Now I've seen everything
For purposes of this conversation, I am talking about playing on a 9' or smaller table. Please keep that in mind.
That said - I think use of the mechanical bridge is BS. I think that having to reach for a shot, make a shot off-handed, playing a reachable but less desirable shot or winging it when necessary, and putting your opponent IN these situations as a defensive strategy, should all be part of the game - while use of the mechanical bridge should not be. Just like in pro golf, walking the course is part of the game. No carts allowed (unless you're the guy whining about his ADA issues).
So - suppose BCA (or similar body) banned use of the mechanical bridge in the "official rules" of the various games of pool (again, we're not talking about snooker, etc.), who amongst you would whine and who would cheer?
Count me in cheering section.
ultramafic:
I'm really, REALLY trying to be cerebral about this, but honestly, I think I've seen everything now. I've been on these forums for a while, and in that time, I've seen arguments against jump cues, against cue extenders, against talc, against gloves, etc. But against the mechanical bridge? A device that has been in existence since the dawn of pool, the game as we know it today? I can see the argument against the "new" items -- e.g. jump cues, cue extenders, gloves -- all of which are relatively new items on the market when compared against the old age of pool. I can even see the argument against talc, since in the hands of certain numbskulls and belligerent nitwits, it makes a huge mess.
But the mechanical bridge? This device has been in existence since the dawn of many pool games, not the least of which are 14.1 straight pool and One Pocket, where the mechanical bridge is crucial to reach behind-the-rack shots, or to reach over a ball ("tree-topped") from a distance away, to shoot that shot.
I think your argument stems from playing the game of 9-ball, where in that situation, you want to use that tactic (i.e. "tree-topping" someone) as a "move" for a competitive edge. Let me remind you "a game of pool" does not always mean the balls are racked in the shape of a diamond. There are plenty of other games out there that have markedly different strategies. The mechanical bridge was invented l-o-n-g before that popular game wherein the balls are racked in that [defective] diamond shape.
I for one think the skillset using a mechanical bridge is a lost art, seemingly now only in the possession of snooker players, or those few straight pool players that remember how important "mechanical bridge chops" are. In the days where straight pool was king, skills using the mechanical bridge -- to make a shot and *pocket* the ball -- were mandatory. Nowadays, people will just refuse, and either find another shot, kick-safe the ball, or else jack up and play a safety to duck the difficulty of the shot.
Personally, I think using the excuse that the mechanical bridge should be banned so that players can use distance / tree-topping as a "move" is a very weak one. Is one's game
that weak that he/she needs distance and tree-topping as a "move"? I say, bone-up on your game. Learn how to play the game, instead of trying to use the equipment against the game itself. Learn how to play a PROPER safety -- i.e. welding that cue ball *behind* another ball so that not even a jump cue is effective -- your opponent has to kick at the shot (in the case of rotation games) or play an intentional foul (in the case of straight pool or one pocket). Don't blame the equipment -- blame yourself. Take an honest look at yourself and ask why you lost the game. Are you needlessly blaming the equipment, and not your lousey shot-making / safety play?
Food for thought. And this "food" is not intended to be caustic, but rather to help you think a different way.
Respectfully,
-Sean
