Billiards and 8-ball pool are games requiring mental acuity and physical ability. If you have spent many hours over a pool table, your understanding of the physics of the game improves over time and your arms gain the sensitivity and dexterity to allow more precise shots. Yet jumping into a game without proper warm up can reduce your accuracy and your confidence, which impairs the gameplay in many ways. The following warm-up exercises will help you maintain your consistency over the pool table.
Basic shots:
Start with basic draw, follow and stop shots so that your arms get used to the stroke speed and strength. Use a rhythmic pattern for your strokes and focus on the accuracy of the shot instead of the speed. If there are any problems, make small, incremental improvements until your shot is flawless.
Table length shots:
Once you have basic shots under control, it is time to move on to table length shots. These shots require much more accuracy and confidence than the previous ones so stay calm and focused even if you make some mistakes. Practice draw, follow and stop shots with different angles and positions to get a better feel of the pool table.
Ball runs:
Possibly the most effective way of warming up before a pool match is to perform ball runs as it gets you in the mentality of thinking many shots ahead of your present table set-up. Start by breaking a full set of 15 object balls and try to perform a ball run by sinking one in every consecutive shot. The more you perform ball runs, the farther ahead you will be able to plan in an actual game.
Remember that every pool player has his or her own way of warming up before a match. You need to experiment with different techniques to find out which works best. Aim for achieving the right mindset and good consistency in the least possible time, and develop your own unique exercises that helps you practice your weak shots much more effectively.
