What's a good bridge length?
- Thread starter Boyumusty
- Start date
seems likely to be inaccurate with that length
Most players got lengthy bridge, however if you notice Jayson Shaw which is the greatest shooter in the tour in my opinion, his bridge length is very very short, so now I am questioning this, there must be something to this.
Also note that Earl Strickland in his youth used to have a very very short bridge length too, however as years progressed he kept getting longer and longer bridges, but remember that in his youth he played his best pool.
Also note that Earl Strickland in his youth used to have a very very short bridge length too, however as years progressed he kept getting longer and longer bridges, but remember that in his youth he played his best pool.
30 years ago bridge length was very short.( Varner, Hall,
Davenport, Sigel, etc.)
With the advent of ld shafts bridge length has become
much longer.
Pivot points on these shafts are farther out
than traditional maple.
I also feel that body height and where your head
height is at address makes a difference.
Shorter people with their chin very near the cue
seem to have a longer bridge. Tall guys
with a high head position seem to have a
shorter bridge.
These are my just my observations.
My opinion is probably not worth $.02.
Bridge length on a normal shot with plenty of room
to bridge, stroke, without being hampered by the rail
or another ball will vary for most people.
Davenport, Sigel, etc.)
With the advent of ld shafts bridge length has become
much longer.
Pivot points on these shafts are farther out
than traditional maple.
I also feel that body height and where your head
height is at address makes a difference.
Shorter people with their chin very near the cue
seem to have a longer bridge. Tall guys
with a high head position seem to have a
shorter bridge.
These are my just my observations.
My opinion is probably not worth $.02.
Bridge length on a normal shot with plenty of room
to bridge, stroke, without being hampered by the rail
or another ball will vary for most people.
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It's a little on the long side for my taste, but there are tradeoffs.
For example... a shorter bridge length is slightly more forgiving of stroke errors (tip doesn't move quite as far), but might also be more likely to contribute to stroke errors on harder shots (need to "jerk" more).
pj
chgo
If you play on a bar table a lot, the conditions tend to cramp you up. If you play on a big table a lot, the conditions tend to stretch you out.
A longer bridge can mean more power (more time for the cue to accelerate) so it can vary depending on the shot. You can have a short stroke with a long bridge but not really vice versa.
A longer bridge requires a more pure stroke to ensure you hit the cueball exactly where intended. (I wanted half a tip of center-left and I’ll be darned if I didn’t hit a full tip of bottom-left)
But the big thing is what’s called the cues “natural pivot length”. There’s a magic point on every cue where pivoting the stick at that point to apply sidespin will alter the aimed direction of the cueball by an equal and offsetting amount as the deflection of the cueball from using sidespin. It’s a concept people on bar tables tend to ignore because cheating the pocket tends to offer lots of forgiveness / margin for error. On a big table that is less forgiving, many players gravitate towards this approach from the guidance of others in order to make sense for how to use spin. Plus this might actually forgive some stroke errors if your initial alignment was still good. Note that every cue is different and that natural pivot lengths tend to favor longer bridges...especially with low deflection shafts.
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A longer bridge can mean more power (more time for the cue to accelerate) so it can vary depending on the shot. You can have a short stroke with a long bridge but not really vice versa.
A longer bridge requires a more pure stroke to ensure you hit the cueball exactly where intended. (I wanted half a tip of center-left and I’ll be darned if I didn’t hit a full tip of bottom-left)
But the big thing is what’s called the cues “natural pivot length”. There’s a magic point on every cue where pivoting the stick at that point to apply sidespin will alter the aimed direction of the cueball by an equal and offsetting amount as the deflection of the cueball from using sidespin. It’s a concept people on bar tables tend to ignore because cheating the pocket tends to offer lots of forgiveness / margin for error. On a big table that is less forgiving, many players gravitate towards this approach from the guidance of others in order to make sense for how to use spin. Plus this might actually forgive some stroke errors if your initial alignment was still good. Note that every cue is different and that natural pivot lengths tend to favor longer bridges...especially with low deflection shafts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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Crazy as hell, I just measured. My elbow to wrist bone is 12"". My bridge is also 12".
Your bridge length should accommodate your stroke length. Mine is about 3 or 4 inches longer than my stroke. I've gone to a slightly longer bridge over time because I also use a further back head position than I used to. I do this for accuracy sighting the shots. It helps, like a longer barrel helps aiming a gun.
Sounds crazy but I've seen players (even pros) who pull their tip right through their bridge. I always thought a longer bridge would benefit them.
Well, it's not as long as your leg or as short as your little finger, usually.
I suppose whoever originated that idea wanted a reasonable general guideline, but bridge lengths for a single person for different shots can vary more than the variation you see in forearm lengths in all people.
As usual, Dr. Dave has more than you thought there was to know about it:
https://billiards.colostate.edu/faq/bridge/length/
pj
chgo
No. Successful bridge lengths vary. I think you're referring to your johnson.
All the best,
WW
Golden Gate Bridge - Total length: 8,981′, about a mile and a half
Chesapeake Bay Bridge 4.3 miles
I'd say somewhere in between
Chesapeake Bay Bridge 4.3 miles
I'd say somewhere in between
Allow a handful of people to measure from your wrist bone to your elbow and your likely to get a handful of different answers.
Try it and see if you play better. I have heard instructors say to use a shorter bridge to help with accuracy, and have seen Philipino players use a bridge about as long as their shaft, so meh...
Plus how would you know what the length of my forearm is?
There is some logic to it. A shorter forearm means shorter mostly-horizontal travel in the stroke's arc, which might better fit a shorter bridge.
pj
chgo
I used to think a shorter bridge was better, since a longer one DOES magnify stroke error & cue deflection. But (and before LD cues became popular), the first time I saw Efren play, his extra-long bridge (and amazing accuracy) really stood out back then.
BTW: Something seldom discussed, is a long bridge COMBINED with longer tip-to-CB distance when the trigger is pulled (?). Especially with use of the ‘slip-stroke’. Seems to produce positive results for me.
A good Bridge, is just a little longer than the river is wide.