Sports generally have been known to have many health benefits. The benefits gained through sports and exercises are so significant that Doctors often recommend various kinds of games for patients’ health and fitness.
Different categories of sports are grouped according to the benefits they offer; activities such as running, swimming, jogging, badminton, etc. top the list of beneficial sports to total body health.
Little or no consideration has been given to the game of pool in terms of health benefits simply because the game requires no running of visible physical exertions. So are there any health benefits of playing pool?
Playing pool, like all sports is great for your health. Although pool isn’t your traditional sport there are still health benefits of playing billiards such as physical, mental, and even social benefits.
This has raised some questions from different individuals on the effect the pool game has on the players’ health. The truth is, there are lots of underlying health benefits one can enjoy by playing the pool game. This article is aimed at enlightening you about 20 of these benefits.
- Health Benefits of Playing Pool
- Physical Benefits of Pool Games
- Intellectual Benefits of Pool Game
- 1. Build Focus and Concentration
- 2. Sharpening of the Mind
- 3. Improve Hand-eye Coordination
- 4. Increases Your Critical Thinking
- 5. Slows Ageing in Men
- 6. Improves life Skills
- 7. Improves cognitive skills
- 8. Teaches Patience
- 9. Provides Fun
- 10. Encourages one to socialize
- 11. Create a Winning Mentality
- 12. Emotional Control
- Is Playing Pool Good Exercise
- Does Playing Pool Make You Smarter
- Is Playing Pool a Good Hobby
- Conclusion
Health Benefits of Playing Pool
Pool is a table game that has been in existence for more than 100 years now.
Many play the game casually or for fun while others participate in pool tournament games. For whichever reason, you play the game, and whichever place (basement, pubs, or bars), it is certain that the activity profits your body nonetheless, whether mental or physical benefits.
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Below are some of the numerous benefits of playing pool. They are categories under physical benefits and mental benefits.
Physical Benefits of Pool Games
1. Burn Calories
Sports that involve the movement of body parts help players burn off calories. Pool games require a lot of constant movements, and even your sitting moments are for mental calculations.
These movements increase the rate at which calories burn. However, the rate at which players burn calories in pool games is low compared with other high activities sports.
2. Improves Stretching
In playing a pool game, you will need to constantly bend over the table, stretch yourself to reach the hardball with the pool stick, and take a shot.
This means a little more stretching than normal, which will sharpen your stretching ability, balance, and stability. Playing pool without learning to stretch places you at the risk of pulling your muscle.
3. Toning up your muscles
As you walk around the table during a pool game, bend over the table, and stretch to take a shoot, there is a low impact toning of your arm, back, legs, and hip muscles. This toning of the muscles helps you have proper thigh muscle movement.
I wrote an article on ‘Is a Pool Table a Good Investment‘ that might interest you.
4. Gain Flexibility
Who plays a good pool game without being flexible? Flexibility is like a must-have characteristic required to be a good pool player.
Most of your good shots will be a result of your flexibility; moving around quickly also comes from being flexible. So, regular pool games increase one’s flexibility.
5. Joints Workout
Your joints are not left out of the benefits a pool game offers you. One thing you might have noticed is that a typical pool game involves a lot of movements.
These movements to and from the pool table, getting into shooting positions, and the bends all help your joints exercise too.
6. Builds Body Control and Precision
With the regular playing of any cue sport such as pool comes the ability to control your body and use them to your advantage. The pool game generally requires you to be levelheaded, stay focused, and maintain a specific posture per time to enable an accurate shot.
Also, your precision ability increases with time as you play the game. Your body learns to be calm under you while you have total control over it.
7. Physical Confidence
As seen from the above, pool games help you build body control, precision, flexibility, and more. When all these skills are built in a player, one thing is inevitable; Physical Confidence.
Every skilled professional pool player is confident about positioning, fitness, body control, and more. Such confidence can translate into a positive vibe in other daily activities.
8. Bodybuilding
Although you won’t consider pool as a game that rapidly builds one’s body, the fact remains that bodybuilding can be achieved while playing pool. Small scale, yes, but consistent body growth.
The long hours standing, calories burn out, bends, and steady movement all contribute to ensuring you have a fit and in-shape body.
Intellectual Benefits of Pool Game
1. Build Focus and Concentration
Focus is one vital skill required by every pool player. You must remain focused while taking shoots to ensure you hit the pocket.
You will also need to concentrate on determining the angle of movement of your targeted ball when the cue hits it.
As you keep regular eye contact with the balls as well as the pockets, your focus will increase over time.
2. Sharpening of the Mind
If you play pool regularly, you are bound to think fast. Remember that the pool game requires a lot of calculations, assumptions, estimates, and more. Doing this regularly is enough to ensure your brain isn’t dull.
3. Improve Hand-eye Coordination
Hitting the ball correctly in the pool needs you to keep your eye focused on the ball. Even while you move your hand to take a shot, you must not remove your eyes from the ball.
