What do Players do about eating while Playing

Snapshot9

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
I just got to wondering about what Players do when they are playing a long
time, like a big tournament, and you have to eat something.

Do you have only certain dishes you eat while playing?
Do you only eat between matches, even though you are starving
while playing? What if you order food, it gets there, then your match
is called?

Eating while playing can be distracting. It can mess your hands up.
You can find yourself down in a match, when you were up in a match
before you ate.

What does everyone do about these problems?
 
I smoke cigars. I drink iced tea. I eat when I'm hungry.

I do any of the above between shots and sets.

Not to be rude to my opponent, but I will dictate the pace of my activities during play.

When its my shot, Ill draw once more on my cigar or take another sip of tea as I look over the table. If I happen to be eating, its another bite of chow.

I refuse to eat anything that will mess with my hands though. Must be a knife and fork.

Just another way to control the table.

Dave
 
I dont eat anything an hr before i start playing. I find that even if i am hungry, i wont knotice it when im on the table. If im going to play for hrs and hrs, then i'll take a break from the table, eat, wash up, and then start with some practice drills. Usually its nothing fatty, maybe a turkey sandwich. I usually try to eat before i play so i can last a good amount of time before i have to eat again.
 
If you are a serious player who wants to do well at tournaments you should really be careful about what you eat or drink. The best would be to follow what tennis players are doing during their long matches. Ever seen a pro tennis player have a pizza, hamburger or a huge sandwich during a match? Nope. Bananas are easy to eat, you won't feel hungry or stuffed...only refreshed.

I know pool isn't tennis, and it's not even nearly as demanding physically, but you can't go wrong with normal juice and a few bananas. That should keep you upbeat for the whole day no problem. A large pizza or a double hamburger will put you to sleep no doubt.

This goes only for those who do not smoke or drink any alcohol during matches. No matter what they say, players who drink and/or smoke are at disadvantage during long sessions, no doubt about that.
 
I've found it is a disaster to eat a large meal in the middle of a tournament. I want to take a nap!

Better to eat a large meal 2 hours before, then frequently snack during the tournament instead of eating a large meal.

If I know I will have a 2 hour, 6 hour, etc. wait until my next match, then I'll eat a large meal.

For tournaments where I am finished for the night, but waiting for someone else to finish their match(s), if I won my match, I'll reward myself by ordering food. If I lost, I make myself wait until I get home.
 
I agree with all of the above, especially not eating heavy meals unless there's at least two hours between matches, and bananas are great! Unfortunately, sometimes in a tournament you don't know how long you will have between matches. If you stay in the winners bracket, you'll probably have more time; but if you fall into the losers bracket, you may not have any time between matches at all - plus you might be playing back-to-back matches for hours. That's where protein bars come in handy....they are filling without being heavy and keep the hunger pangs away far longer than a banana! :cool:
 
Kerry Impson said:
That's where protein bars come in handy....they are filling without being heavy and keep the hunger pangs away far longer than a banana! :cool:
Click to expand...

I agree 100 percent. I traveled on the road with a huge health nut, to say the least. He was always hounding me about what to eat when and so foth and i found out that he actually was right. We used to keep a case of protein bars in the car and we frequently used them for a snack. If we had an appoitment to play a big set with somebody then we would eat some pasta with red sauce about 2 hrs before game time.

Not only is eating vital to being succesfull on the pool table, so is being healthy. I work out 5 to 6 days a week and have found that I feel completely better when at the table. My stamina is high and I feel like I can play a 24 hr session no problem. I know several great players and trust me, the ones that make it to the top do some sort of exercise routine every day. For those of you who are serious about becoming the best that you can be, put the cigs and alcohol down and hit the gym, and watch your game improve the 7 ball in a month. In case two close players get down for the money, and one of them has been conditioning their body, i'm betting on the guy who is the healthiest, especially in a long session.

Just some food for thought:)

GOOD LUCK
 
1on1pooltournys said:
I agree 100 percent. I traveled on the road with a huge health nut, to say the least. He was always hounding me about what to eat when and so foth and i found out that he actually was right. We used to keep a case of protein bars in the car and we frequently used them for a snack. If we had an appoitment to play a big set with somebody then we would eat some pasta with red sauce about 2 hrs before game time.

Not only is eating vital to being succesfull on the pool table, so is being healthy. I work out 5 to 6 days a week and have found that I feel completely better when at the table. My stamina is high and I feel like I can play a 24 hr session no problem. I know several great players and trust me, the ones that make it to the top do some sort of exercise routine every day. For those of you who are serious about becoming the best that you can be, put the cigs and alcohol down and hit the gym, and watch your game improve the 7 ball in a month. In case two close players get down for the money, and one of them has been conditioning their body, i'm betting on the guy who is the healthiest, especially in a long session.

