tournaments that only allow you to use a playing cue

If tournaments only allowed you to use a playing cue, would it be a good thing?

  • Yes, explain your reasons

    Votes: 34 55.7%

  • No, explain your reasons

    Votes: 27 44.3%
  • Total voters
    61
this is normally the kind of thread i ignore but today seems like a good day for the exception.:eek:


Jump cues are great for TV, i have wondered why they dont have a TV game thats all jump shots, the way they edit it down on ESPN every shot would go in, kinda like banks first guy to jump in 8 balls in a full rack wins. Jump shots sell-agree??


The other side of the coin is using a full cue only-that wont stop Shane from jumping when he has about 6"-7" between the OB/CB. Other guys could learn that too. Thats a possibility or have a NO JUMP rule period. Which is cool because its nice to see guys kicking at balls.


I thinbk the answere is in the middle, have some tournments where all equipment is ok and other's where the NO JUMP rule is enforced, but jacking up to swerve around a ball is ok.


I played for 24 years before I bough a jump cue, I got a Lomax on someones advice and that cue is so good it feels like cheating. I have used everything else and never had a problem going over the ball in the way, but with the Lomax I can aim at the OB, get the rock its wings and land where I want and make the ball(or real close to it). Before the Lomax i couldnt control the CB good enough to buy a jumper.


so i think both is the correct answere.
 
jump or not

Would not bother me at all if jump cues were banned and you had to jump with your playing cue. Year after year I watch Robin Dodson show beginning players how to jump very well in a mater of minutes. I like her a lot and I would hate to see her lose income if a ban took place. I don't think she has to worry about this. I think people should spend some time learning how to kick. It is so much more impressive to me to see someone get out of a jam with kicks, than it is seeing someone dart the cue ball over a ball and make a good hit when they were buried. JMHO:smile:
 
If I had to vote today it would be...

Rotation games... jump cues allowed
Other games... no jump cues allowed
 
I'm not a big fan of breaking with my playing cue. I like to put a lot of power into my break, and as thin as my Z2 shaft is, it might just snap like a twig unless I decided to start adopting the softer break, which is almost impossible to get good results with on tables that don't rack well.

As far as banning jump cues is concerned, I'd agree to it as long as jump shots were banned too. I don't like giving people who can jump with a full cue an advantage even though I understand that those people worked to learn how to do that effectively.

The reason I don't like giving them that advantage is because I can't go to any of the pool rooms in my area to practice my full cue jump shot because, while you can play jumps and masses when they come up in a tournament or money match, you're not allowed to practice jumps or masses repetitively on any of their tables.

I can't fault the pool rooms for that (they want to protect their equipment after all), but that means that now the people who have their own tables have an advantage over people that don't because they have an opportunity to hone a facet of their game that other players can't. Believe me, I'd rather just go out and buy a pool table (I'd love to be able to practice at home anyway), but my home just can't accomodate the space requirements for one. The only way I can play or practice is at a pool room, so If I want to be able to play jump shots in a field with others that can, I need to be able to do so without a need for practice. The jump cue lets me do this, so to me, it's my equalizer for the people who can jump with a full cue because they've had the opportunity to work on that shot. If I could practice my full cue jump at the pool rooms, I could see just banning the jump cues because now I have the same opportunities that other players have to be able to work on that shot.

That being said, I have no problems with jump shots being banned because I feel that would be a more definite resolution. Now, no one can jump; everyone must kick. No one can complain because no one has an advantage anymore.

The way I see it, I'm going to be for the use of jump cues until either pool rooms lighten up on practicing full cue jumps or until jump shots are banned altogether (this one's probably the most likely of the two to happen). That's just because I have no other way to equalize my opponent's full cue jump.

Well, those are my thoughts on this topic.
 
Don't mind the idea of banning jump cues, but I'm not down with no break cues.

Break cues at the very least preserve your playing tip, and I've heard that you can split the shaft on 314's by breaking with them, though I don't know for sure.
 
In my opinion:
A) jumping is a skill. Jump sticks allow easier access to that skill, but it is a skill nonetheless.
B) jumping is risky. However, there ase some situatioins where jumping is the ONLY way to avoid a foul.
C) jumping accelerates wear on the table. Jump sticks wear the table a lot less than the same shot executed with the play stick.
D) jumping puts pock marks on the cloth. So does jacking up when the CB is on the rail and you need backspin to complete the shot. Indeed, my table has more of these pock makrs than from jumping, even though I do more jumping on my talbe than this aforementioned shot.

I am much more in favor of banning break cues than in jump cues. I could not vote due to the limited set of choices.
 
I am with Earl on this one. Plus after a tournament just look at the cloth on the table. That alone should be the reason to forget about shorty. Hard to believe I said that an not my wife. :D
 
BRivera said:
I agree that for some things old school is the way to go. However, i enjoy using a jump/break cue.With the high cost of a custom cue nowadays i would prefer NOT to jump and break with my play cue. Also a big factor in having to use your playing cue to jump with, you need a hard tip. How many people do you know who play with a buffalo tip on their play cue?
Click to expand...

My Dad will only play with Water Buffalo tips on his two Schons. He's a solid B, maybe a B+.
 
