“What Else Do You Do Besides Play Pool?” How to Find Balance as a Competitor.
When I meet non-pool players, and we’ve already established that I play pool, they usually ask, “What else do you do for fun?” or “What are your other hobbies?” In jest, I always answer, “I play pool.”
Once, I told someone I was an introvert and they said, “It’s interesting that you love pool as an introvert.” I explained that I don’t play pool socially, I do it competitively. I don’t want to chat while I play — I want to win (I mean, “grow”).
In all seriousness, it takes a lot of time and energy to be a good, consistent pool player. Pros make a lot of sacrifices to be as good as they are. Those who can treat it like a full-time job practice 8 hours a day.
In addition to playing league and tournaments, I want to practice at least 12 hours a week. I’ll admit that I’m not doing that right now because I’ve spent the last couple of months preparing content for this blog. Now that it is live, and a lot of the behind-the-scenes work is done, I can get back to my practice schedule.
When I’m in practice mode, I spend my time between home and the pool hall. And when I’m home, I’m probably watching professional or amateur matches on YouTube, or just recharging.
In practice mode, I eat, sleep, and breathe pool. But it’s unsustainable for me to do that all the time. If I try to force it, I don’t get good results and I’m miserable in the process.
Achieving Balance by Checking in
I’ve traditionally been bad at balancing all the parts of my life and tend to burn out. I used to think that balance meant you cram everything important to you into each day, or at least each week. But in reality, some days and weeks, you have to choose to prioritize one thing over others and when that’s sorted out, you can switch focus.
I’m learning to become more balanced these days. Balance to me is following my morning routine, working hard but also resting and playing hard. It’s remembering to check in with my family and my non-pool-playing friends. It’s making sure I play with my cat and keep my apartment clean.
But most importantly, balance means checking in with my body. When I’m out of balance, I’m probably emotional or anxious (perhaps fighting off a light depressive episode), eating poorly, and not sleeping enough.
Checking in with my body helps prevent those things. I ask myself, “What do I need at this moment?” “What sensations am I feeling and where?” “What kind of thoughts have I been thinking?”
If you aren’t already checking in with your body, I invite you to do so, preferably several times a day. Then make sure to give it what it needs. It takes time to build up a new habit but I bet you’ll find yourself more balanced as a result.
If you’re genuinely curious about what else I like besides playing pool and writing, I also enjoy eating, cooking, astrology, sudoku, stand-up comedy, laughing at memes and comics, and light exposure to the outdoors.
Pocket Watch: A blog to share the lessons learned about the mental game of pool and billiards written by a competitive pool player on her road to pro. (#01)
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