A question for you creative/engineer/inventor types...

Pidge

Pidge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
We have a guy who plays snooker here with CP. His bridge hand can't be slattened out and his bridge arm can't fully extend. His shooting arm is a little closed but he had more motion at the elbow and shoulder so gripping the cue wasn't a problem. Somebody who played him offered to make him a bridge for his left arm that he could use to help improve his game;

It was two straps made of velcro, one fastened on the wrist, the other at forearm below the elbow. It has like a plastic tube attatched to the straps that went the length of his forearm and onto the back of his hand. On the tube was different groves that had been cut or sanded into the tube so he can rest the cue on it as a bridge. Some are angled so he has to have his forearm square on the the shot line, and others are angled so he can reach out a little bit with his arm. It all stuck together with tape and glue, so its not perfect by any means, but the guy who uses it has improved quite a bit and is playing better than ever.

Sorry if my explanation is hard to picture, but I don't really want to ask him if I can take a quick photo of it.

As others have said Scott, keep up the awesome work and best of luck for finding something.
 
B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
Scott Lee said:
bdorman...I showed him the moosehead bridge, as I carry one with me, and was thinking of a way to use that somehow! Since he can't wear a glove, maybe just a wrist brace would work with your idea! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Hi Scott,

Yes, I'd check out a bowling glove. The business portion of a bowling glove has little to do with your palm or fingers (the parts he can't move). Most of the "connection velcro" is above the wrist.

A couple of examples:

0i1l.jpg

[URL="http://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Fitted-Wrist-Brace-Medium/dp/B0027VGB4Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_4"]
[/URL]

There's even one from Brunswick:
sqz7.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Brunswick-Command-Positioner-Right-Hand/dp/B000KEIW5Q/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_2



4sek.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Ebonite-Straight-Positioner-Finger-Support/dp/B000V7LSJ4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1383601481&sr=8-8&keywords=bowling+glove+wrist+support

You'd probably need to modify the section near the fingers and palm but it shouldn't be too hard since that's not the "working" part of the glove anyway. The trick will be to mount the dowel rod in a way/position that is useful and non-obstructive to laying his wrist on the table (maybe flatten out that portion of the rod).
 
Blue Hog ridr

Blue Hog ridr

World Famous Fisherman.
Silver Member
We have a player in town that was affected by child hood CB. His left hand is affected only. He doesn't use any aide but is a super strong player.

I'm not thinking of the extendable bridges that chair players use but, does this young guy
have enuff power in his grip to be able to hold onto a bridge head if there was a small handle on it that could be laid on the table?

I'm thinking something like a Moose Head. A dowel thru the hole attached to a flat piece that is laid on the table. This way, he would only have to position the Moose and be able to put enuff downward pressure on the handle in order to keep it steady.

Those Bowling gloves might be able to hold his wrist and hand steady as well. I know that with our players hand, he holds it kind of limp and at an angle.

The glove may give him a bit of strength along with an artificial aide of some sort.
 
Last edited:
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pidge...What a great idea! I bet if you explained that someone with the same disease is looking for help, especially on the other side of the pond, he would welcome you taking some pictures, and posting them here! A picture is worth a 1000 words...somebody smarter than me said that. I believe it was quite some time ago! :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Pidge said:
We have a guy who plays snooker here with CP. His bridge hand can't be slattened out and his bridge arm can't fully extend. His shooting arm is a little closed but he had more motion at the elbow and shoulder so gripping the cue wasn't a problem. Somebody who played him offered to make him a bridge for his left arm that he could use to help improve his game;

It was two straps made of velcro, one fastened on the wrist, the other at forearm below the elbow. It has like a plastic tube attatched to the straps that went the length of his forearm and onto the back of his hand. On the tube was different groves that had been cut or sanded into the tube so he can rest the cue on it as a bridge. Some are angled so he has to have his forearm square on the the shot line, and others are angled so he can reach out a little bit with his arm. It all stuck together with tape and glue, so its not perfect by any means, but the guy who uses it has improved quite a bit and is playing better than ever.

Sorry if my explanation is hard to picture, but I don't really want to ask him if I can take a quick photo of it.

As others have said Scott, keep up the awesome work and best of luck for finding something.
Click to expand...
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
More great suggestions! I have a call in to my friend to have him check out this thread...LOTS of great ideas! Working together, I KNOW we can help this young man to create something that will make his life on the pool table changed forever...he loves the game just like we do, and it's something he and dad can do together, basically on an even playing field! Many thanks to everyone! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

bdorman said:
Hi Scott,

Yes, I'd check out a bowling glove. The business portion of a bowling glove has little to do with your palm or fingers (the parts he can't move). Most of the "connection velcro" is above the wrist.

