Improving Jump Shot Accuracy

[incognito]

Hi,

This might be a dumb question, but does putting a little draw on a jump shot make the cue ball hop less and therefore improve jump shot accuracy? I was practicing jump shots the other day and this seemed to help. I also recall watching a match on youtube and one of the pros, I don't remember who, seemed to do this when he pocketed a ball on a jump shot.

 

[Tony_in_MD]

I never noticed it. For me it is more important to establish my line carefully, and focusing on the spot I need to hit on the cue ball on the last stroke.

Because of the elevation of your cue, it is important to hit the exact spot on the cueball you intended too. Focusing on this spot on the cueball helps with that.

Hi,

This might be a dumb question, but does putting a little draw on a jump shot make the cue ball hop less and therefore improve jump shot accuracy? I was practicing jump shots the other day and this seemed to help. I also recall watching a match on youtube and one of the pros, I don't remember who, seemed to do this when he pocketed a ball on a jump shot.

 

[Scott Lee]

incognito...You're not really putting draw on the CB, when you jump (unless you are aiming at the very bottom edge of the ball). When you elevate your cuestick, you change the perception of where center is. We teach it...it's called cueball quantification.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Hi,

This might be a dumb question, but does putting a little draw on a jump shot make the cue ball hop less and therefore improve jump shot accuracy? I was practicing jump shots the other day and this seemed to help. I also recall watching a match on youtube and one of the pros, I don't remember who, seemed to do this when he pocketed a ball on a jump shot.

 

[incognito]

But if you hit below center mass on the cue ball with an elevated cue stick, it still imparts draw on the cue ball, just like with a level cue, right? Even if you can only hit the very bottom of the cue ball.

I was just wondering if imparting draw on the cue ball would cause the cue ball to hop less and increase jump shot accuracy.

incognito...You're not really putting draw on the CB, when you jump (unless you are aiming at the very bottom edge of the ball). When you elevate your cuestick, you change the perception of where center is. We teach it...it's called cueball quantification.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[Scott Lee]

incognito...What makes the CB "hop" less is using less speed in your stroke, not where you strike the CB.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

But if you hit below center mass on the cue ball with an elevated cue stick, it still imparts draw on the cue ball, just like with a level cue, right? Even if you can only hit the very bottom of the cue ball.

I was just wondering if imparting draw on the cue ball would cause the cue ball to hop less and increase jump shot accuracy.

 

[incognito]

So it's the speed and not the spin or draw in this case. Thanks, Scott. :thumbup:

incognito...What makes the CB "hop" less is using less speed in your stroke, not where you strike the CB.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[The Renfro]

Actually it's not speed it's the height the cueball clears the object ball by.....

The lower the trajectory required to clear the ball the less bouncing you have to deal with.... If you can hit the cueball softer and clear the jump then your trajectory will likely be lower....

There is a system for quantifying this and I would bet Scott's system may deal with this concept....

If the concept is understood and put to practical use you can teach a non-jumper to jump accurately in short period of time as long as the jump cue they own is of good quality and consistent(i.e. quantifiable)

 

[FranCrimi]

Actually it's not speed it's the height the cueball clears the object ball by.....

The lower the trajectory required to clear the ball the less bouncing you have to deal with.... If you can hit the cueball softer and clear the jump then your trajectory will likely be lower....

There is a system for quantifying this and I would bet Scott's system may deal with this concept....

If the concept is understood and put to practical use you can teach a non-jumper to jump accurately in short period of time as long as the jump cue they own is of good quality and consistent(i.e. quantifiable)

Back to the OP's original question about draw and accuracy, I think there is some merit to that once the cb touches down if it is sliding as opposed to rolling. Don't you think, Chris?

 

[The Renfro]

Back to the OP's original question about draw and accuracy, I think there is some merit to that once the cb touches down if it is sliding as opposed to rolling. Don't you think, Chris?

Actually it would be skipping while trying to put the brakes on and then begin sliding.... This will result in smaller bounces when it lands which will improve accuracy as long as there has been no unintentional side imparted and the landing area is close to your object ball...

With draw AND side you would actually be losing accuracy as the masse effect would increase IF there is significant distance between your landing area and the object ball....

With significant separation top would improve accuracy as it will cause the first hop to increase along the aiming line and the extra air time would negate some of the masse from unintentional or intentional side if there was any applied.....

If the player can be sure to hit the vertical axis every time then draw would be the more accurate way regardless of separation... but most people have issues staying on the vertical axis while jumping....

Aside from flat out aiming wrong the 2 main reasons for missing a jump shot are either unintended masse or the cueball contacts the object ball during a bounce resulting in an overcut.....

Draw will create more masse misses than bounce misses...

Top will create more bounce misses than masse misses.....

Just hitting center on a jump brings both types of misses into play if the vertical axis is missed or the speed is misjudged....

I rarely hit center on jumps for that reason and will pick top or bottom to hedge my bets against whatever I think is the most likely way a ball can be missed......

Fuller hits get top and thinner hits get draw w/ a touch of outside and a thick aim if I am cinching the jump...

In cases where you have to play position off the jump you use what you have to as far as draw, top AND side are concerned.... You just have to be aware of what pitfalls are created by your choices.....

 

[FranCrimi]

Thanks! I think that answers the OP's question perfectly!