I hold the stick with my fingertips. Is this bad?

[Wybrook]

You can hold the cue any way you want and shoot balls around, but if you are serious about your game and really strive to be good (not an APA9, btw), then I would suggest working on getting perfect fundamentals.

If you are doing this for fun, by all means, do whatever your buddy tells you to do or stick with that goofy bridge and stroke you started to do when you were 7 yrs old. Your game will plateau almost for certain with un-orthodox methods and you will remain inconsistent.

Just for kicks..... make a list of players you think have generally accepted strong, solid fundaments. Then make a list of players who have remained consistently in the top 20 for any amount of time. I think you will have almost the same list.

If this doesn't tell you something, I don't know what to say anymore.

I don't even know why I am debating something that is so obviously one-sided?

 

[Glendale]

I have long fingers and ever since I started playing, I've held the stick with the tips of my fingers.

I'm not really improving any so I'm going back to my fundamentals, trying to work out any kinks in my stroke.

I'd like to know if this is fundamentally bad?

There are a lot of pro players who have bad mechanics/fundamentals who get away with it. Applies for all games/sports....MLB batters/pitchers who have funky deliveries/swings...etc. etc.
Preferably, you'd be better starting off with good mechanics/fundamentals, obviously!
I'd say, if you've been playing a long time that way...no need to change, if you're comfortable.
As far as the finger grip thing - I can name a few good players who "finger grip". Heck, there was a guy named Jon Dovinski who barely gripped with his thumb and index finger. I don't think anyone liked it when he caught his high gear.