This is a huge mental exercise that helps solidifies the relationship between your hand and your eyes. The more you do this, the better your hand-eye coordination becomes.
4. Increases Your Critical Thinking
For every move you make or shot you take in a pool game, you would have critically thought about it. Random shots in a pool game don’t yield potting. Hence, you are expected to think out of the box before hitting.
This exercise builds your mind always to think critically. Critical thinking helps you navigate your way out of a rather tough situation.
5. Slows Ageing in Men
The University of Copenhagen conducted a recent study on men who play pool; the researchers concluded that these men remain active even at an old age.
This activeness is a result of the constant happiness they derive from playing the game with friends, supported by a few drinks.
The study suggests that the game of pool helps to slow the process of aging in men.
6. Improves life Skills
A lot of skills are required to play a pool game. Skills like planning, strategizing, decision-making, hand-eye coordination, focus, and even teamwork.
These skills can also be referred to as life skills because they are applicable in other areas of life. Developing them through the pool games ensures you don’t lack any of the vital skills in life.
7. Improves cognitive skills
The pool isn’t quite a straightforward game; it involves a lot of skilled combined. This stimulation is rich as well as variable.
The richness of the stimulus is such that it challenges the players’ visualization ability, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Most of the time, as a player, you will need to improvise ways to get your balls into the pocket.
8. Teaches Patience
Some sections of pool players have ‘patience’ as another name for the game. This is because, in playing the game of pool, you need to maintain your cool and be patient.
In these moments of patience that you do your calculations, maintain your focus, and plan your next move. Even when it seems you are winning, the game also requires you to be calm and patient until it’s over. In that way, you don’t lose your focus.
9. Provides Fun
You can’t take it away from the game, the pool game provides sufficient fun. This is one leisure game that can be played by anyone, regardless of their age and sex.
When played in the family setting, everyone shares laughter and smile, not minding who wins or loses.
10. Encourages one to socialize
The pool offers players a fantastic opportunity to meet their friends and associate in a particular place. And the nature of the game allows you either to play it indoors or outdoors.
This sounds good for individuals who consider themselves as introverts. The pool will enable you to socialize even in your home.
11. Create a Winning Mentality
Typical of every game, the pool builds winning mentality in every player. In the game of pool, everyone wants to win.
This eagerness to experience the joy of winning instills the mindset of winning in every player. With this mentality, you will have the courage to face any complex situation in life
12. Emotional Control
In taking a shot during a pool game, you will need to put your emotions under control. Shut out the noise and the activities in the environment, and focus ultimately on your aim.
This skill, when developed, ensures that pool players have mastery over their emotions. You are not easily moved or distracted by any feeling.
Is Playing Pool Good Exercise
When it comes to getting a good workout, many people think of activities like running or lifting weights. But what about playing pool? Believe it or not, billiards can actually count as exercise!
There are a number of benefits to playing pool, both physically and mentally. For starters, billiards is a great exercise that works your body and mind
Here are some of the benefits of playing pool:
- It’s a great way to improve your hand-eye coordination.
- It can help you to improve your balance and stability.
- Playing pool is a good way to increase your flexibility.
- Pool is a fun and social activity
There are many benefits to playing pool, including getting a good workout. While it may not seem like it at first, billiards is actually a very physical game that requires plenty of movement.
Players have to constantly be in motion, making strategic shots and defending their own balls. This makes billiards a great way to get a mental and physical workout as well as being fun!
Does Playing Pool Make You Smarter
There is no doubt that playing pool is a fun and challenging activity. But did you know that it can also make you smarter? Here are some of the benefits of playing pool:
- Pool requires strategy and thinking, which can improve your problem-solving skills.
- Playing pool helps improve your hand-eye coordination.
Studies have shown that playing pool can improve your thinking skills.
It helps you to think more strategically and make better decisions. This is because pool requires you to plan ahead and consider all the possible outcomes of your shots.
So if you are looking for a fun way to boost your intelligence, playing pool is a great option!
Is Playing Pool a Good Hobby
Is playing billiards a good hobby to have? Many people think so! There are many benefits to playing pool, such as improving your hand-eye coordination and sharpening your focus. It can also help improve your problem-solving skills and make you more strategic. In addition, billiards is a great way to socialize and meet new people.
What makes billiards a great hobby is it’s easy to learn and great for meeting new people.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, there’s always someone to play with. So if you’re looking for a new hobby, consider playing pool!
Want to know which pool to play, I did a list of some of the most popular pool games, check them out for inspiration
Conclusion
We looked at the health benefits of playing pool and from the benefits mentioned above, it is easy to discover that there’s a lot to gain simply by participating in a pool game consistently. These benefits, when considered as a whole, play essential roles in your everyday life.
Rob is an avid player and fan of all cue sports, particularly 8-ball, and snooker. He has competed in a few local 8-ball tournaments and although he is not a professional, he can compete with the best of them.
