How late of an age can you start pool and ascend to short-stop or pro level?

I played a bit in my teens but never got very good..

fast forward to 2006..and at 36. I joined a league just for fun...

and the bug bit me... I played constantly for 2 years trying to get better on my own

last year I took a lesson and have done regimented workouts daily for almost a year and I have watched my ability skyrocket..

maybe I'll never make it to pro speed... but the journey is a hell of a lot of fun..

p.s. the guys who dominated me for years... they don't seem to want any part of me now...
 
softshot said:
I played a bit in my teens but never got very good..

fast forward to 2006..and at 36. I joined a league just for fun...

and the bug bit me... I played constantly for 2 years trying to get better on my own

last year I took a lesson and have done regimented workouts daily for almost a year and I have watched my ability skyrocket..

maybe I'll never make it to pro speed... but the journey is a hell of a lot of fun..

p.s. the guys who dominated me for years... they don't seem to want any part of me now...
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Cool...So when are you and rossaroni playing for the AZ King of Minnesota?
 
I don't think it matters how old you are when you start as long as you have a lot of desire and enthusiasm for the game. I picked up a cue for the very first time at 25 years of age and didn't appear to have much natural ability so I started practicing a lot with an eagerness to get really good but I was told by quite a few people that I didn't have what it takes and should just play for fun. So I really started practicing like a maniac without any negative thoughts entering my mind and I ran my first 100 at 30 and my first 6 pack of 9 ball the following year. I ran a few more 100's but eventually stopped that manic pace because I could see that it wouldn't be a great life as a pro player. Now I play for enjoyment but I have absolutely no doubt I would have (and still could) make it to world class speed.
 
Too many variables to consider. It really depends on how much time do you have to devote to progress, the amount of determination you have to progress, the number of good/great players in your area willing to help and most importantly your natural pool aptitude.

*edit* One person may actually attain that speed in one year. Another may take two decades.
 
It depends on the individual IMO. There is no reason a small percentage can't make it to the shortstop level starting after they hit 40. But just like when you start at a young age you need to possess natural talent for the game, play it 6-10 hours a day with the goal of getting better each day. You have to be in good health with good eyesight.

I don't get out gamble that much anymore because my health won't allow it often. When I came back to the table this time after being unable to play for 5 years I was over 67 yo. Just about all my muscle memory for pool was gone from the two stokes. I had a very hard time relearning what I took for granted for 50 years. Thinking 3 balls ahead was like learning to read all over again for me. The only thing that I could do the same were remembering the angles and banking for some reason. The diamond system I had known for so many years playing 3-cushion? Forget about it…it was long gone.

Before this gets any longer I'll just say 6 months of practicing everyday for as long as I could stand it, asking a lot of questions that I once knew the answer too, and watching a few instruction videos and reading some basic pool books I came back to almost the player that I was years ago. I know I could become an "A" player again if I wanted to keep playing for that goal, but I don't want it that bad anymore. But I do truly believe if someone wants to do or be something within reason at almost any age they can make it happen. Hell, I had a 7th grade education and got my GED at 45 and became a nurse…because I wanted to, not that I had to. Johnnyt
 
rossaroni said:
I tried and good thing nothing ever happened cause I don't think I can win.
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I drove across 120 miles of dirt and wheat fields to win the King of OK title...do you know boring driving across Oklahoma can be? (I did have a great time, and made a new friend in the process.)

You know that you can declare yourself the default king, since you apparently don't have a challenger who's interested in challenging for the title?

Go get 'em, Mr. San Francisco treat.....:D:D:D
 
the420trooper;1931547You know that you can declare yourself the default king said:
I don't want the title, because that may mean that I would have to play someone, and I can't beat anyone in Minnesota.:)
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distractions

I think there is also something to be said for the lack of distractions at an earlier age. No job, no wife, no kids, no bills.... a lack of these things has to let you focus on the task at hand. It is easier to find time to work hard when all you have is time.
 
Da Bank said:
I'd like to hear some of the later ages in life that the better players have started and how quickly they became factors in the game of pool.

I would say that the grand majority of really good players started playing before they were driving, and playing well.
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i'm hoping in your 20's isn't too late because that's when i started
 
measureman said:
I started playing at 13 and slowly progressed and ran my first 100 at 16 and was a pretty fair 30 ball runner and by the 80's had made it to shortstop level and that was it. This game is not that hard and i think a lot of people that start later in life can be pretty good if they have better players to watch and teach them. I credit playing a lot of pool with Neptune Joe Frady from Jersey to my stepping up from pretty good to shortstop level.
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the game is not that hard.....for you man. this game frustrates the hell out of me. but if it was much easier for me i don't think i'd play it.
 
good shootin

Mr441 said:
I don't think it matters how old you are when you start as long as you have a lot of desire and enthusiasm for the game. I picked up a cue for the very first time at 25 years of age and didn't appear to have much natural ability so I started practicing a lot with an eagerness to get really good but I was told by quite a few people that I didn't have what it takes and should just play for fun. So I really started practicing like a maniac without any negative thoughts entering my mind and I ran my first 100 at 30 and my first 6 pack of 9 ball the following year. I ran a few more 100's but eventually stopped that manic pace because I could see that it wouldn't be a great life as a pro player. Now I play for enjoyment but I have absolutely no doubt I would have (and still could) make it to world class speed.
Click to expand...
to run 100 and 5pack within 5 years is good.
i had ran over 200 5 times within 5 years of starting.i was still far from being good enough to win major titles.to say you would be world class for sure is bold and much harder i think than you realize.running 100 is nowhere near worldclass but still awesome.by the way life for the top pros is great,thanks
 
I supect that if you took the average age of professional players and subtracted 5 years, you probbaly have the oldest age that you can start and become a pro. I don't know the average age but suspect that when all things are considered some place in the late 20s or early 30s is probably the answer to your question.

There are people in their 70s who still play well so it is a life long pursuit.
 
I don't think age is a factor. In the last 2 years, I have learned more than I have in 20 years. I think at some point something "clicks" and things start working out.
 
JoeW said:
I supect that if you took the average age of professional players and subtracted 5 years, you probbaly have the oldest age that you can start and become a pro. I don't know the average age but suspect that when all things are considered some place in the late 20s or early 30s is probably the answer to your question.

There are people in their 70s who still play well so it is a life long pursuit.
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Oddly enough when I read your post I knew where the answer was. The trivia question in the June WPBA newsletter says the average age of a billiards champion is 35.6 years old.:smile:
 
It is a well known observance that it takes 10,000 hours to master any subject. This equates to 5 years spending a 40 hour week working on it.

Some characteristics of the development of an expert have been found to include

At a minimum usually 5 years of consistent practice, sometimes more for certain fields

A characterization of this practice as "deliberate practice", which forces the practitioner to come up with new ways to encourage and enable themselves to reach new levels of performance

An early phase of learning which is characterized by enjoyment, excitement, and participation without outcome-related goals.

The ability to rearrange or construct a higher dimension of creativity. Due to such familiarity or advanced knowledge experts can develop more abstract perspectives of their concepts and/or performances.

There are some outliers to this; the natural phenom who masters the game within 6 months, the guy who shoots his whole life and never gets good... BUT, by and large this hold true in pool as well as any subject. You have to become an expert at the game.

Now can an older person master it? Surely! However, once you get to a certain point you may have less time and dont spend dedicated time doing it. Getting drunk and playing pool wouldnt count as deliberate work toward your goal.

So youth has it easier with time allowance as well as physical coordination. BUT, nothing stops a person except for their own use of time or the rare set of bad eyes.
 
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