Use a Bridge or opposite hand........

Do you prefer to use a bridge or shoot opposite handed?

  • Total voters
    24
Opposite hand. In my early years of development I spent an hour every session playing with my opposite hand at the urging of my mentor at the time. There are times you still need a bridge, but not as many as when you’re proficient with both hands.
 
Lowell said:
I have no problem using a bridge, I think people avoid using it as a sort of macho thing (even if it means higher likelihood of missing the shot or getting bad position afterwards)
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probably an attitude endemic to the US, or more common there? i've never heard that, but heard plenty of players admitting to pure laziness in regards to the bridge. myself included. the extensions have changed things a bit though. not that they are much quicker, but you don't have to do the bend to reach
 
KREE8TIV said:
Shoot righty but can run em' out lefty as well , my transition from right to a left hand shot is pretty seamless
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i've run a rack opposite hand and used to be much more comfortable with it, but if i don't maintain it enough i can't trust it. i'm not truly ambidextrous though, it was practice, just like welding opposite handed. pure natural ambidextrous people can just do. i think.
 
skogstokig said:
probably an attitude endemic to the US, or more common there? i've never heard that, but heard plenty of players admitting to pure laziness in regards to the bridge. myself included. the extensions have changed things a bit though. not that they are much quicker, but you don't have to do the bend to reach
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Certainly a common attitude in the US, where the bridge is often referred to as "the sissy stick" or "the crutch".
 
I think you need to be able to shoot with an extension, a bridge, and opposite-handed for bestest results.

Over the years I've taught myself to shoot a number of shots opposite-handed that I can't reach with my natural hand and hit those pretty good. Give me a shot that I could reach with my natural hand and I plow it into the rail.

Lou Figueroa
 
I use the bridge, an extension, and shoot opposite handed depending on the shot.

For something that requires a soft touch I struggle with the bridge a little so I'll tend to go with the extension or shoot off handed depending on the position and distances I'm dealing with.

For any normal shot though that doesn't require a real delicate touch, I like the bridge and find it more stable and consistent than attempting to shoot off handed or making a big reach with an extension which creates a real long bridge length usually and hurts my accuracy.

I used to hate the bridge but somehow over the years I got pretty comfortable with it and feel pretty confident with it these days. I honestly think watching a lot of the Euro players and snooker players, who seem to be very adept at using the mechanical bridge, has helped me learn the techniques to be more consistent with it.
 
CajunPopeye said:
We used to go shoot at an older friend's house sometimes. His 14 year old daughter was ambidextrous and could whoop us with either hand.
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Oh that hits.close to home. A niece that was very athletic shot with either hand at 14. Many Years later at a reunion her and I were partners. She went for the crutch on a natural lefty shot. I asked her why and her response was, "I am right handed." Somebody had coached her!!!! Eeek
 
gregcantrall said:
Oh that hits.close to home. A niece that was very athletic shot with either hand at 14. Many Years later at a reunion her and I were partners. She went for the crutch on a natural lefty shot. I asked her why and her response was, "I am right handed." Somebody had coached her!!!! Eeek
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She was athletic as well. I think her sport was basketball, in school.
 
slide13 said:
I use the bridge, an extension, and shoot opposite handed depending on the shot.

For something that requires a soft touch I struggle with the bridge a little so I'll tend to go with the extension or shoot off handed depending on the position and distances I'm dealing with.

For any normal shot though that doesn't require a real delicate touch, I like the bridge and find it more stable and consistent than attempting to shoot off handed or making a big reach with an extension which creates a real long bridge length usually and hurts my accuracy.

I used to hate the bridge but somehow over the years I got pretty comfortable with it and feel pretty confident with it these days. I honestly think watching a lot of the Euro players and snooker players, who seem to be very adept at using the mechanical bridge, has helped me learn the techniques to be more consistent with it.
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Ditto.

Use whichever fits the situation.

It's funny how in a bar pool situation, as soon as you grab the bridge you start hearing whatever the local term is like "sissy stick". I just tell them the Pros use it, so you can keep playing like an amateur.
 
Chris said:
I have a leather bridge head by Tiger that I like a lot. It doesn't scratch or ding cue shafts.
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I have a leather bridge head in my case that I rarely get out because I'm lazy, but I do really like it! It adds just the right amount of friction compared to a plastic bridge head and feels a little more natural to me. I should really take the time to get it out more.
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
Plastic moose head bridge is about $2, works great and doesn't scratch your shaft.
Which bridge heads are messing up shafts?
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Cheap one from Amazon. I put little pieces of vinyl on it to stop the squeakies
 

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