Exactly What are the Reasons Pool gets Tougher as you Age?

Does the 60 year old have the same passion for the game? Put in as much time daily? Think about playing(visualization) as much? Compete as much?

I think part of your answer lies with Earl Strickland and his struggles to stay at the top of his game. Folks do make fun of his headphones, his cue, and various weights he wears to help steady himself.

A big factor would have to be concentration.

Hand to eye co-ordination. Eye deterioration.General loss of strength. and finally and probably the biggie, your legs weaken and even tournament races wear down your legs.

When the legs get tired, your game goes to shit.

The same reason most things get tougher as we grow old. It's not like a knife, not possible to always put a sharp, new edge on our mind, body; vision, strength, coordination, balance, perception, etc.

That said, I understand Mosconi and others maintained their edge longer than most.

ChrisinNC said:

A better comparison in golf would be why a 60 year old pro golfer couldn't likely beat a 30 year old pro golfer in a putting contest - which requires similar fine touch/feel skills as pool, but nothing physically demanding.that would clearly give the younger player the clear advantage?

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It is the putting that is the first to go in aging golfers. Nickluas talked about this a lot. They can rebuild their swings, but putting is 2 strokes on every hole.

Nerves. Life will burn out your ability to handle stress like
you did in your younger days.

Responsibilities get in the way of your game too. Many of the better regional players will be unemployed, unmarried and don't have the same concerns as their more accomplished counterparts.

My desire to play and, more importantly, to play at the top of my capabilities has, if anything, grown stronger as I've aged. When I was younger, i *was* focused on pool, for many reasons, but I was also single, with almost no responsibilities, so keeping focus was fairly easy. But, I was also easily distracted by other things that took away from my mental determination to play as well as I was able. I put in the physical hours, for years. But my mind wasn't always where it needed to be. I was frequently thinking about social things, recreational things, things that took my mind away from the goals I set for myself as far pool was concerned.

Then, in my late 20s, I got married and bought a house. I was working full time. I had little or no time for pool. The transition, from playing 10-12 hours a day to playing practically none, didn't happen overnight. It took @ 2 years. But then, for the next 30, I worked at the same company, got divorced, remarried, had a child, divorced again, and then retired. Now, in my mid-60s, I have all the time I need to return to playing full-time. 10 years ago or so, I envisioned, once retired, playing a minimum 6 to 7 hours a day. All along, I still played pool. Not much, but some. And when I did, I still played pretty sporty ( at least for someone who played maybe 5 hours a month ). So, I figured, 6-7 hours a day, in 3 or 4 months, I would be back to how I was playing when I was 25. Which was PRETTY DAMNED sporty. But, life had some say-so in what's happened. And life said "Yeah... you're old. Your back isn't good. And it's getting worse. Maybe you should pull back the reins on those expectations of 6 to 7 hours a day, there, Hoss."

And guess what... life was right. My back IS bad. And it IS getting worse. And after 15,922 doctor appts over the past 2 years ( it's been bad for 30 years but gotten much worse since the past few years ), multiple MRIs and CT scans, physical therapy, accupuncture, chiropractor and other treatments, it's not getting any better. Sooooooo... I play maybe an hour a day and I'm done. And that hour of actual playing time is added into the 3 or 4 10 to 15 minute "time-outs" where I have to sit down. It sucks.

So, for me? Physical issues are what keeps me from playing anywhere near what I want to play. My mental outlook on playing is as strong as it ever was. If anything, again, it's even stronger. It's absolutely the physical.

ChrisinNC said:

What are the explainable and simple valid reasons why a 60 year old pro pool player in good health and still good vision, with 45 years of playing experience, doesn't figure in the long run to be able to beat a 30 year old pro player with 15 years playing experience - 1/3 of the playing time? This pertains specifically to a game like 9-ball or 14.1, and not so much 1-pocket. One would think the 30 years more of playing experience would give the older pro the advantage, but that's obviously not the case.

When compared to a sport like golf, it's obvious the physical requirements and flexibility necessary for swinging a golf club, playing 18 holes of golf a day in addition to hitting 300-400 balls on the range every day, it's easy to understand why a 60 year old pro golfer can't compete with a pro half his age. A better comparison in golf would be why a 60 year old pro golfer couldn't likely beat a 30 year old pro golfer in a putting contest - which requires similar fine touch/feel skills as pool, but nothing physically demanding.that would clearly give the younger player the clear advantage? I can only come up with two possible explanations.

