should pro tournaments ban the jump cue?

[Flex]

Richard, having a strong break is a learned shot. No matter your physical size, anyone can learn to break hard! Comparing a hard break to a jump shot is silly. If you learn to break hard with any normal legal cue, well done.

IMO jump cues are an embarrassment, a jump shot with a full cue is beautiful shot to see.

I think we need to ask ourselves are we talking about a topic on tradition of our sport, or one of business and marketing?

Yes, I own a jump/break cue......yes, I can use it......no, it's not in my case.

Gerry

If your jump cue is not in your case, it may be that it's the wrong one for the way you shoot. I can tell you that if I was forced to use a jump cue that is too heavy, or with a tip that isn't hard enough, or that didn't feel good in my hands, that I'd use it rarely.

However, having experimented a lot with them, of all different brands and sorts, I've come to the conclusion that for my preferred jump stroke, which is by dart method, that the cue I presently use, with two different weighted butts, is the way to go for me. For other folks? Maybe not.

One of them will easily jump over an intervening ball that is 3 diamonds away. Notice I said easily. It will get over balls that are two balls away with no problem. However it is quite powerful and keeping the cue ball on the table when the shot is near a rail can be a real problem. I have found that using a very very light butt on the same shaft will let me get up and over balls that are perhaps a chalk's width away, and the cue ball doesn't tend to get away so easily, and hence stays on the table with greater ease. Shots near a rail don't bother me when using this version of my jump cue.

If you give my cue to someone who knows how to jump, with the regular butt, they shoot one or two shots with it, and most of the time look at the cue and go "Wow"...

If someone doesn't like jump cues, don't use them.

By the way, there's a tournament in the Chicago area, 8 ball tourney, that I won't play in because of their stupid rules against simple masses and jump shots. Everybody who plays in the tournament has their own cue, most have jump cues too. Denying players who can jump the opportunity to do so is punitive, IMHO. There are shots that can't be made any other way except by jumping. I guess some of the folks who have gone down because of a well executed jump shot need to improve their safety and other skills.

Jumpers Unite!

Flex

 

[Flex]

You are right about jumping a ball that is close, w/o a jump cue it is very difficult though I do know some that can do it with follow and draw. For those of you that know Tony Morrison, he can jump any distance with great control with a regular stick. He can jump table length and draw the CB back down table on a nappy cloth.

Are you saying he can perform a full ball jump over an object ball that is only 1/4" away, with a regular stick (which regular stick by the way, weighing how much, with what kind of shaft, and tip), on Simonis 860, and draw and follow the ball at will? I'd love to see him do that.

Flex

 

[pete lafond]

Are you saying he can perform a full ball jump over an object ball that is only 1/4" away, with a regular stick (which regular stick by the way, weighing how much, with what kind of shaft, and tip), on Simonis 860, and draw and follow the ball at will? I'd love to see him do that.

Flex

I'm not sure about 1/4". My guess would be no, but clearly a ball length. He has drawn the ball almost table length on both the real nappy cloth and simonis 760/860 (we used to have 760 in our room and now have 860).

We used to have a Jillians here and there he was drawing the ball off the rail on a jump, hooked the CB into a 3 railer. People that know him will tell you how well his jumping skills are. He was pro in his 20's for a while and quit playing pool for a few years. Now just plays once in a while on the Joss tour.


(edited) You asked what cue; He plays with a sneaky pete.

He can jump very well with a regular cue.

 

[stick8]

jump cue

O.K. you young shipersnapers, here we go, as aold timer, as you call us i have see many changes in the game , push out after break, qb-in hand, and many more , but in my opnion the most drastic one was the jump shoot, i know you have your opinion of it but so do i i have changed with times as i am 68yr, and still enjoy the game, but lerrning the angles of the table takes first with me, just my opinion, so tear into it. love to all STICK 4 things i dont do any more---1----smoke-----2 drink---- 3----- chase wild women----4 use a jump stick

 

[Snapshot9]

Stick ....

O.K. you young shipersnapers, here we go, as aold timer, as you call us i have see many changes in the game , push out after break, qb-in hand, and many more , but in my opnion the most drastic one was the jump shoot, i know you have your opinion of it but so do i i have changed with times as i am 68yr, and still enjoy the game, but lerrning the angles of the table takes first with me, just my opinion, so tear into it. love to all STICK 4 things i dont do any more---1----smoke-----2 drink---- 3----- chase wild women----4 use a jump stick

Get to a doctor fast!!! You have arthritis, and preventing free movement.
Get some medicine, then you will be able to enjoy all the pleasures of life again .... lol

 

[Icon of Sin]

The jump cue is there to make the shot easier. Both parties are allowed to use it making the game still fair.

Why not force golfers to use the same club for every shot. They dont because certain clubs make certain shots easier. Same idea with a break cue, jump cue, bridge, playing cue.

Just my opinion, but I think the Jump cue should not be excluded from any pool venue.

 

[AuntyDan]

Should the 60 degree wedge be removed from tour players bags?

Damn right. Have you ever seen the kind of damage those can do to the cloth and slate?

