Do you miss because you jump up, or do you jump up because you miss?

basically a lot of players raise up thru some of their strokes especially if they are going to add power... The issue is you miss because you don't raise up online... As long as you drop into position online there is no reason to think that you cannot raise up online...

Is this a recommended practice? Likely not... But if you have to make room to let your stroke out it may be a valuable technique to work on....
 
I consider myself an authority on this subject.

When I have a long difficult shot I jump up like a Jack-In-The-Box. So I would have to say, lack of confidence makes me do it. Hard to break old habits. Oh ya, and my back hand does some funny crap also.
 
Well, which is it?

If you follow through there is no way for you to lift your head even if you miss the shot.

To answer your question, i think we jump because we do not do full complete follow through at times.
 
We miss because our body does not stay still during the stroke of shot.

We can't stroke straight when our body is moving... even when moving slightly.
 
I always considered this one of pool's great misconceptions... that jumping up caused the miss.

People jump up because they have no idea if they made the shot or got shape, and they need to immediately stand up and watch the outcome. A player who feels confident about these things isn't that excited about the shot and stays down because he doesn't even need to look.

It's the same "omg did it work or not???" feeling... that causes people to steer with their cue stick after the ball has left the tip, or lunge with 'body english'.

That being said. If someone recognizes they're being jittery and acting nervous, and they resolve to at least ACT calm by shooting in a steady, stable way... they might end up experiencing the "fake-it-til-you-make-it" effect. Just acting calm actually makes them shoot more calmly, with better rhythm and less wobble in their stroke. By planning to NOT jump up, they may end up shooting better.
 
I lift my upper body immediately after my stroke to see where the balls are going. I've got arthritis in my neck that makes raising my head impossible so I have to lift my whole upper body.

I shoot much better when I consciously force myself to stay down...but too often I forget to do so.

In answer to your question, I miss because I jump up.
 
I always considered this one of pool's great misconceptions... that jumping up caused the miss.

People jump up because they have no idea if they made the shot or got shape, and they need to immediately stand up and watch the outcome. A player who feels confident about these things isn't that excited about the shot and stays down because he doesn't even need to look.

It's the same "omg did it work or not???" feeling... that causes people to steer with their cue stick after the ball has left the tip, or lunge with 'body english'.

That being said. If someone recognizes they're being jittery and acting nervous, and they resolve to at least ACT calm by shooting in a steady, stable way... they might end up experiencing the "fake-it-til-you-make-it" effect. Just acting calm actually makes them shoot more calmly, with better rhythm and less wobble in their stroke. By planning to NOT jump up, they may end up shooting better.

This is exactly right.

Try using your eyes for CB feedback, and your ears for OB feedback.

Also try making some shots with the target pocket completely obscured from view while you're down. (I used a pillow to block my view of the pocket). It will help sever the dependence your execution mechanism has on a secondary target, and will help you focus more on your primary target (OB contact point/ghost ball/whatever.) Just expect the OB to disappear forever, along with the memory of it.
 
One thing I have never seen..............

Well, which is it?

We miss for a variety of reasons.

One of the biggest reasons that we miss is because we move our bodies during the stroke. Jumping, raising, moving to the side(s) etc are all movement reasons that we miss. There are others but this about covers the moving.....

We would probably miss a shot if we "drop" during a stroke but I have never seen it. :grin:
 
Yes.

We miss because our body does not stay still during the stroke of shot.

We can't stroke straight when our body is moving... even when moving slightly.

I agree, with one exception. The power break, which is different from any other shot.

Following through does not prevent jumping up. This is pretty easily demonstrated. It's really that jumping up tends to prevent a proper follow through.

I was taught, and believe, that movement of the head (jumping up) is one of the most common reasons for missing a shot. Some think differently, possibly because they're just thinking about the issue rather than actually watching players shoot. Many of us tend to watch the balls when spectating. If you watch amateurs and pros, watch the replays when they miss. Quite often it's because they jumped up - a little or a lot.

Jumping up is either a habit picked up subconsciously from watching other players or the result of not controlling nerves.

So, if you jump up during a shot it can dramatically affect the shot. If you jump up after your stroke is complete, it's areaction to realizing you messed up.

As Jerry Briesath, myself and others have stated for years, one needs to "pose" after every shot. There are exceptions of course, when you need to move quickly to get your cue out of the way of rolling balls, but if you learn to pose you will likely do much better than the player who accepts jumping up and thinks it has no affect on the shot.
 
Long story short... You miss if you move...

If your moving its because your not comfortable with the shot one way or another.

So learn to play calm cool and confident, this will minimize movement, which will minimize missing.
 
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