Deconstructing the Jump Shot

The Big Finish
The jump stroke requires you to accelerate the cue through the cue ball. At the same time, you're a little limited on space, since your cue is angled down toward the table.

When you pop the cue ball in the air, your cue is going to take a similar path upward. After striking down on the cue ball, you should feel the cue bounce back up. As you can see in this photo, Tony's cue is on its way up while the cue ball is leaping over the blocker. Just as with a normal stroke, you need to keep your body still while your cue slows to a stop.

It's easy to incorporate extraneous movement into the jump stroke because it's a rather violent exercise. But keep your head directly above your cue.

Until you are pretty confident in and comfortable with your jump stroke, exaggerate this "finishing pose" by holding it for a few extra seconds. Tell yourself to hold the final position until the cue and object balls come to a stop.

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