I'm currently taking a billiards class as a kinesiology class for college and one of the first things the prof. said was that it was a bad habit to play with a closed bridge and that we all needed to get comfortable using an open bridge for 90% of our shots. I don't actually have a problem making an open bridge and it feels fairly natural, however, I just don't aim as well with one. I developed the habit of using a closed bridge from a young age and I'm so comfortable using it but I just can't get the same accuracy with an open bridge. I was just wondering how big a deal this is to most people. I always thought that if it isn't broken, don't fix it, but I'm no pro either.
How bad of a habit is it?
- Thread starter Twist
- Start date
Twist said:
the best players use both depending on the situation..
as my rule of thumb I use closed for stun and draw and I use open for follow...
IME I can sight better with an open bridge.. but some shots require it closed...
at the end of the day you will still need to master both..
"Both" is a misnomer I actually have 6 bridges that I use, most of them are open...
if I shoot 5 racks I'll use all 6 before its over more often than not..
Twist...While your prof may (or may not) know something about kinesiology, he doesn't know anything about pool. Good players switch from open to closed, for various reasons, during the course of playing. A closed bridge is advisable for power strokes like the break, hard draw, masse', etc...however, some players are quite comfortable shooting power shots with an open hand bridge.* Beginners are taught an open hand bridge first, because it is easy to make, and works for lots of shots. There are five different bridges, all of which are necessary for a good pool stroke. Often the 'teachers' of these college billiard classes are rec majors, who really don't know much about pool, but are "drafted" to teach these classes.
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
* edited to reflect a revised opinion!
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
* edited to reflect a revised opinion!
Twist said:
Last edited:
Scott Lee said:
Actually, he's a retired BCA pool player that the college hired only to teach billiards classes so he isn't really a kinesiology prof. aside from that class. Now whether he knows his stuff or not is not for me to decide but he seems to be a pretty good player. I understand that its not proper to use the closed bridge as much as I do, and I don't always use it. I just tend to be more accurate with it than an open bridge currently. Something about it throws of my natural aim. I suppose I just need to keep practicing an open bridge to get it right, its just frustrating using that when I know I could make the exact same shot if I had used my closed bridge. Thanks for the thoughts, very helpful still.
I have been taking some lessons in the last couple of months. I am getting back into pool after an extended break. So far my instructor has showed me about 6 bridges to use depending on the circumstances. Open bridge, 2 different closed bridges and 3 different rail bridges.
After 3 1 hour lessons my game has improved so much it is not even funny.
After 3 1 hour lessons my game has improved so much it is not even funny.
Tell your teacher he's got the 7.
LOL @ the closed bridge being a bad habit.
LOL @ the closed bridge being a bad habit.
cuetechasaurus said:
What happened to your red streak? Did I miss something?
passedout:Twist said:
OT: Tell him you got a whole line of people who say otherwise and would love to te$t his theory!
I use a closed bridge, but also an open from time to time. I feel on long straight in shots that I am better with an open bridge.
Twist said:
I think your professor should stick to kinesiology and leave the billiards instruction to more knowledgable people.
Twist said:Now whether he knows his stuff or not is not for me to decide but he seems to be a pretty good player(that sometimes doesn't matter much, in the case of good instructional advice...which this is not). I understand that its not proper to use the closed bridge as much as I do, and I don't always use it.There really isn't a 'right' vs. 'wrong' here. Use the bridge(s) that work best for YOU. Good players have several!I just tend to be more accurate with it than an open bridge currently. Something about it throws of my natural aim. I suppose I just need to keep practicing an open bridge to get it right, its just frustrating using that when I know I could make the exact same shot if I had used my closed bridge. Thanks for the thoughts, very helpful still.You're welcome!:thumbup:
Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
cuetechasaurus said:
Ty for the laugh
As said before you need to use all the various bridges to be good.
Honestly, thinking about your bridge at all is a bad habit. Once you master it, forget it. To be honest, I couldn't tell you what bridge I use or how much I use each type. I just know how to make a stable place for my cue to rest and focus on the important things.
I've had guys come up to me after a match and ask me about why I used an open or closed bridge on certain shots....I usually don't have any idea what they're talking about.
~rc
I've had guys come up to me after a match and ask me about why I used an open or closed bridge on certain shots....I usually don't have any idea what they're talking about.
