The Many uses of a Towel

Dec 17, 2014

Enjoy the Process!Paul Potier
Experience has taught me to be prepared for anything that is possible to happen during a pool match. One of the many tools that I make a habit of bringing to my matches is a towel. I often bring two towels. One that is soft, to wipe my face and neck with. And another that has no threads or possibility of leaving anything on the playing surface, to clean the Pool Table with. You can purchase that latter towel at most large grocery stores or Walmart. They are the popular choice for drying dishes with. Let’s refer to that towel as the Tea towel.
I bring a soft towel to wipe my face and neck with if I am getting a little hot because of the room temperature or anxiety. Sometimes I bring that towel with me to the washroom and soak it with cold water to wash my face with. Most pool rooms don’t have towels for you and paper towels don’t feel as good on the skin as cloth does. This often cools my body temperature down and helps me feel better. Being cooler and more comfortable can assist me in making better decisions. Sometimes when I am sitting in my chair and need a little “alone time”, or I am just a little too emotional, I will close my eyes and cover my face with my cool/damp soft towel for a few seconds or maybe as long as a minute. This only happens on very rare but important occasions. However, it can be just enough to help me re-focus, find my confidence, my desire, and my inner power. Then I can get back to being the best me again.
A Tea Towel can be important to you in many situations during a pool match. You can wipe your cue butt and hands if your hands are little sweaty. You can clean the cue ball and/or other balls if they are too dirty. This will assist in preventing a skid from happening and help the balls roll and react the way they should for best control. You can apply Q Slick or whatever polish you might have to your towel. Then use the treated part of the towel to polish your cue shaft or pool balls. Sometimes the table cloth is very dirty and that can make it difficult to control the balls properly. Soak the tea towel with hot or warm water. Then wring out the water until the cloth is just very damp. Use this cloth to wash the table cloth clean. Do not use a cloth that can peel and leave threads on the playing surface, or is soaking wet. In fact this is definitely the very best way to clean a pool table that has worsted cloth, like Simonis or Championship. Don’t do this on a Snooker table or table with lots of nap. I recommend that you get your opponents approval before doing anything with the balls or cloth.
Being prepared is always a matter of choice. I have found that many people seldom or never prepare, but these are often the same people that complain about the conditions, or anything else that they can find to complain about. Others, are forward thinkers, and are interested in exploring possibilities and transcending the status quo. Those are the players who have the potential to reach their personal goals in their pool playing future.
Enjoy the Process!
Paul Potier