The Mental Benefits of Playing Pool

How Billiards is Good for The Brain

1. Patience and Focus

Making the best shot requires players to stop and think. Not only is pocketing balls important, it’s also critical to set up following shot, play defensively, and think a couple of shots ahead. All of this requires focus.

Playing a complete game also takes patience to wait for the best opportunities, to leave easy shots for the sake of strategy, and to remain committed to your own rhythm even when competition is fierce and you’re feeling stressed.

Both of these skills carry over into your everyday life!

2. Understanding Geometry and Physics

Billiards is all math… You have to learn your angles, how velocity and spin affect your shots, and how the balls will react when they collide with others. This takes a fairly sophisticated understanding of the geometry and physics of the table!

Being able to visualize the angles and predict your shots sharpens your mental acuity, and the sheer process of thinking about these things makes your brain stronger!

3. Hand-Eye Coordination

It’s one thing to plan your shots – it’s another thing to execute them. You have to understand how your power and angle of attack affects your shot, and then transfer those shots into your stance, bridge, grip, and follow through.

Taking the time to learn these fine movements, and pay close attention to the minute details that truly make a difference, develops your hand-eye coordination. This also helps you fine tune your ability to focus on small movements, make tiny adjustments, and constantly evaluate your technique. This plays right back into that idea of developing greater focus in all areas of life!

4. Observation and Visualization

There are nearly infinite ways a game of pool can unfold. Different positions on the table require different strategies, as well as the ability to see several moves ahead, imagine the moves your opponent will make, and so on.

These skills of careful observation and imaginative visualization carry over into the your work, home life, and other hobbies.

Basically anything that requires you to flex your mental muscles is going to be beneficial in the long run. The more you use your brain, the better it functions. Higher levels of brain function make you more intuitive with your friends and family, more focused and productive at work, keep your memory sharp, and generally make you feel more alert and engaged.

Who knew billiards could have such a significant impact on your mental strength?

To start training your brain through billiards, come check out Emerald Spas and Billiards’s vast collection of pool tables, cues, and accessories – and talk to our expert staff about the best equipment for your level of play!