warm-up???

B

BigLip

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
it seems to take me forever to get warmed up. i play soo bad until i can get going...

which is ok b/c i expect it but i hate going into games/sets/matches KNOWING that im going to have to come from behind...

what do you guys do? exercise routines like im getting in the ring w/ a champ would look stupid but hitting balls in the pockets just doesnt do it for me quickly enough...

not even joking it took me 2 hours of awkward cold feeling and just not pocketing balls like i should the other day and last night it was the same thing! (this may be a little longer b/c i was shooting some pretty straight shooters and on the first night it was a ring game so i had to keep waiting my turn.)

after im warm im ok though...
 
warm up

it probably wouldn't take you 2 hours to warm up. All you have to do is play where ever you can by yourself.. cause when you're by yourself, you don't have to sit and wait for the other person to shoot etc.

what i do is I first stand at the head of the table and hit the cue ball, by itself all the way down, and try to get it to come back to me( going to for a good straight shot) so I know i'm hitting the cue dead on... after that.. I spend time hitting some straight in shots at different power levels, making sure to keep my stroke straight and everything.. then i move to cut shots and slowly making the angles bigger and bigger... I also do a little warm up working to draw and lead.. to test table etc.

hope that helped you a little bit.. doing anything that you can think of would probably put your mind at ease... just remember when you get to the table, don't think about anything and let your experience take you.. cause if you think to much or analyse to much.. its going to hurt you in the long run of the match/set
 
I use to be the same way, but now everytime i see a table im in the zone so i purdy much can't help you out here, probably cause i am so into pool man pool is my life and if you love something that much you don't have to be warm to get yourself going if you know what i mean ;)
 
BigLip said:
it seems to take me forever to get warmed up. i play soo bad until i can get going...

which is ok b/c i expect it but i hate going into games/sets/matches KNOWING that im going to have to come from behind...

what do you guys do? exercise routines like im getting in the ring w/ a champ would look stupid but hitting balls in the pockets just doesnt do it for me quickly enough...

not even joking it took me 2 hours of awkward cold feeling and just not pocketing balls like i should the other day and last night it was the same thing! (this may be a little longer b/c i was shooting some pretty straight shooters and on the first night it was a ring game so i had to keep waiting my turn.)

after im warm im ok though...
Click to expand...

I have the same problem. The less I play the longer it takes me to get warmed up. I won a weekly tournament tonight, and I didn't get warmed up until I played in the finals! Today I got through all my matches because the rolls just kept going my way. Halfway thru the finals I caught a gear and smoked the guy 7-1. It took me over 3 hours to get warmed up! I guess the more and more you play the less time it takes you to get warm, but I firmly believe ALL players require at least a few minutes to get in stroke, even the top players.
 
LastTwo said:
but I firmly believe ALL players require at least a few minutes to get in stroke, even the top players.
Click to expand...

I agree, but when Tony Robles won the BCA he said that he doesn't even practice anymore but teaching keeps him in his game, so yeah we all need to get warm'd up. My game is the same anywhere i play but i need to adjust to the tables, the speed, the size etc... Cole 'TheConArtist'
 
lasttwo.. this might just be an idea.. but do you think part of that might just be a state of mind that you put yourself in? cause i mean.. if you were getting these rolls, maybe you were "warmed up" but you weren't just playing with the confidence that you need to when you play pool

just a thought.. from what you said it just popped in my head =-O
 
ManifestEcstacy said:
lasttwo.. this might just be an idea.. but do you think part of that might just be a state of mind that you put yourself in? cause i mean.. if you were getting these rolls, maybe you were "warmed up" but you weren't just playing with the confidence that you need to when you play pool

just a thought.. from what you said it just popped in my head =-O
Click to expand...

No because when I get warmed up I get a relaxed and fluid feeling in my stroking arm. When I am cold my arm is tense and sometimes a little shaky. There is a big difference in what I can and can't do. When I am warmed up I let my stroke out and my position play becomes very precise. When I am cold I am just poking at the ball and I have to sometimes play 'football field' shape.
 
warming up

I prefer to grab a table by my self and warm up. Jumping into it with anotherguys is awful for me. The guy is usually a ball banger and will hit ya with every slop safe there is to be seen. I like to shoot long straight in shots to get going. Snap draw a few. Slow Roll a few. Stop shot a few. And follow the cue straight in after the ball. Gets ya locked in real good. Then i just break and play solo 9 -ball. If i feel warmed up and a guy jumps on i usually hit a few games then go relax before the tourney. Keeps the bad vibes out of your space from getting down when hes whooping ya.

A pet peve of mine. I move alot due to my wifes job. I am the new kid in town and get dubbed road player. Hustler and all the famous others you can throw in. So i play a tourney and all the gamblers jump me mid tourney to gamble. Drives me nuts.
 
BigLip said:
it seems to take me forever to get warmed up. i play soo bad until i can get going...

...
Click to expand...

The same with me. I find that getting in stroke is a matter of getting mentally comfortable first. It is kind of like as soon as I shake off the day from work and other responsibilities that I am able to play better. If I take a break from work for one or two days I find that I can jump right into stroke. I also find that practice does nothing to help me get there mentally fast, I must play a match.
 
pete lafond said:
The same with me. I find that getting in stroke is a matter of getting mentally comfortable first. It is kind of like as soon as I shake off the day from work and other responsibilities that I am able to play better. If I take a break from work for one or two days I find that I can jump right into stroke. I also find that practice does nothing to help me get there mentally fast, I must play a match.
Click to expand...

