Back Soreness

Formula7

The Guerilla
Silver Member
Tried this in the main area, but I thought this might be a more appropriate place to post this.

I was at my regular spot today shooting by myself after work. My buddy flaked on me (gah! pet peeve :mad: ). Anyhow, I really didn't feel like doing any specific drills today. Work had me tired and any thinking of that type would have wrecked me. So I just kinda rolled all the balls out onto the table and let the cue ball sit somewhere. From there, I began to shoot. No particular order, not just stripes and not just solids, just pure shot making and position play. The one thing I did throw in was resisting the urge to take a completely straight in shot or a ball just sitting in a pocket waiting to be grazed for the score. I'd take those when there was no other choices left on the table.

But I digress. I did this over and over for a good 3 1/2 hrs. My stroke was fantastic tonight. MUCH fewer errors than usual. I had my focus face on and blinders on my eyes so I kinda didn't realize it, but I looked around and about 5-10 people at a time were keeping their eye on me. Lol. It was kinda nice, being that I am breaking into a higher level of play and busting out of my current plateau. Though, I'm sure someone could've walked up and humbled me at any given moment so I shot the pride to the floor and let it cruise as a slight confidence just so that I could keep playing well. If you don't think you'll make it, chances are, you're right. :thumbup: So after about 2 1/2 hours of this um... exercise... I began to feel a bit messy. The problem I realized, once I decided to focus into my body and step back from the table for a minute, was my back. My lower back specifically. The soreness was getting me to be a bit unsettled and start missing shots I was making all night.

My stance differs from time to time depending on where I'm shooting from. I tend to stand square if I'm shooting from the rail (lagging or frozen), and I tend to use the 3pt stance if the cue ball is more inward. I hover really low over my cue, my chin at anywhere between on the cue to 1-3.5 inches over it depending on how close/far the object ball is from the cue ball.

Question is... Is this a normal thing for people? Is it just sort of a muscle building process and pretty soon I'll have a beastly looking back? Or am I asking for slouch when I'm older? If it's the latter, let me know asap. I'd like to fix it before I end up like Quazimoto. Thanks!
 
I'm not an instructor, but I've played some 10 hour or more sessions...and my feet will hurt more than my back.

Like any SPORT, I recommend stretching...and a chiropractor to keep your spine aligned is a good idea, also.
 
I agree with Niel totally. I have the exact same problem and since I am reaching my late 30's it is becoming more frequent. Get to the gym and build up your back muscles and work on your flexability.

My problem is that I get lazy about going to the gym and if you don't keep it up the pain will come back. One other thing you might want to take a look at is a good yoga class. Yoga is excellent for strength and flexibility training and will also be a great boost for your mental game. It is something I have been doing lately and I am amazed at the results.

C.

(P.S. I'm not a pro just someone in the same boat as you!)
 
Tried this in the main area, but I thought this might be a more appropriate place to post this.

I was at my regular spot today shooting by myself after work. My buddy flaked on me (gah! pet peeve :mad: ). Anyhow, I really didn't feel like doing any specific drills today. Work had me tired and any thinking of that type would have wrecked me. So I just kinda rolled all the balls out onto the table and let the cue ball sit somewhere. From there, I began to shoot. No particular order, not just stripes and not just solids, just pure shot making and position play. The one thing I did throw in was resisting the urge to take a completely straight in shot or a ball just sitting in a pocket waiting to be grazed for the score. I'd take those when there was no other choices left on the table.

But I digress. I did this over and over for a good 3 1/2 hrs. My stroke was fantastic tonight. MUCH fewer errors than usual. I had my focus face on and blinders on my eyes so I kinda didn't realize it, but I looked around and about 5-10 people at a time were keeping their eye on me. Lol. It was kinda nice, being that I am breaking into a higher level of play and busting out of my current plateau. Though, I'm sure someone could've walked up and humbled me at any given moment so I shot the pride to the floor and let it cruise as a slight confidence just so that I could keep playing well. If you don't think you'll make it, chances are, you're right. :thumbup: So after about 2 1/2 hours of this um... exercise... I began to feel a bit messy. The problem I realized, once I decided to focus into my body and step back from the table for a minute, was my back. My lower back specifically. The soreness was getting me to be a bit unsettled and start missing shots I was making all night.

My stance differs from time to time depending on where I'm shooting from. I tend to stand square if I'm shooting from the rail (lagging or frozen), and I tend to use the 3pt stance if the cue ball is more inward. I hover really low over my cue, my chin at anywhere between on the cue to 1-3.5 inches over it depending on how close/far the object ball is from the cue ball.

Question is... Is this a normal thing for people? Is it just sort of a muscle building process and pretty soon I'll have a beastly looking back? Or am I asking for slouch when I'm older? If it's the latter, let me know asap. I'd like to fix it before I end up like Quazimoto. Thanks!


Start doing sit ups.
 
back strength

First off, I'm no instructor, just someone who has done a lot of research on the matter.

Strengthening your back muscles and improving flexibility is always great advice. You might also want to consider bending both knees and spreading your feet further apart.

The traditional stance of back leg straight front leg bent was more suited for the days when players stood higher off the cue. Now that we tend to play chin down, bending the back knee slightly will allow you to get lower and take strain off your spine.

Just another option to consider, good luck.:smile:

trap bar deadlifts, seated rows & shrugs

abdominal routine

stetch
 
The best thing you can do is take a good look at your stance. You said you have your chin down on the cue, which is fine. The problem is, how you get it down there. If you are bending at the waist, your back is under a lot of stress. In a traditional stance, I find it much easier to get half way down on the shot, and then take my back foot and just kick it back another foot or two. This widens the stance, and lowers your whole body down on the shot without more bending. Bending the knees can also help, although it can create a little less stable base. Widening your stance is probably the easiest way to take away some of that stress on your back.
Steve
 
I agree with Niel totally. I have the exact same problem and since I am reaching my late 30's it is becoming more frequent. Get to the gym and build up your back muscles and work on your flexability.

My problem is that I get lazy about going to the gym and if you don't keep it up the pain will come back. One other thing you might want to take a look at is a good yoga class. Yoga is excellent for strength and flexibility training and will also be a great boost for your mental game. It is something I have been doing lately and I am amazed at the results.

C.

(P.S. I'm not a pro just someone in the same boat as you!)

Things to consider at the gym are "Good Mornings", Free weight Squats and Deadlifts. Power Cleans are good for your mid back also.
 
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