Bridges
lfigueroa
root in my game is the use of a greater number of very specific bridges
for different shots and positions on the table. I starated counting
them up the other day and was kinda surprised.
So I was wondering: how many different bridges do you use? Or, is it
more of a "one size fits all" kind of thing for you?
Lou Figueroa
Billy Bob
Geeze I must use 10 different bridges depending on the situation. Most of
the differences being when the cue ball is near or on a rail near the
corner. Many times there is no easy place to make a bridge, so it is
whatever works! I get creative.
bk4...@hotmail.com
Same as Billy Bob, I know I have lots of different ones. Just never
consciously paid attention to them like you are doing. Though I have
learned, while teaching others, that some of my rail bridges do not
work for the average person who is shorter and thus has shorter
fingers.
I sympathize.
Would be interested in seeing your list, Lou. And you get to "name"
them too! Subject to RSB approval, of course. ;-)
Bob
John Black
@f18g2000prf.googlegroups.com>, bk4...@hotmail.com says...
> Same as Billy Bob, I know I have lots of different ones. Just never
> consciously paid attention to them like you are doing. Though I have
> learned, while teaching others, that some of my rail bridges do not
> work for the average person
Against all advice I sometimes find its best to make a normal (open) bridge
on the rail. It does elevate the stick perhaps more than necessary but for
the circumstances that I like to do it, I can't find a bridge that works
better for me.
John Black
Ron Shepard
John Black <jbl...@texas.net> wrote:
> Against all advice I sometimes find its best to make a normal (open) bridge
> on the rail. It does elevate the stick perhaps more than necessary but for
> the circumstances that I like to do it, I can't find a bridge that works
> better for me.
If the stick is level, or as level as you need it to be, and brushes
against the cushion, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge
you use, open or closed. When stated this way it seems obvious, but
I've seen people argue about this, claiming (incorrectly) that a
particular bridge is better.
As far as rail bridges go, some of them work better on some tables
than others. For example, if the outside of the rail curves down,
then that gives you some flexibility with bridge choice that flat
rails don't. Gandy Big-G tables, which I'm seeing less often these
days, are an example of a nice rail shape with a nice downward curve.
$.02 -Ron Shepard
bk4...@hotmail.com
> In article <76fd0feb-887c-49d4-9f9c-463188d53656
>
> > Same as Billy Bob, I know I have lots of different ones. Just never
> > consciously paid attention to them like you are doing. Though I have
> > learned, while teaching others, that some of my rail bridges do not
> > work for the average person
>
> Against all advice I sometimes find its best to make a normal (open) bridge
> on the rail. It does elevate the stick perhaps more than necessary but for
> the circumstances that I like to do it, I can't find a bridge that works
> better for me.
>
> John Black
Ackachooly, the type of rail bridge I was referring to is when the CB
is very close to or on the rail, and the shot line is close to
parallel or parallel to the rail. I can maneuver some funky closed
bridges with a couple fingers on the rail and a couple fingers on the
table. It's a little different depending on which direction down the
rail you're shooting. I never realized how goofy it was until I tried
to show others (with shorter fingers) and they couldn't manage it.
LOL
Bob Keller
lfigueroa
did you decide to use each bridge, or, did you just do it unconsciously?
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
So did you decide on the different bridges unconsciously too?
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
bridges? Which ones didn't work?
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
>
> If the stick is level, or as level as you need it to be, and brushes
> against the cushion, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge
> you use, open or closed. When stated this way it seems obvious, but
> I've seen people argue about this, claiming (incorrectly) that a
> particular bridge is better.
Personally I do not believe this to be true. Not all bridges are
created equal, because people are different, and inconsistent in how
they deploy the same bridge in different situations, given various cue
ball orientations to the rail.
>
> As far as rail bridges go, some of them work better on some tables
> than others. For example, if the outside of the rail curves down,
> then that gives you some flexibility with bridge choice that flat
> rails don't. Gandy Big-G tables, which I'm seeing less often these
> days, are an example of a nice rail shape with a nice downward curve.
>
> $.02 -Ron Shepard
It's not so much a matter of the tables accommodating different bridges
better, say a GC vs a Diamond, though that does come into play a bit
because of their different rail profiles, it's more a matter of people
being more accurate with different bridges for different types of rail
involved shots: hand on top of cue for follow; hand on top of the rail
for draw; open hand underneath cue; CB frozen to the rail bridge; CB
close to the rail bridge; jacked up open hand bridge; close finger
jacked up bridge; CB/shot 90 degrees from the rail bridge; CB/shot
parallel to the rail bridge.
