The "Tragedy" of the jump cue?

[PoolSponge]

Just want to get opinions from AZers about how everyone see's the jump cue. I noticed in another post that there are many players on this site over 50 so I want to see what everyone thinks. Yesterday I made a jump shot that translated itself into a win followed by a BnR, 9 ball break, BnR, BnR, and that put me up 5-1 in a race to 11. My opponent is strongly against jump cues and spend the rest of the match and most of the remainder of the tournament complaining that jump cues were the single largest travesty of pool. I feel that just being able to jump is not the key and everyone can do it, the key is being able to control it. In this persons situation I feel that they simply are hurting themselves by not realizing that jump cues are here to stay and he should learn to jump if he is going to evolve with the game.

What is everyone else's thought?

 

[ShootingArts]

What is the gain?

I believe that we should bring back the mace, A mace will outjump any cue ever made and give better control. Then you need a masse cue. A low deflection shaft. A very dead shaft for long straight in shots, a very lively shaft for seven foot tables, you should have several each of these shafts with assorted tips and ferules for various shots . . . . more sticks, everyone needs more sticks!

I have seen many equipment races, taken part in a few. When the dust clears everyone has spent some money and everyone is equal once more.

What was gained by the introduction of the jump cue? before the introduction of the jump cue, some players jumped better than others with full length cues. After the introduction of the jump cue, some players jump better than others using jump cues. The net gain for anyone other than cue makers and case makers? Zero! Now everyone has one more piece of equipment to buy, maintain, and carry everywhere they go.

You are correct that as long as the jump cue is legal, everyone is forced to own and know how to use one. If they went away tomorrow it would have little if any affect on placings however.

Hu

Just want to get opinions from AZers about how everyone see's the jump cue. I noticed in another post that there are many players on this site over 50 so I want to see what everyone thinks. Yesterday I made a jump shot that translated itself into a win followed by a BnR, 9 ball break, BnR, BnR, and that put me up 5-1 in a race to 11. My opponent is strongly against jump cues and spend the rest of the match and most of the remainder of the tournament complaining that jump cues were the single largest travesty of pool. I feel that just being able to jump is not the key and everyone can do it, the key is being able to control it. In this persons situation I feel that they simply are hurting themselves by not realizing that jump cues are here to stay and he should learn to jump if he is going to evolve with the game.

What is everyone else's thought?

 

[CaptainHook]

I have been jumping since the mid 80's. I cut down a sneaky pete to make my own jump cue. Lucky for me it had a short ferulle and the tip was hard as hell cause I used to keep it in the trunk of my car. I was playing Tommy Kennedy a set around 85 and everyone was in town for tourney and I pulled out my jump cue cause Tommy had me hooked bad where I could not kick, as I chalked up I saw Buddy Hall looking at me with the most disgusted look on his face and I thought he was going to kill me.
He just shook his head in disgust, I popped whitey over the seven and made the three in the side and stayed away from Buddy the rest of the night.

A local girl named Bonnie Hoffman taught me how to jump, her father owned a pool hall in Pasadena and her sister corrine use to organize the local tourneys. She would jump with her playing cue a Huebler.

Went I got back to Bakers I told everyone about it and around that same time legendary case maker Jay Flowers was trying to get Rocky Tillis to work on building a jump cue and that is where I got the idea to make my own, I did not know about tips or ferulles or handle length, I just started sawing, later I sawed a little more off the handle to make it fit in my case.

 

[worriedbeef]

don't forget everybody there is a difference between not liking jump cues and not liking jump shots in general. i have a feeling the two different things will become blurred...

 

[Ryan A.]

it seems like more and more tournaments are banning the jump cues. Personally I don't expect them to be around much longer. I have several players that will not play me anymore unless we ban the jump cue. It won't be long before every tourny will have rules that you can only jump with a full length playing cue. JMO

 

[Cheez Dawg]

I have been jumping since the mid 80's. I cut down a sneaky pete to make my own jump cue. Lucky for me it had a short ferulle and the tip was hard as hell cause I used to keep it in the trunk of my car. I was playing Tommy Kennedy a set around 85 and everyone was in town for tourney and I pulled out my jump cue cause Tommy had me hooked bad where I could not kick, as I chalked up I saw Buddy Hall looking at me with the most disgusted look on his face and I thought he was going to kill me.
He just shook his head in disgust, I popped whitey over the seven and made the three in the side and stayed away from Buddy the rest of the night.