Please, realy again!!!!

I didnt bother reading the first 2 pages of responses but I would like to offer my OPINNION.

If you dont like people jumping then you need to learn to leave a safe snugged up against the back side of a ball forcing a kick. There are times for a kick and there are times for a safe. Look at all the new golf clubs each year, they improve on them every year. In pool its the same way. Equipment changes as well as the game. Deal with it!!!

Not trying to ruffle any feathers just saying my opinion.:smile:
 
Personally, I would love one cue only tournaments. But then again, I do break with my playing cue, so...I'm kinda biased so I voted yes...:D

Jumping with a full cue? Much easier with extra firm break cue than playing cue, no doubt...but still a lot tougher than with a short stick.

Jumping is a skill of course, but...it should be made tougher. Anyone can learn to jump with a short stick...provided that cueball and obstacle ball are not too close.. It can be done with the playing cue...at least partial jumps...not a rocket science...Earl is absolutely right on this one...

Kick safeties, multiple cushion escapes...what's that? Many junior players are lacking at that department I'm afraid...because they (ab)use jumps way too much so they never really learn how to kick properly...

In my opinion, short jump cues have only made cue maker industry richer. They haven't really added anything terribly exciting to the game...
 
Well that just perfect fire for the point i was just thinking.

Cameron Smith said:
Don't mind the idea of banning jump cues, but I'm not down with no break cues.

Break cues at the very least preserve your playing tip, and I've heard that you can split the shaft on 314's by breaking with them, though I don't know for sure.
Click to expand...



I see alot of people mention about not jumping especially not wanting to break with their playing cue. It is one thing if a shaft particularly some aftermarket LD shafts that just aint no good for jumping by most mortals. I also understand not wanting to misshapen your tip on your playing cues. Or say not wanting to break with an ivory ferruled cue.

But i still read comments about breaking and jumping and damaging your cue...cues are made, well at least properly constructed cues (most all customs and productions now-a-days of general repute) are made to withstand any stresses that you can put on it.

Yes if you break like Tom Cruise off the color of money and try and snap the shaft in half...sure you might break it. But thats not a fault in the cue.

And now rumor that the 314's will split down the middle ROFLMAO, i have already seen pics of the ferrules exploding.

I own many customs and production cues, i've even worked in a cue shop for a long time, and play a descent game of pool too. I can and do generate alot of power on the break.

I have broke rack after rack after rack or balls and shot many a jump shot with my playing cue to no avail. As much as I tried not once was my cue damaged, and like i said I'm not talking about ivory and such.

If a cue can't hold up to the break or jump then IMOP you should have never bought that cue...it was one of two things, half as* built or its just supposed to be something you hang over the fireplace lol.

I like to jump, but I like to do it with a playing cue. I actually break with a phillippi fullsplice...and jump with it too and its just a regular old playing cue. Nothing special about it.

I also think that the jump cue sucks, but jumping should be allowed with a full cue. Jumping is part of the game. Everyone always just thinks about regular jump shots. But there are some great ones such as in one pocket where you can jack up to pocket your ball and jump over the stack to get back behind it without disturbig it. Jump cues make it an unskilled thing, full cue is definately a skill that you must master to be able to use it so it defenitely doesn't take anything away from the game when you jump with a full cue IMOP
 
Jump Drama

What is all the drama about the jump cue? Are those that can't jump really that angry about those who can? Or it thet game winning safety that someone jumps out of and turns around and winns the game?
I probably use my jump cue one time a night. Is it an advantage? I guess so. But eveyone has the same advantage. They can go buy or get something made and bascially the equipment.
I know there was another post on golf. They have what like 14 clubs. We use three sticks.
The only realitic argument is that it damages the cloth. Other than that I see really don't the argument here.
If the regulators changed the rule to a full cue, then you can bet your bottm dollar that the cue makers would have new products that allow you jump easier with a full cue.
 
greyghost said:
I see alot of people mention about not jumping especially not wanting to break with their playing cue. It is one thing if a shaft particularly some aftermarket LD shafts that just aint no good for jumping by most mortals. I also understand not wanting to misshapen your tip on your playing cues. Or say not wanting to break with an ivory ferruled cue.

But i still read comments about breaking and jumping and damaging your cue...cues are made, well at least properly constructed cues (most all customs and productions now-a-days of general repute) are made to withstand any stresses that you can put on it.

Yes if you break like Tom Cruise off the color of money and try and snap the shaft in half...sure you might break it. But thats not a fault in the cue.

And now rumor that the 314's will split down the middle ROFLMAO, i have already seen pics of the ferrules exploding.

I own many customs and production cues, i've even worked in a cue shop for a long time, and play a descent game of pool too. I can and do generate alot of power on the break.

I have broke rack after rack after rack or balls and shot many a jump shot with my playing cue to no avail. As much as I tried not once was my cue damaged, and like i said I'm not talking about ivory and such.

If a cue can't hold up to the break or jump then IMOP you should have never bought that cue...it was one of two things, half as* built or its just supposed to be something you hang over the fireplace lol.

