Tucking ring finger

mworkman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How many of you tuck the ring finger under on your closed bridge? I noticed some pros do it and also one of my teammates does it also. Just wondering, I tried it and struggled with it.
 

suprnva

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Closed bridge I tuck the ring finger. Open bridge I tuck the ring and middle fingers.
 
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shayla

BODY - MIND - SOUL
Silver Member
I played like this for many years because I thought it was "cool". I always had trouble with my draw shots because I just couldn't seem to get low enough and I always felt like I was jacked up. One day I decided to go back to the basics even though it didn't look as "cool". Playing pool feels a lot better now, and I can draw my ball much easier. 90% of the time I play with a closed bridge with my entire palm on the table when feasible. The rest of the time I play with an open bridge only when necessary.

I'm sure it works for a lot of people, but it just didn't work for me and I didn't even realize it until I changed my ways. You should just do what works best for you.
 

BigVic

Tree Toppin'
Silver Member
I usually do this but I use about 3 other bridges as well. I change it up whenever I need to. Don't worry about what other people are doing, just do what works well and feels right to you.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
mworkman said:
How many of you tuck the ring finger under on your closed bridge? I noticed some pros do it and also one of my teammates does it also. Just wondering, I tried it and struggled with it.
For my ring figer, I sometimes tuck, bend, or neither on my closed brideg.

I sometimes tuck just the ring finger, bend just the ring finger, tuck both ring and middle, or some combination. But rarely (if ever) do I keep both fingers "straight" in an open V-bridge.

Fred
 

SpiderWebComm

HelpImBeingOppressed
Silver Member
If you bridge with both pads of your palm on the table, tucking your finger has no bearing on your bridge (two pads, middle finger and pinky finger form the four balancing / stability points). It shouldn't affect the height of your bridge at all.

In my opinion, it's all about comfort and what feels right for you. Worrying about whether or not to tuck it is unnecessary. It's all in your head.
 

dabarbr

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mworkman said:
How many of you tuck the ring finger under on your closed bridge? I noticed some pros do it and also one of my teammates does it also. Just wondering, I tried it and struggled with it.
If I remember correctly, Willie Hoppe used to do this on certain shots while playing billiards. I did once see him play but I remember seeing this in some photos.
 

sfleinen

14.1 & One Pocket Addict
Gold Member
Silver Member
SpiderWebComm said:
If you bridge with both pads of your palm on the table, tucking your finger has no bearing on your bridge (two pads, middle finger and pinky finger form the four balancing / stability points). It shouldn't affect the height of your bridge at all.

In my opinion, it's all about comfort and what feels right for you. Worrying about whether or not to tuck it is unnecessary. It's all in your head.
I concur with Dave here. "To tuck or not to tuck" has no bearing on the height of the bridge, but many players (including myself, from time to time) tuck because my subconscious mind is focusing on a "pure tripod" feel (i.e. palm, middle, and pinkie fingers). The palm contact is optional but desirable; when I have to jack my bridge up over obstructing balls (be the bridge open or closed), my subconscious mind tends to focus on making sure the extreme anchor points of my bridge to the table -- the middle and pinkie fingers (for the closed bridge) or the index and pinkie fingers (for the open bridge) -- are solidly anchored to the table. I don't even realize I'm doing it, but I tend to tuck the "unused" fingers. I actually have to think about using them, and, to me, anything I have to "think" about is not a good thing -- it bleeds concentration away from the shot itself.

Having said all that, sometimes we as players need a "shot in the arm" once in a while. You try something new, and voila! "Holy cow, my consistency suddenly went up, and I have no idea why." The explanation, in reality, is simple -- you're paying attention to minute details that you never paid attention to before, and more things are clicking into place than "blindly shooting the shot from rote."

Summary: it *never* hurts to try something new once in a while, and see if you get that "holy cow!" feeling that you haven't experienced in a while. But don't force it if it doesn't work for you. (That is, unless, we're talking about basic mechanics/fundamentals, which are a different story -- many times forcing those, until they become second nature, will take your pool game to levels not achievable with the prior "broken" mechanics.)

Hope this is helpful,
-Sean
 

mworkman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks

Thanks for your comments. I think I will give up on it for now and maybe try it again at a later time when I have more time to work on it. It does seem like it may be a little more stable depending on the shot.
 

Rod

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I tuck my ring finger open or closed most of the time. It just feels more stable to me. I never thought about it looking cool or whatever its just my standard play. Of course I have several bridges and use them depending on the shot.

Rod
 
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