Distance between bridging hand and tip whilst cueing

[GeordieDS]

First things first.....Merry Xmas everybody and i hope you have a great new year........a bit belated for xmas i know but i drive taxi and have been working non stop recently.

About 2 weeks ago i noticed that the distance between my bridge hand and the tip while i was cueing was very short so i decided to make it bigger and the results have been very good.

In most cases when i make an adjustment i only seem to play well for one session but after this adjustment i have had several sessions and they have all been good culminating in a 2-0 singles win against a player who i thought would have beaten me 2-0 so for the first time in a long while i am looking forward to playing the game.

I am sure there is a correct name for the adjustment i made but i have no idea what it is but i would like to know and also i would like to know if that is a common fault with players cue actions.

Thanks in advance

David S

[mooneyy]

What happened to your grip hand after you made this change?
If it stayed at the same place, the distence between your bridge and grip hand has been reduced. This could mean that you were overstretching prior to the change and therefore, playing better now.

[Sidd]

I am sure there is a correct name for the adjustment i made but i have no idea what it is but i would like to know and also i would like to know if that is a common fault with players cue actions.

I am not sure if i understood it clearly. You want to know the name for the process of adjusting the distance between cue tip and v of the bridge hand at address position. If you want to know the ideal taught distance well that is between 9-11 inches and some might even say 8-12 inches. However, the name of the process well never thought on that before and have no idea.

Not most of the people have this flaw given that this might be something that comes naturally to the players. I know a mate in my club who puts bridge very close to the cb like the distance under consideration in his case is not more than 6 inches max. I have told him to increase this cuz if the hand is so close this means very less area for the final backswing thereby inducing an abrupt backswing as well as a distorted jerky final delivery and yes not enough follow through as well...

[Terry Davidson]

I have never really checked this out by looking at the top pros but when I think about it I believe a lot of them are nearer to 12" rather than the other end of the scale at 9". I just checked myself and I find at 6ft with a 58" cue and normal length of arms that the 'V' of my bridge is right around 12" from the back of the cueball. I'm gripping the cue so there is about 1" hanging out of the back of my hand and my bridge arm is slightly bent.

This is very easy to check by placing the cueball so the back edge is on the brown spot and then cueing up normally as if you are 'shooting the spots' and see where the 'V' of the bridge is in relation to the circle of the 'D' which is 11.5" in diameter. If you are of normal height with normal length arms then the 'V' should be right around the circle somewhere.

Terry

[GeordieDS]

What happened to your grip hand after you made this change?
If it stayed at the same place, the distence between your bridge and grip hand has been reduced. This could mean that you were overstretching prior to the change and therefore, playing better now.

To be honest i never really noticed if my grip stayed at the same place but at a guess i would say it did because i tend to grip right at the end of the cue.........i am going to the club soon so i will have a look then........thanks

[SouthPaw]

I believe there are some exceptions with below textbook lengths, Mark Allen as an example has that punchy style and looks more near 6-8 inch most times. Must check my own tomorrow, from memory i believe it to be more nearer 9 inch. Though you usually find when your going through a bad spell you've changed something without consciously knowing!

[GeordieDS]

I am not sure if i understood it clearly. You want to know the name for the process of adjusting the distance between cue tip and v of the bridge hand at address position. If you want to know the ideal taught distance well that is between 9-11 inches and some might even say 8-12 inches. However, the name of the process well never thought on that before and have no idea.

Not most of the people have this flaw given that this might be something that comes naturally to the players. I know a mate in my club who puts bridge very close to the cb like the distance under consideration in his case is not more than 6 inches max. I have told him to increase this cuz if the hand is so close this means very less area for the final backswing thereby inducing an abrupt backswing as well as a distorted jerky final delivery and yes not enough follow through as well...

Thanks........i had never gave it much thought before but for some reason it was starting to bug me the lack of distance and it just looks and feels much more comfortable now as i seem to be getting a better idea of where i am striking the object ball.

[GeordieDS]

I have never really checked this out by looking at the top pros but when I think about it I believe a lot of them are nearer to 12" rather than the other end of the scale at 9". I just checked myself and I find at 6ft with a 58" cue and normal length of arms that the 'V' of my bridge is right around 12" from the back of the cueball. I'm gripping the cue so there is about 1" hanging out of the back of my hand and my bridge arm is slightly bent.

This is very easy to check by placing the cueball so the back edge is on the brown spot and then cueing up normally as if you are 'shooting the spots' and see where the 'V' of the bridge is in relation to the circle of the 'D' which is 11.5" in diameter. If you are of normal height with normal length arms then the 'V' should be right around the circle somewhere.

Terry

Thanks i will give it a try this afternoon when i go to the club.

[ace man]

I think Luca Brecel has the longest bridge length. It must be over 35cm on a lot of shots comfortably.

[RGCirencester]

Couldn't tell you how many inches it is but I always have the v of my Bridge right on the back of the d (just like Terry said) when cueing the white off the baulk line. It's a lot easier than carrying a ruler to the club with you

[DandyA]

another easy way to check is to put pencil lines across the top of the cue at 9" and 12" from the tip - then, assuming your cue tip is fairly close to the white as you address it, if your "v" is somewhere between the two lines, you're at the recommended distance

[Sidd]

This is very easy to check by placing the cueball so the back edge is on the brown spot and then cueing up normally as if you are 'shooting the spots' and see where the 'V' of the bridge is in relation to the circle of the 'D' which is 11.5" in diameter. If you are of normal height with normal length arms then the 'V' should be right around the circle somewhere.
Terry

Excellent reference Coach- will check mine as well and adjust if needed... great idea!