Backspin / Draw question.

[MasseMaster]

Hi there.
I've not been playing for long but my main downfall in games is my cueball control / positioning. I can pot quite well but really struggle getting the white where I want it. I've been practicing backspin / draw on my pool table and I'm very inconsistent. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Do people recommend a closed bridge for these type of shots or an open bridge? I know pool players use closed bridges because if there are any impurities in your stroke everything can go wrong. Would it be worth learning to alternate between the two bridges? Open for angles, closed for more straight forward shots which require alot of draw?

Any help appreciated.

[hegeland]

The closed, or looped bridge, was the standard bridge in the world of pool and billiards (I don't know about the UK form) from the early days up till the late 1980's. Since then, the open bridge has slowly, but surely, taken over, and these days few players use the closed bridge other than for a few types of shots, like shots where lots of power or cue ball spin is used.

Also, whenever a long bridge (like 12 inches or more) is needed, your bridge should be open.

Look at how the professionals play and how they alternate between closed and open bridge. You'll see that there are a lot of personal differences, but mostly I suggest you use the open bridge, other than for shots where you are unsure of your ability to keep the cue straight (such as real power shots or shots wich combines power and extreme spin of any kind).

[Blondie]

Hi Masse,

I attend to agree with Hege on this one, and I tend to play backspin with an open lowered bridge, and a flattened bridge hand, and find it works really well, so would generally recommend this to you too. That said, backspin/screw is not an easy shot to play though, but my advice would be to try and get your bridge hand as flat as you can on the table, so your cue is as parrallel to the table bed as possible. This helps me to get a bit more 'grit' and 'bite' into the shot.

Your grip is important here as well, and I must admit, I normally have quite a loose grip too, so I can pull back the cue as far as possible. When I first started playing this shot, I always found my grip was too tight, so I couldn't pull the cue back far enough, but you only learn from this mistake through practice and more practice, and also finding out what feels comfortable for you too.

I'd also say timing is a big part of having a successful backspin shot as well, and also the acceleration of the cue itself too. I've found over the years that you don't necessarily have to strike the cue-ball hard, or fast, just that the movement itself must be accelerating, if that makes sense.

I also think it's a bit of an advantage in this shot to have quite a large backswing as well, especially for deep screw shots, as this really helps to generate more backspin on the cue-ball, although it is a little harder to control sometimes. And I always need to watch this as you can end up with jumping balls, and ones that fly off the table too.

And with a clear, smooth, cue action, plus a pause at the end of your backswing, before driving the cue through, then strike the cue-ball below centre, and follow through. [Sounds easy? not...]. I've found as well though, to achieve real maximum screw back, that I need to follow through that little bit extra, not too much though, and you'll notice if you do this that your elbow will tend to drop down a little as well.

I'm not sure really what tables you play on either, but I've found that tables sometimes can have quite a bit to do with how much backspin you can get on a cue-ball. Club tables tend to have quite a thick cloth, which is workable, although I've tried some tables with a thinner cloth, and this seems to work much better, for me, anyway. I think as well that match tables tend to have a more thinner cloth too.

Another little tip as well to pass on, when I first started practising backspin, I could never really understand why I kept hitting the cue-ball high off centre instead of below centre, and I just kept thinking really that my sighting and aiming was off, and that I needed to practice more. It was only when a friend told me that as I was driving the cue through, I was lifting the cue off my bridge, without realising I was doing it. I never realised at all that I was doing this, and sometimes playing with a friend, and a practice partner has its advantages as they can spot things that you wouldn't necessarily notice.

And I do tend to alternate sometimes as well between open and closed bridges too, depending on what type of shot I'm playing. Tend to have more of a closed bridge, but not completely closed, for shots like stun, and swerve, and it just feels as if you've got more control this way over the cue action, and helps with accelerating power into the shot, and controlling the extreme spin as well.

..............and like Hege's earlier response, hopefully this helps a little bit as well Masse, it's not an easy shot to play, and with more practice I'm sure it'll seem easier, and good luck with it all.

Lol....xx

[MasseMaster]

Thanks very much for both of your great informative responses.
I've been practicing with a flat open bridge as you suggested Blondie, and I'm making good progress.
Much appreciated.
Thanks

[Blondie]

Hi Masse,

........that's great to hear, and no probs, enjoy yourself, it's a great game, one of the best I think.

Lol...xx