My New Bridge
I was studying a pro player recently and noticed he formed his bridge hand differently than me. I studied and studied, then late last night went to California Billiards to give it a try. I have to say, I liked it much better than the bridge I’ve been using for years. It seemed more stable and repeatable, and I ran ball after ball after ball. Note the differences in the two bridges. In my new bridge, the tips of my thumb and first finger meet, and both are locked to the second joint of my middle finger. This provides more precise placement of fingers and less friction on the cue shaft, yet is just as stable, if not more so, than my original bridge.
My Old Bridge
With my old bridge, my thumb was stationed on the outside of my first finger, and my first finger was pressed against my middle finger. This worked okay, but the bridge was not super robust, and I experienced some variation in shaft stability from shot to shot. I certainly shot a million times better last night than I did on Thursday night with my new APA team! Now, I just need to keep practicing my new bridge until it feels natural.
Angle of Reflection 
Your new way looks just like my bridge. Glad to know that I sometimes do something right.
i use a mixture of the filipino bridge (a la efren/busti) and the standard bridge (just like ur new bridge). i know the filipino bridge isn’t really filipino, but it seems the most recognizable way to describe it.
I’m not familiar with the ‘filipino’ bridge, so I’ll check that out. I’m surprised I made it this far without the use of a good bridge. I guess I should pay more attention to other good players!
just youtube any efren’s match. or maybe a close-up pic.
I love the new bridge. I hope you’ve got an excellent open bridge in your tool box too.
uhhmmmm…not really, but I’m working on that now.