Can Women Played Their Best in High Heels?

sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
OK, I'll admit it, for a man to start this thread might seem a little strange. I suspect that the ladies will feel most qualified to respond, but guys who play with or teach women might have some insights here, too. I have always wondered about women who play pool in high heels. For example:

1) Can an accomplished woman player play in high heels without experiencing any decline in her play?

2) If so, is there a heel height at which high heels become a problem?

3) Is the matter of whether high heels would affect a woman's play in any way related to a given woman's physique?

4) Does wearing high heels affect balance, ability to aim, and/or stroke fundamentals?
 
I am of the XY variety, but here is what i think on this:

i would imagine that for tall women, high heels would be a problem (forming a stable tripod with high-heels would be ackward on the ankles), but if a lady consistently played with heels and wasn't too tall, it shouldn't be a problem

in answer to your question 4 - i would say yes, assuming the woman is not used to playing in high heels. i play my best barefoot. as soon as i put shoes on my quality degrades. my stance, aiming, stroke all learned themselves on a higher-than-normal table (10foot snooker table), with me in barefeet. as im fairly tall, this worked out fine. when i go to a regular pool table, i have to wear shoes b/c and the tables are lower than i am used to - my stroke and aim suffer for quite a long time until i adjust.
 
Last edited:
sjm said:
OK, I'll admit it, for a man to start this thread might seem a little strange. I suspect that the ladies will feel most qualified to respond, but guys who play with or teach women might have some insights here, too. I have always wondered about women who play pool in high heels. For example:

1) Can an accomplished woman player play in high heels without experiencing any decline in her play?

2) If so, is there a heel height at which high heels become a problem?

3) Is the matter of whether high heels would affect a woman's play in any way related to a given woman's physique?

4) Does wearing high heels affect balance, ability to aim, and/or stroke fundamentals?
Click to expand...


I think SJM's fantasies are coming to light. :D Don't worry, I'm right with you...I'd like to see more of those 5 inchers around the table. :D (pant, pant)
 
Ok, being a female I will try to answer your questions:

1.) I am NOT an accomplished player. But I couldn't imagine the heels ALONE would lead to a decline in play. Sometimes I think they might come in handy, as they would give you more height to reach longer shots.

2.) IMO, high heels are ALWAYS a problem, at any height. You either like them or you don't. I can wear them when I HAVE to, but I would never wear anything with a heel of more than 1"-1 1/2" by choice. Other girls may differ in their opinions.

3.) and 4.) If a woman is NOT comfortable wearing the high heels it could affect her game. It could throw of her balance. IMO being off balance may affect your ability to aim and your stroke fundamentals. It all boils down to the comfort of the lady in the shoes.

True story: I played in my wedding dress after my wedding. I took my heels off and put my tennis shoes on first. :p
 
sjm said:
OK, I'll admit it, for a man to start this thread might seem a little strange. I suspect that the ladies will feel most qualified to respond, but guys who play with or teach women might have some insights here, too. I have always wondered about women who play pool in high heels. For example:

1) Can an accomplished woman player play in high heels without experiencing any decline in her play?

2) If so, is there a heel height at which high heels become a problem?

3) Is the matter of whether high heels would affect a woman's play in any way related to a given woman's physique?

4) Does wearing high heels affect balance, ability to aim, and/or stroke fundamentals?
Click to expand...



Howdy,
Do u have Jeanette Lee VS J.Baretta`s match in Windsor Casino two weeks ago ,in your mind?Jeanette lost the match,u guessed it right,because of high heels.Cheers
Vagabond
 
Heels could be a nice sharking technique, I'd think. Who wants to concentrate on pool when there's so much other stuff to think about, ya know?

I was gonna start a thread footware, so, with apologies to sjm, I'll just ask it here:

Does anyone know if there are special shoes made for playing pool? For example, with a non-stick surface on the ball of the shoe and perhaps some other features I haven't thought about that might help one play better.

BCA rule number 69.0: All ladies must shoot with heels and short skirts....oh wait a minute, I fell asleep at the computer and was dreaming...sorry.

Jeff Livingston
 
landshark77 said:
3.) and 4.) If a woman is NOT comfortable wearing the high heels it could affect her game. It could throw of her balance. IMO being off balance may affect your ability to aim and your stroke fundamentals. It all boils down to the comfort of the lady in the shoes.

True story: I played in my wedding dress after my wedding. I took my heels off and put my tennis shoes on first. :p
Click to expand...


I agree and think that balance is the biggest factor. In golf, sometimes when you get a new pair of shoes that are designed just a little differently, it can affect your balance and throw you off some. I would imagine that higher heels would pitch you forward somewhat and force you to bend your knees more than normal to bring you back into balance. I'm sure larrynj1 would be able to tell us more based on his experience with "dress up night". (this should hook him like a big fat carp)

I truly hope you remembered to take them off or change for the honeymoon. That is, unless you just wanted to be able to run faster before he caught you. ;)

You better be wearin' 'em when I come looking for you with that critter to put down your back. :eek:
 
Last edited:
Jennifer Barretta in stilettos and mini-skirt at the pool table.....You got my vote!!!!!!!!!
 
