The dreaded shot. Your opponent has missed, left you a difficult shot and you come to the sudden realisation that its now even harder because the cue ball is too far away! Eff it! you say, I'll take my chances with a bridge just in front of the the cues joint. You mis cue and wander back to your seat looking for that over priced tip scuffer to repair the damage. You're massively pissed off at yourself at this point and vow to use that $30 chalk that you daren't use every shot because its so damn expensive. Yeah, that'll stop me from miscuing you say!
But wait...there is another option. One handed? Behind the ol' back shot? Shoot with the other hand? Grow 12"? Why do people use the bridge as a last resort? Some players forget that it even exists.
First bit of advice...where is it located? Well, usually on the long side of a table underneath or attached to the side. Failing that most pool halls have a bridge for every other table so if you cant find it, don't be afraid to ask the drunk guys the next table over if they've seen it.
So, onto how to use it...
Firstly lets start with how to grip it. Inspect how you hold a pen. Most people hold a bridge like an oversized pen. So for me, this is with the cue snug against my webbing between the thumb and index finger. The thumb goes underneath, and the index and middle finger on top. The ring and pinky just curl up and rest against the side of the cue. For others they may have just the index on top or index, middle and ring fingers on top. Where do you hold it I hear you say? Not too far back and not too far forward. I like to leave about 4" from the end of the butt of the cue. If I hold it any further back the cue has a tendency to slide out as I follow through with the wrist action I use. A final word on the grip...don't have it too tight, don't have it too loose. Hold it like you would any other shot. As you follow through the fingers need to release, so when practicing just have the fingers on top slightly around the cue but as you follow through the fingers on top then should straighten. Hold an invisible sandwich, go to take a bite, STOP! Look at your fingers and thumb....thats how the finished position should sort of look. Ok, continue to eat the invisible sandwich.
Now I will move on to some common problems a lot of players face....
Problem number 1 - the bridge is under the cue. Bad move. The butt of the bridge should not be on the line of aim. Move it out of the way to the side. Place your hand on the bridges butt. This aids stability. You are more balanced, more weight is on the butt and thus the butt has a hard time sliding all over the table.
Problem number 2 - you are not playing darts, so why do you look like you're aiming a dart shot. The elbow on the shooting hand should be out to the side. Try getting the elbow up nice and high to the side. A little below the grip. The problem with a low elbow is it leads to scooping of the ball. Its harder to cue straight through. All this leads to is that tip scuffer of yours and the $30 chalk getting more use than they should.
Problem number 3 - jabby strokes. This is rife with weaker players using the bridge. Take your time as you would a normal stroke and keep it smooth. Slow back stroke and a smooth transition into the forward stroke gaining momentum all the way upto the cue ball.
Problem number 4 - bridge length. Too many have a very short bridge when using the mechanical bridge. It causes you to cue down on the ball and making it easier to miscue, or if you don't hit it as you planned, swerve the cue ball and miss. Lengthen the bridge to around your natural bridge length. The non jabby cue action you've developed from the previous paragraph needs some room to work with.
Problem number 5 - getting the head too close and nearly poking your eye out. Whilst its funny to watch someone do this, its not beneficial. Get that arm out I'm front and check with your warm up strokes that if you pull all the way back you wont hit yourself in the eye or throat with the cue.
Problem number 6 - not getting down low enough. People tend to stand too upright with the bridge. Although you cant get as low as normal, you can still get pretty damn low so get as low as possible and have the cue as level as possible to give you a bigger margin for error if you apply a little bit of English.
So, these are my tips on how to use the bridge. It is hard to develop a repeatable cue action with the bridge and the only advice i can give for this is to practice making it as straight as you can. If any of my tips hinder you being able to cue straight with it then throw that tip in the bin. I cant please and cater for everyone :-(
Cheers,
But wait...there is another option. One handed? Behind the ol' back shot? Shoot with the other hand? Grow 12"? Why do people use the bridge as a last resort? Some players forget that it even exists.
First bit of advice...where is it located? Well, usually on the long side of a table underneath or attached to the side. Failing that most pool halls have a bridge for every other table so if you cant find it, don't be afraid to ask the drunk guys the next table over if they've seen it.
So, onto how to use it...
Firstly lets start with how to grip it. Inspect how you hold a pen. Most people hold a bridge like an oversized pen. So for me, this is with the cue snug against my webbing between the thumb and index finger. The thumb goes underneath, and the index and middle finger on top. The ring and pinky just curl up and rest against the side of the cue. For others they may have just the index on top or index, middle and ring fingers on top. Where do you hold it I hear you say? Not too far back and not too far forward. I like to leave about 4" from the end of the butt of the cue. If I hold it any further back the cue has a tendency to slide out as I follow through with the wrist action I use. A final word on the grip...don't have it too tight, don't have it too loose. Hold it like you would any other shot. As you follow through the fingers need to release, so when practicing just have the fingers on top slightly around the cue but as you follow through the fingers on top then should straighten. Hold an invisible sandwich, go to take a bite, STOP! Look at your fingers and thumb....thats how the finished position should sort of look. Ok, continue to eat the invisible sandwich.
Now I will move on to some common problems a lot of players face....
Problem number 1 - the bridge is under the cue. Bad move. The butt of the bridge should not be on the line of aim. Move it out of the way to the side. Place your hand on the bridges butt. This aids stability. You are more balanced, more weight is on the butt and thus the butt has a hard time sliding all over the table.
Problem number 2 - you are not playing darts, so why do you look like you're aiming a dart shot. The elbow on the shooting hand should be out to the side. Try getting the elbow up nice and high to the side. A little below the grip. The problem with a low elbow is it leads to scooping of the ball. Its harder to cue straight through. All this leads to is that tip scuffer of yours and the $30 chalk getting more use than they should.
Problem number 3 - jabby strokes. This is rife with weaker players using the bridge. Take your time as you would a normal stroke and keep it smooth. Slow back stroke and a smooth transition into the forward stroke gaining momentum all the way upto the cue ball.
Problem number 4 - bridge length. Too many have a very short bridge when using the mechanical bridge. It causes you to cue down on the ball and making it easier to miscue, or if you don't hit it as you planned, swerve the cue ball and miss. Lengthen the bridge to around your natural bridge length. The non jabby cue action you've developed from the previous paragraph needs some room to work with.
Problem number 5 - getting the head too close and nearly poking your eye out. Whilst its funny to watch someone do this, its not beneficial. Get that arm out I'm front and check with your warm up strokes that if you pull all the way back you wont hit yourself in the eye or throat with the cue.
Problem number 6 - not getting down low enough. People tend to stand too upright with the bridge. Although you cant get as low as normal, you can still get pretty damn low so get as low as possible and have the cue as level as possible to give you a bigger margin for error if you apply a little bit of English.
So, these are my tips on how to use the bridge. It is hard to develop a repeatable cue action with the bridge and the only advice i can give for this is to practice making it as straight as you can. If any of my tips hinder you being able to cue straight with it then throw that tip in the bin. I cant please and cater for everyone :-(
Cheers,
