Age and Speed

kvinbrwr

kvinbrwr

Skee Ball Monster Playa
Gold Member
I watched some 9 Ball on ESPN last week and thought that Keith or Earl, in their day, would have handily beat both finalists. I assume that the reason Keith isn't traveling all over and playing anymore is that he doesn't quite play as well as he used to and at this point in his life, it doesn't pay to go through all that to finish a little down the leaderboard for little cash and lots of hassle. It makes sense that players don't play as well as they get older, I figure Miz didn't play as well in his latter years, otherwise, he would of traveled around and drubbed everyone. Earl doen't seem to play as well as he used to, I saw him in Los Angeles maybe 20 years ago and I haven't seen anyone on ESPN (haven't seen Efren) that had the kind of talent Earl exhibited back then. My question is, most seem to agree that Efran Reyes is the best in the world, but isn't he like 53? Has he not lost speed, or was he just so great that even after loosing speed due to age he's still the best?
 
As athletes age, strength and speed diminish at some point. Many athletes tend to improve skill and cunning to overcome this. It seems to me that Efran has worked through this (to some extent)by becoming known more for One Pocket that 9 ball as he ages. I don't think many players will take his money at either game yet.
 
My thoughts are this: I think that many players let aging effect them mentally. Yes, there are some physical deteriates that take place but with a strong mind they can over come them. Earl will never be the player he was 15-20 years ago. He is mentally handicapped by the aging process. However, Efren's game will change to fit his changing physical limitations. But at the same time I think we will witness great world caliber pool from Efren for years to come. It boils down to attitude!! If Earl can learn to play with his changing physical characteristics concerning pool we may see him be back on top once again. One could only hope.

I am making a prediction and saying although we have had some great players we have yet to see how well these games can be played. Our younger generations coordination seems to be far superior to our own.

Gary
 
I don't know about anyone else but when I was from 16 to almost 40 I could play a fair game. What I had lost in long shot making I had gained in position. From 40 to 50 I still was a threat on a bar table but not so much on a nine footer. When I turned 60 my whole body started flying apart. I quit pool shortly after that. F*** the Golden Years. Johnnyt
 
I don't know, at 63 I don't usually have the stamina for long matches -- or is it I don't care to play that long any more? The game is fun when there is competition but my concentration wanders and I lose interest more easily.

Physically, pool doesn't require that much effort. I swim about 1/4 mile every day or every other day so playing for four to five hours is OK. Much more than that and I loose interest. Once in a while when a good friend is over we will play 14.1 until 5 - 6:00 AM.

I guess that what I am saying is that as you age the urge to play at your best is not as strong. It is more about enjoying the table and friends. I think that I play about as well, maybe a little better than I did when I was younger. Then too I was never pro caliber and I am sure there is a differnce.
 
One of the beauties of Pool is, that you can have a lonnng career. Many good players had 40 year careers. I've seen several great ones in their 60's. They make up for in experience what they have lost otherwise.

A few who played great at 55 or above. Irving Crane, Balsis, Lassiter, Caras (won the U.S. Open 14.1 at 57), Buddy, Varner, Rempe, Vickery, Incardona and Parica now. Hopkins is around that age now. I'm sure I'm leaving out dozens of good players, but these are just examples. Bob Osborne and Diliberto deserve mention here as well.

Onofrio Lauri won a major 9-Ball tournament (around 1968 or 69) at Jack & Jill's (Beenie's room) at age 69! Al the young guns like Richie, Kelly, Red, Shorty and Ervolino were there. Jimmy Moore was still runnng hundreds well into his 70's and gambling too!

Lassiter once said "It's the legs that go, not the eyes." I know I used to play old man Bevo at the Central Club in Oklahoma City in another lifetime. I was a teenager and he must have been in his 80's. We would play for $1 a game, and he would give me fits. He would walk down the table to see where the object ball was, and go back and shoot it in. :)
 
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JoeW said:
I don't know, at 63 I don't usually have the stamina for long matches -- or is it I don't care to play that long any more? The game is fun when there is competition but my concentration wanders and I lose interest more easily.

