How to Make a Jump Shot in Billiards

The 8-Ball game is mainly about geometry and sighting lines for your shots into the pockets, but sometimes you'll want to add a little more strategy. This is where the jump shot comes in. Suppose you have a pretty good shot with an extra pool ball right in the way. The jump shot lets you go up and over the intrusive ball and knock yours into the pocket.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Sight out your line. Look at where you have to hit your ball with the cue to make the shot.

2. Consider where the obstacle (the other ball) is in your shot. The distance between the obstacle and the cue determines how much you'll have to "jump" the cue ball. There are limits to the jump shot, you don't want to try to jump it halfway across the table. But if the distance is less than a foot or two, you have a chance of neatly jumping the obstacle for a successful shot.

3. Get your stick behind the cue ball as you would for a regular shot. Line it up and practice moving it toward the cue ball.

4. Aim for the bottom of the cue ball. This is what makes the jump shot. The hit by the stick on the bottom of the cue ball will cause it to go up in the air. The jump shot is based on actually shoving the cue ball up, either by a quick "wedge" action (wedging the stick in between the cue ball and the table) or by a kind of "shovel" move, which is hitting the table with the stick end, and picking the cue ball up a little when the stick end rebounds upward.

5. Follow through. Hit hard, but not too hard, and watch the cue fly.

Tips & Warnings

• Watch the felt. Lots of pool halls frown on jump shots because they can be hard on the table. You also want to watch the cue to make sure it doesn't go too far, onto someone else's table or under foot. The jump shot takes a little caution and common sense.

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[southgreenthumb]

on 2/11/2009 This is an illegal "scoop" shot described above. Don't do this in league pool, a tournament and definitely don't try it while playing for money. You will cause a fight and lose your money at the same time. To legally jump, line up your shot, then slowly raise the butt of your cue to create an angle while still maintaining your aim. The shot is an execution and example of Newton's 3rd law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. With this in mind, you must hit the q-ball into the table by hitting it near the top of the ball, forcing it then to project off the table and toward your object ball. It takes an excellent stroke and a lot of practice to become proficient at this shot. Don't scoop it, do it right.