A local girl named Bonnie Hall taught me how to jump, her father owned a pool hall in Pasadena and her sister corrine use to organize the local tourneys. She would jump with her playing cue a Huebler.

Went I got back to Bakers I told everyone about it and around that same time legendary case maker Jay Flowers was trying to get Rocky Tillis to work on building a jump cue and that is where I got the idea to make my own, I did not know about tips or ferulles or handle length, I just started sawing, later I sawed a little more off the handle to make it fit in my case.

Great story. Funny thing, I have a Lucasi jump cue with Buddy's signature on it. He must have changed his tune over the years.

 

[CaptainHook]

don't forget everybody there is a difference between not liking jump cues and not liking jump shots in general. i have a feeling the two different things will become blurred...

Yes, because Jump shots were for Trick shots. WD Bill Stigall from Tampa showed me some Jump shots to entertain the crowd at my very first tournament I organized, this was back in 1976. I never thought it would be such an important part of 9 Ball. The shot he showed me would be a 1/2 ball long jump by today's standards. He also showed me how to Jump using a pocket comb as a take off ramp.

 

[inthezone]

An interesting question.

They can't ban the jump shot because pool is played largely in three dimensions anyways.

It is possible to make pretty amazing jump shots with the full cue, but this can be hard on the tip and even the cloth - to get over a fairly close ball the cb must be struck more forcefully with a full cue than with a jump cue.

Got to have a break cue - I would never hard break with my playing shaft.

I might even vote for a masse cue for the same reasons.

Besides, anything that makes pool more exciting to watch we shouldn't be too hasty to dis....

 

[MOJOE]

I use one but would be fine if they were banned from the game. It is a disadvantage to not use one in a tournament when everyone else can.

Having said that, I feel that they are not better for the game. The cue ball is meant to be played on the cloth, not in the air. JMHO..

Carry on, JBK

 

[inthezone]

I have been jumping since the mid 80's. I cut down a sneaky pete to make my own jump cue. Lucky for me it had a short ferulle and the tip was hard as hell cause I used to keep it in the trunk of my car. I was playing Tommy Kennedy a set around 85 and everyone was in town for tourney and I pulled out my jump cue cause Tommy had me hooked bad where I could not kick, as I chalked up I saw Buddy Hall looking at me with the most disgusted look on his face and I thought he was going to kill me.
He just shook his head in disgust, I popped whitey over the seven and made the three in the side and stayed away from Buddy the rest of the night.

A local girl named Bonnie Hall taught me how to jump, her father owned a pool hall in Pasadena and her sister corrine use to organize the local tourneys. She would jump with her playing cue a Huebler.

Went I got back to Bakers I told everyone about it and around that same time legendary case maker Jay Flowers was trying to get Rocky Tillis to work on building a jump cue and that is where I got the idea to make my own, I did not know about tips or ferulles or handle length, I just started sawing, later I sawed a little more off the handle to make it fit in my case.

You mean Bonnie HOFFMAN, correct? Still got Buddyonthebrain?

 

[CaptainHook]

Great story. Funny thing, I have a Lucasi jump cue with Buddy's signature on it. He must have changed his tune over the years.

Yeah, free cues and endorsment money would make me change my mind also, that and the fact the Jump cues became more mainstream over time.

Buddy came in a year or so ago before he moved back up north and had some Lucasi cues for sale, they were freebies a friend of mine bought them both off him cheap.

He picked a nice line of cues to endorse, they play great.

 

[CaptainHook]

You mean Bonnie HOFFMAN, correct? Still got Buddyonthebrain?

Yes, Thank you for catching that, that look Buddy gave me still haunts me, his mouth hanging open, man I thought he was going to drag me outside and beat me to death with that cue. LOL

I edited the post, I can't remember her dad's name, he use to stake her.
I use to skip school in Gulfport and hitch a ride to Pasadena to play when I was in High school. Great folks, I heard Corinne passed away some years back.

 

[ratcues]

I am torn on the subject since I am a cuemaker and I also make a jump cue. That being said, I do not agree with the jump cue only because it makes a player, that shouldn't be jumping, able to jump. That is due to the phenolic tip. Maybe that is what should be banned.

I worked a tourney the past two weeks and it seems like people are more willing to try a low percentage jump shot instead of trying to kick. They look like a hero if it works in and a zero when it doesn't.

Some guys find any reason to pull it out and show off their "ability." Even on the the practice tables, there was always someone jumping.