A couple of examples:

0i1l.jpg

[URL="http://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Fitted-Wrist-Brace-Medium/dp/B0027VGB4Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_4"]
[/URL]

There's even one from Brunswick:
sqz7.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Brunswick-Command-Positioner-Right-Hand/dp/B000KEIW5Q/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_2



4sek.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Ebonite-Straight-Positioner-Finger-Support/dp/B000V7LSJ4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1383601481&sr=8-8&keywords=bowling+glove+wrist+support

You'd probably need to modify the section near the fingers and palm but it shouldn't be too hard since that's not the "working" part of the glove anyway. The trick will be to mount the dowel rod in a way/position that is useful and non-obstructive to laying his wrist on the table (maybe flatten out that portion of the rod).
Click to expand...
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
BHr...Good thoughts, my friend! He has no ability to grip anything! The bowling brace ideas are good ones though! Thanks! :thumbup:

I've gotten a few PM's already, with some ideas as well! This place really turns out to help a fellow poolplayer!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Blue Hog ridr said:
We have a player in town that was affected by child hood CB. His left hand is affected only. He doesn't use any aide but is a super strong player.

I'm not thinking of the extendable bridges that chair players use but, does this young guy
have enuff power in his grip to be able to hold onto a bridge head if there was a small handle on it that could be laid on the table?

I'm thinking something like a Moose Head. A dowel thru the hole attached to a flat piece that is laid on the table. This way, he would only have to position the Moose and be able to put enuff downward pressure on the handle in order to keep it steady.

Those Bowling gloves might be able to hold his wrist and hand steady as well. I know that with our players hand, he holds it kind of limp and at an angle.

The glove may give him a bit of strength along with an artificial aide of some sort.
Click to expand...
 
J

JasBy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was thinking rather than having something that stuck 'up' from his wrist, instead rig up something like the bowling wrist support with an extension out along his hand so that when he rested his wrist and hand on the table the bridge would also be on the table - much more stable that way. You could take care of the elevation issue by using a just-a-bridge as the bridge, giving him almost limitless options for angles and heights for his cue rest.
 
B

bdorman

Dead money
Silver Member
Scott, is it possible to get pictures of his current bridge technique so we can get an idea of what positions are comfortable for him? It would show us how he stabilizes his arm on the table (at his wrist, forearm, knuckles?). It's just kind of hard to imagine.

I have a disability too (Ankylosing spondylitis which fused the vertabrae in my neck). I don't mind people asking about it...it usually gets me a few balls spot :wink: but not everyone feels that way.
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JasBy...I'm familiar with the JustaBridge. That might work too. Thanks for the ideas! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

JasBy said:
I was thinking rather than having something that stuck 'up' from his wrist, instead rig up something like the bowling wrist support with an extension out along his hand so that when he rested his wrist and hand on the table the bridge would also be on the table - much more stable that way. You could take care of the elevation issue by using a just-a-bridge as the bridge, giving him almost limitless options for angles and heights for his cue rest.
Click to expand...
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
bdorman...DAVE_M asked me the same thing. I have a call in to his dad to see if we can do that. He works 70 hrs a week, so there's not much time to get to the poolroom. He will be there Sunday though! :grin:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

bdorman said:
Scott, is it possible to get pictures of his current bridge technique so we can get an idea of what positions are comfortable for him? It would show us how he stabilizes his arm on the table (at his wrist, forearm, knuckles?). It's just kind of hard to imagine.

I have a disability too (Ankylosing spondylitis which fused the vertabrae in my neck). I don't mind people asking about it...it usually gets me a few balls spot :wink: but not everyone feels that way.
Click to expand...
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This with a bit of an adjustment to hold a bridge head would be great I would think. http://flycamnano.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/armbracea-300x300.jpg

armbracea-300x300.jpg


Scott Lee said:
I have a student whose adult son has CP in his lower arm and bridge hand. It doesn't allow him to make a conventional bridge, or even a fist bridge. He bridges the cue over his wrist, and doesn't have any real way to keep it steady, other than gripping tightly. It is especially difficult when shooting over a ball, which he has to do with a "floating" bridge. I had an idea of making an inch wide elastic strap that would go around his wrist, attached with velcro (so he could make as tight or loose as he wanted), and then attaching a velcro strip across the top part where his wrist is. Then you could make a kind of a bridge "head", with grooves for the cue, out of wood or plastic, and have that mesh with the velcro to create a stable place for his cue. His swing is already pretty good, and straight...and this would give him options, both on positioning the "bridge head", where he was most comfortable shooting, and potentially different bridge heights. Anybody run across a problem like this, or have any ideas to contribute? I know there is player in NJ who is missing a hand, and has some kind of prosthetic bridge that fits on the end of his arm (if anybody can post a link to that thread, I'd appreciate it). My guy has his hand...he just can't use it functionally. Thanks for any ideas! :grin:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
 
realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Scott Lee said:
Glen...I am familiar with the Stretch System. That's a thought, for sure. Thanks for reminding me of it. :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Besides that, the bridge handle extends for longer shots, so he can reach for any shot on the table without having to be shown how to handle or hold a bridge as well. If Cory can play full games gambling having to shoot all his shots using a bridge, I'm sure if the bridge handle was attached to his forearm, it would work just like his hand would holding the cue naturally. With the strings over the cue in the bridge head, it would also stop him from jumping up with his cue after making the shot, because the bridge would come up with the cue as well. It would also be a natural to bridge over balls to reach the cue ball, since a bridge is already used for that kind of a shot, only he'd be much more natural with it, using it with all shots. Just something to think about. My friend up here without his hand, just unlocks the ring on the handle, uses his cue to push the bridge out to extend it, locks the ring again...lines up and shoots...LOL it's impressive to watch him play...it's like he don't miss his hand at all while playing pool:thumbup:

Glen
 
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Glen...Funny you mention Corey, because yesterday I showed his dad how Corey held the bridge, with his arm wrapped around it and the bridge head close to his hand, and talked about how it was a hustle...but one you could only do once in each town! LOL I like your idea, and I'll definitely suggest it to him. Ultimately it has to be his choice. Thanks for following up on your suggestion! I appreciate the thought! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

realkingcobra said:
Besides that, the bridge handle extends for longer shots, so he can reach for any shot on the table without having to be shown how to handle or hold a bridge as well. If Cory can play full games gambling having to shoot all his shots using a bridge, I'm sure if the bridge handle was attached to his forearm, it would work just like his hand would holding the cue naturally. With the strings over the cue in the bridge head, it would also stop him from jumping up with his cue after making the shot, because the bridge would come up with the cue as well. It would also be a natural to bridge over balls to reach the cue ball, since a bridge is already used for that kind of a shot, only he'd be much more natural with it, using it with all shots. Just something to think about. My friend up here without his hand, just unlocks the ring on the handle, uses his cue to push the bridge out to extend it, locks the ring again...lines up and shoots...LOL it's impressive to watch him play...it's like he don't miss his hand at all while playing pool:thumbup:

Glen
Click to expand...
 
Jodacus

Jodacus

Shoot...don't talk
Silver Member
Can he uncurl or move his thumb at all?

A device with a flat bottom for stability and a vertical moose head
would give him flexibility if he can attach it to or put
his thumb in it. A simple 2" piece of pipe to start with a
flat base for stability to start with.
 
R

Ruark

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Andrew Manning said:
As a very low-tech solution, depending on his ability to grasp firmly with his hand, you could just use a bridge head attached to a short length of dowel or other type of handle. If he can hold onto it, it's quite a decent bridge. If he doesn't have the ability to grasp a handle, you'd have to get more creative.

-Andrew
Click to expand...

Something like that... he wouldn't have to grasp a handle. The bridge (or whatever) would have a flat plate extending from it, say about 2 by 5 inches, or maybe round, 4-5 inches in diameter. The bottom of the flat plate would have a rubber surface so it wouldn't slip. He could simply hold the plate against the table with the weight of his left hand.

Here's a simple mockup. The bridge could be a "V" or "U" or whatever, but you get the idea. He can just rest his hand on the plate.

ry%3D400
 
Last edited:
S

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ruark...I don't think you understand. He has almost no motor control of his bridge hand, which is constantly balled in a fist. That's why I think the ideas of some sort of brace are appealing. Then it's just a matter of finding a way to attach some sort of bridge head design to the brace. I'm going to try to provide some pictures of him shooting, and perhaps a short video...but it probably won't be until Sunday.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Ruark said:
Something like that... he wouldn't have to grasp a handle. The bridge (or whatever) would have a flat plate extending from it, say about 2 by 5 inches, or maybe round, 4-5 inches in diameter. The bottom of the flat plate would have a rubber surface so it wouldn't slip. He could simply hold the plate against the table with the weight of his left hand.
Click to expand...
 
R

Ruark

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Scott Lee said:
Ruark...I don't think you understand. He has almost no motor control of his bridge hand, which is constantly balled in a fist. That's why I think the ideas of some sort of brace are appealing. Then it's just a matter of finding a way to attach some sort of bridge head design to the brace. I'm going to try to provide some pictures of him shooting, and perhaps a short video...but it probably won't be until Sunday.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

I hear you, Scott. Seems to me like it wouldn't matter if he has no motor control, it's balled into a fist, etc. All he has to do is rest his hand on the plate to hold it against the table. But of course I haven't actually seen him, so that's my best shot at this point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top