Value of developing a closed bridge...

droveto

droveto

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What are people's feelings on developing a closed bridge?
I had a table growing up as a kid, I never learned to use a closed bridge so I have over 20 years of playing off and on only using an open bridge.
I've tried to bring the closed bridge into my game, and am impressed with the additional english and action I seem to get out of the cue ball, but my aim suffers and I just don't feel comfortable. Is it worth working through the uncomfortable stages of this approach to have it in the tool box?

Oddly, I've been working on my left handed playing and without even thinking about it I set up with a closed bridge and it feels natural (the bridge anyway, my stroke, that's another story)...

I haven't played much in the last 6 years playing less than once/week, but in recent weeks I've been a bit inspired and practicing a good amount to improve my game beyond the APA SL6 ranking and to play in the more competitive BCA leagues again...
 
I think it is very important, I only used an open hand bridge for the past 7 years of playing pool until a few weeks ago. I had a pro player spend like 5 minutes with me and he got my closed bridge right and comfortable. I think my game went up a full ball because of it, it was a noticeable improvement and I am so happy I stopped being stubborn. I noticed my draw stroke being more consistent and controlled.
 
I had played several years with an open bridge. I couldn't get the cue to slide with a closed when I would try. During one tournament I miscued and thought it was due to the open bridge. So I was determined to make the closed bridge work. I bought a glove, and immediately the closed bridge worked without problems and the cue slid easily.

I played with this setup for a few years. Then one day I tried playing without the glove, and the closed bridge worked great. I guess my fingers had become acustomed to how much pressure to use.

So now for the past 10 years or so I play with both an open and closed bridge, with no glove.
 
Fast Lenny said:
I think it is very important, I only used an open hand bridge for the past 7 years of playing pool until a few weeks ago. I had a pro player spend like 5 minutes with me and he got my closed bridge right and comfortable. I think my game went up a full ball because of it, it was a noticeable improvement and I am so happy I stopped being stubborn. I noticed my draw stroke being more consistent and controlled.
Click to expand...

You can play great with either open or closed bridge. Darren Appleton is a great open bridge player. Another great open bridge player, as are most snooker players, is Ronnie O. I'd say that he can snatch his rock pretty sporty with an open bridge.

In any event, I do agree with Lenny that I personally prefer a closed bridge for power draw shots, but I have migrated over the last two years or so to an open bridge much of the time. Mostly though, I just do what feels natural after 15 years of playing the game.

Cheers...
 
I don't have any issue with the sliding of the cue when using a closed bridge. I just think the cue lines up slightly more to the inside of my body using a closed bridge making the aiming lines appear different to me when in shooting position and I'm unable to see the line of aim confidently.
I think I want to try and find a good teacher to take some lessons with in developing a few things. I played drums quite seriously and finding a master to guide me improved my technique and facility incredibly and I imagine the same is true for the game of pool...
 
droveto said:
I don't have any issue with the sliding of the cue when using a closed bridge. I just think the cue lines up slightly more to the inside of my body using a closed bridge making the aiming lines appear different to me when in shooting position and I'm unable to see the line of aim confidently.
I think I want to try and find a good teacher to take some lessons with in developing a few things. I played drums quite seriously and finding a master to guide me improved my technique and facility incredibly and I imagine the same is true for the game of pool...
Click to expand...

I use the closed bridge in most situations. I may use an open bridge on a shot if english and cue ball control isn't a factor because I tend to be slightly more accurate with it.
 
Thanks for the insight.
I think I'll start using it for the same type of shots that I would play lefty on, ie., really easy shots, and then start to expand from there.
I think I've been making the mistake of trying to use it for as many shots as possible, or as many shots as someone who has been playing that way for years would use it for, and it's just been a little frustrating which causes me to give up...
 
When I first began, I used a knuckle bridge/claw. I finally relented and tried to learn a traditional bridge. After 7 years, I still flip back and forth sometimes. For more accurate english shots, I use the closed bridge. It seems as though I've been using the closed bridge more lately as my standard bridge, but I can't be completely sure.
 
I don't think a closed bridge should affect aiming at all. Aiming (for the most part) should be done before you address the CB.

If there's one thing that shared among certain system users to non-users is the benefit of fixed CB edges. Meaning, when you're standing up and acquire your aiming visual/solution (whatever that means to you), flipping your eyes down to the CB and NEVER losing that 180 degree view of the CB is just SO huge.

That little process and "setup thought" creates a super strong foundation to your PSR. With that, it doesn't matter if you have a closed bridge, open bridge or claw bridge (LOL), you know you're ON as long as you can perceive the vertical axis of the CB.
 
Spider, do you mean when you transition from standing to stance, that you keep your eye on whatever "aiming" visualization you use? I don't know right now how I make that transition, I'll try to pay attention to it next time I play.
 
I grew up playing a 'real' bridge (as I was told ;) ) and did so for many years but probably shoot an open bridge just as much anymore.

I honestly don't think there's a shot you can't hit with either and I don't think there's any real advantage outside of mental to either as well.

It's just become a comfort thing for me on which I use on either shot. About the only 'benefit' I can think of is really long shots , generally thinner cuts, that I'll use an open bridge for a less obstructed sight picture when I get down really low.