 

[CaptainHook]

I am torn on the subject since I am a cuemaker and I also make a jump cue. That being said, I do not agree with the jump cue only because it makes a player, that shouldn't be jumping, able to jump. That is due to the phenolic tip. Maybe that is what should be banned.

I worked a tourney the past two weeks and it seems like people are more willing to try a low percentage jump shot instead of trying to kick. They look like a hero if it works in and a zero when it doesn't.

Some guys find any reason to pull it out and show off their "ability." Even on the the practice tables, there was always someone jumping.

I have been seeing that also. One was out in middle of the table and he could not bridge the jump so he poked at it one handed and fouled.
he must have watched to many Trick shot magic shows on espn.
Thing is, that it was an easy kick.

 

[tiptoety]

For me the jump cue is a trick stick. I perfer seeing a player use a full cue (like his break cue) to jump balls. But a jump cue is just an added toy for your bag of tricks. Up there with layered tips for more english (hmmm, i guess they should be banned to since it presents a disadvantage to players without layered tips), hard phenolic tips for breaking (ban them too since the break is one of the most important shots of the game, and weak girly boys can slam the rack harder than me now). Lets not forget the bridge. Now short players can play against Irving and Archer. Low deflection shafts, ban them too, since it's harder for ppl that play with Meucci's to always have to compensate for english.

It's a tool to let the lesser players play at higher levels.

I'd say it's good, keeps people interested, makes money in the industry, but best thing to come to pool? nah

And i love when i play a match against a guy that doesn't have a jump cue, they'll ask me if they can use mine if i hook them. I normally let them so I can continue to use it and be fair.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

I use one but would be fine if they were banned from the game. It is a disadvantage to not use one in a tournament when everyone else can.

Having said that, I feel that they are not better for the game. The cue ball is meant to be played on the cloth, not in the air. JMHO..

Carry on, JBK

Although I'm pretty good in jumping, I would say that it is not better for the game also. since most likely because it is decremental to a person's kicking ability and a player has a tendency in becoming too dependent on such a shot that the player abandon or disregard the kicking skill. though jumping is a skilled shot, the imaginative and calculative precision value is not that great compared to kicks. you would notice a person's pool skill is that decremented or not that good in a tourney or game where a jump is not allowed and how players suck at kicking. I don't blame players kicking for it is much easier to perform and the risk of fouling is minimized because of it.

For this, I had to agree with Joe. this is not jump pool or air pool !

 

[cmsmith9]

I have never owned a jump cue nor will I ever, and I can jump very well. Jump cues take a lot away from the essence of the game, knowing the rails, diamond system, kick-safety strategy. To me, a well excuted kick shot or kick safety has to be more gratifying than making a jump shot. I may be at a disadvantage at some point, but what I have noticed is that a lot of players using a jump cue don't often know how and either give up ball in hand or rarely make it. And if they do make it, I blame myself for not playing a jam up safety. All in all, I found to handle an opponent that uses a jump cue, I have improved my safety play drastically. Just practicing to lock up the cue ball against another ball.

Christian

 

[Johnnyt]

I wouldn't play anyone for money that used a jump cue when I played. I'm like Buddy, I think their discusting. Johnnyt

 

[CaptainHook]

I wouldn't play anyone for money that used a jump cue when I played. I'm like Buddy, I think their discusting. Johnnyt

I'm not sure how Buddy felt about them after they became more popular.
I myself have never seen him use one.

When Buddy came in, you didn't ask him questions, we sat and listened to his stories and laughed at his jokes, we were in awe of him.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

I have never owned a jump cue nor will I ever, and I can jump very well. Jump cues take a lot away from the essence of the game, knowing the rails, diamond system, kick-safety strategy. To me, a well excuted kick shot or kick safety has to be more gratifying than making a jump shot. I may be at a disadvantage at some point, but what I have noticed is that a lot of players using a jump cue don't often know how and either give up ball in hand or rarely make it. And if they do make it, I blame myself for not playing a jam up safety. All in all, I found to handle an opponent that uses a jump cue, I have improved my safety play drastically. Just practicing to lock up the cue ball against another ball.

Christian

my thoughts exactly. jump shots takes away the true essence of the game on how it must really be played. though it does enhance your skill in safety play especially when your opponent is a jump shooter. however, setting the rules of no jumping, would make jump shooters a run for their money. so it is imperative also to mention this is any match that you are willing to play.