Body type

Canadian cue

Canadian cue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is there an ideal body type for pool? I have noticed a lot of great players are built long and lanky. So do people who have long upper torso and long arms have an advantage? If so is that an inherent advantage men have over women? Seeing that most women have short upper bodies and long legs. Not trying to be sexist but a lot of people are of the opinion that men have a genetic advantage, so is this one possible reason? Food for thought.
 
If you are short and fat, you can't reach shots very easily. Long and thin you can. Think that about sums it up.

I have heard this called being "belly hooked" in some match commentary, love that term. Just don't use it unless the guy has a good sense of humor hehe.
 
This body looks pretty ideal to me. ;)
 

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There are advantages and disadvantages to tall and short. I would say there are a couple MORE advantages to being taller but only a couple.
 
Don't know that tall is such a big advantage. Who was the last tall pinoy you saw? The European crew wouldn't field much of a basketball team either. Being fit seems to help with the grueling tournament schedules more than a body type. Ever heard the saying "big for nothing"?

JC
 
I believe there's a trade-off when it comes to height. Being taller with longer arms is obviously helpful in reaching for shots, but it also means longer "levers" which exaggerate any stroke imperfections. The most consistent deliveries I've seen have been from shorter players. There's probably some ideal middle ground, but I think you'd have to have two VERY evenly matched players in other regards for height to be the deciding factor.

Body shape is more likely to be a factor. Overweight pool players do have accommodate for their size with their stance and stroke, and do tend to wear out more quickly in long races or tournaments. Women have other obstructions to deal with, some to the point that a modern pool stance is pretty much impossible.
 
Obviously less important than in many other sports...but there are physical factors of stature and/or build that come into play.

Look at Reyes and Varner....and many others. Small guys can and do play great pool.


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JC said:
Don't know that tall is such a big advantage. Who was the last tall pinoy you saw? The European crew wouldn't field much of a basketball team either. Being fit seems to help with the grueling tournament schedules more than a body type. Ever heard the saying "big for nothing"?

JC
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Filipino's have been pretty much the gold standard for pool ability over the last 15 years or so. Like JC said, you would be hard pressed to find many of them over 5'8" or so. I am 5'7", but that's what a bridge is for. Alex is maybe 5'2", and he is one of the best in the world.

I don't think height plays much of a factor, as long as you are not on either extreme. Very tall and very short people would have a hard time, but anywhere in the middle 95% of humans is fine.
 
hang-the-9 said:
If you are short and fat, you can't reach shots very easily. Long and thin you can. Think that about sums it up.

I have heard this called being "belly hooked" in some match commentary, love that term. Just don't use it unless the guy has a good sense of humor hehe.
Click to expand...

I like the term "shorty hooked". That brings a funnier picture to mind than "belly hooked" in my opinion. LOL
 
I was thinking more about proportions than overall height, body vs legs. To me long arms are more advantageous than long legs. having said that what about ergonomics. The height of the table does not change in relation to the player so for a repetitive task like in pool you would think there would be an ideal stature. Or do we simply compensate in our stances. If you were extremely short would it help to wear platform shoes? If you are are really tall would it help to use a longer cue?
 
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