The Physical and Mental Benefits of Billiards.Like many other sports, billiards offers surprising advantages for both body and mind.
Body Shaping, Similar to Yoga
Billiards may seem slow-paced, but it can actually improve your physique. The typical stance—left foot forward, right foot back, body leaning over the table—creates a full stretch in the hips and allows for fluid movement. Holding this posture repeatedly helps tone the body. Unlike the explosive energy of track and field or gymnastics, billiards provides a more static workout, somewhat similar to yoga.
Enhances Vision
“Billiards is especially good for people who wear glasses,” said Fei Binghan in an interview with the Chongqing Evening News. Regular players often notice sharper vision. A billiards table is about 3.8 meters long, requiring the eyes to constantly shift focus and relieve strain. When preparing for a shot, players concentrate intently on a single point, which helps train visual focus. Even ophthalmologists acknowledge that billiards can benefit eyesight.
Supports Weight Loss
Professional player Xiao Guodong has pointed out that billiards can also aid in weight control, especially for women, provided they play regularly. Despite appearances, the sport is physically demanding and requires endurance. The continuous walking around the table strengthens the legs, while the repeated bending and tightening of the core engages abdominal muscles. “That’s how I stay in shape,” Xiao admitted. “More exercise, less meat.”
Builds Mental Resilience
Billiards—especially snooker—is as much a mental battle as it is a technical one. Fei Binghan observed that top snooker players tend to be intelligent, quick thinkers with strong problem-solving skills. Anticipating one or two steps ahead fosters a mindset that is also valuable in daily life. On the table, as in life, challenges demand calmness and creativity. With practice, billiards cultivates patience, focus, and emotional composure.
Strengthens Social Bonds
Billiard halls provide a calm, relaxed environment where friends can meet, play, and reconnect. In an age when so much interaction happens online, billiards encourages face-to-face connection. The shoulder-to-shoulder competition helps people step away from the chaos of daily life, rebuild friendships, and add a sense of warmth and companionship to their routine.
In many ways, the white ball in billiards symbolizes life itself. Every shot is a decision made with the hope of success, yet outcomes are rarely perfect—setbacks and challenges are inevitable. But it is precisely through these struggles that we learn and grow. During our years at Anhui Medical University, like in a game of billiards, we will face obstacles with resilience, pursue hope with determination, and move steadily toward the light.