Physically, pool doesn't require that much effort. I swim about 1/4 mile every day or every other day so playing for four to five hours is OK. Much more than that and I loose interest. Once in a while when a good friend is over we will play 14.1 until 5 - 6:00 AM.

I guess that what I am saying is that as you age the urge to play at your best is not as strong. It is more about enjoying the table and friends. I think that I play about as well, maybe a little better than I did when I was younger. Then too I was never pro caliber and I am sure there is a differnce.
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Well said...I'm also 63. Maybe we develop attention deficit disorder as we age? Or, perhaps it's "senior moments"? I won't say I "dog" it when I play...not that I'm any great shakes in the first place. But if I'm playing someone I really like, and I want them to win? All I need to do is break my attention to the game.

But yeah, after a few hours, I've usually had enough table time...

Also, winning just isn't as important to me as I get older. One advantage to being an old fart...you just don't feel the "need" to prove anything. :)
 
Playing well into your 60's depends on your health. With the lazer surgery for the eyes, most can have their eyes corected better than when they were younger. I played until I was 60. Up until then I never had any reason to go to a doctor. Then high blood pressure, heart attack. 3 strokes, and COPD and back problems all happened in a matter of months.

I really don't know why either.:rolleyes: I only drank every day of my life from 14 to 60. Smoked 1 to 2 packs of non-filtered Camels a day. Did just about every drug out there(and I inhaled), fell off buildings and barstools, and had help hitting the floor more times than I care to remember. I should have listened the first time some guy said,"your way too small to have a mouth that big" Johnnyt
 
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I had a personal best just today

I am 65 and some morning feel about 80, but my pool game is about the same as when I was 25. Not that it was that great at 25 mind you! And I'm sure my one-pocket game is better than it was at 25 because I rarely played the game back then but play it often now.

OK, what did I mean in the subject line when I mentioned a "personal best?" The "personal best" has to do with a practice routine I have been doing on and off for over 25 years. I throw all the balls out on the table, nicely spread out with no clusters, and simply try to run them out, in any order, without a miss. On an easy 4 by 8 table, it's no great challenge and I can do it more often than not, but how many such tables can I run out in a row? I started keeping count of my best results about 25 years ago and never quite made 7 tables in a row. I got to within 2 or 3 balls of finishing that 7th table several times through the years, but never quite made the full seven tables. Just today, I finally did it! I got so nervous when I was down to the last three balls that I got out of line on position all three times. None of those last three shots were all that tough, but the fact that I was trying to achieve something I'd been fiddling with for over 25 years made each shot feel like I was playing for my pension fund! Anyway, I finished that 7th table and ran 9 balls on the 8th table before scratching in a side pocket.
 
i just turned 40 soon as my back problems are fixed within a couple months i'll be playing stronger than ever 3-4 balls, i can feel it, pool seems effortless to me nw, ther are no distractions, noise in my head, and no pressure-i play better under pressure. i matured and so has my pool game.
 
Fatboy said:
i just turned 40 soon as my back problems are fixed within a couple months i'll be playing stronger than ever 3-4 balls, i can feel it, pool seems effortless to me nw, ther are no distractions, noise in my head, and no pressure-i play better under pressure. i matured and so has my pool game.
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Face it man, you're a fat old f--k. :)
 
Playing

I have found that a player will have peak periods, or seasons, similiar to a baseball player throughout the years. My interest has started to wane some in Pool, and when I play, I play because I want to, not because I have to.

I am getting tired of chasing the weekly tournaments, and money games though. I don't have the stamina lately that I even had a couple of years ago, and I will be 60 in January. (seems like only yesterday I was 19 ... lol).
Oh, I could still handle a 12 hour session, but just don't care to ever play more than that again. Usually after 4-6 hours of playing is plenty anymore.

The only shot in the arm was that I went through an intensive change and adjustment with my contacts, and am now seeing better than I have my whole life, so it boosted my game a little, and the young bucks still can not beat me, even though they are waiting till I get old enough where they can ... LOL

I had good years when 18-19, 23-26, 32-33, 38, 42-44 (did real well at the VNEA Internationals), 48, 52, 55 (Won BCA State Champioship then, plus 2 other good tournaments).

