When age bites

[GoldCrown]

When Age Bites

Playing pool but….. At the stage of life when arthritis is killing the body. Eyesight is not great. Concentration and endurance are not there. Struggling to play like I use to but it’s not happening. Shots are wayyy off. I’m wondering if I should:
Simply quit and get rid of the table & cues
Try to enjoy what’s left regardless
Get the breaks and few balls(1P)
Go to Ask The Instructor
Go to my room
Start drinking and smoking
Join a senior center or old age home league.
Play left handed so I’ll have a better excuse.

 

[Welder84]

When Age Bites

Playing pool but….. At the stage of life when arthritis is killing the body. Eyesight is not great. Concentration and endurance are not there. Struggling to play like I use to but it’s not happening. Shots are wayyy off. I’m wondering if I should:
Simply quit and get rid of the table & cues
Try to enjoy what’s left regardless
Get the breaks and few balls(1P)
Go to Ask The Instructor
Go to my room
Start drinking and smoking
Join a senior center or old age home league.
Play left handed so I’ll have a better excuse.

If you own a table, why not finish out your golden years having fun.

It's obviously to late to learn anything new anyway...

 

[GoldCrown]

If you own a table, why not finish out your golden years having fun.

It's obviously to late to learn anything new anyway...

Finish having fun…. Fun to me lately is making a hanger and running 2 balls.
As for learning anything new…. Been there .. it’s trying to remember what I just learned. Maybe I’ll regress and go back to being a clubhouse banger and give advice

 

[pt109]

Fred Davis, a world English Billiards and snooker champion, was still winning world class matches in his middle 60s…
…Kirk Stevens lost to him every time they played…..he no longer had a long game so he would bank a red up table and leave the cue ball on the black ball end with the pack blocking…now his opponent has to play safe by knocking another red up table table…now the table becomes two 6x6s, eliminating long shots and long safeties.
So, Gold Crown, acknowledge your weaknesses and get trickier with the wisdom of old age.

 

[sjm]

When Age Bites

Playing pool but….. At the stage of life when arthritis is killing the body. Eyesight is not great. Concentration and endurance are not there. Struggling to play like I use to but it’s not happening. Shots are wayyy off. I’m wondering if I should:
Simply quit and get rid of the table & cues
Try to enjoy what’s left regardless
Get the breaks and few balls(1P)
Go to Ask The Instructor
Go to my room
Start drinking and smoking
Join a senior center or old age home league.
Play left handed so I’ll have a better excuse.

We've got similar issues. Yesterday was my first day on Medicare, so my senior years have just arrived.

Declining eyesight and endurance are undeniable, and arthritis forces me to have an unorthodox bridge. Twenty years ago, I could play for hours and hours without a break, but those days are gone. Now, I can last no more than three hours and need a mid-session break. Those are the negatives.

The positive is that, when I'm playing, I love pool as much as I ever did. I've set my sights a little lower, for holding myself to the standards of yesteryear would be unrealistic and ensure frustration.

If we give up all the things in life in which we're not as good as we used to be, we give up too much of what has made us who we are. Set your expectations a little lower and you'll enjoy pool for a lifetime.

 

[Mr. Bass Man]

I've got a titanium pin from my hip to my knee, a torn shoulder, bad eyesight, and back problems. One thing I've learned is accepting the flaws in my body and trying to work with them, as well as playing as often as possible, really helps me to enjoy the game to the best of my ability. Play almost everyday with my dad who is 74 and he's got more issues than me, however I've been noticing substantial improvement in both our games since we started playing regularly. He and I both agree that as we get older keeping the body in motion and working through the kinks is the only way to maintain vitality. I would advise against quitting and selling your equipment, just gotta trod through the journey and never give up.

 

[GoldCrown]

Fred Davis, a world English Billiards and snooker champion, was still winning world class matches in his middle 60s…
…Kirk Stevens lost to him every time they played…..he no longer had a long game so he would bank a red up table and leave the cue ball on the black ball end with the pack blocking…now his opponent has to play safe by knocking another red up table table…now the table becomes two 6x6s, eliminating long shots and long safeties.
So, Gold Crown, acknowledge your weaknesses and get trickier with the wisdom of old age.

I’m struggling with simple shots and simple outs. My confidence is lost. Consistency… constantly not on course. Considering I’m a C player ( rating myself) I was playing a respectable game with no unrealistic expectations. I’d say my mindset is not in the game. No drive. Not pumped up.
That’s no way to walk up to the table. Seriously I’ll never quit as long as I can hit balls but the love is lost. Playing 1p renewed it but playing but it’s like I’m wearing a blindfold… and my vision, stroke and thought process are not communicating. I’d take a break but life is going too fast. What would I be waiting for.

 

[hang-the-9]

Those that can't do, teach.
Head to a local pool hall and start annoying people by telling them what they are doing wrong LOL

Joking aside, one of the things I enjoy most now since I don't seem to get any better is to help others get better. I made many new friends and made regular pool players out of bangers by doing what I refer to as being the asshole that tells you what you are doing wrong. No one gets better by hearing "oh, good try!" every time they mess up without being told why they messed up and how to change it.

