When was the Jump Cue first introduced to the game? Found this on pooltable.com, thought it was sorta interesting. Still cant find a date or timeframe. I am thinking the mid to late 80's but I am probably way off.
Is the proper way to "jump" the cue-ball to hit under it with your cue, causing it to pop into the air? NO! Popping the ball up in the air by hitting underneath it with your cue is actually considered a foul by most common rule sets. The proper way to "jump" the cue ball is to hit down on it with the butt-end of your cue "jacked up" (raised) in the air. Although counter intuitive to a certain extent, this will cause the ball to jump in the air, due to the slightly compressible nature of slate (the material that forms the surface of most pool tables, under the cloth covering). The ball will squish down into the surface of the table ever so slightly, and if you hit hard enough at the proper angle, the pressure of the cue pushing down and the slate pushing up, will launch the cue ball into the air, hopefully far enough to clear whatever obstruction was in its path.
Some top-level players still consider jump shots to be the "lesser player's" way of escaping? This is true. Pool is closely related to a game called, variously, "billiards" or "carom". These games are played on a similar table but without pockets, and the object is to bounce around the table, contacting the other balls in order to get points. Especially in the Philippines, but in many countries to some extent, these games are a popular way of learning the angles around the table; hence Philippinos are known for their deadly angle-play. Some players consider jump-shots to detract from the "pure" spirit of the game. Earl "The Pearl" Strickland is an American, but is the most famous of the anti-jump-shot brigade; in one famous match against Kunihiko Takahashi of Japan, Strickland verbally taunted Takahashi so much for using his jump cue repeatedly to get out of difficult positions that several complaints were lodged against Strickland for being unsportsmanlike.
Do many good players have a special cue just for jump shots? Yes! Especially at the highest level, in world championship play and in the national championships of most countries, a majority of the players will either have a specific jump cue, or a multi-purpose cue that can be shortened by taking off a segment and made into a jump cue that way. Since you have to raise the butt of the cue severely for a jump shot, having a shorter cue makes it easier.