When age bites

[GoldCrown]

It's not so much my game/stroke. I'm not comfortable standing, bending over, shortness of breath. Frustration sets in and I need to back off.
Otherwise I feel great. I'm in the process of adjusting and working this out. Re-booting. Re-setting. Re-racking.

I'm just blowing wind on this thread. Could be worse and most likely will someday but like everyone here I'm simply being tough on myself. That's what we do.
Have a great day. Enjoy whatever you do.

 

[Twocylndr]

Try bowling, I think it might be less physically demanding.

 

[GoldCrown]

Try bowling, I think it might be less physically demanding.

Something I regret not getting into. Looks like a lot fun … a night out, leagues, families. Would definitely get Brunswick ball. I have a local alley called Penny Lane. I have to pass. When I lean over and stand up it gets hairy. And I’d most likely trip over the foul line.

 

[GoldCrown]

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

Learn anything new… haha. I’ve been turning Canes for the past few years. Just for fun and display…… I’m ready to be “Not only a maker but a client”.

 

[philly]

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.

For me it is stamina.
Loss of stamina means loss of focus which is necessary for consistently potting balls.
At 71 I'm done with tournaments with large fields.
Last tournament I played in was a 9 ball tournament double elimination.
Lost my first match and waited 2 1/2 hours for my next match at which time I was played out from waiting.
Can't do the tournament grind anymore and have the focus that I need to hang for 12, 14 hours.
Rarely play sessions longer than 4 hours.
Those days are gone.

 

[SBC]

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!

Try and find a sparing partner.
Gamble for dinner or something.
Pool without competition becomes very boring.

 

[SBC]

I assume you have a table at your home. Here's what ya do:

Ya put on Bird, or Diz, or Miles, or Trane, or Ray, or McCoy, or Monty, or Quincy, or Bags, or Wes, or Art, or . . . .

Ya go to the table and you shoot and listen. If the balls go in, great. If the balls don't go in, you're listening to great music. Win, win, win. One hundred years from now it ain't gonna matter whether you made that ball.

Another thought: Age? It's just a number. You know that saying: "You're only as old as (the women) you feel." LOL!!!

Seriously, extract joy outta what you can with the years you have left. It doesn't matter if you're not as good as you were. You're still good. Embrace it, play around your limitations, and just f'ing have fun.

I barely played the last 2 years.
Pool basically dead here anyways.

Going to Suoer Billiards Expo to see if this old dog can still bark. It's interstate playing when you know you are going to miss 3 times as much....but still have all the knowledge.

 

[cjl0s]

I never was a top player like some of you. When I felt my age it is when I started back in APA after a long pool layoff. I had a hard time playing APA, sitting around 5 hours and getting home after midnight. Playing BCA with the other mostly old guys, we can generally get home in a couple of hours or a little longer is we play a bit after the league. The play level is higher and anyone can win one rack. Depending on the rolls I can win against a FR 675 in one rack and lose against a 420 in the next rack! It doesn't prove anything. I play a lot smarter today than I did when things were more effortless. I can still cut a ball like I used to not because I can see better (which I can't) but because I know where to aim. Not as good as I once was in a pure sense but I am pretty sure I could beat my old self. Sore back and all.

 

[decent dennis]

Try bowling, I think it might be less physically demanding.

I've played baseball,hockey ,football, etc as a kid young adult. Only time i pulled a hamstring was bowling.

 

[Island Drive]

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.

I'd just work on getting better spots, make more scores the easier way and live it out.

 

[GoldCrown]

I'd just work on getting better spots, make more scores the easier way and live it out.

Or Cheat

 

[GoldCrown]

I've played baseball,hockey ,football, etc as a kid young adult. Only time i pulled a hamstring was bowling.

Got hurt 2x.
Threw my shoulder/arm out tryout to break like Godzilla
Hurt thumb badly breaking. After a good drinking session (was 18-19) as I broke my thumb caught my pants pocket. The pocket got ripped badly. Took the front of pants off. My thigh and skiv’s were exposed. Did a good job on the thumb. It was in a crowded room. People around laughed their cheeks off. Funniest thing that ever happened playing pool.

 

[GoldCrown]

Try and find a sparing partner.
Gamble for dinner or something.
Pool without competition becomes very boring.

I couldn’t be in a better position right now for sparing/learning. It’s the fact I’m way off on simple shots.. or rush as I don’t like being in certain positions. Yesterday my knee just about collapsed. Something new.
I appreciate everyone’s response. This is the best crying towel a player can have.

 

[GoldCrown]

I barely played the last 2 years.
Pool basically dead here anyways.

Going to Suoer Billiards Expo to see if this old dog can still bark. It's interstate playing when you know you are going to miss 3 times as much....but still have all the knowledge.

Have fun. Make sure you buy something you do not need.

