How To Jump The Cue Ball

When playing pool there often comes a time when your shot is obstructed by the opponent’s ball. Sometimes, your opponent did this on purpose or maybe you messed up your cue ball positioning. Either way, it can be very helpful to be able to jump the cue ball over the ball in order to make your ball.

The Wrong Way

Most beginners try to jump the cue ball by hitting underneath the ball. This isn’t a legal shot and in most bars and pool halls, this type of shot is banned because it can damage the table. When you scoop under the ball, you scrape the table’s felt causing it to rip.

Re-covering a table is very expensive, it can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Most pool table owners don’t want to spend money fixing a table unnecessarily. So, avoid jumping by scooping the ball or you may end up with a hefty bill coming your way.

The Correct Way To Jump The Cue Ball

The correct way to jump the cue ball is by hitting down on the ball.

When you hit down on the ball with a strong hit, the ball bounces off the table and into the air. It’s similar to how when a basketball is laying on the ground and you hit it with your hand you can get it to bounce without picking it up.

How hard and how far down you hit is dependent on how high you need to jump and how far you need to jump. If the ball that you’re jumping is further away, you’re going to need to hit it more level but harder. While if the ball is very close you’ll need to hit more down but not as hard.

If you hit it too hard, the ball will jump too far and potentially go off the table.

When hitting down on the ball, you still want to hit the cue ball centered in relationship to the angle you’re shooting. If you hit low, high, left, or right you can still put english on the ball. Just as with english in general, when you’re first learning to jump, you shouldn’t use english until you’re comfortable with the shot.

Here is a video by the Black Widow Jeanette Lee explaining how to properly perform a jump shot.

Using the Proper Equipment

You can jump the cue ball with any stick but using the proper stick will make your life easier and will make your job shots more consistent and more accurate.

Jump cues come in multiple types. You can have a jump cue that is only for jumping or a multifunctional stick called a jump break cue. A jump break cue is typically a 3 piece stick that can be shortened for jump shots. or extended for break shots.

When jumping, having a shorter stick allows you to get good leverage while still having solid control over the cue ball.

You can check out the best jump cues by clicking the button below.

In Conclusion

The jump shot is a great shot to add to your tool belt. It can come in handy when you’re in a tricky position. When playing pool, you’re bound to get in a situation where your ball is blocked by another ball. You could try to kick at the ball but a solid jump shot can be way more consistent if you get good at it.

Perfecting the jump shot takes a ton of practice. It’s not something you learn after doing a couple times. Well, more so, it’s not something you’ll be able to do consistently after a couple tries. It takes a long time to be able to be accurate with your jump shot. Practice makes perfect.

Let me know in the comments how a jump shot has saved you from losing a game!