Earl Strickland Jump Technique

I used to jump with my full cue when I was in my prime. I used an ob classic pro shaft, for some reason I couldn't do it with other shafts, I think the stiffness had something to do with it.
 
On Stevens type cloth - circa 70s, jumping was pretty simple providing you had the rail to bridge from. You could also depend on the range of masse shots anywhere you could reach one. With the thinner modern weaves, either of the shots are less likely but I think: full cue jump or full cue masse, it's masse hands down.
 
Not off the rail I’ve made a jump over OB 4” away from CB to my OB that was maybe 12” away. Only once with my Viking. Was feeling the shot and it worked. I’ve tried after to no avail. I don’t practice jumps just was able to jump after trying it a few times in games, but it’s definitely possible. I also don’t own a jump cue. Only ever have jumped with player. Gotta use what ya got!

It’s a lot harder to jump with my other player. But that one has a smaller tip and an aggressive taper. A house cue works great for jumping. IMO easier to jump with a stiff shaft. Could be better having LD for jumping short. I’ve never tried one out.


SVB had a jump over close/semi close OB in a tournament this year. With his shooter. Cause he needed to draw it or something.
 
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Oh btw if you are trying to figure out draw and follow on your jump shots. Shoot elevated some. Without jumping. Although the CB will technically jump a little. Once you are able to follow with good elevation you’ll be able to control your jumps better. Might not work for everyone, but definitely helped me when looking for shape off jump.
 
I used to jump with a full length cue very easily...until Simonis 860 became the standard everywhere...the older nap cloth gave the CB a little purchase when cueing down on it. Slicker worsted cloth lets the CB escape sliding forward a little too easily. There's a reason everyone's using a shorty to jump now...
 
I've played in places that do not allow jump cues. No biggie, just grab the lightest house wood off the wall (usually 15oz) and use it. Works great as long as the obstructing ball is at least a foot or more away from the cb. This ensures that the angle of the cue won't interfere or trap the cb as it's trying to leave the slate.

Here's some useful stuff I've discovered: A 5 to 7oz jump cue with a hard tip is like a magic wand for close-up jump shots. A little heavier than that (like 9 to 11oz) is good for shots where the obstructing ball is about 8in to 2ft or so away. This is where most jump cues are regarding weight.

So, basically, lighter cues work better for close-up jump shots. The farther away the obstructing ball, the easier it is to jump with a full length cue, especially if it's a lighter cue, like 15 to 17oz.

Take a shaft only, like from your break cue, and you should be able to jump a ball as close as a 1/2 inch pretty easily if you can stroke it quick enough and strike the cb accurately.

The cb weighs 6oz, so with a shaft alone (weighing about 3oz) you need a lot of speed to get the cb up, but the shaft will never interfere with the cb's trajectory because the 6oz ball kicks the lighter shaft out of the way. Of course, using the shaft by itself is not legal, unless you have a 40" shaft.
The official minimum cue length is 40".
 
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