if someone is really green , id just show them the most common way to bridge and let it go, suggest watching others , trying different things , see what works for them. there's too much to worry about otherwise..
one I was shown and find handy is two fingers out, the other two back making a 4 point contact, this is for when there are other balls in the way and then I can raise my bridge or lower it over quite a large range , to bridge a ball in the way.. shoot over a ball in front of my CB... sometimes there is very little room so that wont even work, then you get creative, or grab a bridge.. No shame in using the one on the side of the table. I see a lot of shots where people miss shots trying to stretch too far, etc. some players are a bit shaky or have disabilities, so a fixed bridge is sometimes a help even with shots within reach.. having a newbie use the fixed bridge a bit more to get used to it and not shy about using it is worthwhile.
a mistake many newbies make is holding the bridge off the table when shooting , its better to lay it on the table at rest, with a hand on top ready to retrieve it if it needs to move away fast. the player should know by his intended shot if removing it fast is going to be necessary or not.
holding the end of the bridge off the table is sometimes necessary due to balls in the way. I think its best if it's left to sit still, and support itself, when possible if it's not at all parallel to the cue, that's ok. It's not an aiming stick.
its common for a newbie to want to set up and fire as quick as someone experienced, tking a bit more time to set up without a lot of pressure on their setup time and stroke might be helpful.. I think its common that newbies play poorly because they feel rushed, because others can do it all faster.. speed is not usually that critical, in a competition there could be limits, for a newbie.. Id say own the table, take your time, make your shot just pay attention and be reasonable and no one will fault a little slower setup time. if you want to walk around the table twice, or take 10 strokes and not 3, that's your right.. if you wanto bridge , find it awkward and need to experiment, change the bridge position, or stand back up and realign, thats ok.. the balls wont normally move on their own anyway.
