The jump shot is an exelent shot to have in your arsenal. Even for a seasoned professional there will be a time that they will need to jump the cue ball.
Jump shots are legal shots if executed correctly.
First off a jump shot is not a "scoop" shot. You are not lifting the ball up with the shaft of the cue. Rather you are bouncing the cue ball off the table by shooting down on the cue ball.
Make sure you keep your aim centered (no left or right english), and follow through untill the cue tip hits the table bed. Try to keep your elbow below the jump cue rather than out to the side. If you are short, this will be hard to do.
The angle at which the cue ball will jump is equal to the angle at which it is struck. The harder you shoot the longer the jump.
The thicker the cloth is on the table the easier it will be to jump the ball. E.G. if you are shooting on simonis super fast cloth it will be hard for you to jump the ball. When practicing, try placing an extra piece of table cloth under the cue ball. This will make it easier to jump the ball and it will protect your table for the time being.
The stroke that you will be using is called the "Dart" stroke. Again you should concentrate on using your pendulum motion. In other words the only movement in the stroke should be from your forearm rotating on you elbow.
To get maximum [[action]] without too much work, try choking down on the cue. Bring your shooting arm further up towards the tip of the cue. If you have a jump cue, keep you hand close to the butt of the cue.
You should be standing balanced as if you were preparing to shoot a normal shot. If you have a height deficiency stand on the tiptoe of the foot on the same side as your shooting arm.
The grip of the "dart" stroke should be just as if your cue stick were a dart. cradle the cue inbetween you index, pointer, middle, and ring finger.
You are also going to be stroking as if you were throwing a dart, so make sure you have a strong enough hold on the cue.
Stand sideways to the table, place your bridge hand on the table in an elevated open bridge.
The elevated open bridge is accomplished by straightening your pinky, ring, and middle finger and placing them at an angle to the table to create height.
Your backhand should grip the cue not far from your chin. Make sure you grip is light enough for the spring motion you will need but firm enough that you will not loose your cue in the process. Make it comefortable.
Now try sliding the tip of the cue through the loop in your elevated open bridge. If you are having trouble trying to stroke straight, adjust your stance distance and your grip.
In a normall shot you will be looking at the object ball when you shoot. Not in this shot. Simply line yourself up with the object ball, and then focus on the cue ball. It is extremely important that you hit the center of the cue ball in this shot. The slightest left or right hit will alter the path of the cue ball dramatically or cause a miscue and a foul. Keep your eyes on the cue ball and concentrate on hitting a precise spot on the ball. Take a few slow practice strokes and make sure you are lined up
Now, when you are all aligned and confident in your stroke and hit, "throw" the cue at the ball. Lets be clear, you are not actually throwing the cue at the ball, but you are emulating the motion of throwing a dart.
You will have to practice a bit to get good at this shot. Try jumping a full ball to start with and then work your way up. The jump shot can be an astonishing thing to amatures and bar crawlers alike. Impress someone with your new skill. Teach someone how to properly jump a ball.
Note: I suggest that any time you plan on using the jump shot to ask the owner of the table if it is alright. Some owners may get pretty perterbed as it may appear as though you were damaging there table.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 August 2008 04:42 )
Object ball deflection
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008 23:26
Object Ball Deflection
Have you ever had the occurance where you have an easy cut shot that you have shot a million times that you need to shoot with quite a bit of power to get position on your next ball? You execute the shot perfectly, but you miss the shot. You probably attribute the miss to squirt, or bad execution.
Although you may have missed the shot due to squirt or bad execution another factor must be taken in to context.
Cue ball / Object ball deflection
We have discussed pool cue [[deflection]] or squirt but few have ever heard of Cue ball / Object ball deflection. The simple principle of deflection applies to both object ball and cue ball deflection.
The deflection is not caused by the english [[Throw]] but rather an off center cue ball / object ball hit.
At slower speeds you will not see any affect from object ball deflection. But at higher speeds there will be a obvious change in the exit angle. Object ball deflection will be visible at a slower speed compared to cue ball deflection.
