What Does Pool Teach You: Important Skills You Can Learn From The Game

Critical Thinking Skills

One of the most crucial things you will learn playing pool is critical thinking skills. It all starts with managing your own expectations of your performance. The first thing you are going to want to engage in when you're about to pick up a cue is how you're feeling. In order to think critically, you need to be able to self-evaluate and be aware of your own standing. Managing your expectations, understanding how you feel that day of playing, whether or not you feel confident and anything else you notice within yourself, will have a big impact on how you see the game. Running through all the rules and stages of the game is also crucial to start with, especially if you're new. If you're a novice to the game, here's a great place to get started concerning games that test your limits and allow you to think critically through stages. 

You then need to think critically about your opponent. Although billiard is a game where you play against yourself, trying to sink your own balls first, it is also a game where you need to think about your competition, as you need to make sure you sink your balls before he sinks his. Therefore, you must think critically and not emotionally when it comes to your competitors. If you spend too much time thinking about how nervous you are and how your opponent has won more games than you or has entered the room with a certain amount of bravado that intimidates you, well, then you aren't thinking critically. At the heart of any billiard game, there is skill and there is opportunity. Regardless of how talented your competitor is, understanding that each game is a new game, a new chance to win, is a prime example of thinking critically.

Fitness Benefits

You might be surprised to hear this, as you might think that pool is mostly just a game you play and stand relatively still while doing so but there is actually quite a lot of movement involved in the sport. There is also a lot of thinking that needs to be done, so there is a fair amount of mental strain, that can impact your physical performance, so trying to stay fit is important. 

The best way to bring fitness into your regime and get you ready for your next game, whether it's a big one or a small one, is to visit the gym. To be fair, it does not need to be an actual gym, it can also be a small space in your house where you make the most of the space and small weights you have. You'll first want to start with stretching because if you think about the position you are bent in when you bend over to hit a ball with the cue, your back is usually bent forward and slightly arched down. Now, if you have pain in your lower back, then trying to achieve this position will be very hard, which is why you should stretch beforehand. You then need to work on your core strength, as this is also required every time you drop down and lift up from the position you need to be in to hit the ball with the cue. There is also a lot of standing required when it comes to playing pool, therefore you should also spend some time either walking or cycling so that you can improve your stamina. When you're playing a tough competition or even a friend who is really good, you will spend a lot of time standing and waiting for the next shot, which can be very tiring and if you get too tired, then you will lose focus and you might mess up your next shot. 

Also, this kind of training also trains you to eat well and drink a lot of water. If you spend some time doing exercise every day, you'll want to automatically keep a bit more of an eye on what you're putting into your body. Water and staying hydrated are also crucial in training but also when it comes to a game of billiards, as you want to keep your energy levels up high.

Creating a Social Community

Another great thing about playing pool is the community that comes from it. Playing with friends once or twice a week can be a lot of fun and allow you to mix skill, critical thinking and enjoyment of being with others, all together, which is a real plus. Many sports do not allow people to have their friends involved in the sport, just think about running, it's hard to run and chat with a friend at the same time, whereas with pool, unless you are really focused or trying to get in the mind of your competitor, it's actually pretty simple to keep a good conversation going.

Playing pool is also a nice way to make new friends and perhaps even learn some new social skills. There are many pool houses that you can walk into alone, pay a small fee to play and then play with a whole bunch of different people. This is a great way to make easy conversation, learn more about the game and who knows, maybe even make a friend or two. 

As you can see from the above, pool is one of the only games that mixes many different things. Critical thinking skills are involved, fitness needs to be up there and you're able to make friends while playing the game. Few games are as diverse as this one, which is one of the main reasons it is so popular today.