Jump shots ...just how much power do you need?

Luther Blissett

Luther Blissett

on the clapham omnibus
Silver Member
OK, so, as an Englishman who started out playing English pool but who now plays only American pool (8 ball, 9 ball and 10 ball) I'm in a tricky situation when it comes to jumping. (Jumps shots are not legal in English pool, so I never learnt to play them.)

Today though I finally bit the bullet and bought a jump cue, but Jesus Christ it's hard to jump!!! I mean after a few attempts I managed a decent jump shot, but it seems to take SO MUCH force!!!

I'm quite a strong breaker ...you know, on the break I can scatter the balls really well and get plenty of power into my stroke, but after something like six or seven attempts at jumping my arm started to go numb!!!

Is jumping the most power-hungry element of the game, or am I doing it wrong?
 
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I think you're doing it wrong. Imagine a clock on top of the cue ball. You want to strike at 6 oclock through the core of the cue ball. Make sure you get a clean hit and the ball should jump with relative ease. I found for beginners going longer distance is easier and the more you advance the closer you can get.
 
The guy that got me off to a start with jumping made the following suggestions I found helpful; they might help you also:

speed is more helpful than power... make it a quick darting stroke. Don't hold the cue like a hammer, keep it loose in the first couple of fingers and thumb only.

start with shallow angles/small jumps, and maybe bridge off an end rail to get the elevation more easily until you've got the technique down

follow through, and don't be afraid that you're going to rip the cloth- actually try to put a chalk stripe on the table under the cue ball. that was the last piece for me, I was holding back thinking I'd hurt something

practice, and it'll happen soon. It's not the hardest thing to do.
 
It depends on the jump cue. Heavier jump cues require very little power to get airborne, but extremely close jumps become slightly more difficult. Very light cues require a little more speed to jump, but make close jumps easier. Although just about any jump cue should be able to jump with a medium-soft hit if you are hitting the right spot on the cue ball. You probably are hitting the cue ball too close to center. Try practicing jumping from the miscue limit and move towards center. You should eventually find a spot that takes very little effort to jump.
 
Being an Englishman, surely you are familiar with the dart stroke? Hehe, just joking around, but honestly... speed and technique are more important than power. I always thought of it is a "pop" style shot.

Oh, how are you holding your jump cue? Hold it like a dart, move the cue stick with speed, aim properly into the cue ball as has been suggested...
 
With the right tip jumping becomes easy. Maybe tough to be accurate but it's not hard with the right tip.

No power needed...just finesse.:smile:
 
Personally when I started jumping, I tried to meet the tip right at when impact would be hitting the ball and table at the same time; essentially trying to get the tip of the cue to hit right where the ball sat. I found it easier at time progressed to jump 2 balls and eventually practicing to barely jump over one for a more controlled hop.

I mostly have used house cues to do this but found my utility cue was easier due to the curvature of the tip.

(Pardon my explanation in actual terms as I am new into terminology of billiards but have played quite a lot...)
 
Luther Blissett said:
OK, so, as an Englishman who started out playing English pool but who now plays only American 8 ball, I'm in a tricky situation when it comes to jumping. (Jumps shots are not legal in English pool, so I never learnt to play them.)

Today though I finally bit the bullet and bought a jump cue, but Jesus Christ it's hard to jump!!! I mean after a few attempts I managed a decent jump shot, but it seems to take SO MUCH force!!!

I'm quite a strong breaker ...you know, on the break I can scatter the balls really well and get plenty of power into my stroke, but after something like six or seven attempts at jumping my arm started to go numb!!!

Is jumping the most power-hungry element of the game, or am I doing it wrong?
Click to expand...

Just a guess from what you posted, but if your arm is going numb, I think your grip is the problem. Whether you grip overhanded or underhanded, your back hand grip should be very light. Hope this helps!
 
Jumping requires you to develop a good feel for the "energy" content in the CB. To jump effectively, you only need enough energy in the CB that it makes it over the impeeding ball and has enough residual energy after landing to rolll down table and knock the OB in.

Say you have 2 balls widths bewteen CB and interfereing ball (IB) and need to land 2 balls after the IB to hit the OB. This actually does not take much more force than to roll the CB 16 diamonds (up and down table) this is also known as a moderate strength hit.

Energy is converted into rising momentum and forward momentum based on the sine (forward) and cosing (rising) of the angle the cue stick imparts energy into the CB. For angles near 45 degrees, it is fairly easy to get a touchy feely read on how hard to stroke the stick. Then as the angle is reuced (more like a regualr stroke) less energy goes into the jump and more into the roll; as the stick is raised, more energy goes into the jump and less into the roll. So the amount of energy you put in the stick is dependent on the angle of the jump and how far the CB rolls, and how far the OB has to roll afterwards.
 
Assuming you are using a jump cue with a very hard tip then the power needed to clear the object ball varies from very light to medium hard depending on the angle and distance to the object ball and where you want to land the cue ball.

Or better put it depends on the trajectory or arc of the cue ball. The higher or farther you need the cue ball to go the harder you need it. What I did when I learned to jump well enough to do the exhibitions at shows selling the Bunjee Jumper was to practice jumping with the least amount of force possible and gradually increase it. The result of this was that I could set up a line of balls and let the audience pick which one to hit and be able to hit the chosen ball almost every time.

