Jump Shots - Form or Cue?

BarTableMan

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The Pros jump balls with such ease and precision. More a matter of great form or does the carbon fiber jump cue make things easier? Is jumping 95% mechanics and only 5% the cue? Or is a carbon fiber jump cue a 'must have' in the case? Thanks all.
 
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The cue is certainly important, the material from which it is made, not so much. There are a ton of very good jump cues that are wood too.

Regardless though, when it comes to the ability to perform a quality/competent shot, it’s the Indian not the arrow…

Simply hopping over a blocking ball doesn’t make for a quality/competent shot any more than simply hitting, or even potting the object ball with the cue ball does on any other pool shot…
 
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As stated above, the cue makes a difference. Some of the better cues jump so well you actually have to back off your stroke a little. That being said, it’s pretty much all in the stroke
 
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It's about form firstly, CF doesn't make it easier to jump
Oh it most certainly does. When I switched the shaft on my jump cue and retained the same butt, I was over hitting every jump. It’s not a question of which jumps, but all of them became easier. And I’ll say right now anyone can jump/make a ball. How many people do you watch that have control on jump shots? That’s something that a CF shaft makes easier. Less effort required means less chance of damaging a table.
 
This is one area that cf really shines in, breaking and jumping. Easy to make a light/stiff tube which is perfect for jump shots. I don't jump much and still have a wood j/b but i have used a friends Cuetec cf jump-cue and it was insanely easy to use. Still have to have form but material plays its part no doubt.
 
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The Pros jump balls with such ease and precision. More a matter of great form or does the carbon fiber jump cue make things easier? Is jumping 95% mechanics and only 5% the cue? Or is a carbon fiber jump cue a 'must have' in the case? Thanks all.
not sure of the exact ratio but i would guess it favors the indian not the arrow
 
Once you have the right form/mechanics, you can jump with almost any jump cue. BUT, it is certainly easier with new technology. I was pretty proficient with a wood jump cue, but I felt it was almost cheating when I got my Propel jump cue. I could use a normal jump stroke on some balls I had to dart with my wood jumper.

If I had to put numbers on it, just getting over a ball:
  • full length playing cue, ~90% form/10% cue
  • wood jumper: There is a significant improvement in success using the right equipment. But you still need some technique: ~65% form; 35% cue.
  • CF jumper. There is slightly more improvement using CF. ~55% technique / 45% cue. You do get a LOT done with CF (maybe even 50/50).

-td
 
Oh it most certainly does. When I switched the shaft on my jump cue and retained the same butt, I was over hitting every jump. It’s not a question of which jumps, but all of them became easier. And I’ll say right now anyone can jump/make a ball. How many people do you watch that have control on jump shots? That’s something that a CF shaft makes easier. Less effort required means less chance of damaging a table.

I bet the taper, tip and ferrule mattered more than the CF part
 
The form is most important, but equipment does matter.
Different jump cues make a difference and have different advantages. I used an Alex Brick for years and I won Cuetec Propel. I still think the Alex Brick is the easiest to get the ball in the air. It is definitely heavier which makes it hard to jump balls that are close. But having taught people the Alex Brick is easy to teach with. So no you don't have to have a carbon fiber. You will also notice a difference in tables. We had a tournament recently with the new Apex predator table and they jump much easier then the valley's we are used to. I thought it was just me but talking to people we were all having to use about 25% less energy.
 
Does CF shaft make jumping easier:: no not by itself.

The lightness of the shaft allows the to "get out of the way" of the CB rising off the bed of the table. Specifically: the lack of weight in the front 12" of the shaft--AND--the lightness of the cue overall.
 
It's really only 2 things. Cue weight and the tip. I could jump balls with an old chair leg as long as it was the right weight and had the right tip. Technique is also important but not as much as the cue.
 
not sure of the exact ratio but i would guess it favors the indian not the arrow
It goes without saying the more skilled player will always be better all things being equal. However even a champion could not out preform an average player if they had inferior equipment. The right equipment can be everything in sports.
 
The Pros jump balls with such ease and precision. More a matter of great form or does the carbon fiber jump cue make things easier? Is jumping 95% mechanics and only 5% the cue? Or is a carbon fiber jump cue a 'must have' in the case? Thanks all.
Both. The cue is engineered to make the physics of the jump shot work and the player has to develop the skill to execute the shot accurately.

A good analogy is a chalked tip. With a chalked tip a full table draw is possible but without the correct skill level it is not probable.

Chalk adds a lot more shots to the game but no chalked tip actually makes the shot.

Same for jump cues.
 
Both. The cue is engineered to make the physics of the jump shot work and the player has to develop the skill to execute the shot accurately.

A good analogy is a chalked tip. With a chalked tip a full table draw is possible but without the correct skill level it is not probable.

Chalk adds a lot more shots to the game but no chalked tip actually makes the shot.

I wonder if people called for a "ban on chalk" way back when it was invented, too ?!?
 
Does CF shaft make jumping easier:: no not by itself.

The lightness of the shaft allows the to "get out of the way" of the CB rising off the bed of the table. Specifically: the lack of weight in the front 12" of the shaft--AND--the lightness of the cue overall.
Actually when jumping you want a hi-deflection shaft. This is why its hard to jump balls with a lot of LD shafts. You want the CB to get out of the way not the shaft. I tried hitting balls with a CF j/b shaft and the deflection was massive, exactly why it jumps so well.
 
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