Bridge question?

Question

which one is better a closed bridge or open bridge I have always shot with a open bridge but this came up in a conversation the other night what,s your opinion

Answer 1

This is kinda like the baseball batting question....letting go of the bat with your top hand and extend with the bottom hand...personally it doesn't make a hoot as long as you are confident in your stroke....you just have to be able to use both depending on where you are on the table with the cue and object ball......my brother actually would use an open bridge and slide the cue between his knuckles!...he shot alright!....for me neither the open or closed has got me on TV.....so maybe I am the wrong guy to answer this!! Good luck!

Answer 2

all depends on the shot, and if you are using 1 or the other, you are restricting your ability! its something i dont even consider when im making a shot. When my hand goes out there, in my subconcious its automatic to me.  I have automatically changed it, at the last second, but i don't think about it, and if you do your in the wrong process thought on landing on the shot , to see the ball clearlly, and your stroke auto lined to the shot free flowing. hard to explain in type, but will be apart of my dvd. just like the so called stance, the bridge is a result, and not the factor to consider 1st.

Answer 3

I actually learned the exact opposite way as Straight suggested. My father taught me the closed bridge, but used an open bridge. I remember asking him why (it was a LONG time ago, lol) and he said that I shouldn't use the open bridge until I got better. So I learned to play with a closed bridge, then switched to almost exclusively an open bridge for many years, and then switched back to primarily a closed bridge. I now use a closed bridge about 70% of the time.

I feel like a closed bridge is better for most shots, but almost any shot can be executed successfully with either type of bridge with enough practice. I feel like it is easier to control spin and cue ball speed with a closed bridge. Many of the issues with a closed bridge Straight described do not affect me that much because I use a more traditional pool stance that is more upright, and play more 8 ball and straight pool where stop shots and cue ball placement must be more precise than in 9 ball, where accuracy is more imperative. I never have issues sighting the shot with a closed bridge, and don't have any problems placing my bridge as little as a few inches from the cue ball. I agree that a closed bridge could hide some stroke flaws, but in a game situation, making the shot has priority over using proper mechanics so I don't see that as a negative unless you're just practicing.

Anyway, I really feel if you want to play your best, you should become comfortable with both types of bridges, then pick which one is better for you and use it as your primary bridge. You will encounter shots all the time where one bridge is decidedly better than the other, so being comfortable with both is important, but deciding which one is better for you should be dependent on your playing style, and your personal preference.

Answer 4

Not Sure Bill I use both

open for most low shots

for a high bridge-over a ball-I use a closed bridge

Also if I am going to shoot hard I will close it up

Answer 5

An Open Bridge Is Always And I Mean Always Better.  You Cannot Get Anywhere When It Is Closed.

Answer 6

This is a good question, and I'm sure a controversial one.  Traditionally, it's been portrayed in many books and movies that a beginning player uses an open bridge and at some point, "graduates" to the closed bridge.  The reasons given for this are that the closed bridge is supposed to provide more stability and sometimes that it just looks more professional.  I personally find that the open bridge has many built-in advantages over the closed bridge for most shots.  An open bridge allows for sighting down the entire length of the shaft.  Very often people will lengthen their bridge when using a closed bridge.  They either do this or they stand more upright on the shot.  They do these things in order to see the cue tip over their bridge hand.  With an open bridge, it's possible to shorten up the length of your bridge, which provides much more accuracy.  Most importantly, an open bridge will reveal faults in your stroke.  If you are gripping the cue too tightly and/or dropping your elbow, your cue stick will fly up off your bridge hand and either bang into the lights, put someone's eye out, or just make you look really uncoordinated.  Too many people use the closed bridge as a band-aid solution to a faulty stroke.  Once they have that finger looped around the shaft, the cue doesn't fly up anymore and presto, they think that they've fixed the problem with their stroke.  In the game of pool, the function of the bridge is to guide the cue to the shot.  That being said, you should let the cue do the work.  I sometimes see people using a closed bridge in an attempt to make the bridge hand control the shot, not the grip hand.  I need to clarify that there is nothing wrong with the closed bridge.  Just be sure that you are using it because you want to, not because you feel that you have to.  Make an informed, not an ignorant decision when choosing your bridge.  For the record, I use an open bridge for about 85% of my shots.  There are a few situations where it just feels more comfortable for me to use a closed bridge, but it's not because I feel that I can't do what I have to with an open bridge.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.