15 Health Benefits of Playing Pool

Do you have a Pool table in your office or somewhere near you?

Let's begin with the fact that any sport you play can one way or the other benefit you in your day-to-day life. While doctors have mentioned playing field sports or others such as swimming and badminton help you stay active and healthy there are other sports that can give you a lot of other benefits.?

So, let’s talk about Pool (Billiards)

?1. Pool requires your active participation and involves a lot of body movement that acts towards the physical benefits such as stretching (a form of exercise done in field sports) flexibility (what you gain from gymnastics), workout for your joint muscles (which you can also learn from sports like tennis or basketball)

2. #Poolbilliards plays a prominent role in helping you gain mental benefits like staying focused (the art of shot-making) being patient while on the table waiting for your turn, deal with performance anxiety, working different angles to find your way, creating game strategies and coping with a pressure situation while trailing in a match giving you the confidence to fight and move up and one skill, we use in our daily life is the hand-eye coordination.

Personally, it’s the best sport to play when you are stressed out, helps you calm down and gain a fresh perspective, and improves the thought process.?

There is a world out there that relates to this sport as non-athletic, easy to play, has a taboo of gambling, and other negative aspects they can associate it with! We the players, the organizations, federations, and, associations around the world are fighting our way to show the reality of what it can do for you.

?I will be explaining how pool can help with?the health issues both physically and mentally in detail.

Cue sports (billiards, snooker, pool, Blackpool, carom pool) have been in our lives for over 200 years and have taken different forms of play. It is certain that this wouldn’t have lasted for so long if there weren’t any health benefits.

Pool is played as an entertainment sport in bars, a recreational sport in offices and businesses and as a professional sport worldwide. Played among both men and women providing equal health benefits.

And yeah, it also helps burn calories, now isn’t that an interesting thing to talk about!

But first the physical benefits in detail:

Burning of calories:?

This often puts a smile on my face. Who in today’s world is not concerned about calorie burn with the way we work and exert ourselves and with odd eating habits working in offices following different time zones we tend to gain a few extra pounds and it is something we all like to shed one way or the other? (which I know every sport does but this has a different feeling to it).

People have goals to do 10000 and more steps in a day these days with a lot of tools, apps and, gadgets helping you count them.?

Let’s play some pool! It makes you move around the table and a game that keeps you going at it. You walk around a lot and keeping your mind of mentally also helps burn calories, not in large numbers but an average player who plays one hour of pool a day is walking about 1500 to 2000 steps for an average person weighing 60 and above loses about 50 calories which is an equivalent to walking idly around and burning the same. The difference here is there is an additional level of peace and happiness at the end of play. In my opinion, it’s a win coz’ every step counts.?

Shaping or toning of muscles:

The way we stand, the way we play, there is a lot of muscle flex involved. Relaxing and contracting of muscles is what one does by applying the right pressure to the way you play Pool to your arms flexing, legs stretching and even the thigh muscles are getting worked on with the proper movement. It’s not in large numbers but every movement has a positive impact and that’s the key.

Get those joints moving:

A lazy day in the office on the chair for almost 4 hours before I could take a break and hit the pool table. Look what I get in return, actively moving my joints to take a shot-making a physical stance to play and then doing it over and over again for the one-hour break I have in between work or even after a whole day of work. It sure has a lot of movement while on the 9-foot table moving around keeping you active on your feet.?

Building your body

As a semi-professional I know that I can spend hours playing this sport, while a lethargic body will only get more tired, this requires an active and healthy body to be able to sustain the number or hours of play especially when you are playing a tournament or a match that can go on for hours and days. Standing for hours needs equal strength, a short workout in the gym not heavy lifting but then focusing on your cardio is a good form of exercise that will keep you going.?

No physical damage being caused by a light workout, it doesn’t require heavy muscles like other sports or any physical exertion to your body.

Physically Fit and Confident:

Pool helps you with a lot of confidence about your physical well-being. You can play for long hours without feeling tired. Shots that require a difficult standing position such as one leg in the air with the right fitness helps you confidently balance your aim and builds towards a better performance. It helps you stay sharp and has a positive impact when your body feels fit to play and take on the challenge. Play fit with confidence also helps you stay fit.

Manual Precision and Accuracy?

The shots on a pool table have different approaches and forms. Anxiety can lead to a shiver and in turn, affect the shot delivery. When you play pool one thing you learn and learn good is playing an accurate shot from even a tough body position with the manual effort of your mind giving you the ability to control your limbs the way you desire.?

Hit where you aim is what is the manual precision applied to a shot which in an awkward body position makes your limbs shiver. This will help you with a more calm and controlled approach and getting the right position for your next shot.

