question about my bridge

A

asbani

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi, I play ok. i run when the balls are open, sometimes i fail to do so.. well i'm an average player.. but sometimes I get in the mood, and i'm capable of running 3 to 4 maybe 5 racks max in nine balls.

I learned this awesome game in 1995. and since then I'm playing 2 to 3 days weekly. sometimes more depends on my work.

I'm a rythm player. I know it. because I have some type of things that I do while aiming. and in the final stroke i take, i gotta have this feel in me (can't explain it well) then if i do this, i'm gonna make the ball no mater what. if i fail to do this feel.. i'll miss it.

anyways from time to time a guy would come to me and tell me(and it happened to me couple of times) "Hi, what you are doing make no sense.. why do you do it like that. if you stop and try in a different way, you'll be better at pool" Well this guy is random, he is no pro. therefore his knowledge is not that deep to know if what i'm doing is right or wrong.. I don't know myself.. so i'm asking here.

in my final stroke i usually have this little movement in my bridge hand and arm. it bumps to up then goes down with the shot.. I really cannot explain it well because of my bad english. but thats what I feel i'm doing.. it happens automatically without me wanting it to happen, but when i get its feel.. i'll make every ball, then if i focus not to move it.. Like i'll keep in my brain not to move it and keep my bridge hand & arm stunned without any type of movement in the table. i will 100% miss the ball even if its 3 inches off the pocket. so my brain will think of my arm instead of the shoot, to keep it still and no moving.. then i will miss.

then if i dont think of it, it'll bump up then down, a little movement, then i will make every shot + A great feeling of the cueball...

you see my point?

p.s. sorry for my bad english, hope you understand what i mean.thanks
 
SlickRick_PCS said:
are you asking about your bridge or what? I'm slightly confused there, asbani.
Click to expand...
He moves his bridge as he shoots.

Yes, I think this is a problem that should be corrected if you want to get better. Fixing it is probably going to take a lot of work and you will miss everything for a while, so it might not be worth it for you.

A very important aspect of good pool is a precisely repeatable stroke. If you are moving your bridge as well as the stick, you are adding another reason for you to miss. There are enough reasons to miss without this one. My advice is that you should seek out a quality instructor.
 
well in that case, as far as I am concerned is that you want to keep your bridge as stiff as a rock (unless you are considering about doing front hand English and moving your tip to a different portion of the cue). Nevertheless, like the above says, just seek a official instructor.
 
we all experiance sensations differntly, and no two people may percieve a shot the same... So I say, let it flow... just dont think about it... If you cant keep from thinking about it then it becomes a problem...

Most people, will play the best pool of thier life when they realize to just let it flow.. you can nit pick yourself all day everyday, spend thousands of $$$$ on instruction and never get it.. Remember, Billiards/pool is a mental game, the physical is important, but the mental side dominates.. How you deal with this IMHO determines not only your speed but your overall success in the game.


I say this because if what you were doing wasnt related to "Feeling" then it wouldnt have an impact because you know the bridge hand is important.. So My advice is go with it, once you can accept it, likely you will get the feeling, and you wont need a physical que...

OK?


SPINDOKTOR
 
Last edited:
Many Style Bridge - Practice As Many As You Can

Pay attention to as many experienced players as you can, pay attention to thier bridge, practice all style
 
asbani said:
Hi, I play ok. i run when the balls are open, sometimes i fail to do so.. well i'm an average player.. but sometimes I get in the mood, and i'm capable of running 3 to 4 maybe 5 racks max in nine balls.

I learned this awesome game in 1995. and since then I'm playing 2 to 3 days weekly. sometimes more depends on my work.

