I am neutral on it. I think its a gimmick but it does create revenue for a sport that needs it.
The "Tragedy" of the jump cue?
- Thread starter PoolSponge
- Start date
CaptainHook said: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.
I've seen him play a lot also and can't remember ever seeing him WITH a jump cue. But then again my memory is stuck in the sixties
Johnnyt
I cast my vote for 'outlaw phenolic tips'. If you can jump with leather, fire away. This would go for break cues too 
.
That having been said, I've got one of those damned Lucasi's in my case, too. Even had to get it out once over the weekend. Of course it worked perfectly. Does that make me a hypocrite?
-s
.That having been said, I've got one of those damned Lucasi's in my case, too. Even had to get it out once over the weekend. Of course it worked perfectly. Does that make me a hypocrite?
-s
steev said:I cast my vote for 'outlaw phenolic tips'. If you can jump with leather, fire away. This would go for break cues too
That having been said, I've got one of those damned Lucasi's in my case, too. Even had to get it out once over the weekend. Of course it worked perfectly. Does that make me a hypocrite?
-s
It doesn't make you a hypocrite, it simply demonstrates your common sense and your wise disinclination to be armed with only a knife when going to a gunfight! What are you gonna do, let people push out to eight-inch full ball jump shots on you all day? Not me!!
I have no problem with jump cues, because I think they add more offense to the game and they tighten the requirements for good safety play. In addition, we have to remember that a well-executed jump shot is always a crowd pleaser, and if we are to have a sport, we must provide some moments of excitement to the fans (No, no. Players shouldn't have to enter the arena on horses or camels or such! That's going way to far).
VIProfessor said:
I agree. And before anybody says '' but you can jump with a full cue", think about this.. does the audience even know the difference in jumping with a jump cue versus one with a playing cue? To (maybe most) casual/low level players (which should be quite a lot), they wouldn't even realize the difference. To them, a jump is a jump, regardless of the cue. So might as well bump up the quantity of jump shots made.
> I bought one after having been beat with them a couple times. I lost a couple times using it,thinking that the jump was automatic. It wasn't. Smokey Bartlett and more than a few Miller Genuine Drafts cured that. Once I learned how to use it,I loved it,and still do. I only use it when there are no high-percentage kick-safes available,or need to pocket the ball and run out to win. I'm also reluctant to use it on tables with napped or rubber-backed cloth,since I can jump full balls from 6" away with a full cue on those tables. I don't sit around the pool room all day jumping balls,or use it in sitations where a good kick is the best option. Some people use them as a crutch to keep from learning to kick properly. Tommy D.
I don't see what the big deal is. Jump cues have evolved the game just like ball in hand did. Jump cues are a natural addition that require skill to execute. If some guy is jumping over every safe you are playing then maybe you need to play a tighter safe.
I never even knew what a jump cue was until I found this site.....just like when breaking, always used to use a house cue for jumps....didn't want to use my playing cue for fear of goofing up the tip.....truth be told, I feel I can jump a bit higher because of the tip on the jump cue....maybe 
.....but I break just as well as I used to by just getting a heavy house cue....
So, as far as the cue itself, it ain't that big a difference, if any, to me...
As far as jumping balls, a friend who was a great player taught me how to do this when I was 16.....at only 33, maybe not being able to jump is "old school", but it's always been part of the game for me......hey, if it's another way to score and stay at the table when you can't kick, why not....as longs as it's within the rules, I'll keep doing it....
.....but I break just as well as I used to by just getting a heavy house cue....So, as far as the cue itself, it ain't that big a difference, if any, to me...
As far as jumping balls, a friend who was a great player taught me how to do this when I was 16.....at only 33, maybe not being able to jump is "old school", but it's always been part of the game for me......hey, if it's another way to score and stay at the table when you can't kick, why not....as longs as it's within the rules, I'll keep doing it....