~rc
schools of thought
A very good old school player that mentored me more than anyone when I was young told me to always use a closed bridge. There might be the very rare shot when he used an open bridge I don't remember. Way over 95% of the time he used a closed bridge and that was almost all I used for years. Definitely didn't hinder his game or mine.
You have to go along with the instructor if he insists. When I was a kid I bowled for a few years. Didn't know or care how but I had my own ball and for the first few games I could usually break 200 when I was fresh. I used a three step approach. When I started college the only two PE's available were bowling or golf. I chose bowling. They taught a four step approach. Stepping off on the wrong foot I would put weird little half-steps skips or something in my approach trying to correct. My swing was horrible and the ball often collided violently with my leg. In a few weeks I dropped thirty pins off of my average and never bowled well again, partially because it was a hell of a lot less painful hitting myself with a pool ball now and then than with a sixteen pound bowling ball almost every trip to the line!
Hu
Twist said:
A very good old school player that mentored me more than anyone when I was young told me to always use a closed bridge. There might be the very rare shot when he used an open bridge I don't remember. Way over 95% of the time he used a closed bridge and that was almost all I used for years. Definitely didn't hinder his game or mine.
You have to go along with the instructor if he insists. When I was a kid I bowled for a few years. Didn't know or care how but I had my own ball and for the first few games I could usually break 200 when I was fresh. I used a three step approach. When I started college the only two PE's available were bowling or golf. I chose bowling. They taught a four step approach. Stepping off on the wrong foot I would put weird little half-steps skips or something in my approach trying to correct. My swing was horrible and the ball often collided violently with my leg. In a few weeks I dropped thirty pins off of my average and never bowled well again, partially because it was a hell of a lot less painful hitting myself with a pool ball now and then than with a sixteen pound bowling ball almost every trip to the line!
Hu
I'm not sure it's fair to tell someone which to use. If you've been using a closed bridge and have gotten comfortable with it and your muscles are used to hitting a ball with a closed bridge, I don't know that I'd tell you to switch to an open. On the other hand, it's not bad to practice what you're not good at...especially in school, that's the whole point of school anyways, right?
I'm naturally a left handed person but play most sports right handed because I had my teachers telling me I was doing it wrong as a left handed player. This doesn't mean I was wrong or they were wrong....just means that people do things differently. Lately I've been practicing hitting left handed, and also practicing using the granny stick (this could take a while). The only way to get better is to practice what you aren't good at and brush up on the things you know well.
Is your prof. right or wrong? Hard to say. I'd stick with using an open bridge and see what comes of it. And keep us posted of your progress!
I'm naturally a left handed person but play most sports right handed because I had my teachers telling me I was doing it wrong as a left handed player. This doesn't mean I was wrong or they were wrong....just means that people do things differently. Lately I've been practicing hitting left handed, and also practicing using the granny stick (this could take a while). The only way to get better is to practice what you aren't good at and brush up on the things you know well.
Is your prof. right or wrong? Hard to say. I'd stick with using an open bridge and see what comes of it. And keep us posted of your progress!
open bridge question
Not to hijack the thread, just a quickie (for maybe Scott?)
On my open bridge I fold my index finger under. It gives my @ a 3 inch straight guide for my cue to slide against there. Is this flawed? I never thought about it until now... Thanks in advance, Matt
Not to hijack the thread, just a quickie (for maybe Scott?)
On my open bridge I fold my index finger under. It gives my @ a 3 inch straight guide for my cue to slide against there. Is this flawed? I never thought about it until now... Thanks in advance, Matt
You can shoot any shot just as successfully with either kind of bridge, including break shots, extreme spin shots, etc. - it's all a matter of familiarity and psychological comfort. There is at least one advantage to the open bridge, however: it lets you see the entire length of the shaft, which can be helpful with aiming.
pj
chgo
pj
chgo
KoolKat9Lives said:
It's not a flaw unless there's a drawback. Does it make your bridge any less stable? Is it impossible to get your bridge as low with your finger tucked?
pj
chgo
Patrick Johnson said:
Thanks PJ for responding. My bridge hand is 100% stable with this technique. It is marginally higher than the flat bridge, but IMO the height increase is insignificant. I wonder if others use it or if I have rights to the Matt's "finger tuck" bridge, lol. I'm going to play now, will examine the matt-er closer.