Bridge Use....Is This Legal ?

stevekur1

stevekur1

The "COMMISH"
Silver Member
Last night i played a match and my opponent used a Bridge in an awkward way that i have never seen before. i did not question with him if it were legal or not and let him shoot it this way.

what he did, he wedged the butt of the bridge under the rail and elevated the front of the bridge (bridge head was airbourne) to be able to shoot over a cluster of balls that were in the rack area of a 14.1 game.

like i said, i am just curious going forward if this is legal use of a bridge ?

thanks in advance
-Steve
 
Do you know of any rule that specifies the bridge head must be touching the cloth? If not, I'd say it's legal.

Edit:

From WPA
(c) Mechanical Bridges – The player may use up to two mechanical bridges to support the cue stick during the shot. The configuration of the bridges is up to the player. He may use his own bridge if it is similar to standard bridges.
Click to expand...
 
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stevekur1 said:
Last night i played a match and my opponent used a Bridge in an awkward way that i have never seen before. i did not question with him if it were legal or not and let him shoot it this way.

what he did, he wedged the butt of the bridge under the rail and elevated the front of the bridge (bridge head was airbourne) to be able to shoot over a cluster of balls that were in the rack area of a 14.1 game.

like i said, i am just curious going forward if this is legal use of a bridge ?

thanks in advance
-Steve
Click to expand...

Have not seen anyone hold up the bridge in the air that way, usually you would want to stack 2 bridges to get extra height, which is legal.

The mechanical bridge is designed to replace your hand, which expanded a bit would mean that any way it's legal for you to place a hand bridge to shoot with, it's legal to hold the bridge head in that same spot. You can use a floating bridge to shoot (as in a masse for example), so I don't see why you could not hold the bridge head in the air to shoot.
 
Your opponent should complain about the abysmal bridge choices provided. :grin:
Snooker has all sorts of bridge heads for shooting over balls.

For example:
The Swan Neck
The Extended Spider
 

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Scaramouche said:
Your opponent should complain about the abysmal bridge choices provided. :grin:
Snooker has all sorts of bridge heads for shooting over balls.

For example:
The Swan Neck
The Extended Spider
Click to expand...

I like those, they are very nice. Since I have a 9' table at home I need to use bridges frequently.
 
Scaramouche said:
Your opponent should complain about the abysmal bridge choices provided. :grin:
Snooker has all sorts of bridge heads for shooting over balls.

For example:
The Swan Neck
The Extended Spider
Click to expand...
In some pool halls you can just climb up onto the table so no bridge is required. Ah, for the good old days.
 
It might be debatable under the "proper use of equipment" rule regarding using
the rail that way. What I have done in the past is hold the bridge with my knuckles
on the cloth and then push the butt-end down with my lower arm. That way you
still have the head of the bridge in the air but no improper use of any equipment.

gr. Dave
 
Scaramouche said:
Your opponent should complain about the abysmal bridge choices provided. :grin:
Snooker has all sorts of bridge heads for shooting over balls.

For example:
The Swan Neck
The Extended Spider
Click to expand...

Are you sure those are bridge head names and not something our of your wife's adult toy catalog?
 
Several years ago I saw Karen Corr do this (Double Dave's way) in competition. Asked her about it and she was gracious enough to share her technique. Since then, I have executed this unique method for using the bridge, while in competition, very effectively.
 
Saturated Fats said:
Can someone either restate this or illustrate?

TIA.
Click to expand...
Grab the bridge with a standard hammer grip about a foot from the butt end. Place your knuckles on the cloth. Raise the head of the bridge until the butt of the bridge touches the cloth. The height of the bridge head is determined by how fat your fingers are and the distance from the end of the bridge your grip hand is.

It's much better of course to have one of the bridges pictured by our snookerish friend, but it is the rare pool situation that comes so properly equipped. I used to play at a room with all three kinds of tables (four if you include the lone bar-box), and I frequently fetched the swan's neck to bridge over a full rack at 14.1 or one pocket.
 
Another kind of questionable bridge use is when you are stuck to the back of the nearly full rack (at 14.1, for example) and you have to hit a ball directly down on the foot cushion. It really needs the extended antler contraption from a snooker table, but you can also build a bridge with the bridge, laying it across the table with one end up on the rail and the handle above the balls. You can then rest your bridge hand on the middle of the bridge handle and shoot back towards the foot rail.

Legal?
 
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Bob Jewett said:
Another kind of questionable bridge use is when you are stuck to the back of the nearly full rack (at 14.1, for example) and you have to hit a ball directly down on the foot cushion. It really needs the extended antler contraption from a snooker table, but you can also build a bridge with the bridge, laying it across the table with one end up on the rail and the handle above the balls. You can then rest your bridge hand on the middle of the bridge handle and shoot back towards the foot rail.

Legal?
Click to expand...

I know it's illegal to lay a bridge across the table and rest your hand on it, so I would say doing the same thing with a bridge to lay a bridge across it would also be illegal since the bridge replaces your hand.

Is that correct?
 
I am not a rules expert but I think it's legal. Borderline, but legal:

1.3 Player’s Use of Equipment
The equipment must meet existing WPA equipment specifications. In general, players are not permitted to introduce novel equipment into the game. The following uses, among others, are considered normal. If the player is uncertain about a particular use of equipment, he should discuss it with the tournament management prior to the start of play. The equipment must be used only for the purpose or in the manner that the equipment was intended. (See 6.16 Unsportsmanlike Conduct.)
(a) Cue Stick – The player is permitted to switch between cue sticks during the match, such as break, jump and normal cues. He may use either a built-in extender or an add-on extender to increase the length of the stick.
(b) Chalk – The player may apply chalk to his tip to prevent miscues, and may use his own chalk, provided its color is compatible with the cloth.
(c) Mechanical Bridges – The player may use up to two mechanical bridges to support the cue stick during the shot. The configuration of the bridges is up to the player. He may use his own bridge if it is similar to standard bridges.
(d) Gloves – The player may use gloves to improve the grip and/or bridge hand function.
(e) Powder – A player is allowed to use powder in a reasonable amount as determined by the referee.
Click to expand...
 
krupa said:
I am not a rules expert but I think it's legal. Borderline, but legal:
Click to expand...

That dual bridge use is for two bridges stacked, not across a table for support. So you can put a bridge on the table, then put the other bridge either over it or in the grove, and then the shaft will be on the top bridge.

This is from WPA " The purpose of the mechanical bridge is to replace the hand bridge for shots that are difficult to reach".

Going by that description, you can't use the bridge as a support to lay across the table since you can't do that with your hand bridge.
 
hang-the-9 said:
That dual bridge use is for two bridges stacked, not across a table for support. So you can put a bridge on the table, then put the other bridge either over it or in the grove, and then the shaft will be on the top bridge.

This is from WPA " The purpose of the mechanical bridge is to replace the hand bridge for shots that are difficult to reach".

Going by that description, you can't use the bridge as a support to lay across the table since you can't do that with your hand bridge.
Click to expand...

I was not clear about who I was replying to. My reply was actually to the OP.

There was a thread about your example -- laying a bridge across a table and resting your bridge hand on it -- and I agree with you that that use is illegal.
 
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