Otherwise I wouldn't force anything you don't feel comfortable with.
 
I use an open and closed bridge pretty interchangeably depending on the shot. I don't believe I even think about which bridge I'm going to be using, it just happens naturally when I go down on the shot. Whatever my subconscious is more comfortable using given the position i need coming out of the shot.

I can say for certain that I play stronger now using multiple bridges than when I was stuck on a closed bridge only.
 
iusedtoberich said:
Spider, do you mean when you transition from standing to stance, that you keep your eye on whatever "aiming" visualization you use? I don't know right now how I make that transition, I'll try to pay attention to it next time I play.
Click to expand...

One you sight your "solution" from your eyes to the CB to the OB, the only thing that matters from that point is to never lose the 180deg view of the CB that's facing you. If your eyes move a hair left or right after/during you make that transition (into address), you're looking at a new (incorrect) facing of the CB. That's usually where people have to make aiming adjustments at address. They have the solution while standing and they lose it unknowingly as they start to address the CB.

Please don't anyone take this as a Pro1 commercial or an aiming system commercial--- it's totally not. I've shown that "move" to a lot of ghostballers/feel-players and that tiny little nugget has improved them by a ball over a month or two. It's a PSR transition component that is so huge and important, I can't even put it into words. Just focus on being "perfect" with not losing that 180deg view, once you have it visually acquired.
 
SpiderWebComm said:
One you sight your "solution" from your eyes to the CB to the OB, the only thing that matters from that point is to never lose the 180deg view of the CB that's facing you. If your eyes move a hair left or right after/during you make that transition (into address), you're looking at a new (incorrect) facing of the CB. That's usually where people have to make aiming adjustments at address. They have the solution while standing and they lose it unknowingly as they start to address the CB.

Please don't anyone take this as a Pro1 commercial or an aiming system commercial--- it's totally not. I've shown that "move" to a lot of ghostballers/feel-players and that tiny little nugget has improved them by a ball over a month or two. It's a PSR transition component that is so huge and important, I can't even put it into words. Just focus on being "perfect" with not losing that 180deg view, once you have it visually acquired.
Click to expand...


Great! Thanks for the info. And I knew it wasn't a cte specific thing, that's why I asked the question.

Just for clarification, when you use the phrase 180 deg view, you mean the eye/head relationship to the CB while standing should be the same as in the stance? And also during the transition between standing and stance, it should also remain the same? I've never heard the 180 deg phrase before and want to be sure I'm interpreting it the way you meant it.
 
iusedtoberich said:
Great! Thanks for the info. And I knew it wasn't a cte specific thing, that's why I asked the question.

Just for clarification, when you use the phrase 180 deg view, you mean the eye/head relationship to the CB while standing should be the same as in the stance? And also during the transition between standing and stance, it should also remain the same? I've never heard the 180 deg phrase before and want to be sure I'm interpreting it the way you meant it.
Click to expand...

Yes. Let's say 12:00 on the CB is perpendicular to the foot rail and 6:00 on the CB is perpendicular to the kitchen. When you look at the CB, you can only see the 180deg facing you. If you move a little, your view changes (albeit slightly). So, when you're standing and sighing your aim line, let's say the left visual edge of the CB is 9:50 and the right visual edge is 3:20. You need to visually lock onto those CB edges and never lose them (hence, never losing your 180deg view of the CB face).

I'm a terrible explainer--- I hope that makes sense. This has been the best way to retain aim from the standing position to the set position that I have found.
 
droveto said:
I don't have any issue with the sliding of the cue when using a closed bridge. I just think the cue lines up slightly more to the inside of my body using a closed bridge making the aiming lines appear different to me when in shooting position and I'm unable to see the line of aim confidently.
I think I want to try and find a good teacher to take some lessons with in developing a few things. I played drums quite seriously and finding a master to guide me improved my technique and facility incredibly and I imagine the same is true for the game of pool...
Click to expand...

droveto:

One of the things you'll have to watch out for when using the closed bridge, is what style of closed bridge you use, and whether or not the cue traveling through it gets diverted (with "yaw") due to the orientation of the internal structure of the closed bridge.

If a closed bridge is not oriented correctly, it can add "yaw" to the delivery of the cue -- unseen to you, but visible to onlookers and in video -- that will throw your accuracy off. This is especially true if you have the soft pads of your fingers in contact with the shaft (e.g. as in the classic "looped index finger" bridge), rather than the boney parts of the finger in contact with the shaft (e.g. as in the index-pressing-upon-middle finger bridge). The soft pads of the fingers tend to be "grippy" as opposed to the boney areas of the fingers, and if you have one side of the shaft against a boney surface and the other side against a soft/fleshy pad, you'll have problems with the cue "diverting" towards the soft/fleshy side because the shaft's surface "grabbing" onto that fleshy side. (And you may not notice this, especially when delivering the cue with power -- but video will definitely show it!)

For a better explanation, perhaps the following two posts I'd made in the past concerning the topic of closed bridges might be of help:

Orientation of the "V" channel in the index-pressing-upon-middle finger bridge:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=3112521#post3112521

Photos of how to properly orient that internal "V" channel in that style of bridge:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=3119239#post3119239

Check those out, and feel free to post any questions,
-Sean
 
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