Is it Time to Raise Table Height?

[Jeff]

Do tables seem too short for you?

Table height from the BCA site

TABLE BED HEIGHT:
The table bed playing surface, when measured from the bottom of the table leg, will be 29 1/4" minimum to 31" maximum.

I assume the height of a table has been standard for over a hundred years. But the average height of American men has gone up.

The average height of men increased from 66.8 inches in 1861 to 70.5 inches in 1957.

I am right at 6' and to me I am bending over farther than is comfortable. At the end of a long night of pool, I am a little sore.

 

[Nine Ball]

Do tables seem too short for you?

Table height from the BCA site

TABLE BED HEIGHT:
The table bed playing surface, when measured from the bottom of the table leg, will be 29 1/4" minimum to 31" maximum.

I assume the height of a table has been standard for over a hundred years. But the average height of American men has gone up.

The average height of men increased from 66.8 inches in 1861 to 70.5 inches in 1957.

I am right at 6' and to me I am bending over farther than is comfortable. At the end of a long night of pool, I am a little sore.

I'm 6ft and have no problem with them.. You'll always be sore after a long night of pool if your not used to long nights of pool. Maybe try adjusting your stance so your not so high up.

 

[Gerry]

hey, I was average height in 1861!....sweet

I'm short, but I have played on tables set at 33" and I liked it.

 

[Scott Lee]

Actually, it would be the opposite. If he's sore, he's likely bending over TOO far. It is not necessary to have your chin on the cuestick. Many players, including myself, find a more upright stance much more comfortable. For some players, a more upright stance will give them a better perspective of the shot.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Maybe try adjusting your stance so your not so high up.

 

[whitewolf]

I'm 6ft and have no problem with them.. You'll always be sore after a long night of pool if your not used to long nights of pool. Maybe try adjusting your stance so your not so high up.

At home I put 1" thick pieces of lumber under each leg. I did this partially to help the table stay level on a wood floor, but mainly for my back.

And to Jeff, I personally don't believe that the tables have been standard for years. The old elephant leg tables were much higher if I remember correctly. But it has been 30 years since I played on them.

 

[Kid Dynomite]

leg leveling systems to blame

I have been to pool rooms with the levelers all the way up and all the way down. Each installer and table is set up differently. The leveling dictates the height and causes your back problems. I would talk to the room owner and see if you could adjust the table levelers up to a higher height. Bring a measuring tape and a level and you can take matters into your own hands locally. Some may say fine and some may complain. Most would not even know you adjusted them at all if done with out asking.

Sincerely,
Kid
Dynomite

 

[Gerry]

I have been to pool rooms with the levelers all the way up and all the way down. Each installer and table is set up differently. The leveling dictates the height and causes your back problems. I would talk to the room owner and see if you could adjust the table levelers up to a higher height. Bring a measuring tape and a level and you can take matters into your own hands locally. Some may say fine and some may complain. Most would not even know you adjusted them at all if done with out asking.

Sincerely,
Kid
Dynomite

are you saying go into a pool room and "adjust" their tables?......it might get you "bruised" in some pool rooms....be careful!

 

[realkingcobra]

are you saying go into a pool room and "adjust" their tables?......it might get you "bruised" in some pool rooms....be careful!

I do believe I'd have to agree with you on that, or at least the number 86 comes to mind What I think someone fails to understand, the playing height of a pool table...is a world standard, not an American standard, as there are far more people around the world that play pool if all added together than the American pool players and I don't believe their average height has caught up to that of Americans...has it? When you start using the leg levelers to raise the height of a table, you start standing it on stilts, which makes the table very unstable. If it wasn't designed to be that high, then it's not going to be stable that high either Table height is adjusted by 3 leg levelers, with the 4th being the lowest point of the playing surface, and the other 3 made to match that height, therefore making the frame of the table level.

Without wind, this boat isn't going to sail

Glen

 

[Snapshot9]

Lol

I am also 1861 height, so I think you would have to predicate your argument on average American Pool player heights, of which there are no statistics.

The tables, IMO, are just fine like they are. Raising table height would affect being able to reach certain shots, and therefore have a probable adverse effect on performance.

If your back is sore, it is because you are bending your back in your stance, and not keeping your back straight, and bending at the waist. The proper stance is designed to rely on your skeleton and not your muscles because muscles fatigue, but your skeleton does not.