YES, that is probably it as well...

when i start to play a game/set i am doing everything that i normally do...i try to get around the table but it feels like im grinding real hard to do even the easiest things w/ the cue ball...or i'll hit a ball and it just wont come off the cue ball as if im not stroking thru the ball fluid...and i can FEEL it.
 
I shoot a couple medium length straight-ins, then increase the length a couple times. Especially on the medium length straight-ins nothing but center pocket will do. This seems to be the easiest way for me to make sure my stoke is straight.
 
WHITE WOLF

WELL i see but in this case...at least for me i dont think it is specific to playing pool...

but i just didnt know if anyone had any warm up routines...i have seen some in this post that im gonna try out for sure...what i was thinking is that fast strokes to get the blood flowing is what i need then to slow to get the straightness down.

it's not like i make every shot...no way...it isnt that im nervous either...it's just i feel stiff...im AM relaxed as far as the mind goes but it is just like going into a fight (i do that too so this is what im going to go by)...lets say it's a 6 round fight...if i start that fight and im not sweating before the first bell those first couple of rounds will feel awkward...

it doesnt have a damn thing to do w/ not PRACTICING b/c i practice 2 and a half hours 5-6 days per weekn and run 2-5 miles each morning...im in shape, i know HOW to do it but if i dont properly warm up there is that 1-2 round period that i may be stiff and not READY...(ready to be ko'd haha)

but i know how to warm up for that and i know what i need to do to SIMULATE the process for getting ready for that...but i dont for playing pool...how crazy would it look to stretch and jump rope and jump around for a 20 dollar set...ahahaha i just want to know what works for others...
 
Last edited:
Try these two things:

1.) If you haven't practiced but are going to compete right now, hit a few balls very, very HARD. Do easy shots, but bang 'em in real good. 5 shots should do it.

2.) The first thing to do when starting a practice session is set-up the game that you usually play with the balls scattered on the table. Now, run out...if you miss, you lose. This practice technique will help you come out of the gate cold.

Jeff Livingston
 
whitewolf said:
Well there you have it. You work out too much. Seriously, I met a guy once who was getting ready to go around the country to hustle. He said that he had started to lift weights and he was too stiff all the time to play pool well. He had to cut down on his weightlifting. Come to think of it, when was the last time anyone here has seen a muscle bound pool player worth a damn :D :D

Sorry, I got off subject again.
Click to expand...

man im almost 5'11 and i fight at 141 and i walk around at 156 or so...it's the same w/ fighters actually...power doesnt come from muscle bound fighters but from proper weight transfer and fluidness i guess is the best i can describe it. same applies w/ most sports EXCEPT weight lifters
 
whitewolf said:
Well there you have it. You work out too much. Seriously, I met a guy once who was getting ready to go around the country to hustle. He said that he had started to lift weights and he was too stiff all the time to play pool well. He had to cut down on his weightlifting. Come to think of it, when was the last time anyone here has seen a muscle bound pool player worth a damn :D :D

Sorry, I got off subject again.
Click to expand...

feijen looks to be the most "desiel" billiard player...i think efren would take him out tho
 
whitewolf said:
Well there you have it. You work out too much. Seriously, I met a guy once who was getting ready to go around the country to hustle. He said that he had started to lift weights and he was too stiff all the time to play pool well. He had to cut down on his weightlifting. Come to think of it, when was the last time anyone here has seen a muscle bound pool player worth a damn :D :D

Sorry, I got off subject again.
Click to expand...

Thorsten Hohmann is a fitness freak, he's a world champion too.

I have a friend who is about as buff as Arnold the governator used to be. My friend used to play around a shortstop level, but he doesn't play anymore. He's in his 50's and he still works out like crazy.
 
TheConArtist said:
I agree, but when Tony Robles won the BCA he said that he doesn't even practice anymore but teaching keeps him in his game, so yeah we all need to get warm'd up. My game is the same anywhere i play but i need to adjust to the tables, the speed, the size etc... Cole 'TheConArtist'
Click to expand...


I see Tony at the poolroom daily and can assure you, he's hitting balls routinely. He may not be focusing on his own game but he's indirectly staying in tune. Honestly, he's one of the only people in the world who appears to be in dead gear ALL THE TIME. He may not consider what he's doing as "practice" but he's not absent.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I see Tony at the poolroom daily and can assure you, he's hitting balls routinely. He may not be focusing on his own game but he's indirectly staying in tune. Honestly, he's one of the only people in the world who appears to be in dead gear ALL THE TIME. He may not consider what he's doing as "practice" but he's not absent.
Click to expand...

ICY. Cole 'TheConArtist'
 
LastTwo said:
Thorsten Hohmann is a fitness freak, he's a world champion too.

I have a friend who is about as buff as Arnold the governator used to be. My friend used to play around a shortstop level, but he doesn't play anymore. He's in his 50's and he still works out like crazy.
Click to expand...

ive seen this a few times but what is a "shortstop" level? what are the different levels of play?
 
BigLip said:
ive seen this a few times but what is a "shortstop" level? what are the different levels of play?
Click to expand...

larry (not fast larry people, a local player we know) would be considered a medium to strong speed shortstop.

he's good enough to beat most anyone he plays, but a good road player of pro will eat him for breakfast. thats basically a shortstop, its an in between player.

VAP
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top