Sometimes i hate jumpshots purely because, and many will disagree, it treats the table so badly and is in contrast with finesse. I am an pool/snooker player and as we all know jumpshots are not tolerated in snooker. Therefore i think my opinion has become that jumpshots should only be allowed in certain poolgames were less finesse is acceptable. Off course this is all very personal but for myself i see the game of 8-ball a class higher then the game of 9-ball and purely because the reason of luck is allowed (no call). Therefore if you gonna play that crazy game u can allow jumpshots but i would love to see 8-ball cleared from jumping.
my age is 26
regards
my age is 26
regards
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John Barton
New member
Can we please MOVE all of these threads about whether jump cues are good or bad to a JUMP CUE forum. This topic comes up every two weeks EVEN THOUGH there is already a thousand page of opinions on the subject.
Lets debate whether the leather tip should be allowed or not. I personally feel that the game was better off BEFORE the use of leather tips and chalk. Now ANYONE can spin the cueball.
Cueballs weren't meant to be propelled on all kinds of unnatural angles. Did mallets have leather and chalk? Did maces?
Come on folks, "the game" is constantly evolving. There is no grand history of "the game". Equipment and rules change every year and "the game" changes with it.
You might as well call this thread "The Tragedy of the Leather Tip", "The Travesty of Chalk".
Lets debate whether the leather tip should be allowed or not. I personally feel that the game was better off BEFORE the use of leather tips and chalk. Now ANYONE can spin the cueball.
Cueballs weren't meant to be propelled on all kinds of unnatural angles. Did mallets have leather and chalk? Did maces?
Come on folks, "the game" is constantly evolving. There is no grand history of "the game". Equipment and rules change every year and "the game" changes with it.
You might as well call this thread "The Tragedy of the Leather Tip", "The Travesty of Chalk".
John Barton said:
They could open a tournament which doesn't allow leather tips and chalk. to make it more interesting and catchy for the players, the top prize would be 1 million dollars.I can only imagine who would emerge on top!
steev said:I cast my vote for 'outlaw phenolic tips'. If you can jump with leather, fire away. This would go for break cues too
"Jumping with leather" is easy. My old "Frog" has a leather tip, so do lots of other jump cues. I play mostly in USPPA, and they are not allowing jump cues any longer. I don't even carry the thing in my case these days, and if they were banned all-around, it would be fine with me.
steev said:
Ummmm. No. It makes you "adaptable".
Ken
I bought a jump cue about 2 years ago because everyone else locally was using them in tournaments.... since then I've learn to jump as good as any one around and it has easily paid for itself many time over in wins that I squeaked out which I would have lost without it.
I also play in leagues where you're not allowed to jump... often you get those shots where you're hooked on about 1/8 of a ball... most of those times, I just jack up a little with my playing cue and send the ball an inch or less in the air and make the shot... just looks like a hard hit shot... opponent is none the wiser.
I played for 25+ years without one... if they were banned, I wouldn't miss them.... but I don't ever see them being banned for 9-ball.
Later, Chris
I also play in leagues where you're not allowed to jump... often you get those shots where you're hooked on about 1/8 of a ball... most of those times, I just jack up a little with my playing cue and send the ball an inch or less in the air and make the shot... just looks like a hard hit shot... opponent is none the wiser.
I played for 25+ years without one... if they were banned, I wouldn't miss them.... but I don't ever see them being banned for 9-ball.
Later, Chris
sky.. said:
I think they realize the difference. In most of the televised matches there is a distinct interuption in the flow of the game when a player walks over to their seat and pulls out a specialty cue that they hurriedly screw together for a fast stab at a jump shot. (the shot clock is still ticking through all of this)
Another thing I find annoying about the jump cue is what it does to the aural and visual harmony of the game.
Click, plop.
Click, plop.
Click, plop.
BANG, BANG, BANG, thud, thud, click, click.
"Awwww, sh*t"
Ken
all they do is detract from the beauty of brilliant safety play and the art of being able to kick at a ball with significant success...worst gimmick that ever happened to the game...but thats only my opinion
it is obvious that the purpose of the jump is to increase the chance of hitting or making a snookered ball or avoid going thru difficult obstacles/layouts on the table. a shortcut is more of an appropriate term for it. most often it is used for aggressive pocketing rather than for safety. from my perspective, I'm not quite impressed by frequent jump shooters. they most often times than not, suck on other departments of the game.