Some bridges will be be more accurate and produce more consistent
results for particular situations, for each individual player, IMO.
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
one finger on the table bed, sometimes none, depending on the shot. I
miss if I put two fingers on the table bed.
Lou Figueroa
Ron Shepard
lfigueroa <lfig...@att.net> wrote:
> Ron Shepard wrote:
> >
> > If the stick is level, or as level as you need it to be, and brushes
> > against the cushion, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge
> > you use, open or closed. When stated this way it seems obvious, but
> > I've seen people argue about this, claiming (incorrectly) that a
> > particular bridge is better.
[...]
> Some bridges will be be more accurate and produce more consistent
> results for particular situations, for each individual player, IMO.
Yes, I agree, although now that I read my sentence again I can see
how that was not clear. What I meant was that the choice between an
open or closed bridge does not depend on the issue of stick
elevation. Both open and closed bridges will result in the same
elevation provided the shaft is brushing the cushion. As I said,
although this seems obvious when stated this way, I have seen many
players argue, for example, that closed rail bridges should not be
used because they result in unnecessary elevation.
So once you eliminate the (false) issue of unwanted elevation, that
leaves all of the other issues that are being discussed as to which
bridge to use. I'm like Bob on this, I have a million little
variations that I use for these bridges. Sometimes I use one in a
given situation, but if the cue ball (or the object ball, or some
other nearby object ball) were to be moved a mm or so one way or the
other, I would switch to a different bridge. Shot speed also
affects the bridge choice in some cases, I might use one bridge for
a soft shot but switch to a different bridge (for a longer stroke)
for a faster shot. And, as I said before, the rail shape also comes
into play. For example, for a fast shot on a table with a narrow
rail, I might use a bridge where only my fingertips are on the rail,
whereas on a table with a wider rail I might use one of the bridges
where my hand is still laying on the rail. The pockets sometimes
come into play also. There are some situations where I might use a
particular open bridge because by fingers wrap over into the pocket,
whereas for the same kind of shot six inches over to the side I
might use a different bridge.
Individual physical features also play a role in bridge choice. The
length of the players fingers, or the size of the players hands in
general, can be important. Something that is natural and
comfortable for one player might be impossible for another.
$.02 -Ron Shepard
John Black
she...@NOSPAM.comcast.net says...
> In article <MPG.2577957b6...@news.eternal-september.org>,
> John Black <jbl...@texas.net> wrote:
>
> > Against all advice I sometimes find its best to make a normal (open) bridge
> > on the rail. It does elevate the stick perhaps more than necessary but for
> > the circumstances that I like to do it, I can't find a bridge that works
> > better for me.
>
> If the stick is level, or as level as you need it to be, and brushes
> against the cushion, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge
> you use, open or closed.
Well with the bridge I am talking about, the stick does not brush the
cushion. My hand is on top of the rail and the stick is on top of my hand
just like when I make a bridge on the table bed. I've been told this is a
bad idea but for certain circumstances, I can't get any other bridges to
feel comfortable.
John Black
bk4...@hotmail.com
> I will provide a list, but want yours first, Bob :-)
>
> So did you decide on the different bridges unconsciously too?
>
> Lou Figueroa
You're the one who said he's started counting them, not me! ;-)
But you've got me thinking that's for sure. I can't recall a single
instructional book that shows more than the 3-4 standard bridges. I
should work on this, it would make a good addition to that pool book
that I never get around to writing.....gotta go eat some turkey right
now, I may get to that list.
Yes, my bridges happened unconsciously and spontaneously over years of
fooling around. Never, ever did I consciously think about bridges
after learning the 3-4 standard ones.
Bob Keller
Ron Shepard
John Black <jbl...@texas.net> wrote:
> > If the stick is level, or as level as you need it to be, and brushes
> > against the cushion, it doesn't really matter what kind of bridge
> > you use, open or closed.
>
> Well with the bridge I am talking about, the stick does not brush the
> cushion. My hand is on top of the rail and the stick is on top of my hand
> just like when I make a bridge on the table bed. I've been told this is a
> bad idea but for certain circumstances, I can't get any other bridges to
> feel comfortable.
That sounds like an alright bridge if you need the extra stick elevation
(e.g. for a nip draw with the cue ball close to the cushion). But if
you don't really need the extra elevation, if you really should be
playing the shot with a level cue, then it's not a good bridge. When do
you use this bridge? How far is the cueball from the cushion. Are you
trying to shoot with topspin, stun, draw, sidespin?