Just some food for thought:)

GOOD LUCK
Click to expand...

I eat about 2 hrs b 4 a match .but never during play .That iz jus to much on my tummy..jus bending over on a shot .i not good at all 4 your food 2 go down ..
 
What I have heard from reliable sources (Billiards Digest) is that Johnny Archer considers it a good luck charm to eat lightly a chinese meal (generally high carbo/light protien) a few hours before his matches.

Heavy protien/huge steak may make one drowsy.

FWIW. Sugar drink highs won't take one all the way home either.

Balance, balance.
 
I stay away from carbs and try to find out if I have enough time before ordering anything...I also bring power bars and fruit to eat between matches. I will only take a bite or twowhile I am actually playing, if I feel my blood sugar drop. I am hypo glycemic and have to be careful. Any kind of high carb foods or sugars make me sleepy and I never drink when I play.
 
Kevin said:
What I have heard from reliable sources (Billiards Digest) is that Johnny Archer considers it a good luck charm to eat lightly a chinese meal (generally high carbo/light protien) a few hours before his matches.

Heavy protien/huge steak may make one drowsy.

FWIW. Sugar drink highs won't take one all the way home either.

Balance, balance.
Click to expand...


A couple of hours before he snapped off the 2004 Predator Central Florida Open, I overheard him catching a ride to Boston Market.
 
Chicken breast sandwich is best eaten before the tourney starts imo.
Low glycemic content ( sugar) high protein and easily digestable.
Burgers are the worst. Too heavy.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Chicken breast sandwich is best eaten before the tourney starts imo.
Low glycemic content ( sugar) high protein and easily digestable.
Burgers are the worst. Too heavy.
Click to expand...


I like to go with about 4-5 hard boiled eggs, beer, baked beans, and hot dogs with sauerkraut on 'em. It doesn't affect my game at all, but it sure does to the other player. :eek:
 
predator said:
If you are a serious player who wants to do well at tournaments you should really be careful about what you eat or drink. The best would be to follow what tennis players are doing during their long matches. Ever seen a pro tennis player have a pizza, hamburger or a huge sandwich during a match? Nope. Bananas are easy to eat, you won't feel hungry or stuffed...only refreshed.

I know pool isn't tennis, and it's not even nearly as demanding physically, but you can't go wrong with normal juice and a few bananas. That should keep you upbeat for the whole day no problem. A large pizza or a double hamburger will put you to sleep no doubt.

This goes only for those who do not smoke or drink any alcohol during matches. No matter what they say, players who drink and/or smoke are at disadvantage during long sessions, no doubt about that.
Click to expand...


bananas What pool hall u play at sell's bananas lol I not going to get kicked out because i brought some bananas.. get some jerky from the counter or a candy bar lol bananas must be a DARK pool hall to hide those..
 
This topic came up recently at a pool tournament and I heard two pro's (men) state that they don't eat anything the day they play until the tourney is over. I also happened to notice in Vegas that Karen Corr was eating a banana 5 min before her match started. LOL, if I ever start trying to play this game again I might have to invest in some banana's to take to the pool hall... I'm going to need all the help I can get! :cool:
 
1on1pooltournys said:
I agree 100 percent. I traveled on the road with a huge health nut, to say the least. He was always hounding me about what to eat when and so foth and i found out that he actually was right. We used to keep a case of protein bars in the car and we frequently used them for a snack. If we had an appoitment to play a big set with somebody then we would eat some pasta with red sauce about 2 hrs before game time.

Not only is eating vital to being succesfull on the pool table, so is being healthy. I work out 5 to 6 days a week and have found that I feel completely better when at the table. My stamina is high and I feel like I can play a 24 hr session no problem. I know several great players and trust me, the ones that make it to the top do some sort of exercise routine every day. For those of you who are serious about becoming the best that you can be, put the cigs and alcohol down and hit the gym, and watch your game improve the 7 ball in a month. In case two close players get down for the money, and one of them has been conditioning their body, i'm betting on the guy who is the healthiest, especially in a long session.

Just some food for thought:)

GOOD LUCK
Click to expand...


Nice post junior!! :)

Christyd
 
A lot of pool halls say that they dont allow outside food or drinks, but ive never had a problem. I usually bring my own bottled water (although i'll also buy a few bottles from the hall as i go through them pretty fast) and some food, nothing big. I can see why owners would have a problem with someone bringing in a large pie of pizza or something, but i doubt theyll care about bananas.
 
Nothing larger than a sandwich (except turkey) for me, but I don't eat anything while I'm playing. If my opponent is eating a meal I'll wait until they're done to play.
I don't like when someone leaves a game to get a drink or use the washroom nobody seems to be able to wait until the game is over or at least when it's there turn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top