perfect height for a pool player

C

cesarmorales

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am about 6 feet tall and my friends that are shorter tell me I have an advantage because I can reach on the 9 foot table and make shots they have to use a bridge for. I say they have the advantage of being able to get closer over the cue when sighting in their shots.

I feel that shorter players have the advantage, the short guys tell me I have an advantage.

What do you think?
 
Everything will seem smaller to a tall player. Distance will seem shorter to a tall player. Therefore a 9' table will seem smaller to a tall player than to a shorter player...it's all relative. And it does mean something to an average player if you've ever played on a 10' table and then switched to a 9' table.

This does not address how well you play. You play because of your talent. But if you have two players of equal and average ability, I'd say the taller player will have the advantage based on how he perceives the table.
 
There are advantages to being short and tall. Yes, you can reach more shots being taller, but you can see the angle easier being short. You don't have to bend over as much. I think it is a wash really.

As far as using a bridge, you can minimize its use by playing better position. Level the cue at a reachable distance like half the table distance instead of trying to get perfect. This allows for a full stoke if you need to get back down table.
 
As long as everyone thinks that the grass is greener on the other side, then there will always be threads like these.

Go back and suggest your shorter friends wear platforms. These skechers will not only add a few inches to their height, but also shape their butts.
 

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5'7" is the perfect height, no question about it. My height! :grin:
And Mosconi's too by the way.
 
ctyhntr said:
As long as everyone thinks that the grass is greener on the other side, then there will always be threads like these.

Go back and suggest your shorter friends wear platforms. These skechers will not only add a few inches to their height, but also shape their butts.
Click to expand...

There was a study done by scientists at MIT back in the eighties to determine whether grass is really greener on the other side of the fence.
Several grad students, dressed in cow costumes, grazed along a fence line in southrern Iowa for two days, sampling the grasses from each side. Using chlorophyl test kits and infra-red sensors, the team was able to determine that grass is actually greener on the other side of the fence.
Unfortunately, however, testing was prematurely suspended when one of the students accidentally caught a horn on an electrified fence. :)
 
Perfect Height

Actually, this isn't a bad question. Considering fifty-odd years ago, the average height of an adult male was around 5'8" to 5'9". Now, I believe, the average height is around 6'.

I agree with the others posted above on if there was an advantage or disadvantage. I think that if there was a definite advantage to a taller player, then perhaps the table could be raised. I can't see this happening and feel people will adapt to the table no matter what dimensions or height it is or will become.

An old friend passed away a few years ago and he had the opportunity to play Irving Crane. I was told by his son that Irving was on one side of the table, reached over and pulled a ball out of the side pocket without stretching. Irving was not super tall (over six foot) but was very lanky. Perhaps body build has something to do with it. I know it does for me.. I have trouble getting my fat old ass up on the table to stretch...lol.

I ain't 25 anymore...:grin-square:
 
I'm 5'1'1' and have never had any complaints bridging for a shot :thumbup:

My friend who plays with me sometimes is 6'7'', if we go for a 4-5 hour session he will start to complain about low back pain from having to bend over so much. Sucks to be him :D
 
Especially in the preshot it's an advantage. The higher you are the better you can see the layout of the table. Plus from up higher it is easier to judge the angle of the shot.

Now if your too tall and get down real low you might feel like a giraffe trying to get a drink of water. But from what I've seen the taller players seem to adapt pretty well as do the giraffes.
 
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I am 5'7". There are a lot of things I do that I wish I was taller for, but pool is not one of them. I feel very comfortable on the table. There are occasionally shots that would be easier if I were taller, but I don't play for those shots and I learned to use a bridge well. I play on a 9 foot diamond and I doubt that I need a bridge once a day.
 
Tall enough to reach every shot without a bridge, short enough to view the table at eye level.

What height is that?
 
I believe it was Honest Abe Lincoln, a Brunswick table owner, who said, "A pool player's legs should be just long enough to reach the floor."

Perfect height for a pool player? Somewhere between 4 and 8 feet tall.

Brian in VA
 
Tall vs short

jason said:
There are advantages to being short and tall. Yes, you can reach more shots being taller, but you can see the angle easier being short. You don't have to bend over as much. I think it is a wash really.

As far as using a bridge, you can minimize its use by playing better position. Level the cue at a reachable distance like half the table distance instead of trying to get perfect. This allows for a full stoke if you need to get back down table.
Click to expand...

Biggest advantage for tall people is they are first to know when it starts raining! Short people can get down and tie their shoes much quicker! Lots of advantages both ways.
 
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