Calm Your Cue: Gabrielle Fields on Yoga, Breathwork & the Pool Player’s Mental Game | Lucky Breaks Podcast

Recorded at the BCA USAPL Nationals in Las Vegas, this Lucky Breaks podcast episode features Gabrielle Fields, who shares how yoga and breathwork improved her pool performance, emotional control after misses, endurance, and overall health after having back-to-back babies and recovering from a torn ACL. She explains bringing wellness into the pool community through “Calm Your Cue,” hosting yoga and breath sessions in a pool room followed by a tournament to feel immediate benefits. Gabrielle and the hosts discuss treating the body as a key tool, using breath rhythms and simple poses for balance, shoulder and neck relief, and focus, plus mental strategies like reset breathing, self-talk, and grace after mistakes. She previews a planned app with breathing guides, stretches, flows, journaling, and match-play features, then leads a short pre-tournament yoga routine and closes with a testimonial from pro player Teruko Macklin.

00:00 Body as the Tool

00:21 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:55 Gabrielle Pool Origin

02:01 Yoga Journey and Recovery

03:21 Bringing Yoga to Pool Halls

06:53 Grace and Responsibility

09:53 Physical Yoga for Pool

15:19 Breathwork for Mental Game

19:20 Mantras and Self Talk

22:01 Grace Over Perfection

23:15 Winning Over Skeptics

27:39 Pool Wellness Mindset

29:03 Meditation Like Misses

29:59 Calm Your Cue Vision

33:34 Magic Eight Ball Picks

35:18 Tournament Warmup Flow

37:59 Breath With Movement

44:16 Try It Daily

46:44 Player Testimonial

Where you can find our guest:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gabrielle.fields.3

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/luckybreakspodcast

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/luckybreakspodcast

YouTube - www.youtube.com/@luckybreaks-podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckybreakspodcast/#

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luckybreakspodcast

📧Email - luckybreakspodcast@gmail.com

✅Guest Sign Up - Apply To Be A Guest or Suggest A Topic

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeai_jCboxj2P-p1Qol3KjSaMqFbUvJLCBSql_5kPJOg0Y4Rw/viewform

#luckybreakspodcast #pool #billiards #podcast #poolpractice #amateurpool #poolplayers

Pool Coach Larry Nicholson on Fundamentals, Practice, and the Learning Journey

What makes pool such a great game isn’t just making balls—it’s the life lessons you learn along the way.

In this episode of the Lucky Breaks Podcast, Sue sits down with longtime PBIA/CSI instructor and trick-shot artist Larry Nicholson, who shares how a childhood belt buckle and a target drill shaped his cue-ball control, why performance anxiety is part of every competitor’s journey, and how real improvement starts with humility and solid fundamentals. Larry explains the difference between playing and true practice, why focused 10-minute sessions can beat hours of casual play, and how decision-making and strategy expand once mechanics are sound. He also points listeners to PBIA resources for finding qualified instruction and reflects on pool’s welcoming community for all players.

00:00 Resilience Lessons

00:16 Meet Larry Nicholson

00:53 Belt Buckle Origin

02:07 Position Play First

03:02 Trick Shots Warning

03:53 League Nerves

05:51 Failure Builds Greatness

07:04 Learning Without Coaches

08:41 Fundamentals Before Strategy

11:30 Humility To Improve

14:19 Thinking Outside Box

17:19 Practice With Purpose

19:50 Playing Versus Practice

21:26 Building Evaluation Plan

22:29 Remote Coaching Follow Ups

24:20 Adult Learning In Layers

25:03 Drills Versus Skills

27:01 Building Your Lesson Plan

27:48 Testing With BU Exam

30:09 Side Spin Comfort Zone

31:03 Embracing Discomfort Wins

34:03 Pool Is Lifelong Mastery

34:46 Finding Certified Instructors

38:18 Magic Eight Ball Jeanette

40:04 Why Pool Community Matters

41:17 Final Thanks And Sign Off

Scientific American Article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-works-what-doesn-t/

Dr. Dave’s Billiard University Exam: https://billiarduniversity.org/testing/exams/

Where you can find our guest:

Official Website - https://TrinityBilliards.com

YouTube - Trinity Billiards - YouTube

FaceBook - Trinity Billiards School - FaceBook

Email: larry@trinitybilliards.com

Professional Billiards Instructor Association (PBIA) - www.playbetterbilliards.com

American Cue Sports (ACS Instructors) - https://americancuesports.org/find-an-instructor

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/luckybreakspodcast

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/luckybreakspodcast

YouTube - www.youtube.com/@luckybreaks-podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckybreakspodcast/#

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luckybreakspodcast

📧Email - luckybreakspodcast@gmail.com

✅Guest Sign Up - Apply To Be A Guest or Suggest A Topic

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeai_jCboxj2P-p1Qol3KjSaMqFbUvJLCBSql_5kPJOg0Y4Rw/viewform

#luckybreakspodcast #pool #billiards #podcast #poolpractice #amateurpool #poolplayers