My kids are not interested in pool

justnum

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
I love playing pool.

But my children hate it.

I want them to enjoy pool, so we can spend time together.

They say at the pool hall, there are only old and drunk people. I can get them into the pool hall, but most times they just stare at their phone or game machine.

Any suggestions?
 
How old are the kids? What size table you have them playing on? I would find the easiest table for them. If they are pocketing balls more often they may learn to like the game. Teach them straight pool or maybe 8 ball. More options for pocketing balls. Easier the better. Lay back a little and set them up on shots. Give them chances to win.
 
Sad to say but I don't think you can make a kid love the game. Sounds like they're old enough now (being they're playing on phones) to have decided it's not for them.
But if you're in for an idea, maybe try trick pool. It's more intriguing for the eyes. And some tricks you don't need to be "good" at pool to make them. All setup shots. Maybe they'll give it another thought and may show more interest in the "normal" games.
 
My Son would come and watch me play on our table,,after my work in the evening. One day he wanted to play also--so we'er playing straight pool and after running 80--he hollars upstairs--Mom--Dad won't miss so I can shoot...then I started letting the little one hit a few balls around. A year or two later--he's about 15 and he's hitting balls around an then I started with a few basic's that I have noticed he hadn't caught on to--Like grip and some control over the cue ball-stopping the cue,,follow,draw-and stance and a few other particlars
Next thing after a day or so ,,I see that he's practicing the basic's that I had stressed to him and I get this--damn it what Have you done too me--now I see what makes this stuff tick and I know there's no way I'm gonna learn it all in one life time--I still smile when I think of that

He does to ,,when I bring it up:thumbup:
 
bdorman said:
Forbid them from ever playing pool.

Tell them pool is "off limits."
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yea.. reverse psyhcology. tell a kid they are not allowed to do something and most of them gonna want to do it just cause you told them they can't.. works most of the time lol.
 
justnum said:
I love playing pool.

But my children hate it.

I want them to enjoy pool, so we can spend time together.

They say at the pool hall, there are only old and drunk people. I can get them into the pool hall, but most times they just stare at their phone or game machine.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

May need a different room to go to, I was lucky that in my area there was an all ages room with no bar and the players there were very supportive and nice to my son when he started going there with me when he was 8.

If there is a Junior league in the area, have them go, I always post pics of my area junior league and there are prizes to be won, free cues, lessons, even trips to parts of the country for the Junior Nations if you get good enough. Would your kids like a chance to play in Vegas or somewhere and be one of the top kids in the country to brag to their friends?

Playing pool with my son has brought us both a lot closer than without it and we have been able to experience lots of things that without him being involved in pool we would not have done. I never have been to Vegas till this summer when the Jr Nationals were there, year before we got to travel to Wisconsin. Who knows what will happen next year.
 
bdorman said:
Forbid them from ever playing pool.

Tell them pool is "off limits."
Click to expand...

That's one way to do it!

Ever since i was young, my dad, sister and I would travel around for summer vacation. He was a teacher, so he had the time off. At many of the youth hostels where we stayed, there was usually a pool table for people to play on. I jumped on one every chance I got. It wasn't because I saw it in a movie, or even because my dad played (because he didn't). I was just drawn to it. I don't know why. I think it's one of those things where you either have the interest or you don't. You can't force it.

Best of luck, ian
 
My son is grown now and I could never get him seriously interested in the game. Bought him a cue and tried to inspire him but he was never interested nor had the patience to do it.
Never bothered me - he has other pursuits.
 
and ppl on here say that pool isn't dying lol, i have a nephew and the pool hall is the last place i'd ever take him and i am glad that he's never asked me to! when the weather permits kids should be outside as much as possible, especially these days
 
If possible maybe you should get a table for your home. Any table. Maybe they'd enjoy it more if it was more accessible and they didn't have to be in a pool hall to play it. The atmosphere isn't for everyone.
 
Do you enjoy participating in his hobbies? Not everybody has the same interests. The important thing is that you support him and share the things you like with each other. One of my brothers has always been behind me 100% no matter what I've chosen to do, the feeling of that alone far surpasses anything else. I pass that on to my g/f - I don't try to push her to play pool more than she wants and I do my best to provide support for whatever it is she is into. I got her a couple of tickets to the upcoming comic con so that she can bring a friend that would also be really into it - I'll probably be playing pool! :grin:
 
justnum said:
I love playing pool.

