Jump Shots - so easy with the right equipment !

When I got my break/jump cue I was shown the dart motion. Once I got a feel of how fast to stroke and where to hit, I tried it on my full sized cue. The same technique didn't work, unless I tried holding it like an ice pick. I was able to apply more power that stayed in stroke.

I probably need pointers and practice, to get it to jump as high as this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx28lpJgwEc

Right now my jumps are like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECd-bBRzjq4



justadub said:
After reading this thread yesterday, I spent a little while trying to learn to jump with my J&J yesterday, and it certainly wasn't "so easy"... I managed to do it a few times, but nothing close to regularly.

Obviously I need some better instruction, and practice.

I don't even want to think about using the "jump" cue, as its not allowed in my league. But I am allowed to jump with the full size cue, so I thought that maybe once I learned the technique, I could eventually graduate to jumping with the full size.

Easy? Not for me.
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32 years ago, Sarah Brady was probably told the same thing when she tried to get guns banned after her husband was shot. She single handedly revived the anti-gun movement in the United States. The thread of gun control still looms in this country, but gun and ammo sales are at an all time high.

Maybe we need a similar industry boogeyman. Blame it on the spouse of a pool player who got hit in the face by a jumped cue ball during the Las Vegas Nationals could spark this. Thousands of people rushing out to buy jump cues before they're perceived to be banned.

I can see the arguments, such as why would anyone need more than one jump cue? Or blame those evil features, 12 ounces of less, 40" inches and 1 piece phenolic. The domestic jump cue makers will seize the opportunity to ban imported jump cues, while making exemptions for their own. Samsara already had a cottage industry of supplying jump tips made out of water-buffalo instead of G10 phenolic, maybe they will diversify into hollow extensions (bring a cue past 40").

Pay Earl enough money and he'll come out as a spokesman for jump cues, as he snarls "you can take my 82" jump cue from my cold dead hands". Then Jayson Shaw comes along and borrows it, breaks it in half in frustration, it will still be legal (over 40" inches).

Johnnyt said:
I would love to see then banned, but there is too much money to be made for that to happen. Johnnyt
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I think they should ban banks and kick shots. It too easy to just bounce a ball off any wall, any child can figure out how to do that.

You never see anyone playing bank shots in golf.

Kick shots are for soccer.
 
When are they going to ban all those darn bridges people use to reach the long shots? Those things make the shots way easier than they should be. I also don't want to see anyone putting an extension on the butt of their cue to reach those shots either. And don't even get me started on the gloves. Why can't those pansies just sweat like all us regular people?
 
As long as the rules and gear are available to everyone. Whats the issue? So one might think a 6ft player could have an advantage over a 5ft player. So should height and reach be part of someones skill level now. Take away their bridges and extensions. Guess we should just make tables smaller. Maybe a 3x3. LOL. Jump cues are here to stay. However I will say probably not all table owners are happy about that. Its kinda like that hard headed player on your team that wants to go for everything instead of playing defense. I am like. Your opponent would do it to you and if you dont play them then then your playing with a disadvantage. Love or hate defense play or jump cues. They are here to probably stay and if your opponent has one and you dont. Your at a disadvantage.
 
I vote to ban chalk. Makes spinning the cue ball too easy. Real players don't need chalk.
 
ctyhntr said:
When I got my break/jump cue I was shown the dart motion. Once I got a feel of how fast to stroke and where to hit, I tried it on my full sized cue. The same technique didn't work, unless I tried holding it like an ice pick. I was able to apply more power that stayed in stroke.

I probably need pointers and practice, to get it to jump as high as this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx28lpJgwEc

Right now my jumps are like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECd-bBRzjq4
Click to expand...

In the couple of weeks since this thread started, I have made some small progress, using the full size cue. Not enough to try it in competition (tho I was tempted a week ago, heh) but during practice, if the opportunity arises, I'm trying to jump vs the masse. (I'm not terrible at masse, at least so far as making a legal hit is concerned. I'm trying the jump even when a slight masse makes more sense, just for the practice.)

Still taking baby steps. Nothing real close, just yet. Working on it.

It's kinda fun. Hopefully i get comfortable enough to be able to use it judiciously in the future.
 
mamics said:
Got my break/jump cue today (fathers day) - wasn't real sure it would help my inability to make jump shots... boy was I wrong.

Cant believe it - after all those years of watching pros jump balls like it was childs play... and all those years of me failing to get any higher than about 1/4 ball in height.

