[Turbo Ghost]

I've noticed most professional pool/billiards players use the closed bridge while most professional snooker players use an open bridge. Oddly enough, I shoot more snooker than anything and have always used an open bridge but, when I used to shoot in 9-ball tournaments, I used a closed bridge. Has anyone ever suggested a reason for the difference? I'll also post this in the main forum to see what both sides have to say.

[Cameron Smith]

The accepted reasoning is that open bridges allow for easier sighting due to an unobstructed view down the shaft. I also find it not as comfortable to use a closed bridge on on snooker shaft vs. a pool shaft, but that probably has more to do with what I am used to. Though I also typically use the open bridge far more while playing pool than I do the closed.

[Scaramouche]

I find that my draw shot is far more reliable with a closed bridge, when I remember to use it

[Turbo Ghost]

Interesting! These points (shaft shape, view and draw shots) were made in the billiards section also. Sounds like a strong agreement on the reasoning for the different bridges!

[Renegade_56]

I believe the reason snooker players generally use open bridge is due to the conical taper on snooker cues.

[sfleinen]

Originally Posted by Renegade_56

I believe the reason snooker players generally use open bridge is due to the conical taper on snooker cues.

That's part of it. Another part is the "uninterrupted sightline" down the shaft thing. Still another part is something rarely mentioned, and not even many snooker players themselves know this, but it's the fact that the "V" channel in the open bridge is oriented correctly to allow for the "rise" that occurs when the shaft is stroked through the open bridge due to the conical taper -- the rise happens up and down, rather than to the side (known as "yaw" in aircraft engineering speak).

There's been a couple really interesting threads about this topic, and the following are ones that I personally remember discussing the virtues (and myths!) about open and closed hand bridges:

(This one discusses the myths about the open bridge.)
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showth...85#post3107485

(This one gets into how the "V" channel is important, but oft overlooked.)
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showth...21#post3112521

(This one includes pictures showing how to correctly orient the "V" in the Filipino index-overlapping-middle-finger bridge.)
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showth...39#post3119239

Turbo Ghost: I know you haven't been here long at the AZB forums, but here's a helpful tip that I think will give you hours of very interesting reading. If you use AZB's "Search" feature, and type the following query string in:

+open +closed +bridge

...you'll get a lot of targeted results. (Don't forget the "+" signs immediately next to each of the words with no spaces in between the "+" and the word. This indicates that word is MANDATORY and must occur in the post. If you don't use the "+" sign, the word is optional, and the query is interpreted as a "this or that" type of query.)

Hope this is helpful!
-Sean

[Turbo Ghost]

Thanks for the tip on the searching! I wasn't aware of the either/or function without the "+". I thought I was having a groundhog day moment when I clicked the second and third links you included but, then I realized you were just linking to specific points in the original thread. Once I clicked on the first link, I was there through the 10 pages!
Of course, now my finger hurts from trying to make the Filipino bridge! I'm at work so, I can't do it with a cue on a table so, maybe that will be a little easier.
Thanks for all the info and as such I shall NOT wave my privates in your general direction!

[Wity]

Drunks and young kids usually play with a closed bridge.

It makes sense in that a cue is less likely to slide out of the hand and cause damage.

[sfleinen]

Originally Posted by Wity

Drunks and young kids usually play with a closed bridge.

It makes sense in that a cue is less likely to slide out of the hand and cause damage.

Well, after the brilliance displayed by that post, the logical counter would be this:

"Wannabe club players who flip burgers as their primary source of income usually play with an open bridge. After all, the motion is the same -- slap the hand down on the table like a hamburger patty, and the built-in grease provides the needed lubrication for the shaft to slide upon."

-Sean

[Wity]

Why is there always some pillock around who tries to take the piss out of a fact?

[Slh]

using a closed bridge means more friction= less draw.

[johnrobs85]

thanks for these useful tips.

[SirNoobs]

I dominantly use an open bridge. But subconsciously I'll use a closed bridge when I need more stability. I definitely know that I use the closed bridge when I'm shooting along the rail and the closed bridge for breaking.