Why use a long bridge?

PKM

PKM

OB-1 Kenobi
Silver Member
A lot of professionals seem to use a very long bridge. How much do you think it is because of the pivot point, or do they just like using a longer stroke for firm shots or some other reason?
 
I like a long bridge because it gives more power to my stroke playing 9 ball. I use a shorter stroke on certain shots, but when I need to move the cue ball from one end of the table to the other end the long smooth stroke makes it effortless to get around the table.

James
 
Myself (which I am no champion), I have a long stroke. I guarantee that my bridge goes 12 plus inches from time to time. I've also been told its too long. I had a friend say "the more and more you start to get in stroke, the longer your bridge gets." Go figure.
 
That's a good question to ask Francisco B. or Alex P.

All I know is it works for them.

I find the longer bridge I use, the less accuracy I have.

Stones
 
I believe that increased power without having to stroke "hard" is the primary reason for the long bridge... that and some will say that the cue ball can be seen a little better without the forward hand blocking the view.

As has been said, for the amatuer, accuracy will suffer to some extent as the amatuer's stroke is not as straight as the professional's usually is and with the long bridge the stroke will wobble some.
 
Interestingly though, Pagulayan's stroke is actually pretty short. His bridge is long, but you'll notice that the tip doesn't come nearly as close to how Busta and Efren nearly pull the ferrule to their bridge hand.
 
PKM said:
A lot of professionals seem to use a very long bridge. How much do you think it is because of the pivot point, or do they just like using a longer stroke for firm shots or some other reason?
Click to expand...

4 reasons off the top of my head:

1. Corrects errors in stroke on many shots due to pivot point characteristics.
2. Visually gives good look at cue line.
3. Allows smaller adjustments in alignment for the same amount of bridge adjustment.
4. Allows more fluid stroke. (mainly helps for speed control)
 
You definitely have to be consistent to use a long bridge, a long swivel point will make your cue tip swerve off line with any little side to side or up and down movement in your stroke.

Bridge your cue near the joint just for fun and move your back hand off line just a tiny bit and watch your cue tip move an inch now bridge six inches from your ferrule and move your back hand, the cue tip moves only a fraction.

I think a good player can use a long stroke and for the casual player the bar stroke is the better option.
 
Something I learned from Freddy The Beards DVD Set I go from Omega Billiards at the May-BCA.

Follow Shot-Long Bridge

Center Ball Hit-Shorter Long Bridge

Draw Shot-Short Bridge

The System works great. Thanks Freddy.
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They're pro's who have hit a gazillion shots playing everyday so they can get away with anything.

Also I suspect a lot of top pro's aren't very tall (under 6 ft) so they probably need a longer bridge to reach shots.

I've heard they do it to sight the ball better and move the cue ball around with less "effort".

As an amateur who could only play pool once a week (if I was lucky) I found that when using a shorter bridge (6-7 inches) I was more precise cueing the ball without sacrificing power.
 
Feel.

Using a longer bridge, and using it well just feels damn good and more satisfying to hit the ball. because at the end of the day that's the main reason we all play pool - because we enjoy that pure feeling of hitting the cue ball with a stick into an object ball, to make it go into a pocket. And doing it with a longer bridge just seems to feel good for whatever reason. And it feels more powerful.
 
roger griffis was having trouble with his game, and efren was talking with him. reportedly efren told him to try lengthening his bridge. i've been fascinated by this subject ever since.

i personally dont think accuracy is indirectly related to bridge length. i think many, many players may be better off going a bit longer. there is error in backswings, longer bridges give one a chance to better correct this error without without jerking to the opposite side of the error at impact to counteract the error. nobody will listen to me but that's ok too. lol.
 
For each player the proper bridge length might be different. A player must stay in their "sweet zone" for consistant ball striking. With sound mechanics one can play with a fairly long bridge(whatever that means) and play very well.

I also have watched many a player use a longer bridge and only bring the cue tip back about 4-6 inches in their back stroke. What does that mean???? Maybe longer bridges are easier to sight with or feel more comfortable.

One must find their perfect mechanics and then use a bridge length that supplements that bridge......SPF=randyg
 
If you look back at the last generation of players that played allot of 14.1, you didn't see any where near like you do now, the lenghty bridge distance. Increased bridge distance equates into more cue ball forward movement or more spin. When you play straight pool you tend to keep matters much simpler when taking a rack apart, kicking out your bridge length in this game brings more variables into each shot, not easy to run 526 with a 14" bridge. With 9-ball coming to the forefront in the last 30 years the player has too move the cue ball greater distances and thus needs more swing/bridge distance to accomplish that. More bridge distance equals more follow through equals more action on whitey. Ever try to put a ton of side spin on whitey with a two inch bridge and hit it real hard, :grin-square:
 
dr_dave said:
FYI, I have a good summary of justifications for both short and long bridges here:


Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...

This is a good compilation, Dave, so I took the liberty of copying it here for those who don't take the time to click your link.

pj
chgo

Spiderman:
1. Long-bridge acceleration doesn't need to be as high to reach the same tip speed (firm shots). Perhaps error at the back hand might actually be greater on some firm shots, if taken using a short bridge, because of the snappy acceleration required. Though the short bridge would divide down this increased error, I could still imagine a net loss in accuracy.

2. Level cue: Some players with large or inflexible hands have more trouble getting their bridge height down. Moving the fulcrum back would reduce the resulting "tilt" angle.

3. Sighting: I personally like being able to clearly see the "forward" portion of my shaft during warm-up strokes. I could imagine this being hindered if you have both a low stance and a short bridge.

dr_dave:
4. Some people feel more natural and comfortable with a longer bridge and stroke.

Bob_Jewett:
My experience is that most players can get plenty of power with a much shorter bridge than they usually use. Also, for players with long bridges watch how far the tip comes back on their backstroke. If it does not come back to the bridge hand or pretty nearly, the bridge is longer than it needs to be (unless you want to make some kind of pivot-point, BHE argument).

Colin_Colenso:
1. Corrects errors in stroke on many shots due to pivot point characteristics.
2. Visually gives good look at cue line.
3. Allows smaller adjustments in alignment for the same amount of bridge adjustment.
4. Allows more fluid stroke. (mainly helps for speed control)
Click to expand...
 
Many postive things are suggested already about lengthing your bridge.

Another thing that may be as important as any of the rest that I hadn't seen mentioned is that with a longer bridge, if you are going to be consistent with precision of cue tip hit, you will need to improve the straightness of your stroke. By improving the straightness of your stroke you will increase your ball pocketing skills and your ability to obtain better shape because your stroke becomes more consistent than if you use a shorter bridge and the "advantages" of a shorter bridge.

JoeyA
 
Island Drive said:
If you look back at the last generation of players that played allot of 14.1, you didn't see any where near like you do now, the lenghty bridge distance. Increased bridge distance equates into more cue ball forward movement or more spin. When you play straight pool you tend to keep matters much simpler when taking a rack apart, kicking out your bridge length in this game brings more variables into each shot, not easy to run 526 with a 14" bridge. With 9-ball coming to the forefront in the last 30 years the player has too move the cue ball greater distances and thus needs more swing/bridge distance to accomplish that. More bridge distance equals more follow through equals more action on whitey. Ever try to put a ton of side spin on whitey with a two inch bridge and hit it real hard, :grin-square:
Click to expand...

i wonder if this could be due partly to the balls though, it seems in strait pool one is always in the middle of a bunch of balls. to solidly get your hand on the table with no balls in between a short bridge may come up more often, so they have learned to use a short bridge when they perhaps otherwise naturally wouldnt is my point. interesting.
 
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