Incorporating Health and Fitness into Your Pool Goals

For many people, myself included, it is difficult to find the balance between getting by and achieving all that you are capable of.  It is really easy to get into getting by mode, especially when you are like me, working hard, taking care of home and family, and trying to figure out what your purpose on this planet is.  What we tend to forget is that when we take better care of ourselves, we are in a better position to take care of the rest.

In 2012, it is one of my goals to focus on getting back to a place where my health (both mentally and physically) is a priority.  In doing so, I also hope to achieve my highest level of performance on the pool table.  It might sound somewhat dramatic, I know, but think about it.  Who are the best pool players in the world and how are they incorporating health and fitness into their goals?  Is there a common approach in training programs that links the most successful athletes in the world?  Well, I think there is...  Just to name a few: Mika Immonen, Shane Van Boening, Darren Appleton, Allison Fisher, and Ga Young Kim.

Another player who does is Jasmin Ouschan, she is what I call the cream of the proverbial crop when it comes to elite physicality.  Not only is she one of the best players in the world, but she is also extremely fit.  Go to her web page and she has an entire section that describes her philosophy on health and why it is a critical element in her training regiment.  Words like power, flexibility, and endurance are some of the fundamental ideals that connect her fitness level with her performance goals.  Concepts like consistency, mental acuity, and achieving a balance between the body and mind are essential to her success.  By striving to emulate these ideals in my own life, I hope to increase my level of performance and be able to compete with the pros.

Power
In pool, when I think of the word power an image of the break shot comes to mind.  A coiling body in the back swing and then unleashing a controlled bolt of energy as your core torques and drives your arm, shoulder, and then hip through the cue ball.  Many players lift up at the end of their break to complete the transfer of momentum.  All core exercises will increase your power during the break shot.  I'm not just talking abs, but also lower back and hip flexors.  Your entire midsection is connected and by working them all out together, your power will improve significantly.

Flexibility
In pool, all players have a dominant side or hand.  Even if they are capable of bridging and stroking the ball with their off hand, they generally prefer to shoot with their right or their left.  Because of this, most people have muscles that are more developed on their dominant side.  By adding stretching to your workouts, you can improve the flexibility within your entire body and hopefully offset some of the imbalance caused by repetitive motion on your dominant side.  Tight muscles and ligaments can hamper your performance on the pool table, especially if they result in injury that stops you from playing all together.  Areas that I tend to focus on during my stretching are shoulders, hips, and hamstrings.  Increasing flexibility in these areas will allow you to stretch further so you reduce the necessity of the bridge and improve your balance so you can maneuver the table more efficiently.

Endurance
In pool, I think that endurance is probably one of the most important elements to achieving success because it incorporates all aspects of your physical and mental well being.  If you are going to win a pool tournament, you need to perform at a high level over a long period of time.  Even though pool is not a high impact sport, constantly bending over the table shooting and racking can definitely take a toll.  Matches also require a level of concentration that can be physically draining as well. Cardiovascular aka "Cardio"exercise will improve your endurance both on and off the table.  This is any activity that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time.  Target heart rates are variable depending on your present fitness level.  Regular cardio, not only improves your stamina so you have more energy, but it can also help you sleep better at night, which can result in decreased mental fatigue.  Both elements can contribute to improved performance on the pool table and who doesn't want that?

For me, being healthy is not just this or that, it is everything and in order to achieve a sense of well being in this chaotic world that we are all apart of, I plan on incorporating these fitness elements into my  approach.  It is my hope that as I come closer to finding balance within my body, mind, and soul that I take one step towards achieving my own maximum potential, both on and off the pool table.  Figure out how you can achieve your very best too and we can take on the world together :).

Due Diligence to My Blog

I would like to take a moment to remind everyone that I am alive and well, even if I haven't posted in a while.  As you may or may not know about me, I have a hard time with small talk.  I am a very direct person with a somewhat sarcastic nature.  That being said I would hate to lessen the quality of my posts to ensure that mindless drivel was available for consumption.  That just isn't my style.  I will also have you know that new posts are in the works and I am very excited about my topics.  I have yet to resume my interview with Dan Louie, but I will prioritize getting that completed in the next month or so...  The other piece I am working on will be available in the next couple weeks.  It just came to me and I am excited to do some research over the next few days.  And, since I love that you come and join me here, I won't spoil it by divulging any details :).  Thanks again for checking back and I hope the New Year is going well for you.