I think that high heels would HAVE to take a little something off of the opening break.

This whole thread in some ways leads back to the question - is pool a sport or a game. Perhaps if it can be played in high heels, it's not a sport. Though I guess ballroom dancing was in the Olympics, and they wear high heels for that. The majority of the women's track and field athletes however, chose to avoid the heels.
 
Williebetmore said:
I think that high heels would HAVE to take a little something off of the opening break.

This whole thread in some ways leads back to the question - is pool a sport or a game. Perhaps if it can be played in high heels, it's not a sport. Though I guess ballroom dancing was in the Olympics, and they wear high heels for that. The majority of the women's track and field athletes however, chose to avoid the heels.
Click to expand...



I know that wearing heels any higher than 2-3" requires a big adjustment even for a relatively short person like myself. You have to either bend your knees alot or stand back more to keep the correct or your usual line of sight. It can be uncomfortable. Naturally, this is just my opinion stated from personal experience. I was out dancing in a bar one night several years ago and coincidentally, they had a room with a couple of bar boxes. I played between dances or was it danced between games?

Well, I am only 5'6" tall and prefer to dance in heels. I used to teach ballroom dancing (briefly) and even that can be a problem if the heels are too high. I now play pool in my boots w/ a small 1 1/2" heel or sneakers.

Phyl
 
My game definitely goes downhill when wearing heels!! It causes all the problems listed by others above: Makes me higher than I'm accustomed to over the table, makes it harder to balance, forces my weight forward, and after standing on them all day during matches my poor feet just can't take it anymore!! The one advantage is, as pointed out, that wearing them enables a player to reach shots she (or he!! LOL) would not be able to reach otherwise. :p Of course, someone who plays in heels all the time might not notice these things. However, all in all I would have to say the answer to the question is no, I don't think a woman can play her best game in heels, I think it affects the balance too negatively.
 
Last edited:
Don't think so

This thread reminded me of something Monk told me on my first lesson years ago. I showed up to play, he watched me hit balls for a while and set up shots for me. I was wearing a pair of boots I always wore around. He looked at me and pointed out that sneakers would be better. He mentioned balance and my back as the reasons. I was kind of embarrassed. I imagine that his opinion would be the same about women in high heels.
 
Last edited:
I recently tried to play in 2 1/2" heels and had a terrible time at it. I'm 5' 11" and anything over 1" will kill my balance.

I don't know how Jeanette does it with her back back and all.

Barbara
 
JustPlay said:
Jennifer Barretta in stilettos and mini-skirt at the pool table.....You got my vote!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...


COMMANDMENT #?

"THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBORS WIFE"

You may be going straight to hell for that one.
 
vagabond said:
Howdy,
Do u have Jeanette Lee VS J.Baretta`s match in Windsor Casino two weeks ago ,in your mind?Jeanette lost the match,u guessed it right,because of high heels.Cheers
Vagabond
Click to expand...

I wasn't lucky enough to attend WPBA Canada, but I have seen high heels worn at WPBA competitions i have attended, and have always wondered whether it's possible for a woman to play her very best wearing them. My slant on it, and it's no more than a guess, is that one to two inch heels can be overcome, but probably not much more than that.
 
I think it all comes down to what the woman is used to. There's a girl in my hometown who only wears heels. I doubt she owns any sneakers. She plays okay, but that's just because she's only been playing about a year. My point is, she only wears heels, so for her to wear flats would be unnatural and distracting for her. The table would be a weird height, she'd need the bridge sooner than normal...

For me to wear heels it takes some getting used to, and I have to adjust. And I'm short- 5'0. So I know normally if the cb is even slightly past the side pocket I should get the bridge. With heels, the table is shorter and my bridge hand feels as though I'm seriously leaning over.

Also, because heels take extra effort to walk in- balance, different muscles, and esp. weight distribution- a heel- wearer should get tired faster (probably w/o even realizing what was happening) and her game will go down after so many sets. I've even noticed this with the girl I was just talking about.

Two more things- platforms aren't "heels," because your weight is still distributed as though you were wearing sneakers. Second, there was a question about heel height: I say any heels over 3" and she's not really trying to play pool, I don't care how short she is.
 
Ok, I can comment on this conversation. I used to never wear heels but then one day I decided to try it out. I have to first say, I am the biggest clutz on the face of the earth so it was an adjustment. Another thing to add is that I'm only 5'1. When I started wearing heels I felt like a giant!

I think if you get used to wearing them, it doesn't matter. I think stiletto heels are ridiculous and no one can play in those....even Jeanette. Not all high heels have thin heels so it is ok if they are 3-4" high with a thicker heel it is easier to balance. I haven't lost any sense of balance or power on my break.

I guess it just comes down to personal preference. If you want pool to be a beauty contest you will see more ridiculous heels and maybe worse play if the players aren't used to wearing them.

Just my opinion.
Sarah
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top