How do you train for endurance?

spin-right-round

spin-right-round

Member
One thing I’m struggling with recently is keeping myself alert and focused for long tournaments. Towards the end my performance plateaus and I miss easy shots. I notice this with opponents too if I play them twice on the same day, either one will make unexpectedly dumb mistakes. More than pressure I think it’s endurance and “mind over matter” kind of deal. How do I train and/or what do I need to practice to get better at this aspect? Just play more? Or is there more to it than meets the eye…
 
Look into some Yoga/Martial Arts calming techniques for breathing, calming yourself. Some of it is the boredom, getting tired and annoyed at waiting for a match for hours. I remember not long ago my son played in a major tournament, between his first match and his second match was over 6 hours. You can't just sit at a pool hall that long and not have a lot of negative effects from it.
 
Diet is a big factor. Cut out caffeine, simple sugars and carbs the day before at minimum.
Small snacks, no big meals while at the tournament.

Swim, run, bike for 45 to an 2 hours 2/3 times a week.

When you practice, quit as soon as your're unfocused. Doing this over and over will help you keep it for longer periods.

The game is hard, you have to know it will be a long day, you will have some waiting. Don't cry or waste energy on it. Accept and be prepared. Watch a movie on your phone, read a book, healthy snacks, relax. Use your energy when on the table.
 
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Good tips there! I’ve been slacking off from the gym for more than a year and now that I think about it, exercise in general naturally trains your mind to push the body when it’s at the limit. A very important factor when you’ve had a long tournament and the mind is in the game but the body’s burned out.
 
I'll say don't play 2-3 9 ball races to 20 a night with no breaks and get 600+ games a month for 3-4 months on top of league nights. After about 3-4 months of it your hip goes to shit and you're almost crippled. Better to train your brain and do activities like walking, swimming, cycling etc. If you force it too long at the pool table in an effort to build endurance it can be trouble.

3 races to 20 could be 117 games a night. That's too much to do consistently.

You can help train your brain to not get bored by keeping off of your cellphone. It feeds the boredom/entertainment cycle to the point where you get bored with 30 seconds of silence.

Rest at events. Have a nap if you have someone there to wake you. Go walk around the parking lot. Being stuck for hours/days at a tournament is grueling.
 
Watch out for diminishing returns. It takes experience and tracking to grow
endurance, not just overdoing it.

Train like anything else set benchmarks and realistic improvements over a long duration of time. The key is maintaining the schedule. Supplementing it with good life choices can be a challenge.
 
Gets to a point in life that you can't train back in youth.

I'm "the old guy" in my pool social circle, and the front runner as far as gassing out during a long day of play. As a lark I bought smelling salts, but truth be told they work fantasic....lol. Wakes you right the hell up in a hurry. Doesn't last beyond a few moments but for me it's enough of a kick in the ass to get back in gear.

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boogieman said:
Rest at events. Have a nap if you have someone there to wake you. Go walk around the parking lot. Being stuck for hours/days at a tournament is grueling.
Click to expand...
Did this at the last event I played in. Got like 4th hand info that Alex P. will do the same if he has the opprotunity. Good time to disconnect from the grind and refresh one's spirit. Figured if it works for Alex, then who am I to do otherwise.
 
justnum said:
Watch out for diminishing returns. It takes experience and tracking to grow
endurance, not just overdoing it.

Train like anything else set benchmarks and realistic improvements over a long duration of time. The key is maintaining the schedule. Supplementing it with good life choices can be a challenge.
Click to expand...


What❓🤭
 
Howdy All;

When I was in the military we used to take "combat naps". You can take one anywhere (almost),
at about anytime and even just 5 minutes of brain dead time will do for a few hours. It's truly
amazing how well they work. Like most things it takes a wee bit of practice to get the hang of'em.

hank
 
spin-right-round said:
One thing I’m struggling with recently is keeping myself alert and focused for long tournaments. Towards the end my performance plateaus and I miss easy shots. I notice this with opponents too if I play them twice on the same day, either one will make unexpectedly dumb mistakes. More than pressure I think it’s endurance and “mind over matter” kind of deal. How do I train and/or what do I need to practice to get better at this aspect? Just play more? Or is there more to it than meets the eye…
Click to expand...
I often played 24 or more hours in ring games. I liked long sessions. As far as tournaments go, I had a motorhome. I could get out of the pool room and put my feet up if I wanted and usually did.
Don't hang out watching other games.
 
I often wonder if practicing with the A/C off might be beneficial as it gets warmer and some of these room owners want to keep the a/c usage to a minimum. Kind of get use to the room conditions of what you might have to play in.
 
If I knew the answer to staying focused I'd never miss.
I think it is a problem of having heart and will, no excuses.
I think you get to the point in your game where shape is the easy part.
Potting balls consistently is the hard part and that is where focus comes in.
If you've ever missed an easy side pocket shot then you know what I mean.
It's sort of like blocking everything out and letting your unconscious take over to my way of thinking.
When you figure out how to bottle focus I'll be your first customer.
 
If your not in shape, your wearing down the body/mind at the same time.
Do your road work, work on your core/abs and light weights for your upper body.
To lose because of fatigue, should drive you to get in shape for this game.
Many of the top players, like Thorston Hollman are physically in as great of shape as most other top pros in other sports.
No longer will you see an obese John Daly type figure winning at Augusta.
It's why I said Shane McMinn would most likely lose that recent race to 100 challenge, you have to be physically prepared.
 
One other thing in pool room.
Oxygen.
If your able to be outside 20 minutes before your match that will help clear your thoughts.
Also, when your in a match/seated, don't slouch, posture up, open up your lungs/chest to take in more oxygen.
When pool rooms are packed there is LESS Oxygen, and in turn less clarity of thought as your match plays out.
Taking a break/go outside is a good thing for your head.
 
Lots of good suggestions so far. Like take a walk around, relax, ... But, when it's your turn:

Act nice but think mean.

In competition they are all trying to slit your throat. Never let your guard down. Think hate, stomp, kick, kill.

When they say, "Take it easy on me." They're trying to shark you in to mentally letting down. Think, "Them's fighting words. No mercy -- mo'fo!"
 
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