Interesting bridge hand question

3andstop

3andstop

Focus
Silver Member
The other day I was asked this question and it had never crossed my mind before. Once asked, and without an answer, I was advised to pay attention to it and see if it wasn't so.

Here it is. When I play I often place both my ring finger and my middle finger of my bridge hand curled under when I use an open bridge. When I use a closed bridge, my ring finger is usually curlded under.

The person asked why is it that better players (A + B and above) seem to always bridge the way you do, but you hardly ever see a strong C player or weaker B players using that bridge configuration.

The question seemed odd, in that the bridge I used just seemed most comfortable, but after being asked, and while observing more, its true, this bridge configuration seems way more common in the higher ability players.

Curious if anyone has either noticed this, or has a thought on it.
 
3andstop said:
The other day I was asked this question and it had never crossed my mind before. Once asked, and without an answer, I was advised to pay attention to it and see if it wasn't so.

Here it is. When I play I often place both my ring finger and my middle finger of my bridge hand curled under when I use an open bridge. When I use a closed bridge, my ring finger is usually curlded under.

The person asked why is it that better players (A + B and above) seem to always bridge the way you do, but you hardly ever see a strong C player or weaker B players using that bridge configuration.

The question seemed odd, in that the bridge I used just seemed most comfortable, but after being asked, and while observing more, its true, this bridge configuration seems way more common in the higher ability players.

Curious if anyone has either noticed this, or has a thought on it.
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It is funny that you ask this question, but I think I have a really good answer.

They showed us that bridge in pool school, and it has helped my game greatly.

First, it is a more solid bridge, and it will keep you from moving your bridge hand.

Second, it allows you to get higher on the cue ball than a flat hand bridge.

The higher you get with a flat hand bridge the more unstable it gets. So the longer you play, the more fatigued your hand gets. Therefore it will equal less consistance.

That is my answer, I am curious if there are any others.
 
When I use the open bridge, I leave the pinky and thumb out and fold the other 3 under. But I've also kept the pointer out and folded under just 2. I'm honestly unsure why I switch between them. I think it has to do with how close to the rail I am. It's just instinctive. I'll try to figure it out next time. I think having the extra pointer finger out adds stability.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a closed bridge with just the ring curled under. But then I searched and saw that in some situations efren does this:
http://www.easypooltutor.com/images/upload/10494333201.jpg
and in others he doesn't: http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/f/fc/180px-Efren-Reyes.jpg

It must be about how close to the rail he is.

I'd think that for an open bridge, curled under is more stable, but for a closed bridge, the middle finger is the elevator and the tucked under finger adds some stability so that there isn't a little "hollow" under the last 3 fingers.
 
txplshrk said:
...The higher you get with a flat hand bridge the more unstable it gets...
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I like this answer. In an open bridge with all four fingers extended, you can adjust the height of the bridge (useful for precise application of follow/draw) by doming the knuckles up into the air, but the bridge is still supported by the heel of the hand and the fingertips, neither of which is really underneath the bridge point. This is not extremely stable, as txplshrk points out.

With the two middle fingers curled under (which I also do and also never really thought about why), they can be used to push against the table almost directly below the knuckles, offering much more direct and stable support for the bridge on higher bridges. Your pinky and index fingers are lateral stability, and your two middle fingers are vertical stability. Just making a bridge on my desk beside the keyboard here, I can really feel the difference.

So I guess better players who vary their bridge height and really pay exact attention to how they're directing the tip to a specific part of the cue ball, start bridging like this a lot of times because they notice on a subconscious level that it makes it easier to vary the height of the bridge.

-Andrew
 
3andstop said:
... The question seemed odd, in that the bridge I used just seemed most comfortable, ...
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I think some of choosing bridge style is just tradition/osmosis. The important thing is whether the bridge is stable; comfort is secondary. You may want to try some other bridges and see if they are more stable for you in various situations, like the fist bridge and the un-fanned closed bridge.

I think lots of players stop working on their bridges too early in their careers.
 
Would you call the fist bridge a legit way to shoot? I always thought it was no good but if you're mentioning it in the list, it must be useful somewhere. Did anyone famous use it?
 
By curling under one or two fingers in a closed bridge, I think it also can make it easier to bring your cue lower.
 
I prefer the open...
 

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CreeDo said:
Would you call the fist bridge a legit way to shoot? I always thought it was no good but if you're mentioning it in the list, it must be useful somewhere. Did anyone famous use it?
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Willie Hoppe. Everyone who tucks their middle finger under for a closed bridge. The ring and little fingers are irrelevant to the structure, mostly.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Willie Hoppe. Everyone who tucks their middle finger under for a closed bridge. The ring and little fingers are irrelevant to the structure, mostly.
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Bob,
didn't Hoppe use an "upside down" bridge with the heel of his hand off the cloth? Is that the fist bridge you are talking about? I've tried it, but with my short fingers I can't get my cue high enough to hit the topside of the ball.

The fist bridge that I've seen on a pool table is just a closed bridge with all the fingers tucked under. It works well as long as you don't need to vary the height. This bridge will make a player look like a chump without actually being much of a disadvantage.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think some of choosing bridge style is just tradition/osmosis. The important thing is whether the bridge is stable; comfort is secondary. You may want to try some other bridges and see if they are more stable for you in various situations, like the fist bridge and the un-fanned closed bridge.

I think lots of players stop working on their bridges too early in their careers.
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Bob, I use many bridges, I suppose he was just curious about that one when I used it. Now that this fellow mentioned this bridge thing, I've become more aware of it and I've noticed I seem to use them much more in straight pool.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I think some of choosing bridge style is just tradition/osmosis. The important thing is whether the bridge is stable; comfort is secondary. You may want to try some other bridges and see if they are more stable for you in various situations, like the fist bridge and the un-fanned closed bridge.

I think lots of players stop working on their bridges too early in their careers.
Click to expand...

Bob
Many years ago there was a kid in Phoenix I played with - name of Billy Hamish. He played good - very good. He picked up a lot of games since those who didn't know him didn't think he could play. He had no fingers but it didn't stop him - just bridged on his hand. He just made do and it worked for him. I wonder if you ever ran into him - heard he moved to your neck of the woods about 30 years ago.
 
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