Slate table, aramith balls, short cues - none of these things helped much - seems a hard tip (phenolic) PLUS short cue is the big secret ! (All my previous jump attempts have been with relatively soft tips - elkmaster soft/medium - cant believe a soft tip kills the jump action height so much - incredible)

For anyone having problems jumping the ball - get a short cue with a phenolic tip - I reckon my grandmother could jump a ball with that gear ! :-D

btw, my new jump cue is a cheap & nasty J&J. So as long as the tip doesnt break off anytime soon it will do me just fine ! (I'm but a mere D Grade player)

Cheers.
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That's pretty much my point as to why they should not be used in pro tours. Or leagues for that matter, it takes skill to learn to play a safe or to kick, it's easy to jump over a ball with a jump cue.
 
hang-the-9 said:
That's pretty much my point as to why they should not be used in pro tours. Or leagues for that matter, it takes skill to learn to play a safe or to kick, it's easy to jump over a ball with a jump cue.
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You're correct there is no skill in judging how far the ball should travel in the air before it lands or at what angle is required to make sure the cueball clears the blocking ball and still lands in time to hit the object ball
I can jump a full ball a chalk width away from the cueball with a full jump cue but that takes no skill,correct?
I can jump and masse the cueball in the same shot,again no skill in that.
Learn to play better safes and you wont have to worry about someone jumping in your matches.
My guess is that 98% of the people that complain about jumping have lost a important match or money because someone made a great jumpshots on them and they got pissed because they thought they had the match won.
The other 2% are oldschool and think things should stay the same and never change but i would be willing to bet they have cell phones,computers,flat screen tvs and alot of things that they didn't have 30 years ago.
All sports and games have progressed so why shouldn't billiards.
Everyone that plays pool wants to see it get more exposure and become a more accepted sport but they don't want change,its time to stop living in the past and move on.
 
hang-the-9 said:
That's pretty much my point as to why they should not be used in pro tours. Or leagues for that matter, it takes skill to learn to play a safe or to kick, it's easy to jump over a ball with a jump cue.
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It takes no skill to make a ball jump?

How much skill does it take to learn to kick?

Is making a ball jump the skill or is doing it with control the skill?

Is the chalk what makes the ball spin?

Is it the system that makes the kick?

Does a jump cue work by itself or does someone have to hold it and move it to make it work?

Does a pool cue with a chalked leather tip draw the ball three rails or does the player do that?

Could a person draw a ball three rails without chalk on their leather tip?
 
It does make a huge difference, I remember being surprised the same way. I was thinking for years
"wow, my mechanics are so bad I can almost never jump anything"... then I got a decent jump cue
and found I was jumping anything. To be honest my mechanics ARE bad but with those rock hard tips,
you get airborne even with a halfassed, weak hit to almost any part of the cue ball.

There is no question that getting a *good hit* is easier with a jump cue than with kicking,
on average. So, jump cues = fewer ball in hands for the safing guy.

The question is, why do jump cue haters think that's bad, or wrong, or unfair?

They act like the jumper got away with murder by getting a good hit.
But more often than not, "average" jumpers can't make the ball and just sell out after.

Anyway, isn't it getting away with murder to get ball in hand for some simple bunt safe?
The risk-reward has always been unbalanced in games like 9 or 10 ball.
Why should the safer 'deserve' ball in hand for something that might be as simple
as a stop shot, or drawing 5 inches, while I must know some complicated
kicking system (or have years of experience) to get out of it?
The safer's risk is minimal on an intelligent safety that guarantees distance or a bank.
Why should a low risk shot get a big reward?

You do your safe (which I consider way too easy)
and I'll do my jump (which you consider way too easy).
 
Nothing wrong with jump cues. If it isn't a skill then why can't my sl 2's and 3's do it....you have to learn to do it correctly so I would say it is a skill. then accuracy comes in to play...it's not as easy as just jumping a ball...and it can't be done as effectively for most players without this tool...sure SOME can do anything with any cue...touch them! But for the rest of us, let us use that cue please ;)
 
StuartTKelley said:
Nothing wrong with jump cues. If it isn't a skill then why can't my sl 2's and 3's do it....you have to learn to do it correctly so I would say it is a skill. then accuracy comes in to play...it's not as easy as just jumping a ball...and it can't be done as effectively for most players without this tool...sure SOME can do anything with any cue...touch them! But for the rest of us, let us use that cue please ;)
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One of the pro events at the Indian Casinos in FL, gave each player either one, but most likely two jump shots per match. I liked this thinking, as it made you consider other options instead of just jumping all the time.
 
Yes, jumping is really easy with the right equipment.