I'm a rythm player. I know it. because I have some type of things that I do while aiming. and in the final stroke i take, i gotta have this feel in me (can't explain it well) then if i do this, i'm gonna make the ball no mater what. if i fail to do this feel.. i'll miss it.

anyways from time to time a guy would come to me and tell me(and it happened to me couple of times) "Hi, what you are doing make no sense.. why do you do it like that. if you stop and try in a different way, you'll be better at pool" Well this guy is random, he is no pro. therefore his knowledge is not that deep to know if what i'm doing is right or wrong.. I don't know myself.. so i'm asking here.

in my final stroke i usually have this little movement in my bridge hand and arm. it bumps to up then goes down with the shot.. I really cannot explain it well because of my bad english. but thats what I feel i'm doing.. it happens automatically without me wanting it to happen, but when i get its feel.. i'll make every ball, then if i focus not to move it.. Like i'll keep in my brain not to move it and keep my bridge hand & arm stunned without any type of movement in the table. i will 100% miss the ball even if its 3 inches off the pocket. so my brain will think of my arm instead of the shoot, to keep it still and no moving.. then i will miss.

then if i dont think of it, it'll bump up then down, a little movement, then i will make every shot + A great feeling of the cueball...

you see my point?

p.s. sorry for my bad english, hope you understand what i mean.thanks
Click to expand...

Your bridge hand is a pedestal for your cue, no more, no less. It should be perfectly still when shooting. You should not be thinking about your bridge hand at all during your shot. Once you place the bridge hand on the table, it is like an inanimate object.

All your thoughts should flow outward on a line from your head, through your arm and out your cue. All your energy flows along this line, from your head to the tip of your cue. Hope this makes sense to you. Good luck.
 
jay helfert said:
Your bridge hand is a pedestal for your cue, no more, no less. It should be perfectly still when shooting. You should not be thinking about your bridge hand at all during your shot. Once you place the bridge hand on the table, it is like an inanimate object.

All your thoughts should flow outward on a line from your head, through your arm and out your cue. All your energy flows along this line, from your head to the tip of your cue. Hope this makes sense to you. Good luck.
Click to expand...

...... and you see your arm, cue, cue tip all moving towards the exact spot on the ob you want to hit and you follow through so your tip goes exactly in that direction.

You are on a stroke rebuilding trip here. It will take time and dedication. Go off in a corner and hit straight in shots until your hands bleed :D
 
Neil said:
So, in summation, since you bothered to make the post, you will probably have to re-learn the right way. I would guess that since you are moving your bridge hand, you are also moving your body into the stroke.
Click to expand...

Asbani, when I read your opening post, the first thing I thought was not your bridge, but your BODY. So I second what Neil are saying. When you are at stroking position, your hand will not go up, in no possible way. The only way to go up with your bridge is to move your body. I don't think you are moving your body into the stroke, but you are moving to fast up after stroking. You should learn to stay down after your stroke. Stay down until the ball is pocket (or missed :D ).
 
Bridge Movement

Have you thought of taking a lesson from a qualified instructor? There are lots of trained instructors that can look at your stroke, and tailor an improvement plan for your goals.
 
The ultimate goal of a pool stroke is to move the cue forward in a straight line. Your bridge hand is the guide. If the bridge is moving you are adding motion to the cue that is neither forward or straight.
Steve
 
thanks for all the replies.. I'll add one thing to neil. and wesleyW. yes I do move my body just a tiny little bit. slightly with the bridge movement, after the shot i stay down until my object ball goes into the pocket. but yes, slightly i do also move my body, I'm going to adjust all that in the upcoming months,

and what am i aiming for at pool? to be one of the best pool players in my country, which is doable for me. I'm not a pro because i have a job. i play pool on my part-time, when I have off-days. but yeah, there is no much pool players here and with the way I play, and my OK english i can be one of the best in my country because i come here to AZforums and read, and learn from pro people, I also do buy things online, from accu-status and video tapes to learn. These isn't alot of people in my country that do read internet and buy tapes from america like i do, so I'm confident to say that i have the edge to be better than them, the methods to improve. unlike them.

and to jay helfert and spindoktor thanks for the comments. I appreciate it.asbani
 
Ah! There might not be decent instructors where you are. What country?

Every part of your body outside of your stroking arm should be a stable, solid, STILL platform for moving the stick directly forward through the cueball. It sound like you are pretty motivated, so you have a good chance to achieve that with practice.

You mention that you have some accu-stats matches. Try watching those, but not paying any attention to the balls at all, only to the players. That can be very helpful in developing solid fundamentals. You will copy what you have seen a little bit at a time without even thinking about it at the table.
 
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