Another very important aspect is follow through. If you can make yourself follow through as if you are going to put the tip through the table (you won't even touch the table) then you can jump with a lighter touch. BUT if you tend to want to short stroke it you MUST add more power to make up for the lack of follow through.

Start with your object ball about a foot away and get down as if you were gonig to shoot the ball normall. Take one good step to the table without moving your bridge hand and you will automatically be in position for an underhanded jump shot. If you want the dart method then stand up and simply flip your hand so that it is underneath the cue instead of above it. Address the cue ball at about 45 degrees and just a hair above center ball from that angle. Now stroke through the cue ball at medium speed and see what happens. Make a note of where the cue ball goes. That's your baseline.

From there try to clear the object ball and land the cue ball anywhere from just on the other side of the OB to as far away as you can without killing spectators. You can put draw on cue ball to kill it when it hits the table when you are jumping long distances.

Someday I will get around to making a video to demonstrate this but if you search for the Bunjee Jumper website I think that they still provide a guide that Tom Simpson and I did many years ago which you should be able to download.

The key is progressive practice to learn how to dial in the right amount of angle/speed/stroke for the shot you are facing.
 
This is a plug for our own Robin Dodsons Jump DVD (just do a search, she is great.)

She has lots of great tips in it but my favorite, well...most helpful, was relaxing my shoulder.

~Roy
 
Luther Blissett said:
OK, so, as an Englishman who started out playing English pool but who now plays only American 8 ball, I'm in a tricky situation when it comes to jumping. (Jumps shots are not legal in English pool, so I never learnt to play them.)

Today though I finally bit the bullet and bought a jump cue, but Jesus Christ it's hard to jump!!! I mean after a few attempts I managed a decent jump shot, but it seems to take SO MUCH force!!!

I'm quite a strong breaker ...you know, on the break I can scatter the balls really well and get plenty of power into my stroke, but after something like six or seven attempts at jumping my arm started to go numb!!!

Is jumping the most power-hungry element of the game, or am I doing it wrong?
Click to expand...

Well,

jump-shots are no real secrets-- the most players are just dont knowing how to do it right. Having the correct stance and paying attention for some variables will make it quite easy.

i really recommend to get Robin Dodsons DVD. She explains it wonderful! If you follow here step by step, i bet you ll will make it faster than you imagine.
That s my serious opinion. I teach it similar since a long time- but she really found a way to make it not just look easy-she also found a way to *teach it easy*.

Just had one of my students for a whole week with me-- and he s for sure a strong player (100 ball runner etc. )-- but his jumps had been totally inconsistantly. Some corrections and how to place his body let him increase a lot. I would say that he now wouldn t miss a jumpshot anymore unless it s perhaps nearer than 1-1,5 balls.
It s just technique-nothing else.

The DVD from Robin is really great.

gl + hf from overseas,

INgo
 
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I learned to jump, after watching a video on Youtube, it took me 30 minutes to make successful jump shots. It's pretty easy to do it.
 
Well this forum really is a goldmine!

Thank you all so much for your wise, informative, and detailed advice.

I'm going to get some practice in today and see what happens.

In the mean time, let me just say that I'm really impressed by the quality and quantity of responses itt.

:happydance:
 
desertshark said:
Personally when I started jumping, I tried to meet the tip right at when impact would be hitting the ball and table at the same time; essentially trying to get the tip of the cue to hit right where the ball sat. I found it easier at time progressed to jump 2 balls and eventually practicing to barely jump over one for a more controlled hop.

I mostly have used house cues to do this but found my utility cue was easier due to the curvature of the tip.

(Pardon my explanation in actual terms as I am new into terminology of billiards but have played quite a lot...)
Click to expand...

Scoop jumps are illegal and damaging to the equipment
 
JB Cases said:
Some of my old jump shot videos:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCDAE91F25C56ADDC&feature=view_all
Click to expand...

I can see that you know what you're doing, but the camera is a bit too close to observe your body. For a total beginner such as me, it's handy to know what the player is doing with his arm in addition to seeing how the cue hits the object ball.

A few minutes ago I found this though: Pool Instruction - Overhanded Jump Shot (fredm4315)

...So, now going to take the tips from everyone itt as well as that video instruction from fredm4315, and see what happens on the table. :)
 
Just remember that a jump shot is just another shot. It's simple and when you over think, you will most certainly fail. You should work this into your practice regime. 20 jump shots ought to do, also be cautious and don't fall into the habit of swinging away at a jump, when a kick will suffice.

best,

Justin
 
Luther Blissett said:
I can see that you know what you're doing, but the camera is a bit too close to observe your body. For a total beginner such as me, it's handy to know what the player is doing with his arm in addition to seeing how the cue hits the object ball.

A few minutes ago I found this though: Pool Instruction - Overhanded Jump Shot (fredm4315)

...So, now going to take the tips from everyone itt as well as that video instruction from fredm4315, and see what happens on the table. :)
Click to expand...

:-) I wasn't trying to instruct you I was only using the thread to show off.
 
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