$.02 -Ron Shepard
John Black
says...
> Sooo, what you're saying is that you've experimented with different rail
> bridges? Which ones didn't work?
Hmm, I guess I don't have a bunch of rail bridges or at least I don't
remember what I experimented with over the years. I typically ride the cue
on the rail under my hand riding against my middle finger with some other
fingers on top. But if the cueball is too close for that, I just make a
standard table top bridge on the rail.
John Black
Jack Stein
> Yes, my bridges happened unconsciously and spontaneously over years of
> fooling around.
Same, I think this is true for most everyone.
Never, ever did I consciously think about bridges
> after learning the 3-4 standard ones.
There are at least two bridges I think about. One is what I call the
bullshit bridge, where you make like an upside down bullshit sign, with
the two inside fingers folded under your hand. This is a bridge I never
used until a year or two ago, and I don't think I ever missed a shot
with it (possible exaggeration) It feels really, really solid to me,
and for some reason, I shoot great with it. It amazes me how little I
use it, knowing all this. Seems since I've missed many, many thousands
of balls with all my other bridges, this one is neglected unless I
overtly think about it, and thinking is not appealing to me... I will
say I use far more open bridges than when I first started.
The other bridge that I consciously think about every time is the CB on
the rail shot. I discovered that one of the bigger problems with this
shot is using a short bridge. To get the longest bridge possible you
need a finger tip bridge and how well that works depends a lot on the
rail configuration (for example, some rails have a cove cut around the
outside rail, and this helps, but few tables have this) I never feel
comfortable with any of these fingertip bridges on the rail. I do feel
comfortable with a short bridge (relatively) but I can easily miss a
long shot off the rail by a whole diamond that way.
So, there is a great bridge that feels and works wonderful, but I don't
use much, and there is a horrible bridge that feels like crap that I use
a lot... no wonder my game sucks:-)
--
Jack
Using FREE News Server: http://www.eternal-september.org/
http://jbstein.com
John Black
she...@NOSPAM.comcast.net says...
> > Well with the bridge I am talking about, the stick does not brush the
> > cushion. My hand is on top of the rail and the stick is on top of my hand
> > just like when I make a bridge on the table bed. I've been told this is a
> > bad idea but for certain circumstances, I can't get any other bridges to
> > feel comfortable.
>
> That sounds like an alright bridge if you need the extra stick elevation
> (e.g. for a nip draw with the cue ball close to the cushion). But if
> you don't really need the extra elevation, if you really should be
> playing the shot with a level cue, then it's not a good bridge. When do
> you use this bridge? How far is the cueball from the cushion. Are you
> trying to shoot with topspin, stun, draw, sidespin?
All of the above except probably top. I have to get back to the table to be
sure but I think I use this bridge whenever the cueball is close or somewhat
close to the rail.
John Black
Mark0
snipped
> cushion. My hand is on top of the rail and the stick is on top of my hand
> just like when I make a bridge on the table bed. I've been told this is a
> bad idea but for certain circumstances, I can't get any other bridges to
> feel comfortable.
>
> John Black
John I know you're a smart and observant guy so I *know* you know that
comfort comes with practice/ repetition. Keep at it and the other way
will cease to feel comfortable.
--Mark0 <--has a piston-like level stroke (but can't aim worth doodly)
=-=-=
Author of Secrets to a Perfect Pool Table Recovering Job
http://www.mccauleyweb.com/secrets.htm
________________________________________________________________________�
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lfigueroa
experiment with the different situations and find the bridge that sets
you up the best to execute the shot. It is the individual physical
idiosyncrasies that happen when we set up for different shots that make
almost imperceptible, but important variations. I consider this to be
one of the major things I've learned in the last year or so that has
helped improve my game and made me much more consistent.
As an example, in my case, when the CB is sitting just a few inches off
the rail, through experimenting with all the possible variations, I have
found that my body sets up best for this kind of shot with an open hand
ring and middle finger bent under bridge. I don't know (or care) why
this is so. All I know, after fooling around with all of them, is that
when I set up with this bridge, on that kind of shot, in a pressure
situation, I don't have to worry about being accurate. I don't have to
worry about being level or dead center on the CB, because I know hat I
am. So I can then worry about other aspects of the shot.
So I'm saying each situation needs to be experimented with because
chances are, each bridge variation will be just a little different and
give you different outcomes. One will be best.
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
Lou Figueroa
lfigueroa
others.
Lou Figueroa
trust me