Strength = Stretching = Flexibility

It’s a fact that when you are physically fit and mentally strong you have already won?over 50% of your game and all that requires is the ability to control that on the table by applying the confidence it gives you and the strength to stay calm and composed even under pressure situations.?The body posture requires stretching from time to time while playing. An incorrect posture sometimes could lead to a muscle pull or a sprain. Stretching right requires your body to be flexible which makes it easier with a better approach to the gameplay. Staying calm and the right body movement results in a flexible and strong performance.

Well moving to a whole different level of benefits we now would talk about how playing Pool billiards can have a very intellectual impact. Playing pool has helped my mind stay sharp and nourished.?

This goes to all the men out there-

Slow aging

When you are happy you secrete a hormone called dopamine. There are researches done in the above aspect that?say when #menplaypool they are to #ageslowly?????. This calls for a celebration over a game of pool. Let me explain how is the above possible. Usually, the sport is played with family or friends in your surroundings. So, when you are playing Pool you are in a happy place increasing your hormone with your body resisting the aging through a natural and relaxed form. It’s a safe place you are in. Can be played at any age making it safe for everyone to play as well resulting in spreading cheer.?

More happiness more dopamine resulting in slow aging.

Mind Focus

A key health benefit that you can gain is the ability to stay sharp, play with confidence, and have a more focused approach to the game both from the mind and body. While playing Pool, a deep focus on the game helps you win with confidence and adds pressure to your opponent.?

When you are playing Pool your mental focus and strength in taking a shot, help you hit the right spot on the object ball and also makes you think creatively, plan ahead.?

You need to keep your eye on the ball while playing a shot with the focus and be alert for your next position enabling you to achieve the next shot getting to the right angle.

?Balancing and Controlling your Emotions

A strong mental health benefit of playing Pool is being able to balance your mind and having good control of your thoughts and emotions. Overflowing of emotions can lead to off-balance and become a form of disability in playing any shot. To stay focused, keep your emotions in the right place, have the right control, and get your game going strong. The way you build a technique and habits on the table playing Pool with the right control is what you exercise in real-life situations in a much better way.

?Such control will lead you to become a winner in anything you do. Respect the game, keep your head high, and don’t lose control over your emotions by screaming, shouting insults towards the game, it not only shows weakness but also is a sign of losing your own reputation in the eyes of others.

?Hand-eye Coordination

The physical ability to play right is directly linked to this cognitive skill where the hand meets the eye while taking the aim and having the right release to perform a shot. Like I mentioned earlier, keep your eye on the ball, and execution by your hand in coordination with your eyes move with the object ball upon releasing the shot is a perfect form of mental exercise.

This helps in keeping your eyes healthy and a coordinated mind with the help of the right training and exercise, and the best way to do that is a regular practice. If you are determined then the ability to do get it right is not difficult to accomplish.

?Sharpening of Mind

Our mind is like a machine and it needs constant oiling and sharpening by activating the right senses. By now I am sure you all agree with me when I say this playing Pool can sharpen your mind? It’s all interlinked.

A focused mind needs the mental strength to deliver the right shots and so, it is clear to ascertain that a game of pool benefits your mind in keeping you sharp in your daily life.

?Be Patient, it’s not over yet!

Pool requires you to be calm and composed, just like you dealing with a difficult situation in your life. If you are jittery, your performance with hinder. When you are at the table remember, patience is your virtue. We all aim to win, but the situation sometimes changes when you underperform and start to lose focus, affecting your hand-eye coordination, poor shot delivery, building anxiety and leads to performance pressure. If you are patient, you will be able to get back on your feet, fight the battle with ease releasing all the stress and that is the art of a true seasoned player the world will think of you.

Slow, steady, and be patient and you will emerge victoriously. This is something we learn and actively imply to everything in our life. Remember losing with patience will definitely get you the win you deserve.

?And finally,

?Think different, think smart

Every single shot in the game of Pool can be made in different ways, some shots require less effort to get to positioning for the next, while some require different techniques to be applied to position for the next, and then some shots can be played in multiple ways, this is where you need to think outside the box. Play smart and play it right.

Critical thinking is art your mind develops playing pool giving you the ability to your mind in tough situations while on the table and gives you that sense of satisfaction making your game a good one. We often come across situations that require us to think different, playing pool helps you with the same and lead to a better approach.

?I think I have covered everything, so to conclude;

?We can benefit a great deal towards a healthy mind and a healthy body when all the above are followed while playing the game of pool and attributing the same to our life.

A right mental state gives you the ability to deal with challenging situations and your physical strength makes you overcome these challenges with ease.

?Play pool, relax your mind, attain the right peace and enjoyment while you are at it, and use the same techniques and methods in your regular life.

Now let’s play some Pool! And lead a healthy and strong life, both physically and mentally.

I hope this is a good read for everyone and I would love you hear your comments and reactions and look forward to seeing you all send me photos of you playing pool…

?That’s all folks! Have a great day and a happy 2021

PS: If your office is looking for a Pool Table you can reach me at +919963546216 for the best equipment in the world available in India.

#thegideongroup