What isn't easy is to jump when the opponent snugs you up to a ball that is less that a ball widths away. In other words, if you're playing me, you better play good safeties, not just get a ball between the cue and object ball.

The jump cue takes out a little bit of the luck factor when two good players are playing 9-ball. If you fluke safety me, I'll have an easier chance to recover.

But I'll play call shot/call safe 10-ball all day with no jump cues allowed!
 
RRfireblade said:
I think they should ban banks and kick shots. It too easy to just bounce a ball off any wall, any child can figure out how to do that.

You never see anyone playing bank shots in golf.

Kick shots are for soccer.
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I'm confused, what are you even talking about??? anyways....

Jump cues are an asset, that's forsure. In terms of banning them, comon that's silly and that will never happen. Jumping the ball isn't a gimme, and should be allowed because it adds a different dimension to the game. I do feel jumping should be done with a full cue and not a short cue with a hard tip
 
JB Cases said:
It takes no skill to make a ball jump?

How much skill does it take to learn to kick?

Is making a ball jump the skill or is doing it with control the skill?

Is the chalk what makes the ball spin?

Is it the system that makes the kick?

Does a jump cue work by itself or does someone have to hold it and move it to make it work?

Does a pool cue with a chalked leather tip draw the ball three rails or does the player do that?

Could a person draw a ball three rails without chalk on their leather tip?
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Jump cue or not jump cue is about the same are talking religion. People can talk for a year on either side and not convince anyone to change their mind.

Just hitting the ball with a jump cue with no real jump ability is a huge advantage over having to use a regular cue with skill. Very few people, including pros, would agree that using a jump cue requires anywhere near the type of skill it takes to kick a ball. Even with the "just hit it" ability level.

No-one will ever say they want to see chalk or leather tips out of the game, yet almost 100% of the pros and many good players do not like jump cues. Especially once you see some C player jump a ball after they hook themselves or make a safety look like nothing because of being able to jump with a jump cue.
 
Easy to jump? It does require a technique, so I wouldn't say it's easy. Kicking is easy. You shoot the cue ball rail first, that's a kick shot. Most of you are forgetting the "hard" part, hitting/making the ball.

Pro's make jumping look easy, because it's their job. Pro's make kicking look easy, because it's their job.

I'd love to see some of the goobers here claiming it's easy to jump, go out and run a rack of 9ball jumping every shot.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Jump cue or not jump cue is about the same are talking religion. People can talk for a year on either side and not convince anyone to change their mind.

Just hitting the ball with a jump cue with no real jump ability is a huge advantage over having to use a regular cue with skill. Very few people, including pros, would agree that using a jump cue requires anywhere near the type of skill it takes to kick a ball. Even with the "just hit it" ability level.

No-one will ever say they want to see chalk or leather tips out of the game, yet almost 100% of the pros and many good players do not like jump cues. Especially once you see some C player jump a ball after they hook themselves or make a safety look like nothing because of being able to jump with a jump cue.
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If people think jumping is easier than kicking then I propose this test.

Go out and find a person who has never played pool before. Teach them enough of a stroke to get them to hit the cue ball in a straight line.

Ok now, tell them to kick to hit a ball. With no instruction at all see how many tries it takes to hit the ball.

Now hand them a jump cue and set up a 6" jump shot. Count how many tries it takes them to make the ball jump.

I will bet that most people will find their way to the kick shot long before they can jump a ball.

Furthermore if you teach them how to measure a kick then it will be even faster. All this without a decent stroke or stance.

But for the jump shot - EVEN WHEN USING A JUMP CUE - they MUST have a decent stroke and a good stance at a minimum. I have had very good players at my booth who could not jump with a jump cue UNTIL I rebuilt their stroke for the jump shot.
 
I have no issue with jump cues, but rather the direction jump cues are taking the game.

I think a simple limit on number of cues available to a player in a match is more practical...like the 14 club limit in golf.

Limit players to 2 or 3 cues that they may use, and you can use anything you like...player/jump/break.

If we don't look forward, then I think we may be looking at players bringing a dozen different cues to a match, and mathcing them up with the shot they are faced with:

Ultra low deflection for certain shots, then switch to an Earl Strickland whippy shaft to get some real juice on the ball. Now I can grab my 40" jumper to get over a ball, then switch to a slightly longer jump cue for a full table jump. Tough jump on another ball? No problem, out comes the masse cue so I can spin around the ball no problem. 25 oz break cue with phenolic tip to really smash the rack, but next rack, I'll switch to a leather tipped 20 ouncer for a cut break.

I don't have a problem with any of those cues, but I have a problem with 'all' of those cues. Pick 2 or 3 and that's it.
 
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