When a cue ball is hit with english off center, the tip of the cue stick will deflect in the direction of the english and the cue ball will deflect in the opposite direction. The same applies with the contact between the cue ball and object ball. If you contact to the left side of the object ball at a high speed the exit path of the object ball will be pushed to the right. The harder you hit the more deflection.
Thin Cuts
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008 23:25
Razor Thin Cut Shots
Increasing the cut
In reading the lessons on poolgoog you have learned that a ball can not be cut beond 90 degrees.This is not entirely true
A shot with standard center english at standard speed hitting at the very edge of the object ball will produce a near 90 degree shot.
You have also learned that throw can be used to alter the path of object ball
Throw can be utilized on very sharp cuts as well. I actually prefer to hit the object ball a little fuller and using throw to make up for the angle difference.
On super thin cuts, throwing the object ball may be the only way that you can make the shot.
Your object ball will also in almost every case have a better chance of going in because the spin induced on the object ball, will limit the angle that the object ball comes off from any rail. Meaning you will have less of those shots that almost make it.
Remember Right english will throw the Object ball to the left and Left english will throw the Object ball ro the right.
Utilizing every phenomenon in the game of billiards may make your game go from good to spectacular.
Try using center english on a thin cut at a slower speed. Then try using throw. You should find that you have a greater range of spots to hit the object ball, while still pocketing the ball.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 01 October 2008 08:34 )
Long Straight Shots
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008 23:23
The Long Straight Shot
This shot was the monkey on my back for the longest time, I found it much easier to shoot a thin cut that a straight in shot. This was completely damaging to my game becuase it limited my potential for position play. I would have to allow for an angle even when it was not in my best intrest for the next shot.
I studied some infomation on the subject and found that the shot was quite simple, and that I was doing was not all tha uncommon
Most pool players will pick up their cue, pick out a spot on the object ball and aim for it. This technique works well when the cue ball isn't distanced too far from the object ball. Unfortunately as the distance increases, so does the propensity of shot imperfection
A Different Method
For these long shots I choose a different aiming method. I pick a contact point on the cue ball. This requires quite a bit of abstract visualization but it becomes well worth it. As you are aiming down your cue to your immaginary contact point project where the line will hit on the object ball. Adjust your aim to the point that intersects with the pocket. Lock it in and execute the shot.
I find that practicing this at a very slow speed helps me with the execution. Practice at a slow speed and then gradually move up to a medium hit. On straight in shots, it will be very rare that they will require a hard stroke
With a little practice you will see that this method limits your thought process to the job at hand. There will be no aprehension when you get your next straight in shot.
Remember to factor in English Throw, Cue Squirt, and Object ball squirt
Near Rail Shots
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 02 August 2008 23:19
Near Rail Shots
Have you ever been in the situation where your cue ball is touching or near the rail forcing you to jack up the end of your cue, or slopping up your bridge to shoot at a ball on the opposite end of the table? If you have ever shot a game of pool chances are the answer to this question is yes.
I know it is frustrating, and at least with the people that I shoot with you may complain about this [[position]] alot. There are a few tips for shooting this shot.
Forced Follow
Generally with this type of shot you are going to be forced to use alot of [[top]]. Keep your stroke in the soft to medium speed range to limit the [[squirt]] caused by your cue. I find that most players are still frustrated in their position, give up, and shoot very hard with this ball position. Your accuracy will greatly increase with a lighter stroke.
Throw
With using a lighter stroke, throw will become a big factor. I actually find it easier to shoot the ball in a straight line, use throw to adjust the aim, and pocket the ball. This technique may work for you too.
Try setting up a close to the rail shot with the object ball not far from the intended pocket. Adjust your english to throw the object ball towards the pocket. Remember Right english will throw the OB to the left, and vice-versa
Squirt
The slightest ammount of squirt can completely throw your shot off in this situation. Squirt is caused by the tip end of your pool cue's shaft flexing uppon contact with the cue ball.
To limit this you can tighten your bridge around the shaft, or shorten the space between your bridge hand and the cue ball. Also a [[closed bridge]] is going to produce much better results than an open bridge.
Limiting the motion from the butt end of the cue will help with squirt. With these close to the rail shots, tighten up your grip hand a bit and concentrate on a very linear stroke.
