Tips / Practice / Fundamentals
When your thickness wavers, compare bridge lengths
Change the distance between the hand supporting the cue and the cue ball, and find the condition that makes the same thickness easy to repeat.
For beginners · about 20 min of practice · Based on a video by 양빵당구
One thing to remember today
Shorter is not automatically better; what matters is repeating the thickness you want.
Written and edited by TTBoys · How we write and check sources · Report an error
The bridge is the shape your front hand makes to support the cue. Here, think of bridge length as the distance from the point supporting the cue to the cue ball. Yangbbang Billiards lesson 101 compares thickness while changing this length. If you aim at the same spot by eye but keep hitting too thick or too thin, look at how consistently your cue moves before you change the amount of spin.
1. Start with the original scene
If playback is blocked or you want to see the scene again, watch from 2:00 on YouTube ↗
The scene buttons jump to the times we checked. Keep watching for the full explanation and the actual shot.
2. Sum it up in a diagram and check the conditions
- Practice layout
- Choose a layout where you can place your hand comfortably and there is room between the cue ball and the object ball. Leave rail bridges out of this comparison.
- What to change
- Only one thing: where you place your front hand, that is, the bridge length. Keep thickness, tip position, ball positions and target speed the same.
- Source figure
- The roughly 10 cm at 2:40 is an example of a short bridge. At 6:40 there is also a mark showing the short case missing, so you can't conclude that length always helps.
- Where to look
- Watch whether the cue tip wobbles left and right, whether you hit the thickness you set, and whether the first object ball goes in the same direction. Don't judge the stability of your front hand by scoring alone.
3. Follow the steps
Find where the bridge length is measured
Look at where the cue is actually supported, not at the wrist of your front hand. The distance between that point and the cue ball is the basis of the length comparison. Check both positions in the side-view concept diagram below.
Repeat 5 times at your usual length
Use the thickness you set on an easy layout. Keep the tip position and target speed each time, and record whether the first direction of the first object ball is consistent.
Move only your front hand a little
Choose just one: place it shorter or longer. Adjust within a range where your palm rests stably and the cue moves naturally. Don't force your stance to fit the 10 cm figure.
Shoot 5 more on the same layout
When the length changes, the cue motion and the feel of speed can change too. Check the target speed in your practice strokes, and don't twist the cue sideways at impact to fix the thickness.
Look at grouping rather than one success
Compare how often the first object ball goes into the same section and how comfortable your hand is. If one condition felt comfortable, check it again another day, and don't force the same length on every shot.
If it isn't working, start here
Thinking a 10 cm bridge always makes you accurate
Even the source has an example where the short case misses. The result can vary with the speed you need, the distance between balls and your stance.
Turning the direction with your wrist every time you hit thick
If you change aim and motion at the same time, it is hard to find the cause. Break your stance, aim again, and repeat with one comfortable motion.
A drill suggested by TTBoys
4. Bridge length A/B, 5 shots each
Shots 1–5: Repeat the same layout and thickness with your usual bridge length A.
Shots 6–10: Repeat with length B, changing only your front hand position, and compare how well the results group.
This comparison drill was put together by TTBoys. It does not reproduce every length and layout experiment in the source, and don't force yourself to hold a stance that hurts or makes the cue unstable.
Record "done" when the first object ball goes into the direction section you set in advance. Also note the bridge length you used and how comfortable your hand felt.
Tap a number to cycle: not recorded → hit → needs work.
0/10 recorded · goal hit 0 times
Kept on this screen only. Copy anything you need before leaving or refreshing.
Related reading
Sources and what was checked
3쿠션 두께 조절을 간단히 쉽고 정확하게 만들어 줄 고점자의 노하우 — 양샘 레슨 101
양빵당구 · Published 2022-10-08 · Checked 2026-10-10
Why this video: #5 by popularity on the 양빵당구 Videos tab · 1,210,943 views (checked 2026-10-03). This is not an overall ranking including Shorts and live streams, and views and order can change.
The fifth video in the channel's Videos tab sorted by popularity. We checked the description and the bridge, thickness and comparison result screens at 2:00, 2:40, 4:00, 6:00 and 6:40. The roughly 10 cm is one example in the source and is not presented as a universally recommended length.
We checked the video description and the selected scenes. We did not verify the full transcript or measure anything on a real table. The steps, diagrams and 10-shot drill are TTBoys' editing and do not imply review or partnership by the creator.