Pool Player Tics

Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fargo 1000 on VP4
Silver Member
A tic is "an idiosyncratic and habitual feature of a person's behavior" - something quirky done almost unconsciously, purely out of habit, for no apparent reason - mini-OCD. Pool being such an intensely focused exercise, I imagine pool players are especially prone to tics.

A tic can be unconscious. I had mine for awhile before noticing it - a subtle little ritual that just seemed to appear in my game out of nowhere:

One day I noticed that when walking around the table with a piece of chalk in my hand (pretty much after each shot), when I come to another piece of chalk on the rail I'd put the one in my hand down and pick the other one up, all in one quick motion as I passed, deep in concentration about the next shot. I avoided letting one piece of chalk "pass" another one. Fortunately I usually play with only a couple pieces.

OK, odd but not loony tunes - I doubt you'd notice it if we were playing. It surprised me a little, but I realized it was a part of focusing and I probably shouldn't mess with it. Now I rarely notice it, and when I do I just laugh at myself and get on with the shot. It ain't broke so I ain't fixing it.

So what's your tic?

pj
chgo
 
AtLarge said:
Yeah, I'm with BB. That's weird and you gotta fix it. How do you know it ain't broke? Maybe that's what's holding you back from super-duper play.

Come on, pj. The fix is easy. Just allow one piece of chalk at the table.
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Completely disagree:wink: PJ let your freak flag fly!!!:grin:
 
Watch Efren walk around a table chalking. He must go thru several cubes/match. He certainly doesn't need that amount of chalk but it has become part of his routine. If it could make me play like him I'd start tomorrow. :rolleyes:
 
I keep a piece of chalk in my pocket and wipe my bridge hand on my pants leg before getting down on the shot. Really makes a mess of the top right side of my pants LOL.
 
I walk almost 100% counter clockwise around the table. Does that count?


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I've noticed that behaviors like that spread, like a communicable disease. If one pro taps his bridge-hand fingers while aiming, people will watch that and start doing it themselves. Air-stroking while standing before a shot is another disease that seems to have spread through the population.
 
I usually find myself focusing on the table layout and what shot/position is coming next. I see the chalk laying on the rails through my peripheral sight and grab the cube by instinct. Unfortunately, the new Diamond tables have a blue logo......I have a couple matches recorded where I noticeably try to grab the blue logo. LOL
 
KMRUNOUT said:
I walk almost 100% counter clockwise around the table. Does that count?


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o.g. (old guy) said:
I do this too, trying to fix it because I end up chalking my cue over the table, Bad habit...
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I'm a clockwise walker, but I think it's part of my no-passing chalk tic - I hold my cue in my left hand (being left handed), so only my right hand is free to do the chalk switching (so I gotta walk clockwise to keep my right hand near the table). :)

pj
chgo
 
Local player
Very strong, who gets down, stands back up, “wings”his shoulder blades back in a stretch and gives a sharp head /neck jerk (stretching again, I think) to the left...
Then down on the shot and drills it in.

Over and over again


Mine isn’t as obvious, just a subtle blend of miscue and rail-pounding with the ball.
(Over and over as well) ��
 
I probably have some that I'm not even aware of, but just off the top of my head:

I only chalk with my right hand.

I pay attention (somewhat) to what part of the chalk cube I'm wiping across the tip so all 4 corner wear evenly.
 
o.g. (old guy) said:
I do this too, trying to fix it because I end up chalking my cue over the table, Bad habit...
Click to expand...

Calking over the table isn't bad....if you do it over a pocket.

Also, I'd rather have my guests chalk over the table than over the carpet.



Jeff Livingston
 
I’m a right hand player....I chalk with my left.
Only my bridge hand touches the shaft...only my right hand touches the butt. ...
...even when I’m not shooting.
 
I seem to gather the two pc’s of chalk and put them together, don’t really know how often though. And if I get bad shape I sometimes tap the chalk on the rail and it makes a tapping noise, again don’t know how often.
 
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