Column: Playing pool benefits college students
After a stressful week of midterms, students could benefit from playing pool.
Pool tables are available in North Complex, Coyote Village and Burgess/Norton.
Last year, I played pool during finals week. Pool offers an escape from stress. It helped me relax and clear my mind, which gave me the focus and motivation I needed to prepare for each final. It’s a fairly easy game to learn, and it’s a great way to meet new people.
One of the important skills I’ve learned from pool is patience – it’s a very frustrating game. Players have to take their time in attempting their shots. Pool can also test players’ decision-making skills, because they have to choose their shots wisely.
According to Health Fitness Revolution, pool helps people build focus. Players have to focus on the cue ball, the target ball, the angle of their cue, what angle the ball will move once it’s hit and how much power to use.
Pool also sharpens the mind. Players must calculate the necessary angle and power to hit the ball where they want it to go.
All the complexities of pool really help sharpen the mind. A sharpened mind enables a person to think quickly on their feet, and notice small details.
There are also physical benefits to playing pool. Two hours of pool will roughly involve 100 trips around the table’s perimeter, which is about the same distance as three-fourths of a mile. At times, a player may have to stretch across the table or balance on one foot to attempt a shot. Challenging shots like this require that a player be somewhat flexible.
A study by the University of Copenhagen found that pool slows aging in men because it involves a constant exchange between active and passive activity.
Studies also suggest people who play pool are less likely to panic in crisis situations. People who play concentration games, such as pool, tend to be good at thinking clearly and logically. They can decisively go into action without feeling overwhelmed.
Pool has helped me be more decisive and calm when facing stressful situations in college. I feel a lot less nervous when I’m doing stressful things, such as taking a test, or studying for finals.
Pool can also help a player’s muscles. Constantly stretching over the table can help tone one’s back, hip and leg muscles. Cue-stroking motions are also helpful. The exercises found in cue-stroking movements can also offer some physical benefits.
Pool enhances a person’s cognitive skills. There’s virtually an infinite amount of possible table layouts. These layouts challenge a player’s visualization, creativity and problem-solving skills.
Often, pool players are faced with challenges like reaching across the table, trying to avoid setting up their opponents with easy shots. The game requires constant improvisation to sink balls and create great positioning to set up for future shots.
College can be a very stressful time for people, but students can combat this stress by taking occasional breaks to play pool.