I like to jump, but I like to do it with a playing cue. I actually break with a phillippi fullsplice...and jump with it too and its just a regular old playing cue. Nothing special about it.
Click to expand...


I agree with the post I quoted

SVB breaks with his playing cue and I have seen him pissed off and break super hard, not the pop/drop he usually uses playing 10 ball, I'm talking fireing head on like Hillbilly a zillion miles/hr, He jumps with a full cue real good too. My point is this: if your damaging your cue by breaking or jumping with it most likely your doing something wrong or you need to buy a better cue.

Mike Massey showed me a couple trick shots one was a fuete' or some weird name(it really caught my attention so I practiced it many times), I was jacked up in a 3/4 to 7/8 massee shot and blasting the CB into the table, Mike makes it 9/10 after he figures out the table, Fatboy never did make it, I got the right juice on the ball but came 3' short on my best effort, the. CB is traveling about 21'. I my tip needed a little help after I practiced that shot over 100 times the first night. But I got my tip back to being healthy in 10 mins-it was a triangle. Fun shot. I wont use brand new tips for that, so when I'm done with a tip for playing I practice that shot until the tip is toast. Still havent got there yet :(, but no cracked ivory ferrel and I dont use a pad either.


On that topic-Its amazing how hard Mike has to hit some of those shots and he has the power, my goodness does he have the power. I carefully inspected his tip, ferrel shaft everything possible on a few shafts and you would never know he pounds the daylight out of those shots, reason is because he does it right. And its all McDermott regular product, his cue is a couple inches longer, but the shaft wood and all other materials are just the regular product McD sells to the public.
 
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Maybe they should limit how many cues you may use and make them have a minimum length and weight.

I think they should ban phenolic tips and any cues under 56".

I like jump shots but I hate to see someone be able to jump a ball from 1/2 inch away.
 
Like in every sport, pool has had some improvments made to its game over the last 30 years. Break cues, jump cues, layered tips, better ferrul materials, LD shafts, phenolics etc... almost all of these inventions have had as a result a dramatic increase in the price of billiard equipment (today you can pay $250 for a shaft and $50 for a tip, which could of aforded you 3 good cues 10 years ago), increase in marketing and increase in pool tournamnet sponsorships and booth selling all sorts of miracle cures for your pool ailments. I am the first to spend $$$$ on new stuff because pool is my hobby, i am passionate about it and i want to support the industry. I am vervy well aware that my actual game is the same when I am relegated to using a crooked bar cue with a bad tip on it. It's not the point, i don't feel good when i play with a bar cue (just like when i have holes in my socks and i have to take my shoes off) I say that leagues or tours that limit the use of equipment and innovation are limiting the future of pool. Like golf there should be guidelines like length of cues or weight of cues but that is it. Companies like Predator, have made good money with their innovative products, but they also sponsor tours, players etc... So more people spend more money and then they can innovate more, market more and sponsor more. The big sponsors are not really atracted to our sport, so the industry is our best hope for now and we should support it. Buy something, show up to pro and semi-pro events, if you can't play, pay the admission and be a spectator or buy the PPV internet feed. Too many guys cry about the state of pool but arn't willing to support it. I don't understand why it is easy to get tickets to the US Open??? COme april 15 you should have to look on e-bay for someone willing to sell them at 3 x the cost, but sadly know you can walk in the day of the tournament an find 100's of empty seats. I know i ramble it's all tied together.
 
Making jumps more difficult???

The fact that jump cues make jumping easyer is the RIGHT thing for the sport. In golf they don't make sand wedges so it is more difficult to get out of the sand. What players should do is increase their skill level, a sloppy safty is not good enough anymore you need a lock-up safty to take the jump away. In golf they make more dificult sand traps. If you are worried about the cloth, it's time to innovate in that area, I think cloth makers need to make realtively weak cloth so they get repeat business. We have a sport which has a big culture of keeping people in the dark ages as opposed to give them all of the knowledge and skill and tools to let people only compete on natural ability (if you're a sucker, stay a sucker). The internet is changing this, more info gets shared, better teachers and coaches are available etc...
 
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I wouldnt want a ban on a breaking cue but they can start a huge bonfire with all the jump cues out there if they want
 
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twal said:
What is all the drama about the jump cue? Are those that can't jump really that angry about those who can? Or it thet game winning safety that someone jumps out of and turns around and winns the game?
I probably use my jump cue one time a night. Is it an advantage? I guess so. But eveyone has the same advantage. They can go buy or get something made and bascially the equipment.
I know there was another post on golf. They have what like 14 clubs. We use three sticks.
The only realitic argument is that it damages the cloth. Other than that I see really don't the argument here.
If the regulators changed the rule to a full cue, then you can bet your bottm dollar that the cue makers would have new products that allow you jump easier with a full cue.
Click to expand...

It's not drama....

It's that a monkey can be trained to jump (with a jump cue) a ball in less than 5 minutes....don't believe me? Go see Robin D. teach people sometime.

See if that happens with 3-4 rail kick shots for the hit.

Kicking is an art that takes time to learn. Same with safety play.

Most will say the 'Greatest shot' in pool was Efren's Z kick against Earl.
 
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