In my opinion your output is based on the quantity of quality input you’ve given your game. Most professionals have spent some part of their life playing 8-12 hours a day for an extended period of time. Kids can get away with that without day jobs and their minds are most fertile to learn, especially if they have masters around them. After that they can make the jump to being a professional in their early twenties and will continue to have enough time to play 6-8 hours a day. That gives them the bump needed to jump from low-tier to mid-high tier.
As they age, vision and stability start to slip and the risk of pool burnout kicks in. Perhaps they want to focus on relationships, family, fishing, fun, or work away from pool. That’s why Ralf Souquet is so unique in that he still has the discipline and interest to stay honed in later years whereas someone like Archer may still be very active but probably not grinding 10-12 hours anymore.
The rest of us can have similar experiences at a significantly diminished level. The difference is that if you were a banger for decades, it’s too late to go pro but it’s not too late to drastically improve your game. But if you were a master in your twenties, it may be hard to keep your game growing later in life.
So ultimately the best age for pool is probably 20-30 but there are exceptions.
Respectfully, Matt
(I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope you can return the favor.)