Learn to Jump Balls (2 of 2) - Pool / Billiards

[zzzfore]

Nice job. You have the patience of a saint with some of these comment threads. I guess it comes from teaching. ;-)

[BilliardInstructor]

It's normal cloth wear. Not much different from the little white dents we get from power breaks. All elevated shots hit the ball somewhat downward.

[cadabraa]

I disagree here because of the simply fact that you do hit the table after hitting the ball. It's clearly visible several times and you don't get white dents from doing trick-shots that hit the ball at the top either if your technique is good and you don't hit through the table each time.

[BilliardInstructor]

It's not uncommon to touch the table with normal follow through. After all, you're hitting downward. This does not damage the cloth. Yes, you DO get white dents from trick shots. The dent is made by pressing the ball downward into the cloth (not by the stick). The white mark is made when the momentary friction heat from hitting that ball hard burns the dye out of the nylon component of the cloth. Normal.

[cadabraa]

Does he actually hit the table? If yes, then he's not doing it correctly, you should never hit the cloth whilst doing a ball jump.

[BilliardInstructor]

Correct. You don't really hit the table, or at least not with any power. The cueball is in the way and takes the force out of the stroke. However, hitting too low on the cueball and thus hitting the table and SCOOPING the ball upward is illegal and may damage the cloth.

[EnlightenedOneOfNZ]

is jumping bad for tables or that just if u hit the felt hard?

[BilliardInstructor]

Jumping doesn't hurt the table. If you jump with the technique shown here, you won't rip the cloth. However, each jump presses a little dent into the cloth, so you don't want to practice repeatedly from the same spot.

[terrialan3]

i thought jumping was a scratch?

[BilliardInstructor]

Jumping is legal in most rule sets. Leagues tend to make up their own restrictions, due to the difficulty of teaching thousands of amateurs proper technique. Scooping (trying to jump by hitting under the ball) is a foul everywhere.

[huyiy]

how do you win when the ball bounces out of table? thats a bad shot,

[BilliardInstructor]

If the cueball is flying off the table, the butt of your stick is too elevated. By hitting down on the cueball, you're causing it to be airborn when in strikes the head ball.

[Dazdzu]

Part one also excellent