I can't jump, Ive tried but I can't do it, even with a jump cue. I think its a good addition though. I've seen PROS miss a jump shot, foul, and then lose because of that shot. So all seems fair.
Adapted from a previous post of mine:
The problem I have with jump cues is largely philosophical. Situational cues during the play has never been a part of the game. If jump cues are to be allowed, why shouldn't somebody be allowed to use any cue on any shot. For some shots, I'd rather have a stiff shaft, for others I'd like to have a short ferrule, for others I'd like to have a very large tip, for others I'd like to have a harder tip, etc. I'm not allowed to use situational cues or shafts, however. It's very deeply embedded in the history of the game that I must learn to execute all of my shots with my regular playing cue.
The day I'm allowed to use any cue or shaft I like on any shot is the day I'll agree that a jump cue should be permitted. At that point, I'll probably look a lot like a golfer, carrying fourteen sticks to cover all possible shots. Until that day arrives, however, count me among those rubbed the wrong way by jump cues.
It doesn't bother me that much that people can jump to get out of an opponent's safety, but what makes me crazy is watching players escape without sufficient penalty when they make major errors in position play. I'm an old schooler, and to me, there is nothing more sacred than position play. Play poor position and your chance to run out is forfeited.....that is, of course, unless you play in the era in which even D players are able to execute more than a few jump shots.
I have never purchased a jump cue. As an accomplished player, several have asked me over the years why I don't own one. My answer is quite simple: "I'd rather lose."
The problem I have with jump cues is largely philosophical. Situational cues during the play has never been a part of the game. If jump cues are to be allowed, why shouldn't somebody be allowed to use any cue on any shot. For some shots, I'd rather have a stiff shaft, for others I'd like to have a short ferrule, for others I'd like to have a very large tip, for others I'd like to have a harder tip, etc. I'm not allowed to use situational cues or shafts, however. It's very deeply embedded in the history of the game that I must learn to execute all of my shots with my regular playing cue.
The day I'm allowed to use any cue or shaft I like on any shot is the day I'll agree that a jump cue should be permitted. At that point, I'll probably look a lot like a golfer, carrying fourteen sticks to cover all possible shots. Until that day arrives, however, count me among those rubbed the wrong way by jump cues.
It doesn't bother me that much that people can jump to get out of an opponent's safety, but what makes me crazy is watching players escape without sufficient penalty when they make major errors in position play. I'm an old schooler, and to me, there is nothing more sacred than position play. Play poor position and your chance to run out is forfeited.....that is, of course, unless you play in the era in which even D players are able to execute more than a few jump shots.
I have never purchased a jump cue. As an accomplished player, several have asked me over the years why I don't own one. My answer is quite simple: "I'd rather lose."
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Great thread!
The crowd pleasing thing and the effect on strategy are good points and honestly, I don't really mind either way. I will reluctantly jump only during a tournament if the situation absolutely calls for it. The main and only problem I have with jumping is that no cloth that I know of is designed to handle it on a regular basis. To me it seems a little like taking a divot out of a green on a golf course.
If you can't regularly practice a certain type of shot without causing permanent damage to the cloth, then maybe it shouldn't be part of the game.
If the game was so popular that replacing the cloth every few weeks was the norm, then I say fine, but right now, jump shots just have an uncomfortable element of vandalism to me. I think the table and/or cloth should be treated with as much respect as possible.
The crowd pleasing thing and the effect on strategy are good points and honestly, I don't really mind either way. I will reluctantly jump only during a tournament if the situation absolutely calls for it. The main and only problem I have with jumping is that no cloth that I know of is designed to handle it on a regular basis. To me it seems a little like taking a divot out of a green on a golf course.
If you can't regularly practice a certain type of shot without causing permanent damage to the cloth, then maybe it shouldn't be part of the game.
If the game was so popular that replacing the cloth every few weeks was the norm, then I say fine, but right now, jump shots just have an uncomfortable element of vandalism to me. I think the table and/or cloth should be treated with as much respect as possible.