Buddy Hall's bridge-hand revelation

Tin Man said:
Hey guys. I've been wondering about the importance of the bridge. People here talk about it being a critical piece of their fundamentals. They point out Earl's finger weights and explain how a solid bridge is crucial.

I've never really felt that way. I'm not sure that my bridge is super solid. It just works. It doesn't slide around or anything. It allows me to run my cue back and forth. I can generally hit the cue ball where I want. Is there something I'm missing here?

I think the stroke is paramount. Alignment. Then stance. These things I get. What's the big deal about the bridge?
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I'm in the same boat as you here. As a beginner I really studied the various bridges and learned them all really well within a short period of time. I haven't given much thought to the bridge since. As long as it's solid and not moving it shouldn't matter what you use, right? Although, I do see how some bridges are more stable than others and I favor those whenever possible.

When I was reading Mark Wilson's book he had an entire chapter dedicated to just the bridge and how important it was to use a closed bridge with your palm on the table whenever possible. I just don't see what the big deal is. I think it's actually more difficult to do this on some shots than just using a simple open bridge, especially when hitting high on the cue ball.
 
Tin Man said:
... I think the stroke is paramount. Alignment. Then stance. These things I get. What's the big deal about the bridge?
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Consider a simple spot shot (ball in hand behind the line). In order to make that shot your bridge placement at the time of the shot must be correct left-to-right within less than a millimeter. If the bridge is not stable to better than that, it's going to be hard for it to be accurate to that level.

The next time you are watching typical players at the pool hall, watch their bridge hands. Think about half a millimeter.
 
IMHO ‘uncertainty’ can show up at the bridge... not good for any shot.

Td
 
I once had a dream that I needed to go to the bath room,but every where I looked it was either broken or the toilet was in a big room and Ifelt like people would see me in a compromised condition

After what seemed like hours I woke up and went to the bath room near the bedroom.

This just goes to show how reliable dreams are.
 
I took lessons with Earl. He spent a lot of time and attention on the bridge. He emphasized the free motion of the cue. He wanted the bridge to be as non binding as possible. The hole in his bridge that the cue slides through is easily the size of a quarter. The cue touches nothing on the sides or top. It just rests on the bottom of the hole. I understand what he means. Seems to make a lot of sense.

KMRUNOUT


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
The bridge is just a pedestal to rest the cue in as you stroke the shot. There should be absolutely no conscious thought about your bridge once you get down to shoot. It should be very natural and automatic where you place your hand. The only time you will give any extra thought to your bridge is when you must place your bridge hand in an awkward position. Even then your first instinct is usually the correct placement for your hand.

ALL your consciousness is focused on a line from your head down your neck, along your shoulder and the length of your arm, through your hand and the entire length of the cue to the tip, and your energy flows along that same line! Every other part of your body should remain calm and still, except your eyeballs, which move back and forth between the cue ball and object ball. The only moving parts will be your eyeballs and elbow. Everything else remains still.

When you get this one solved you will be a good player. Not before then!
 
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When I was playing better (I barely get out now...and when I do, I play so bad it's depressing) -- if I'm in a pressure match and feeling a little nervous or shaky, I find that intentionally putting additional pressure on my bridge hand relieves tension everywhere else. Especially in areas like the grip, or stroke which can cause you to dog it. From there you just rely on fundamentals. That was a trick I'd use and it worked very well for me. Buddy Hall's bridge was always SOLID. He switched between the open and closed bridges, but it didn't matter which. Of course, all of the great players have solid bridge hands.
 
Billiard players take advantage of the subtle differences various bridging techniques offer. Perhaps it is a difference in equipment that make the differences of bridges apparent.

Best practices. Take advantage of or ignore. Proceed as you will.
 
Thanks for the replies guys!

KMRunout, good to see you last weekend! I like what Earl said about keeping the cue flowing smoothly. I never suffocate my cue stick either. I remember shooting a shot using a rail bridge (crossed over, cue sliding along my thumb) and I felt like Busty's break, my cue was sliding around in their, not squeezing in any way.

My bridge doesn't slide around the table, or move up and down. I generally hit the cue ball where I am aiming. So I don't think I have an issue. To Jay's point it's not something I really think about. I don't think anything is on fire.

I will still keep practicing it a bit though. I' practice draw shots a lot and have found that shooting from 12" off the rail and using a rail bridge makes drawing automatic. I can't remember ever miscuing. When I am using a closed bridge there are times I don't hit quite as precise or get the same consistency of pure hit. So maybe my bridge isn't as good as I thought. I'll experiment a little, but at the same time if something isn't broken I'm not going to fix it too much.

Thanks!
 
Poolhall60561 said:
I found the book and am looking for that specific quote.
Might take some time, a lot of small print.
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Chapter 33, Dream of One/ Nightmare of Many pg 152

Yes it was about his bridge, once he changed to the new bridge he reached a higher level of play.
He was experimenting with his bridge and then fell asleep and had a dream about the new bridge and the rest is history.
 
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