Taking a 'Break'

A different kind of pool!
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Yes, I am having a break this summer. Not so much a summer holiday - just a couple of weeks off towards the end of August to chill by the sea is planned - but a break from pool.

That does not mean I'm not playing pool, it means I'm taking a break from intense practicing, or playing in tournaments. The only pool I'm playing at the moment are the ranking series of matches twice a month. And that is enough for me during the summer. Come September, I'll be stepping up the preparation for the competitive league tournaments, cup tournaments, and, of course, the EBA Nations Cup in Cyprus in November.

I do wonder if I might come in for some criticism by not being at the table as frequently as I can, practicing shot after shot, and sometimes I confess to feeling a bit guilty that I'm not. But the way I see it, you don't have basketball players running around the courts all day every day, or football players, or rugby players and cricketers are not entirely glued to their bats. There are other ways to prepare for a tournament, to flex your skills and get ready for the new season, and they are not all about playing pool. These, for instance:


  • Not all practice has to be at the pool table - pool may not be a sport that requires great physical strength or a particular body shape, but it does need a good degree of stamina. Those tournaments can be long and tiring. Focusing for long periods of time needs physical fitness to keep your brain working clearly and your muscles responsive. And you need to be reasonably supple and your muscles working well and for long periods of time. During a tournament you can be on your feet for hours and as you age (and in my case, as your waistline expands) this standing and walking around the tables for hours can really sap your energy. So regular exercise is a must. This can be anything from walking the dog, to swimming at the beach, to hiking, to yoga or those 7-minute workout apps. You can get active and get fitter and the change of activity and of scenery can be a good motivator.
Well, I'll be walking rather than doing handstands!
Image by Matan Ray Vizel from Pixabay 
  • Watch pool videos - sounds lazy, but watching the game played by the world's top pros can teach you plenty of strategies and techniques that you can then put into practice at the table when you come back to it. There are some brilliant YouTube videos in high quality HD out there to watch and you can learn from watching the pros tackle all those tricky angles, make the perfect position play, apply strategy, their behaviour at the table and more.
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay 
  • Meditate - perhaps my age group of players will find this laughable, but focus and concentration is something you struggle to hold on to in your fifties, so it's good to work on it. If you're not into sharing your meditation with a yoga class, there are a number of apps that you can download, such as Headspace, that  help with this. A few minutes every day and this will help with all aspects of life, including playing pool; meditation will help to bring calm to your mind during matches, and it will silence that inner voice that criticises your every shot and undermines your confidence. 
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay 

  • Visualise - visualising is about using that calm space after meditation to soak yourself in mental images of playing the perfect shots, or overcoming tough positions on the table. Or holding up the winner's trophy. Visualising trains your brain, preparing it to kick into automatic action when the situation comes up for real. I can't say I'm great at this, but summer time is a good time for trying out new things that are slow and use little energy, so I'm going to give it a try!

And I'll be heading for a bit of sea air on the beach during those couple of weeks off in August. We all deserve a break, don't we? And I know, that after a spell away from the game, I'll be raring to go, re-enthused, and hopefully, a bit physically and mentally fitter for it.

Image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay 






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