Picture's worth a thousand words...
Scott -- Yes, a closed loop bridge, but I now see it with the index finger crossed over onto the middle finger. This is the bridge most players use for the break, for example, or any shot in the middle of the table requiring medium speed or more.
I suspect Tadpole's suggestion about it being a Filipino innovation might be correct.
9BallPaul:
Perhaps these pictures of the closed bridges of certain professional players might help those to "see" what you're talking about with the "overlapping index finger" closed bridge:
Shane Van Boening:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=4315
Efren Reyes:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=228
Francisco Bustamante:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=223
Mike Sigel:
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/showplayergallery.php?playernum=844
...and literally hundreds of others.
The overlapping index finger closed bridge is extremely stable, since one of the legs of the tripod (the ring finger) is the foundation that the cue rests on, with the index finger keeping the cue down on top of it. It's basically a self-locking bridge. (This is as opposed to the traditional closed loop bridge, which consists of a "two-piece" construction -- the three-finger tripod / heel of the hand foundation is one piece, and the index finger loop / thumb is another piece; the player has to make sure that both "pieces" are pressed/locked together to keep it stable.) The overlapping index finger bridge also forms a "V"-bridge internally, albeit this "V"-bridge is laying on its side, with the open aperture of the "V" facing the player. The traditional looped index finger closed bridge tends to more or less form a circular orifice, or else a "shelf" (on the thumb) that the cue rests on.
The only caveat with the overlapping index finger closed bridge is that it almost "requires" a shaft with a pro taper. A standard slope-tapered shaft will "jam" inside the aperture created by the index finger on top of the ring finger, unless the player compensates by slightly releasing the pressure [applied by the index finger on top of the ring finger] in direct correlation with the increasing diameter of the shaft as it passes through that aperture.
Personally, I have both types of closed bridge in my bag o' tricks, just to be able to compensate for different days, when varying humidity, the playing conditions, how I'm seeing the table, etc. may change. Something like, "ok, that doesn't seem to be working as well as I expect; let me shake things up and try this instead."
Lately, I've been using a modified version of the "traditional" looped index finger closed bridge, whereby I form a perfect "V" internally using the downward slope of my left hand's ring finger towards the table as the left side of the "V", and the pad of the inward-pointing tip of the index finger as the right side of the "V". (When curled inward and locked between my thumb and the second joint of my ring finger, the very tip of my finger points towards my palm, and the pad at the tip of my index finger is angled perfectly to create the opposite side of the "V", at the perfect complementary angle to the downward slope of my ring finger to the table.) This modification of the standard looped index finger bridge, to me, seems to be less susceptible to "binding" when dealing with a standard-tapered shaft, and more compatible / complementary with the standard "V" created by an open hand bridge; same cue action offered by the "V" being angled the very same way -- perfectly perpendicular to the table surface.
Anyway, I hope this is helpful info!
-Sean