I find this argument funny, especially from someone just 6' tall, after watching a New Jersey player, when I was a kid, play, that was a 7'1" center for St. Mary's of the Plains College in Dodge City. He had perfect form even though his waist was way higher than the table, and he was a very good player. I never heard him complain of being sore.

 

[8ballEinstein]

After playing pool on a standard height table for thirty years, I think my game would be thrown off if the table was raised.

I was in a pool room in Northern Cal and the table I played on was higher than normal, by only an inch or so. I thought I was going to like it since I occasionally get a sore back. But sure enough, I had trouble with my game. That slight elevation made me look at the balls slightly different. Of course, I was playing a lot back then and I was sensitive to different playing conditions.

 

[johntaggz88]

Oh crap, I hope they dont do that because the height that they have now seems fine. I'm only 5' 7 too so I dont want the tables any taller lol.

 

[3andstop]

It may be uncomfortable bending over a little extra, but I gotta believe its a lot easier than jumping up in the air each time you stroke a shot.

 

[donny mills]

Please make tables higher! I like diamonds because they are a little higher than every gold crown ive played on. I have a long stance because the tables are so low. Tables are too low.

 

[obr]

i'm 5'4..we gotta make them tables LOWER

 

[worriedbeef]

if everyone generally has got taller over the generations maybe a VERY SMALL raise would be ok. but in proportion to the height increase of us.

but you start raising the table significantly and you're significantly messing with the nature of the game. for example, snooker is more condusive to a chin on cue style of stroke and the table is therefore naturally higher. with pool you don't need to get down quite that low and it's reflected in the height of the table.

 

[mikepage]

If you just look at the United States, US men born in 1850 averaged a little over 5'7", and US men born in 1950 averaged a little under 5'9". So the difference is less than 2 inches.

American females born in 1950 average a little under 5'4"

Rather than raise the table height to accommodate the few-inch increase of the men, I propose we work to increase the proportion of players who are female.

Assuming there were no female players a century ago, it turns out that 30% female participation now would pretty much make the average height of US pool players the same now as it was then.

Do tables seem too short for you?

Table height from the BCA site

TABLE BED HEIGHT:
The table bed playing surface, when measured from the bottom of the table leg, will be 29 1/4" minimum to 31" maximum.

I assume the height of a table has been standard for over a hundred years. But the average height of American men has gone up.

The average height of men increased from 66.8 inches in 1861 to 70.5 inches in 1957.

I am right at 6' and to me I am bending over farther than is comfortable. At the end of a long night of pool, I am a little sore.

 

[Southpaw]

Earl "The Pearl" would love this. I heard him say once, during one of his rants, that raising the height of the tables 3 inches would "eliminate all the Phillipino players". He went on to say that they had a big advantage over everyone else because, "they are shooting standing up while everyone else has to bend over". Good ole Earl.....

Southpaw

 

[Dead Crab]

I have my table at just over 33", and it is far easier on the back than the 29" you find in some pool halls. You can avoid the potential problem of unstable leg levelers by putting the table feet on blocks.

The Brits allow their 5 x 10' snooker tables to be up to 34" high and it doesn't seem to affect their reach. My table is just a 7-footer, but at 5'-10", I don't even own a rake. In my opinion, it increases comfort and doesn't change the game, except for the better.

 

[BPG24]

Actually, it would be the opposite. If he's sore, he's likely bending over TOO far. It is not necessary to have your chin on the cuestick. Many players, including myself, find a more upright stance much more comfortable. For some players, a more upright stance will give them a better perspective of the shot.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

That's interesting...

My back bothers me most when i don't get all the way down on my shots. An upright stance drives me crazy with muscle related pain. I guess it all depends on what is wrong with your back.

 

[our_auctionguy]

Earl "The Pearl" would love this. I heard him say once, during one of his rants, that raising the height of the tables 3 inches would "eliminate all the Phillipino players". He went on to say that they had a big advantage over everyone else because, "they are shooting standing up while everyone else has to bend over". Good ole Earl.....

I can see the outcome now if tables were to be officially raised. The Filipinos would start playing with 64" cues and wearing construction stilts. They would still kick Strickland's ass, and rightly so. All the while not a single Filipino would lodge a complaint, while Earl sat in his chair whining to the ref and audience like always. Nothing would change.