Poll: What type of bridge do you use

[Maniac]

I'll basically echo what most people have said, and that is open bridge for most shots, closed bridge for extreme draw or shots requiring a hard hit. I must add that the rail bridge can have so many variations that it can make your head spin. Really no way to define this bridge as it can be different every time it is necessary to use depending on the cueball placement and type of shot required.
I will add that for shots w/cueball up-table, I will resort to the 'ol "Moosehead" bridge in a heartbeat !!!

Maniac

 

[Wolven]

Interesting that this topic came about because just yesterday I decided to start using closed bridge. I have been using open bridge on all shots up to this point, even power draw/follow. Because my play has huge fluctuations from running tables to missing everything I figured closed bridge could help on bad days when stroke is off. The closed bridge on few occasions I did try it in the past felt uncomfortable.

 

[Sensation]

Interesting that this topic came about because just yesterday I decided to start using closed bridge. I have been using open bridge on all shots up to this point, even power draw/follow. Because my play has huge fluctuations from running tables to missing everything I figured closed bridge could help on bad days when stroke is off. The closed bridge on few occasions I did try it in the past felt uncomfortable.

Give it a try, experiment. Soon you'll feel comfortable. As the others said, you have to be comfortable with a lot of different bridges.

 

[acedotcom]

My friend Albert, quite a player in his day, once shared these two pearls of wisdom with me:

1. Don't ever use an open bridge.
2. Don't ever leave the cue ball on the rail.

Unfortunately, I often find myself doing both. That's probably why he's never given me numbers 3 and 4.

 

[I rack balls]

There was a girl who worked at the poolhall I used to go to who used this bridge, but upside down, fingertips on the table. She was engaged to one of the best players in the state, but she refused to be helped. The amazing thing was how good she shot with it! Not great, but she could consistently run a couple of balls with that bridge.

Haha interesting. There is a girl I know that puts her four fingers on the table and the cue in between her index and middle and wraps her thumb around the cue under her hand, crazy. I started to call her thumbelina.

Eric.A.

 

[Cornerman]

My friend Albert, quite a player in his day, once shared these two pearls of wisdom with me:

1. Don't ever use an open bridge.

How can anyone ever consider this piece of advise as a pearl of wisdom?

Fred

 

[tommy84]

I don't use the classic closed bridge as I feel totally uncomfortable with it.
But I try to force myself to use it in practice more regulary, on match days I play with the open (snookeresque) bridge.

I'm quite good with this even on draw shots, but I sometimes cheat in doing the cuestick under the hand rail bridge even the cueball is a bit further away than it would be good to do this bridge

I also feel very comfortable in bridgeing over a ball and with the hovering bridge over the pack in 14.1

But I should really get used to the closed bridge, would be at least 20% improvement on my gameplay

 

[Tim5000]

Haha interesting. There is a girl I know that puts her four fingers on the table and the cue in between her index and middle and wraps her thumb around the cue under her hand, crazy. I started to call her thumbelina.

Eric.A.

I saw a girl do the exact same bridge, except she held her bridge hand in mid air about 5 inches off the table! She must think there's some rule that your hands can't touch the cloth!