Many players who don't miss.

Pin said:
English billiards player Jack Karnehm used to advocate a straight bridge-arm so that you had as much cue in front of the eyes as possible. I don't think he would have advocated a long stroke to squeeze a little more out of it though.
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Joe Davis said to stick your bridge arm out as far as it will go, then stick it farther!
It does help you to see the shot better. A bunch of us started gambling with one hand on 6x12s in the 80s.
We all found that thin cut safeties from the end rail could be seen better shooting one hand...perspective.
But John Spencer took the snooker world by storm in the 60s....using a bent arm bridge and a long stroke.
 
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pt109 said:
Joe Davis said to stick your bridge arm out as far as it will go, then stick it farther!
It does help you to see the shot better. A bunch of us started gambling with one hand on 6x12s in the 80s.
We all found that thin cut safeties from the end rail could be seen better shooting one hand...perspective.
But John Spencer took the snooker world by storm in the 60s....using a bent arm bridge and a long stroke.
Click to expand...
I guess there will always be people who are successful with non-standard technique. Makes it hard to be definitive about what the standard technique should be though!

I think the disadvantages of the straight arm are that pressing your bridge hand down firmly feels more awkward, and it's harder to judge where your tip is to get very close to the CB (I'm thinking of Buddy Hall lining his tip up super-close to the CB before his backswing (if I remember correctly...)).
Both of these are very easily overcome, but for the uninstructed player figuring the game out mostly for themselves (me, younger!), they make the straight arm feel like a worse way of doing things.
 
When I was an active money player, I used all the lengths of strokes. For finesse or power I would use longer.
The shot should determine what you have to do.
Martial arts..if you have a style, you become prisoner to your style.
 
pt109 said:
Joe Davis said to stick your bridge arm out as far as it will go, then stick it farther!
It does help you to see the shot better. A bunch of us started gambling with one hand on 6x12s in the 80s.
We all found that thin cut safeties from the end rail could be seen better shooting one hand...perspective.
But John Spencer took the snooker world by storm in the 60s....using a bent arm bridge and a long stroke.
Click to expand...
Problem with that theory is the straight arm puts your entire torso, head and eyes further away from the cue ball and more importantly further away from the object ball. I don’t know you about the rest of you guys, but at my age, the bent arm allows me to get closer to my work, which I prefer.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Problem with that theory is the straight arm puts your entire torso, head and eyes further away from the cue ball and more importantly further away from the object ball. I don’t know you about the rest of you guys, but at my age, the bent arm allows me to get closer to my work, which I prefer.
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I’m sure it varies from person to person. I’ve got in my notes from when I was a kid “Keep your head as far away from the cue ball as possible.” Those old rooms where the tables were too close...I sat on the rail of the next table often.

I feel kinda like the art experts who hold their arm out to judge a painting...Perspective.
 
pt109 said:
I’m sure it varies from person to person. I’ve got in my notes from when I was a kid “Keep your head as far away from the cue ball as possible.” Those old rooms where the tables were too close...I sat on the rail of the next table often.

I feel kinda like the art experts who hold their arm out to judge a painting...Perspective.
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The older I’ve gotten, I feel the more I’m bending my arm to get as close as possible. Maybe that’s why I’m having an issue with long shots - distance between the CB and OB moreso than distance between the OB and the pocket. Maybe I’m crowding the CB too close to be able to properly sight the line?
 
fan-tum said:
No disrespect, but if I had to play any pro for my life, naturally with a spot, I'd want to play Hopkins.
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You'd be making a bad choice, that would cost you your life. Allen was always known for his play under pressure for high stakes, and he didn't need a stakehorse either! :unsure:
 
ChrisinNC said:
Problem with that theory is the straight arm puts your entire torso, head and eyes further away from the cue ball and more importantly further away from the object ball. I don’t know you about the rest of you guys, but at my age, the bent arm allows me to get closer to my work, which I prefer.
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All this long stroke, short stroke, straight arm, crooked arm etc...
It's the distance from your back hand to the cue ball strike. IOW If you hold the cue short, you're closer and vice versa. You can also place your bridge hand at any point from all the way in to all the way out. You are still the same distance from the ball. Excepting Biado, players generally are holding the cue long and stroking/bridging as their stance dictates.. Problem I have with the straight arm is it puts my shoulders and everything above it at too steep an angle. I prefer to stand squarer to the shot so I use the crook'd arm. Hitting the ball is the same no matter where the bridge is.
 
fan-tum said:
No disrespect, but if I had to play any pro for my life, naturally with a spot, I'd want to play Hopkins.
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Every pro has a time for one reason or another when they play out of this world. It may be due to highented interest for a few years when pool is everything to them.

Only a few like Hall and Strickland and a few others does it last for decades. Most while still terrific players do lose whatever that magic was they had as they move on to other things.

They develope business interests or families, different things that become more important and certainly more lucrative then pool. They kind of in a sense grow up. Wennie Beanie once said "To be a great player required being rich or a bum, because there is no time for anything else".

My point is, Hopkins when he had that magic, was better then many people today realize or remember. The truth is regarding your comment, you would not want to play any top pro in their prime when they had that magic and they all did at one time however briefly.

It is very hard to judge who is the all-time best. Maybe longenitivy is a measure. I like all a round players, players who play every game at super high levels. From straight pool to banks and everything in between on any tables. Hopkins was one of those.
 
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jay helfert said:
You'd be making a bad choice, that would cost you your life. Allen was always known for his play under pressure for high stakes, and he didn't need a stakehorse either! :unsure:
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One other thing about Allen - name me or show me someone who has or had a shorter, jabbier stroke. Before Efren came

over, Allen was considered the best all around player in early 80's.
 
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