But my children hate it.

I want them to enjoy pool, so we can spend time together.

They say at the pool hall, there are only old and drunk people. I can get them into the pool hall, but most times they just stare at their phone or game machine.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Sorry to say you are out of luck, but they would love to play with their friends if they ever get to like the game. I noticed from my sons, they hated pool, do not like to play with me, but would shoot with their friends for 10 to 20 min. It seem the young generation wants games that they see results right away, pool probably one of the most difficult to master. Hope pool does not go extinct after our generation?!:angry:
 
I see lots of younger people playing. Just because a few of our kids did not follow in our footsteps does not signal the end of pool. ;)
 
Its the wrong generation for pool. I was lucky enough to be in a poolhall as a kid just before the boom of electronic gadgets. I didnt have an xbox and playstation and pc and laptop and tablet and smartphone in my room at home. I went to the poolhall with my dad because throwing a baseball in a car tire wasnt all that entertaining when i could be at the poolhall watching the adults gambling or banging around balls by myself. Nowadays there's just stuff kids would rather do than play pool. Its easier to update a facebook status or take pics of fish lips in a mirror than pick up a cue and have to think a little.
 
My son (see my avatar) loved playing from age 3 to 5. He then discovered video games and he has no interest at all anymore. Might be a good thing.
 
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Be careful what you wish for.

You have lots of good suggestions already.

I kept the depth of my passion for pool from my son for over two decades. He had great eye-hand coordination as a young child playing sports and I greatly feared that he would see the "easy money" available in pool. It comes at a great price and I wanted more for him.

I made sure that he received a college education. He went on to further his education and became successful in the computer field.

Now, once a week, he and dad go out to play in a weekly pool tournament, only practicing one hour before the tournament. I get a chance to pass on some of my "secrets" during that hour and he has proven me correct about his ability to learn how to play pool. We have fun. I try not to push off too much on him because while he is competitive, primarily it is just a chance to hang out with his dad for a little while. I feel a lot better that we are sharing my love for pool at this stage of his life, rather than earlier.

In his earlier years I supported him with football, basketball, baseball where he was an All Star, wrestling (where he won the State Championship in his weight class in 8th grade lol) I would pay a king's ransom for videos of those wrestling matches but the memory alone brings a lasting smile to my face every time I think of them) Hobbies of metal detecting took us places where we discovered the treasures of yesteryear. Hunting and fishing filled in the voids for us and I have to say I don't miss the fact that we didn't share pool in his younger years. In fact, I feel like I was most fortunate in that regard.

Even now as a young single guy with money to burn from the earnings of a well-paying job, he now realizes the repercussions from doing any serious gambling with both winning and losing. He sees that people who can ill afford to lose money suffer when they lose. The little money that he could earn gambling won't make a difference in the quality of his life. The feeling of losing large sums of money aren't pleasant for anyone and it's not likely that he will ever go down that road either. So in many ways, not sharing my love of pool when he was at an early age, turned out pretty good.

Merry Christmas!

JoeyA
 
justnum said:
I love playing pool.

But my children hate it. I want them to enjoy pool, so we can spend time together.

They say at the pool hall, there are only old and drunk people. I can get them into the pool hall, but most times they just stare at their phone or game machine.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

On November 21, I posted the following in a thread about our sport's image.

sjm said:
Pool's bad image in America is a product of the poolroom culture, which, with few exceptions, is frowned on as being a bit seedy and undesirable. I'm not sure getting the kids involved will be enough for pool, it will take a remake of the atmosphere found in a typical poolroom. Only then will the kids and the affluent get really involved in pool.
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In short, your kids have it right. The poolroom culture in America, with few exceptions, is not kid-friendly. I don't blame your kids for feeling the way they do. Yours and other kids who gain first hand knowledge of the poolroom culture, which is filled with slovenly dressers, incivility, foul language and, in most cases, owners who choose to do nothing about it, will, far too often, be turned off by the game.

My suggestion is to learn a game that they play or to introduce them to another game.
 
justnum said:
I love playing pool.

But my children hate it.

I want them to enjoy pool, so we can spend time together.

They say at the pool hall, there are only old and drunk people. I can get them into the pool hall, but most times they just stare at their phone or game machine.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Make your kids leave their phones in the car when at the pool hall. Problem solved.
 
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