Learning to jump

[soulcatcher]

Equipment can be a big part of it also. I have owned 4 jump sticks over the past 5 or 6 years, and some are definitely better than others. Now I am using a Predator Air, which jumps like a dream for me.

A couple years ago one of the vendors at a local tournament had a Dr Popper jumper for sale. I tried it on a practice table, and even though I am a fairly decent jumper, I could not even get the cue ball more than a half inch off the table with it. The vendor told me he had a lot of people trying that cue, and he saw a lot of times with that particular cue that people who had never tried to jump before could take that cue and use it with success, but people who had jump cues and used them effectively had trouble with that one. Kind of an interesting phenomenon. I did see that in the last trick shot competition on ESPN that Dr.Cue was using one of those sticks.

 

[supergreenman]

Jumping

When I teach someone to jump I emphasize that they should be stroking the cue through the equator of the cue ball driving it into the bed of the table. They should remember that the equator changes depending on the trajectory they are going for as illustrated in the picture I created attached.

Most people can grasp this in less than 5 minutes when shown properly.

 

[tjlmbklr]

Would you say that learning to jump over balls and make the OB is one of the hardest shots in pool to learn? I ask this because afer 50 years I finally got a jump cue. Even before I had a jump cue I never tried to jump with my player. In fact if it was a close match-up I'd not play if he was going to use a jump cue. Anyway I had a very hard time learning it. Maybe because I'm old. You know, "can't teach an old dog new tricks". Johnnyt

I learned to jump with a playing cue before I bought a jump cue. Obviously it very hard to do and requires a very hard tip and quick strong stroke. Also a very light cue is preferred. But still i realize I was doing it wrong. A legal jump the CB has to hit above center. I never realized 75% or the time I was getting air with a player I was hitting just below center. Thus doing a scoop like motion. Also jumping with a player has it's limits; less height. So half ball jumps are preferred to jump and close balls like less then 12" is very tough (unless your Earl or Corey...:grin: ).

But when I did my first jump with a "jump cue" I was amazed how you can hit above center and hop the CB with the greatest of ease. As a matter of fact the first day I had it I was playing 8ball and missed my position on the 8. I was hooked 6" behind a ball. I jump it and almost made the 8 (she rattle out) but my table plays tight so I still say close is good for a first try. Jumping is an art that I unfortunately can't use as often as I'd like since they are not allowed at the pool hall where I play. I do allow them on my table and so do my friends (if you know how that is). But jump shots very rarely come up so with the little practice I get with pool in general the jump shot is a far cry from perfect.


IMO

TJ