Bridge is a fascinating game that works your brain and engages your senses. It is fun and educational, strengthening the mind while exercising your memory to stay sharp. You’ll be building relationships through good sportsmanship. It is a very social game and yet very intense and exciting.
Let’s be clear… bridge is not for everyone. It requires patience and persistence. Try the introductory course A Taste of Bridge. After a few lessons you will either decide you never want to see me or play bridge again, or you will be excited and can’t wait for the next course. I hope it will be the latter.Bridge is not that difficult. It requires learning the basics and practicing until you own the concepts. As you progress in your bridge journey, you may choose to learn some of the more complex aspects. You will enjoy playing just knowing the basics, Those who move forward with post beginner lessons become more competitive players.
In about 6 months, you can learn the essentials of the game. You will be able to play socially and in competitive novice level games, known as duplicate bridge. As you progress, you will want to play against more skillful opponents. The great thing is that at every level, there are millions of people around the world at your level with whom to play and enjoy the game.
I begin with a Zoom meeting. Most people are familiar with Zoom. If not, ask for help before the first class begins. I will post my notes on your screen and discuss each element. We often do exercises together on a marvelous practice website. Then I will give you a link to take you to our teaching platform. There you will play hands that I have prepared to reinforce the material you just learned. You will be playing bridge in the very first lesson. The classes are interactive and you are encouraged to ask questions.
There are advantages for both.Face to Face
Face to face learning is more social than being with others in zoom meetings.
If you want a class that proceeds at a slower pace, face to face classes always move more slowly.
Live online interactive classesNote that I am distinguishing between live interactive classes vs. online lectures with little or no opportunity to ask questions. I am not a fan of the latter.
Online classes are social too, especially when they are limited in size.
In an online class, the playing platform will sort your cards in the correct order automatically. There is no need to manually arrange the cards, which takes up class time. The program will not permit you to play cards that are not allowed.
When it comes time to playing the hands, there are huge advantages here.
In a declarer play lesson on how to play the hand, the defenders are going through the motions. You will learn most from being the declarer. In face to face lessons, you sit with 3 others at the table. Since you have to take turns, his means you will be the declarer one out of every four hands. Maybe you will get to play 2 hands in a two hour lesson. The technology we use for online lessons allows the instructor to place each person at their own table, where you will play every hand, sometimes as many as 8 in a two hour lesson. There is no need to take turns at a table.I can view everyone’s tables and monitor their play. After all the players have had the opportunity to try the hand, I will replay it for students to watch the correct techniques. That is a fantastic way to learn.
If both methods are available to you, I suggest taking online classes. Then go to the local club’s Supervised Play program where you will play with others at a table. There is an instructor nearby to ask for assistance. This combination has worked beautifully for my students.
This is the very competitive type of bridge. Imagine you are in a room with 20 tables. Your team is sitting in the North-South position. The opponents are in East – West. In duplicate, you are not judged so much on how you played a hand against a specific pair of opponents. The exact same hand will be played by many North-South pairs in the room. You are judged on how well you scored against all of the others who played the same hand. That is serious, and stressful (in a fun way) competition.
Jeff Bayone’s award winning book, A Taste of Bridge is excellent. It is the result of his many years of teaching. It is such a good learning tool that our club includes the book as part of the fee for the first course. You may purchase it online at Master Point Press, Amazon or Barnes and Nobles. It is available in print or as an ebook.
Check the Bridge and Games website for upcoming beginner courses. You will be able to view online courses and in person courses. Then email jeff@badlerbridge.com and include your cell phone number. I will get you registered for your choice of our beginner offerings. I am also available to answer questions if you are not sure which class is right for you to take. There are also many courses designed for advanced beginners and intermediate players.
My main goal in teaching bridge is to share my enthusiasm and love for the game with as many people as possible. On occasion, I will give short term private lessons for my students who need assistance catching up or who are having difficulty with certain concepts. Since recordings and notes are available for my classes, this usually eliminates the need for private lessons, but I will make arrangements whenrequested. I do not offer private lessons for individuals or small groups.
When you register for your first class, I will send you a link to an invoice either by email or text. You can pay securely online. After that our secure system will bill the same card whenever you take a course or an individual class. You will always receive a receipt by email.
Yes, absolutely. Several of my students activate the closed caption feature.
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