Tips for an Effective Jump Shot
Conclusion
The image line connecting the pocket, target ball, cue ball and cue should be checked when making a jump shot, and if there is no discomfort in the formation of the image line, the probability of pocketing is high.
Details
Jump shots are difficult, aren’t they?
You may be able to hit the target ball by jumping, but you may have to rely on God to pocket it.
Let me tell you how you can improve the pocket rate of your jump shot.
Let’s start with the normal way of aiming.
Before setting up the jump cue, aim as parallel to the cue table as possible, as if you were going to pocket the target ball with the jump cue.
After you have narrowed down the cue point and decided on it, you can then set up the cue.
The angle of the cue should be about 45 degrees.
After that, watch the cue point and take the shot.
At this point, cue speed is critical.
Hold the grip lightly and drop the cue quickly.
You can also pinch the cue with your thumb and forefinger to increase the speed.
Do not hold the grip too tightly. It will not give you speed and will increase your chances of failure.
However, even if you take these standard routines, it is difficult to make a successful jump shot.
I’ve heard that the shooting percentage is about 10% even for professionals.
But Jason Shaw and Ghost are amazing, aren’t they?
If you watch their games on youtube, they seem to have a pretty good success rate.
Now, is there any way to increase your shooting percentage with jump shots?
There is!
Try the following.
First of all, have you ever experienced something like this in a normal play cue?
This is when the cue looks distorted when you hold it up.
This is when your body is telling you through experience that the imaginary line connecting the pocket, target ball, cue ball and cue is not the correct imaginary line to pocket.
If you go to shoot at such a time, you will almost always miss. I’m sure you’ve experienced this, haven’t you?
Here’s a hint.
When you make a jump shot, you should check if there is any discomfort in the imaginary line connecting the pocket, target ball, cue ball and cue.
You may think that it is hard to tell because the cue is standing up, but when you try it, you will not feel any discomfort in the image line when you can pocket, even if the cue is standing up.
This is the same feeling that you get when you cue a normal shot with a play cue.
On the other hand, if you are aiming for a normal jump shot as described above, you will still miss the ball if you are not comfortable with the image line.
The trick is to keep the cue point where you can see the cue, the cue ball, the target ball, and the pocket, rather than looking at the cue ball.
You can’t look at any of them, so you have to look vaguely at the whole picture.
The viewpoint can be on the table between the target ball and the cue ball.
At that point, you should fine-tune the direction of the cue so that the image line seems correct.
Then, when you no longer feel uncomfortable with the imaginary line (i.e., if you are confident that you can pocket the imaginary line), take the shot.
This may seem incomprehensible at first glance, but try it and see if you are fooled.
You will notice that the jump shot is more likely to be successful.
This is because your mind and body know, even subconsciously, the correctness or incorrectness of the imaginary line connecting the pocket, the target ball, the cue ball and the cue when you can pocket it.