Your focus on your interests seem to change a little as you age. And like it was said, no matter the competition, basically you are just out to have a good time with friends, and enjoy their company whether you are playing $100 sets or not.
 
Johnnyt said:
I don't know about anyone else but when I was from 16 to almost 40 I could play a fair game. What I had lost in long shot making I had gained in position. From 40 to 50 I still was a threat on a bar table but not so much on a nine footer. When I turned 60 my whole body started flying apart. I quit pool shortly after that. F*** the Golden Years. Johnnyt
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You are lucky. My body started falling apart at 30, no joke. I can't imagine what I will be like at 60.
 
jay helfert said:
One of the beauties of Pool is, that you can have a lonnng career. Many good players had 40 year careers. I've seen several great ones in their 60's. They make up for in experience what they have lost otherwise.
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Last Sunday, I heard that the final 8 out of 96 players were all older folks 50 or older at Bellflower Hard Times' first Sunday. One of them said, hey where are all the kids ?!! :eek: I take that to mean that I can enjoy competitive pool for a while bit longer yet !! :p
 
I feel that when my game is on I'm playing much better than I did in my 20's. It's just the legs that let me down, it's hard to play when you can hardly walk at times but it does make you focus!! Hell, some games I've even been trying to play all my shots from the same side of the table. Need a lot work with the CB but it beats walking (hopping!)

It looks like my doc may finally have an answer to my problems which I'm not totally happy with but at least I'll know what's going on & how to fix it! And I'll still be able to play, that is the important thing to me.

There are quite a few older players in our PH that still shoot a great game, I look at them & think I may have a good few years of fun left. I sure hope so!!
 
TorranceChris said:
Last Sunday, I heard that the final 8 out of 96 players were all older folks 50 or older at Bellflower Hard Times' first Sunday. One of them said, hey where are all the kids ?!! :eek: I take that to mean that I can enjoy competitive pool for a while bit longer yet !! :p
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Chris, you're still a baby. 50 is the new Middle Age. Anything younger is youth.
 
jay helfert said:
Chris, you're still a baby. 50 is the new Middle Age. Anything younger is youth.
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Thanks Jay :) Did you ever think of going to work at Hallmark Cards ? :p BTW, I'm also waiting on your book.
 
kvinbrwr said:
I watched some 9 Ball on ESPN last week and thought that Keith or Earl, in their day, would have handily beat both finalists. I assume that the reason Keith isn't traveling all over and playing anymore is that he doesn't quite play as well as he used to and at this point in his life, it doesn't pay to go through all that to finish a little down the leaderboard for little cash and lots of hassle. It makes sense that players don't play as well as they get older, I figure Miz didn't play as well in his latter years, otherwise, he would of traveled around and drubbed everyone. Earl doen't seem to play as well as he used to, I saw him in Los Angeles maybe 20 years ago and I haven't seen anyone on ESPN (haven't seen Efren) that had the kind of talent Earl exhibited back then. My question is, most seem to agree that Efran Reyes is the best in the world, but isn't he like 53? Has he not lost speed, or was he just so great that even after loosing speed due to age he's still the best?
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I will be 68 in a few days and don't run balls like I used to but still play decent 9 ball and a better game of one pocket. I still gamble and try to play a couple times a week. I can play at a fairly high level for 6 or 8 hours. Anything longer than that and I start to fall apart. The biggest problem is if I take a few weeks off, it takes a few sessions to get it going again. Age definitely slows down aspects of your game, but experience overcomes a lot of the handicaps age brings, especially in one pocket. I'll play as long as I can make a ball and I'll bet on it too. John Henderson
 
jrhendy said:
I will be 68 in a few days and don't run balls like I used to but still play decent 9 ball and a better game of one pocket. I still gamble and try to play a couple times a week. I can play at a fairly high level for 6 or 8 hours. Anything longer than that and I start to fall apart. The biggest problem is if I take a few weeks off, it takes a few sessions to get it going again. Age definitely slows down aspects of your game, but experience overcomes a lot of the handicaps age brings, especially in one pocket. I'll play as long as I can make a ball and I'll bet on it too. John Henderson
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Please don't ever change John!
 
A friend of mine told me this--

The older we get, we have to find different ways to do the same things we did when we were younger.

Stones
 
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