For me, I think the #1 thing bothering me is my eyes. I had a detached retina a year ago and I'm getting cataracts. I have floaters and my vision is pretty blurry in both eyes. I wear glasses daily, but I wear contacts when I play pool, which is only on Sundays. Wearing the contacts, only once a week, makes my eyes take quite a while to get used to them.
However, I think "seeing the shot" is more than just being able to "see". To me, "seeing the shot" means my depth perception and 3D perception is working also. I used to say, many years ago, that "if I can SEE the shot, I can make it" and I think that is still pretty much the case.
Secondly, I really "don't care" if I'm not playing as good as I once could. I never practice or play except on Sundays and I still can play at an "A" level on most days and sometimes I can catch a "gear" that goes a notch or two higher.
I think I get distracted more easily now than I did when I was younger. I am the type of person who shoots and then returns to my chair when my turn at the table it over and I expect my opponent to do the same. Most of the people I play have a habit of jumping around like Beavis and Butthead and not paying attention to what is going on, which gets on my nerves at times.
My fundamentals are usually pretty solid and I am a "system" player. I don't want to open up a can of worms, but I use TOI and I think it keeps me more consistent. Over the last few weeks, I've played several different people and they all ask me how I do so well only playing once a week. I tell them what I "think" is the "truth"...as least with my playing. I try to position my shots where I can use a TOI or stun on most of my shots. I try to leave the same "angles" if I can and I try to leave myself where I can hit somewhat the same speed on every shot. I like to play what I call "a heavy cue ball". Keeping shallow angles allows me to "muscle" the object ball into the pocket and move the cue ball with speed and not a lot of spin, unless I need to turn the cue ball loose.
Some people are afraid of inside, especially on long power shots. Those are some of my favorites. I'm very comfortable hitting hard and inside and going multiple rails for position.
Even as old as I am, my stamina is still pretty good. I played around 15 hours, or so, straight for the last three Sundays and I was still hitting them as good when I quit as I was during mid day.
I think most of my screw ups now come from just being lackadaisical and not fully concentrating on every shot. In order for me to play better, my opponent has to put pressure on me, where I know if I screw up I may not get another shot. Most of the people that I play with don't have that level of skill, so I don't bear down on every shot, like you should do.
I'd like to play more, just to see how much better I could play, but it's about a 50 mile round-trip, through traffic just to get to the pool hall and that takes too much time and is a hassle.
I'm seeing the eye doctor on Wednesday and hoping to get some information on what my status is, as far as cataract surgery. I know I'll be getting it sometime in the future, but don't know exactly when. He told me that I would have 20-20 again once it is done. Assuming that all works out, that will surely affect my pool game. I'll probably never make a ball again if I can actually see what I'm doing.
lol
