth trying stuff that was way outside their skill level. Once trained they were generally good to go but left to their own devices they were a danger to the cloth.

I disagree with Jay about slate getting chipped from bouncing balls. I tried my hardest - almost killing myself in the process - to make a ball damage the slate. I had to know what exactly bouncing balls do or don't do to cloth and slate in order to sell jump cues to room owners. With the normal force exerted on pool balls in order to make them jump I don't see any possible way that a ball could damage a healthy piece of slate.

I suppose that IF the ball landed on a piece of slate the had a fracture or a pre-existing chip then it could cause further damage but even that I doubt because of the cushion that the cloth provides.

If it were me then I would allow jump shots performed by the people I know are skilled enough for them. For practicing I would use a spare piece of cloth and vary the areas of the table you practice in. The nap will come back from the flat spots but NOT if they are beaten beyond the point that the fibers can recover. For occasional random jump shots just keep the table clean and wipe it down with a damp cloth and you won't notice or care about the spots.

Jumpin' Johnny B.