First, although one's vision can still be very good and sharp into your 60s and even your 70s, I believe (at least in my case) your depth perception / 3D perception has certainly diminished some by this age - making it harder to determine exactly how far an object ball is resting off a rail for any cut shot particularly a longer shot, which your brain subconsciously needs to accurately calculate when you are over the ball preparing to shoot.

Secondly, it's hard to explain, but as you age, one's fine twitch muscle coordination just seems to make it harder and less automatic at times to be able to execute a very smooth straight back and straight through stroke - even when you know with absolute certainty you are lined up properly to pocket the ball. I don't know the exact physiological explanation for this, but I assume it's the same reasons why senior pro golfers are far more likely to miss a 2-4 foot straight in putt than a pro golfer half his age.

Obviously those responding to this thread from experience are those like myself that are old enough to being going through it and trying to overcome it, but anyone is welcome to try their best to explain their reasoning. - thanks

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I have a pretty good theory about this and I know for a fact that it's something I struggle with now that I'm in my sixties.

But there are too many other old farts that read this forum that I could end up playing some day so I ain't talkin', lol.

Lou Figueroa

Physical ailments.
That's an all-encompassing statement I know, but it's different for everyone. For me it is brutal tremors and vision that needs some work. From a non-ailment standpoint, I would just say that it is harder to stay focused for long periods of time these days. I've got a couple good hours in me and then it is break time.

Well the first thing is that the pockets are getting smaller

The second thing was being around a bunch of $5 and $10 players

The third thing was all the complaining from cheap players,

The forth thing is my game never was that good to start with

Not sure why guys that are 40+, their playing speed drops off a little. Maybe b/c they don't play as much or there's just more competition now.

Mika, Toast, Archer, Rodney, etc.

I don't think back then the field had as many world class players as now.

ChrisinNC said:

To answer your 4 questions - yes (even moreso than ever), no, yes (moreso than ever), no. Even if all 4 were answered yes, I still think aging is the biggest factor for gradual deterioration in one's game], and I'm just trying to pinpoint the exact reasons why - in order to make my best attempt to overcome it.

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In Blue.. Aging will get us all.. everyone, without question. My problem is blind spots in both my eyes.
The CB being fairly close looks round. The OB always being further away sometimes looks like a egg.
I've always looked at the OB last, but sometimes lately I'll pocket balls better by looking at the CB last.

.

My problems

I'm 75, started at 5, so i been playing for a while. In 9 ball I can no longer get my body into the break, younger I threw my entire body into the break and could really crush em on occasion. On a bar box one time I made 7. Now my break is crap.
So, I started playing 1pocket, now biggest problem is bending my neck, some shots, I cannot see object ball and cue ball, I have to use crutch, squat down to see both balls and pocket. just cannot bend my body/neck to get in position to reach some shots.

I’m only 47 but my eyes are getting worse. Have worn glasses since 18, but my astigmatism has always been a hindrance. I’m always full of excuses but I really feel people with glasses are at disadvantage in general. I know there have been some good players with glasses but not tons imo

For me it’s been joint issues. The arthritis and bursitis keeps me from breaking hard and really getting my dominant eye down where it needs to be. These dang floaters in my right eye haven’t helped either. All-in-all I have been blessed though. I’m approaching 60 and still able to run 3 or 4 miles a day, and shoot some decent pool.

one thing it's Not about is eyesight.

Neils Feijen is essentially blind in his left eye. Thorsten Hohmann sometimes plays tournament matches without his contacts in. Mark Williams won the World Snooker title last year -- shooting into pockets the size of thimbles on a 12' table -- with his Eyes Closed on key long pots in the final. vision has squat-all to do with pool.

on a far less lofty plane, i'm 69 and my game is stronger than ever, even though my vision is horrible and getting worse: i've always been severely nearsighted, and recently started getting really big floaters and the beginnings of cataracts. but for the first time in my life, i've taken time to work on my fundamentals, and it pays off big-time.

the decaying abilities part, though, is mostly about nerves. pool and snooker at the highest levels are all about how little extraneous body movement and twitches you have, and as you get older you get jumpy. look at the "dinner match" between Mosconi and Caras on youtube -- they've got it, too.