Pool Player Tics
- Thread starter Patrick Johnson
- Start date
It is my stupid hat.
I line up the shot, and while looking at it, adjust my hat.
Non stop.
I didn't realize it until one day I wasn't wearing one, and
my hand kept trying to adjust nothing. In video, I can almost
see how hard a shot is just by counting how many times I
move my hat on my head. Drives me nuts, but it is just a
tic. Could be worse, you could shoot with your tongue out...
I line up the shot, and while looking at it, adjust my hat.
Non stop.
I didn't realize it until one day I wasn't wearing one, and
my hand kept trying to adjust nothing. In video, I can almost
see how hard a shot is just by counting how many times I
move my hat on my head. Drives me nuts, but it is just a
tic. Could be worse, you could shoot with your tongue out...
I turn all upside down chalk "right side" up before I shoot. It's probably more of an annoyance than a tic but I won't shoot until all chalk is pointing in the direction the pool God's intended, toward the heavens 
Luckily, it only happens every few weeks, and not every night. But, it does not mean i'm not watching.
I'm not superstitious, more of just a little "stitious"
Oh, and when I miss my easy 3 ball run out, I always curse the heavens and ask why God hates only me and beg him to take me now just so he can stop getting some much enjoyment from fuggin with me
Luckily, it only happens every few weeks, and not every night. But, it does not mean i'm not watching.
I'm not superstitious, more of just a little "stitious"
Oh, and when I miss my easy 3 ball run out, I always curse the heavens and ask why God hates only me and beg him to take me now just so he can stop getting some much enjoyment from fuggin with me
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If I ever miss what I would consider an easy shot, I always turn my stick around and fire it across the room like a dart at my opponent.
Seriously though, there is a guy that comes to the room and every time his approaches the table for his shot, he reaches up and pokes the light above the table which then starts casting shadows etc...annoying AF. He only does it when he approaches the table for his shot, not after every shot.
Seriously though, there is a guy that comes to the room and every time his approaches the table for his shot, he reaches up and pokes the light above the table which then starts casting shadows etc...annoying AF. He only does it when he approaches the table for his shot, not after every shot.
We have a few players in our weekly tournament that constantly place the chalk back down on the table upside down - just a bad habit just like chalking your cue over the table cloth. Although I use my own personal chalk, it bothers me as well, and I usually flip it back over like it's supposed to be. Do players not realize how it dirties up the rail with chalk?I turn all upside down chalk "right side" up before I shoot. It's probably more of an annoyance than a tic but I won't shoot until all chalk is pointing in the direction the pool God's intended, toward the heavens
Luckily, it only happens every few weeks, and not every night. But, it does not mean i'm not watching.
I'm not superstitious, more of just a little "stitious"
Oh, and when I miss my easy 3 ball run out, I always curse the heavens and ask why God hates only me and beg him to take me now just so he can stop getting some much enjoyment from fuggin with me
I understand, is an understatement.......LOL.
I've had gullies tourette syndrome since before I was a teenager.
Most people have tics but very, very few actually have a tic that is bad enough to interfere with everything in their life and even ruin parts of its if not treated.
I take lots of meds to control a long list of things tourette's related and "tics" are are at the top of the list.
Most have NO IDEA how hard it is to put 10 ball packs together while dealing with lifelong tourette syndrome.
It took me a looong time to overcome my disease in order to play pool at high levels.
LOL. That's the funny thing, as you probably know I always use my own chalk, yet, I have to touch the house chalk anyways
LOL. That's the funny thing, as you probably know I always use my own chalk, yet, I have to touch the house chalk anyways
Just walk by the offending cubes and smack them onto the floor. The more dramatic, the better.
Extra flair for doing it with a butt. Extra extra flair if the butt is attached to your legs.
I've always walked around the table counter-clockwise.. maybe it's
to keep the cue butt away from the edge of the table?..dunno.
I think it's a pool player superstition to remove chalks in your line of
vision on a shot.. I do this.. put the chalks together to the side.
The hand flipping... where did that start? The first pro I saw doing
that was Seigel, but it's ingrained in every pool player now... slop
a ball in, hand flip... 'splainin' what you shoulda done, handflip...
Air stroking?.. annoying, just stop that... such a poser move..
watching Ko air stroke 20 times, get down, get back up,
air stroke 20 more times.. get on with it already!
to keep the cue butt away from the edge of the table?..dunno.
I think it's a pool player superstition to remove chalks in your line of
vision on a shot.. I do this.. put the chalks together to the side.
The hand flipping... where did that start? The first pro I saw doing
that was Seigel, but it's ingrained in every pool player now... slop
a ball in, hand flip... 'splainin' what you shoulda done, handflip...
Air stroking?.. annoying, just stop that... such a poser move..
watching Ko air stroke 20 times, get down, get back up,
air stroke 20 more times.. get on with it already!
Isnt the air stroke a prep item? How do they differ from other practice strokes?
I guess you could say it's a prep.. I just read it as a habit... I've played
guys that do the excessive air stroking, then get down and do their
regular practice strokes, get back up and air stroke again... just
annoying.
I can't see how it is anything other than a dumb habit.
Even practice strokes when you're down on the shot are mostly dumb habit.
I can't agree with not having some amount of cueing action once over the ball as part of your pre-shot routine, just to keep tension from buiding up in your arms/wrists/hands.
Same reason athletes in other sports do similar stuff to help trigger their actual shot/stroke/swing - waggle for golfers. dribbling the ball a few times before a free throw for basketball players, bouncing the ball a few times before serving for tennis players, repetitive routines baseball batters have in the batters box just before a pitch, etc.
I do air strokes prior to shooting. In Tor (Zero-x) suggests it as part of the Pre Shot Routine. So more and more will be doing it if they don't already...