 

[George the Greek]

I'll be 70 this summer and hadn't played any snooker or pool in just over 20 years. I went to a poolhall 4 times since November and I'm like a fish out of water. My mind plays the game like a champ lol but I think I have to retrain my cue lol. I'm going to start trying to get to the poolhall more often and see what I have to do or change in a style that'll work for me. I used to play for hours and sometimes a couple days non-stop. I'm hoping I don't have to give it up as it was a big part of my life

 

[GoldCrown]

I've got a titanium pin from my hip to my knee, a torn shoulder, bad eyesight, and back problems. One thing I've learned is accepting the flaws in my body and trying to work with them, as well as playing as often as possible, really helps me to enjoy the game to the best of my ability. Play almost everyday with my dad who is 74 and he's got more issues than me, however I've been noticing substantial improvement in both our games since we started playing regularly. He and I both agree that as we get older keeping the body in motion and working through the kinks is the only way to maintain vitality. I would advise against quitting and selling your equipment, just gotta trod through the journey and never give up.

Kidding about quitting and selling everything ..it’s been a lifetime of fun and my 1st love other than listening and collecting jazz. To self evaluate Covid broke the rhythm. I was playing 3-4 hours daily to none. Have not been practicing and my personal lifestyle has changed. Family obligations put the brakes on. My Sunday game guy moved out of state. Some days I don’t feel good physically … get tired fast.. light headed … blah blah. There are times I throw the balls and and can go through the rack. In general I’ll take what I have and enjoy. I’m happy for anything/everything at this point. But want to get back in stroke. Maybe I’ll get wider pockets. Much wider…
76 years old and staying around for spite!

 

[ChrisinNC]

When Age Bites

Playing pool but….. At the stage of life when arthritis is killing the body. Eyesight is not great. Concentration and endurance are not there. Struggling to play like I use to but it’s not happening. Shots are wayyy off. I’m wondering if I should:
Simply quit and get rid of the table & cues
Try to enjoy what’s left regardless
Get the breaks and few balls(1P)
Go to Ask The Instructor
Go to my room
Start drinking and smoking
Join a senior center or old age home league.
Play left handed so I’ll have a better excuse.

At 66 and not able to play nearly as well as I did just 5 years ago, I share your frustration. The problem for me is owning and running a poolroom for the last 27 years, I can’t get just give it up unless I decide to give up the poolroom, which I’m not ready to do just yet.

I haven’t given up, I’m constantly trying to rediscover my game. For some reason I’ve been able to get away with the flaws in my stroke for many decades, but now I can’t, so I’m trying to address those flaws, but it’s tough to change at this point.

Physically I’m still able to play and practice, so I still have hope that I can figure this out, but I’m running out of time!

 

[Lawnboy77]

I can relate to all this as well. 30 minutes and I’m hurting already. My hip and knees and back all take turns torturing me. It’s really hard to enjoy the game when the discomfort is there. I’m going to hold out though as long as I can. I think I just need to play better players, so that I get to sit in the chair longer. Lol

 

[westcoast]

One of the better players in the league I play in is 72 and seems to be improving still and he was a good player to begin with. He somehow shoots straighter than he did a decade ago. So, I guess decline isn't totally inevitable.

 

[GoldCrown]

Those that can't do, teach.
Head to a local pool hall and start annoying people by telling them what they are doing wrong LOL

Joking aside, one of the things I enjoy most now since I don't seem to get any better is to help others get better. I made many new friends and made regular pool players out of bangers by doing what I refer to as being the asshole that tells you what you are doing wrong. No one gets better by hearing "oh, good try!" every time they mess up without being told why they messed up and how to change it.

My clubhouse was full of bangers that would tell you your next shot. Or why did you do that or this is what I would do. They are also the room instructors.
I did try to get a few people started. They asked me to teach them basics. I worked with them with SPF system. They never practiced or followed through. Not sure what they were expecting. Not doing that again unless there’s a lot of devotion and sincerity.

 

[GoldCrown]

Thanks for the posts. Group hug.

 

[Lawnboy77]

Thanks for the posts. Group hug.

Thank you! It always feel better when you are not alone.

 

[GoldCrown]

Thank you! It always feel better when you are not alone.

My start a NPR thread … raise your hand if you feel like crap but still love/play.. and ”In” forever.

 

[Mr. Bass Man]

Kidding about quitting and selling everything ..it’s been a lifetime of fun and my 1st love other than listening and collecting jazz. To self evaluate Covid broke the rhythm. I was playing 3-4 hours daily to none. Have not been practicing and my personal lifestyle has changed. Family obligations put the brakes on. My Sunday game guy moved out of state. Some days I don’t feel good physically … get tired fast.. light headed … blah blah. There are times I throw the balls and and can go through the rack. In general I’ll take what I have and enjoy. I’m happy for anything/everything at this point. But want to get back in stroke. Maybe I’ll get wider pockets. Much wider…

I think we all had a taste of that, I was playing 8hrs 3-4x a week with a buddy who was a top notch player. Then everything got out of whack, I ended up homeschooling my son, was working 60hrs+ week, drank way too much beer, didn't play pool at all. My friend passed away a few months ago, my stroke is about as confident as my aim, and I'm probably 20lbs heavier than I was but I'm determined to get back in proper form. One thing that I've noticed really improved my ability to identify my issues was switching from my vintage cues with high deflection to a lightweight house cue sneaky with an original predator shaft. I played for a couple hours with it and switched back my old cue, ran a couple racks of straight pool like it was nothing.

 

[PoolBum]

My strategy is to refuse to get old, but it's tough going so far.

 

[The Old Jaybird]

I am right there with you at age 75. Was never any better than "average", now, who knows?? But awaiting a new Schmelke and bidding on a nice Schon on ebay. My sons and grandson will inherit some nice sticks.