Jumping

Shannon.spronk

Shannon.spronk

Anybody read this?
Silver Member
So I am a decent B player and I continue to work on my game. Never had any formal instruction, but would like to get some of that sometime down the road. Anyway my question relates to underhand jumping. I am fairly confident jumping dart style. I make most shots when I am going for them and am able to at least somewhat control the cue ball. The problem is the underhand jump. I just have zero confidence when it comes to that. I have tried it with my break cue and I also have a predator air 2 and it seems that no matter what I do I am unable to really execute a jump underhanded with any consistency or confidence. Is there any advice on hand placement or alignment that might be able to help me out in the short run?
 
Keep the speed up and don't change the angle of attack in mid-stroke. Those are two common things things that go wrong when using a normal grip for jump shots.
 
^^^^^^^^^
What she said... :)

Moving the elbow or shoulder during the stroke can change the angle or attack and cause issues for sure.

I almost exclusively jump using underarm or sidearm, have never really practiced dart much although I can do it in a pinch. With a decent cue - and you have one - you should be able to easily jump over a full ball from 9" - 12" away with the full jump cue and 4" - 6" away with the 2 piece config. With a good stroke even a break cue with hard or phenolic tip can be used for getting over 1/2 ball with good control.

Keep your angle consistent, let the cue do the work.
Scott
 
I am the opposite, I have no trouble jumping under arm but I have difficulty using dart method.

I am 6' tall so it is easy to get over the ball and shoot under arm.

What is the problem:

Jumping the ball - is it inconsistent or just not jumping as high as you need? Maybe the perspective of the shot has you hitting lower on the cue ball than you think. Stand tall and lean over the shot a little.

Aim - is it harder to hit the target with this under arm jumping? Most players pull off the line of the shot when they elevate for a jump. Before you elevate for the jump, find the line of the shot, then find 3 points on that line (center of cue ball, spot in front of the cue ball and a spot behind the cue ball), when you elevate - make sure your head is still over the cue and that you are still online with the 3 points.

Don't forget to commit to the hit. A lot of times players are timid and slowing their stroke down before they contact the cue ball. You have to commit to a good Pop through the cue ball.
 
RWOJO said:
I am the opposite, I have no trouble jumping under arm but I have difficulty using dart method.

I am 6' tall so it is easy to get over the ball and shoot under arm.

What is the problem:

Jumping the ball - is it inconsistent or just not jumping as high as you need? Maybe the perspective of the shot has you hitting lower on the cue ball than you think. Stand tall and lean over the shot a little.

Aim - is it harder to hit the target with this under arm jumping? Most players pull off the line of the shot when they elevate for a jump. Before you elevate for the jump, find the line of the shot, then find 3 points on that line (center of cue ball, spot in front of the cue ball and a spot behind the cue ball), when you elevate - make sure your head is still over the cue and that you are still online with the 3 points.

Don't forget to commit to the hit. A lot of times players are timid and slowing their stroke down before they contact the cue ball. You have to commit to a good Pop through the cue ball.
Click to expand...

My problem had been just not getting the ball in the air enough. I am 6'2 and I had always had pretty good luck getting the ball up with a dart stroke. The problem had been doing more than just getting a hit. I had noticed many top level players using the under hand jump almost exclusively when they jump. I would like to say thanks to everyone that has helped me out.

SO here is what has helped me. I moved my grip hand to the back of the cue on an underhand jump. Rather than just getting on line and then focusing on the hit I pick out a spot on the table in front of the cue ball and aim using that spot as a reference. Other than that I have just taken the advice given here as to what else to do right. I just made a real purpose to practice it.
 
What I've noticed is most players pull off the line of the shot when they elevate.

Make sure your head is in the same position over the cue after you elevate. And instead of only focusing on a spot in front of the cue ball, before I elevate I use a spot in front of the cue ball, center of the cue ball, and a spot behind the cue ball. This way when I elevate I have 3 points to check.

Then test your jumps by aiming to the center of a pocket, track 10 shots and see if they are consistently going left or right.
 
Don't mean to derail too off topic, but is there something extra done for extremely close jumps? I'm comfortable with dart and underhanded, and can hop over anything past two balls distance with a Predator Air II, but can never clear a full ball any closer, or when the angle of elevation is somewhere around 80 degrees.
 
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