how do you prepare your body to shoot pool?

E

evergruven

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
hi all, been shooting more regularly than I'm used to, and my shoulder's been letting me know about it- wondering in general what y'all do (or don't do, as the case may be) to get in shape for a good pool sesh?

personally, I stretch out my joints and try to warm my arm up on the table before I get to really crackin' em- afterwards I stretch some and have been doing pt on my shooting shoulder, as I've had joint problems in the past. occasionally I'll also throw in a few bicep beer curls- those seem to help keep me feeling sporty as well :winknudge:

how bout chall?
 
Redbull on my way to the poolhall sometimes. Coffee while I'm there sometimes. Only time I've ever really stretched at all before pool is if I'm starting early, and that's just a few little arm stretches...
 
preparation of the body?

oh yeah,we called it by a different name back in my day
we called it getting your chemistry right

I found that upper got me too up and downers discouraged me

but it was so hard to play 4 day sessions without some preparation


Greg Stevens was the best I ever saw for the first 2 or 3 days without sleep

but guys started playing position on him

I knew guys that would always have the house man call and wake them up when Greg hit the 4th day

I am really looking forward to more of these interesting threads from you young guys
 
Used to fill mine full of beer and whiskey too, thought I shot better. Gave it up 21 years ago and play better now.

Your mileage may vary...…...;)
 
Usually by playing a little pocket pool but besides that most times just putting the cue by the cue ball facing the shot then turn to the right a touch and Bend forward at the hips not the waist and stick out my arsh a bit that is long as I am not in Hollywood.
 
I watch my food intake. If I'm all full all I want is to take a nap, so I might have something
light to eat if I feel like it. I'll also take ibuprofen before to try and stave off any aches or
pains or the onset of a headache (migraine).
If it just a basic league night that's about it. If it's a team event in Las Vegas or the local
team championships or something like that, I'll stretch and (if I can) swim every day, make sure I
schedule a time to just sit and be comfortable or sleep and breathe in an environment
away from the hustle of a casino or the tournament room, just relax. And I'll try everyday to get at least a little sun,
some vitamin D, but mostly, before I play at all, even before I throw the balls out on the
table I give myself at least a few minutes, more if I can to clear my head, sort of get in my
happy place
 
Take a nap and rest my eyes. I play best with a good night's sleep.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
evergruven said:
hi all, been shooting more regularly than I'm used to, and my shoulder's been letting me know about it- wondering in general what y'all do (or don't do, as the case may be) to get in shape for a good pool sesh?

personally, I stretch out my joints and try to warm my arm up on the table before I get to really crackin' em- afterwards I stretch some and have been doing pt on my shooting shoulder, as I've had joint problems in the past. occasionally I'll also throw in a few bicep beer curls- those seem to help keep me feeling sporty as well :winknudge:

how bout chall?
Click to expand...

Lots of sleep is key. Also try to avoid repetitive motion injuries from work. Like sitting in the same place and resting your feet/arms too long in the same way.

If your shoulder pain is muscle pain it should diminish as you keep playing and those muscles get more used to being used. If it's joint/rotator cuff pain you are going to want to start supplementing. Do your own research but what works for me is bone broth, collagen or glucosamine/chondroitin. Or all three. Fish oil is another thing that will decrease inflammation (pain) and also help with mental clarity.

Also, if you sleep on your side on that shoulder you might want to experiment with changing positions.

Me, personally, I just groove and keep on grooving forever. :)
 
coffee, stretching

Hi y'all.
Here's how I prepare. Since I'm 73 & a pool noob, I just drink coffee at breakfast [btw, even when hanging out, I don't drink beer anymore. stopped 40 yrs ago.]. Around 8a.m. when I get to the center, usually the guys aren't there yet, I do 5-10min stretching. Do 150 or more warm-up shots at the corner pockets.( 16 balls one way, then 16 going back .) So when the guys stream in, I'm ready to shoot pool.
 
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you guys are great. it is fun to watch video of old matches and see players drinking booze and smoking. these days, many pro pool players look more like conventional athletes, although I'm not sure to what overall effect. it does seem like a good thing that players are exercising their minds and bodies, getting proper rest, nutrition, etc., in an effort to play their best pool.
interestingly, it was the same jts brown-guzzling "hustler" eddie felson who in "the color of money," was also prone to exercising and hot tubbing before playing a match.

sixpack, appreciate the shoulder shout. I'm familiar with glucosamine and some others you mentioned, but admittedly only pop multis at the moment- will revisit the idea of adding to my regimen, see if I can improve it. also, you're dead-on about side-sleeping- I usually sleep on my right side, but have been "flipping" the script as of late!
keep on grooving, my friend :smile:

dean, your posts/threads are some of my faves- I'll keep posting if you do!

thanks all for the replies!
 

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