 

[bbb]

If it’s possible to take the competition out of it and approach that you’re playing for relaxation and enjoyment, your misses won't bother you as much
Similarly, if you except that, you’re physically challenged and there will be times when you can’t breathe or bend down just accept it and do the best you can with what you can do on that day
Jmho

 

[SBC]

Have fun. Make sure you buy something you do not need.

I had a bunch of nice stuff, old customs,...just always play with my Predator special edition 11.

Pool going the way of the dinosaur....least real pool is. I just closed my "player's room" in upstate NY. Very few real players left and old timers are dropping like flies.

 

[GoldCrown]

If it’s possible to take the competition out of it and approach that you’re playing for relaxation and enjoyment, your misses won't bother you as much
Similarly, if you except that, you’re physically challenged and there will be times when you can’t breathe or bend down just accept it and do the best you can with what you can do on that day
Jmho

Might be a good time take up 3c. It’s not so much taking the competition out of it. It’s performing like a drunk on simple shots/patterns. I’m working on accepting my age… like pool .. figure out the situation and work through it.

I had a bunch of nice stuff, old customs,...just always play with my Predator special edition 11.

Pool going the way of the dinosaur....least real pool is. I just closed my "player's room" in upstate NY. Very few real players left and old timers are dropping like flies.

You had the best of times.

 

[dquarasr]

Something I regret not getting into. Looks like a lot fun … a night out, leagues, families. Would definitely get Brunswick ball. I have a local alley called Penny Lane. I have to pass. When I lean over and stand up it gets hairy. And I’d most likely trip over the foul line.

WARNING: Self-aggrandizing and whining follow.

I used to bowl. Then equipment fever ruined it. I'd go to league with two bowling balls. One for strike shots, and one that didn't grab the lanes for spare shooting. Guys would show up with six or even eight bowling balls. As the lane dressing broke down, I'd adjust with knowledge, line, speed change, and technique. Guys wouldn't change a thing; they'd simply pull out a different $200 bowling ball.

That soured it for me. I wasn't without some skill. 1994 Broward County Men's Champion. In the tournament, my first two games were 245, 259, 504 so far. I turned to my doubles partner and said "I have 800 in the wood." I KNEW I was going to do it. I was "in the zone". I KNEW I was going to shoot 300 the last game. 245-259-300. Thirty-one of possible 36 strikes. Twenty in a row the last two games. That was a good year for me bowling.

The situation with pool and equipment isn't exactly like that; players don't really show up with eight expensive cue sticks. But there are expensive cases, break cues, playing cues, jump cues, and some pros even have different cues for different games (e.g., Lion's recent "What's in the bag" video where he describes using different cues for, I think it was 1p, vs other games). But he's not your average Joe at the bowling alley compensating for lack of talent and technique by changing equipment.

 

[GoldCrown]

WARNING: Self-aggrandizing and whining follow.

I used to bowl. Then equipment fever ruined it. I'd go to league with two bowling balls. One for strike shots, and one that didn't grab the lanes for spare shooting. Guys would show up with six or even eight bowling balls. As the lane dressing broke down, I'd adjust with knowledge, line, speed change, and technique. Guys wouldn't change a thing; they'd simply pull out a different $200 bowling ball.

That soured it for me. I wasn't without some skill. 1994 Broward County Men's Champion. In the tournament, my first two games were 245, 259, 504 so far. I turned to my doubles partner and said "I have 800 in the wood." I KNEW I was going to do it. I was "in the zone". I KNEW I was going to shoot 300 the last game. 245-259-300. Thirty-one of possible 36 strikes. Twenty in a row the last two games. That was a good year for me bowling.

The situation with pool and equipment isn't exactly like that; players don't really show up with eight expensive cue sticks. But there are expensive cases, break cues, playing cues, jump cues, and some pros even have different cues for different games (e.g., Lion's recent "What's in the bag" video where he describes using different cues for, I think it was 1p, vs other games). But he's not your average Joe at the bowling alley compensating for lack of talent and technique by changing equipment.

Multiple bowling balls… love it.

 

[Taxi]

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.

I dunno, I'm 78 with glaucoma, insomnia, and bad knees, and I still can play well enough to get in the money every few weeks in our local non-handicap tournament, with several 700 and 600 level Fargo players making routine appearances. Some weeks I can't miss a ball, while some weeks I dog shots a 10 year old could make, but I was doing that at 28 and 48, so what else is new?

IMO it's really all in the stroke, plus respecting the game,, and having the ability to let go and put your missed shots behind you. Unless you're playing against nobody but pros, chances are you're going to have opportunities to win nearly every match you play in.

Bottom line is pool is the one sport where below the pro level, age doesn't really matter that much. It gets you out of the house and lets you meet the widest variety of people imaginable from every conceivable background, with the occasional bonus of being able to win some grocery money. What's not to like?