 

[Njhustler1]

I haven't read anything else in this thread expect for the title, but I think yes, they should ban it. Jump shots are difficult in nature, therefore more risky and more rewarding. Now that players use jump cues, jump shots are just run of the mill shots. No more difficult than a bank shot, it seems.

 

[pharaoh68]

To say that a jump cue gives a player an unfair advantage is not entirely accurate. It may give a player an advantage but ultimately, the cue is legal to any and all who wish to use it. Thus, if one player decides that he does NOT wish to use a jump cue, he himself is giving his opponant the advantage.

Furthermore, if you were to outlaw specialized equipment (such as the jump cue or break cue) for the sake of leveling the playing field, you then have to go a step further and re-examine the advantages that Predator shafts give to players as well as certain tips, ferrule length, etc.

Before you know it, everyone is playing with a house cue!

 

[Cornerman]

Some people, you could tie a 30 lb weight to their butt, and they still could not do a 'big break'. .

If it helps, I'll try it at least once.

Fred

 

[Cameron Smith]

That's quite an interesting statement.

I expect you are able to jump balls. Just how close to an obstructing object ball are you able to make a full ball jump with a regular playing cue?

Flex

I have learned to jump balls with a full sized cue since playing with the jump cue but I'm not amazing at it. So I wouldn't be a very good example.

I am actually better at jumping on a snooker table (which I think is illegal, but as long as my opponent doesn't know that ).

 

[Cameron Smith]

I am curious. Of the people who believe that its not a bad thing that jump cues make jump shots easier, how many of you believe that the IPT should switch to rotational eight ball?

 

[CaptainJR]

I know that having a jump cue has hurt my game in one respect. I use to be a lot better at masse shots.

 

[Gregg]

I don't know if this topic has come up before, but I will put it out there anyways. So what do you all think?

I played with a jump cue for the first time about a month ago. I had never use one before and never bothered to learn to jump. I had an idea of what to do from reading this forum (thanks guys!), but I had never tried it before. Within a couple of shots I was able to jump balls quite easily. Of course I messed up from time to time, but I wasn't having much trouble. I also pocketed a fair amount of balls this way as well.

My conclusion from this experience is that the jump cue makes that shot too easy. In the world of golf there has always been a discussion about when the technology makes the game too easy. I think this is relevant with the jump cue in pool.

Talk about non progressive thinking.

 

[Flex]

I am curious. Of the people who believe that its not a bad thing that jump cues make jump shots easier, how many of you believe that the IPT should switch to rotational eight ball?

Talk about apples and oranges! Where'd that come from?

Flex

 

[skins]

i've always believed that the cue ball should not be allowed to leave the cloth intentionally in pro or semi-pro tourney's period.

 

[stick8]

jump shot

Get to a doctor fast!!! You have arthritis, and preventing free movement.
Get some medicine, then you will be able to enjoy all the pleasures of life again .... lol

howdy Snapshot; just the response I expected, someone cretizing someone opinionnoticed you are not of the younger generation??? just wanted to get on the board, right??/ and i went to the doc and got my medican, vigra STICK

 

[cueandcushion]

My humble $.02 ..it may not be worth even that.

All sports put limits on equipment used. That is how it should be. The military currently has rifles that adjust the rifle to "aim" the barrel FOR the shooter making him more accurate; do you think the Olympics would allow this type of rifle? Highly unlikely. That technology will someday be in our lives for aiming golf clubs or cue sticks. Probably not very soon...but it will someday come. Keeping some technology OUT of a sport keeps everyone on the same playing field. Whether its corked bats and steroids in baseball, overweighted drivers and special aerodynamic balls in golf, or a liquid filled break cues in pool. Most sports have limits on what is allowed. Otherwise it becomes a battle of technology instead of a battle of two persons. Pool is no different. Compromise is always an option. You can always have a limit of ONE jump cue use per match or something along those lines. I personally think whenever you are allowed to have 4 different cues at your disposal during a game it takes something away from it..something human. Today it is break cues and jump cues people are arguing about. In ten years it will be optical scanners that layout a laser guided grid on the table of where the ball will go. There will be arguments for and against that too. Keep the game level as long as we can. My $.02.

P.S. *sheds a tear* I would like to dedicate this thread to the four Simonis bedcloths that gave their lives this past year in my billiard parlor to those who didnt know how to masse or jump properly without tearing the cloth....I will miss you all.

 

[Cameron Smith]

Talk about apples and oranges! Where'd that come from?

Flex

I was just curious. If someone feels that jump cues should be allowed in professional play, regardless of how much it simpilifies one part of the game, would they not be contradicting themselves by then stating that rotational eight ball should be played because the regular version is too easy?

I know it is a little out of left field. I was just wondering where a few people are coming from.

 

[Gerry]

Good points people on both sides...I should have put a disclaimer on my post that stated, when I played a lot of 9ball I loved my jump cue like my high school sweety. After learning 14.1 and 1pocket somehow I lost the taste for jumping.

Masse shots are a different story IMO....played well they are also a beautiful shot to witness.

great thread here!!

Gerry