Stretching?
- Thread starter xidica
- Start date
Yes ....
I do. I still work out with weights, but never on a playing day, only off days, and I stretch on days when I play. The biggest problem area is the back and shoulders, followed by my legs.
I have always been pretty limbar, and can still touch my palms to the floor.
I stretch my legs, then I work on my shoulders and back some, mostly at home, sometimes in the Pool room if I feel 'tight'. Nothing dramatic, usually go to a corner by myself, stretch and limbar up a little before a tournament match usually. I tend to overpower the break if I feel tight.
I do. I still work out with weights, but never on a playing day, only off days, and I stretch on days when I play. The biggest problem area is the back and shoulders, followed by my legs.
I have always been pretty limbar, and can still touch my palms to the floor.
I stretch my legs, then I work on my shoulders and back some, mostly at home, sometimes in the Pool room if I feel 'tight'. Nothing dramatic, usually go to a corner by myself, stretch and limbar up a little before a tournament match usually. I tend to overpower the break if I feel tight.
I do before playing seriously...
Nothing set, mostly just back/shoulders/arms.. mostly just to get relaxed and make sure everything feels ok....
I definitely think everyone should stretch, there are no downsides and there are physical and mental upsides.
Nothing set, mostly just back/shoulders/arms.. mostly just to get relaxed and make sure everything feels ok....
I definitely think everyone should stretch, there are no downsides and there are physical and mental upsides.
Good to hear. I think when I was actively stretching before shooting I did notice a difference. I never really got into a set habit of doing it and haven't paid it much mind lately (kind of like not following your set pre-shot routine, except pre-pool)
I'll definately have to keep this in mind and make an active effort to do this before I play.
I'll definately have to keep this in mind and make an active effort to do this before I play.
No stretching for me, I might hurt myself.xidica said:
I run everyday, but even for that I don't stretch until after I run. The only things I stretch beforehand for are things that will involve "explosive" use of my muscles and tendons, such as my weekly soccer game and, back in the day, road races. I always stretch before soccer, generally I take a nice hot shower beforehand and stretch there, then stretch again at the field of play.
You have to know how to stretch, or you can hurt yourself. Stretch very slowly, adding a little more pressure at a time. Do not do any type of repetition stretching, you have to do it real slowly to loosen the muscles. If you stretch rapidly, you can tear your muscles. There are also proper ways to stretch your arms and shoulders, etc. Don't experiment with stretching, find out how to stretch certain muscles a certain way, and do it that way. I remember stretching my arm vigorously during a tournament a few years ago, and I think I tore a muscle, my arm was in pain for about a week after that.
Lefty stretched
The great John "Cannonball Lefty" Chapman used to do some serious stretching before a match. He had a body like Plastic Man. He'd get on the floor and roll himself up into a ball. You could have rolled him down the street.
the Beard
Bank on, brother!
xidica said:
The great John "Cannonball Lefty" Chapman used to do some serious stretching before a match. He had a body like Plastic Man. He'd get on the floor and roll himself up into a ball. You could have rolled him down the street.
the Beard
Bank on, brother!
freddy the beard said:
My experience is that generally people who stretch are already naturally flexible. They stretch because it isn't painful. We people who aren't naturally flexible find it much more difficult to find the discipline to stretch.
I do some stretches like bending to touch my toes to help loosen up my leg muscles and loosen up my back. I also stretch my bridge hand very well becasuse my hadns aren't very flexible and I use mostly closed bridge. I also do some loops with my neck just to get any tenseness out. I usually go to the bathroom and do my stretches in the stall so no one has to see me, could look a little weird.
Lately, I've had problems with soreness in my left elbow of my non-shooting arm. It typically takes a few hours for the soreness to subside. Is there something about my stance or the way I shoot that might be aggravating the non-shooting arm/elbow?
Are there any good stretching exercises that someone can recommend for the shoulders/arms/elbows? THX.
Are there any good stretching exercises that someone can recommend for the shoulders/arms/elbows? THX.
Do you lock your elbow out when shooting?. If you do I would recommend relaxing it and letting your arm rest on the bed of the table. You might also be loading a large part of your weight distrubution onto your bridge arm and the muscles are becoming fatigued. Hard to say really, but that's a start.PoolSharkAllen said:
PoolSharkAllen said:
It could be that you're putting too much weight on it. Is your stance balanced, by which I mean can you get into your stance without a table to lean on, or do you put some weight on the table? If you're using your non-shooting arm to hold yourself up at all, that could explain the soreness, and it also would be introducing unecessary tension into your body while shooting. Stepping a little closer to the shot and pushing your hips further back behind you while bending down will give you better balance, less muscle strain, and more stroke consistency.
Anyway, as far as stretching goes, your muscles contract most smoothly/predictably/repeatably when they're warmed up and stretched, regardless of what you're using them to do. A few minutes of fast-paced walking to get your circulation going and warm your muscles a bit followed by some stretching before playing should improve your performance at the table, although I don't know if the effect would be very siginificant for everyone.
-Andrew