Age Related Decline

whiteoak

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
At what age do you feel that age related decline in ones game is inevitable ,assuming general good health and average eyesight? Can lots of practice help offset decline or is it just a fact? Thanks
 

NevadaP

Well-known member
I'm 73. Recently got a new table after several years of not having one. Took private lessons from a pro. My game is coming back. I'd say I'm 90% of my best days and still improving off the lessons. If I can spend enough time at the table, I'll be better than I ever was within months, so age hasn't limited me. After several hours at the table, I get tired and my game falls off, so that is perhaps my limiting factor.
My vision isn't as sharp as years ago, but surprisingly, that doesn't seem to make a big difference.
I've always played more of a finesse game than power game, so loss of power is not an issue for me.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm 41. My back hurts, my neck hurts, my elbow hurts, my knee hurts. Basically everything hurts and I'm dying! ha ha. All that has affected my pool game. My speed isn't really any worse, it actually might be the best it ever was. But I only play a short while at a time now, because of all the discomfort I have. So I can't be practicing all the time to stay in stroke. And the days of playing long sessions are gone. And because things hurt, I rarely even have the motivation to play anymore.
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm 41. My back hurts, my neck hurts, my elbow hurts, my knee hurts. Basically everything hurts and I'm dying! ha ha. All that has affected my pool game. My speed isn't really any worse, it actually might be the best it ever was. But I only play a short while at a time now, because of all the discomfort I have. So I can't be practicing all the time to stay in stroke. And the days of playing long sessions are gone. And because things hurt, I rarely even have the motivation to play anymore.
Everything hurts…….
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
Young people without responsibility, bills rent or Mortage payment, car breaking downn, and not a care in world have it made. They can devote 100% of their energy into something they love doing with little responsibility.
 

middleofnowhere

Registered
At what age do you feel that age related decline in ones game is inevitable ,assuming general good health and average eyesight? Can lots of practice help offset decline or is it just a fact? Thanks
It may not have to.
Have to keep a healthy weight. I don't mean gain and lose I mean maintain a healthy weight all your life.

Being heavy won't nessasaraly mean you will die early, although you probably will. it does guarantee the end of your life will not be nice. Two things I never understood, smoking and being fat.

I think it may even be human nature to be self destructive. Doing things that are not in your own best interest.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
At what age do you feel that age related decline in ones game is inevitable ,assuming general good health and average eyesight? Can lots of practice help offset decline or is it just a fact? Thanks
I think it depends what level you play at. For very top level players competing against considerably younger top level players, there is a definite decline by their 50s and gets more dramatic in their 60s.

Yes, many things including staying healthy, practice and regular competition can slow your inevitable age related decline. A player in their 60s and even in their 70s can still dominate far younger players that have never played at a skill level the senior player has played at for years, even when that senior player is experiencing a decline in their skills.
 
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judochoke

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
At age 62, i decided to give it a go as Darren Appleton says. I have played EVERY DAY FOR TWO YEARS ON MY HOME TABLE, 3 hours a day. I did not miss a day. I did it all, drills, playing the ghost, hitting hundreds of straight shots a day. I gave it everything i had. Turned 64 a few months ago, and i knew it was over. I just dont have it. Fat fingers, big body, i move around too much, can’t get my head down low enought like the pros. Too many things working against me. And now I’m dealing with a sciatica nerve problem on my lower back, three weeks already, and my stroke is gone. Gone for good i would imagine. But hey, i did enjoy the game, and i thought i could do some damage playing 9 ball. But its over for me.

i still lift heavy weights in the gym, and i dont think pool is the game for bigger muscular guys, (5/11-265 pounds)
 

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There are a few exceptions .....George Rood still played a decent shortstop speed up until he was about 85.
But, It just seems like age steals a little each day , even if you are healthy.
If you get sick or have a bad injury, forget it , your pretty much through. Enjoy what you can from life, and appreciate it, I only wish I had learned that long ago , instead of late in life, but, better late than never, right?
 

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
At age 62, i decided to give it a go as Darren Appleton says. I have played EVERY DAY FOR TWO YEARS ON MY HOME TABLE, 3 hours a day. I did not miss a day. I did it all, drills, playing the ghost, hitting hundreds of straight shots a day. I gave it everything i had. Turned 64 a few months ago, and i knew it was over. I just dont have it. Fat fingers, big body, i move around too much, can’t get my head down low enought like the pros. Too many things working against me. And now I’m dealing with a sciatica nerve problem on my lower back, three weeks already, and my stroke is gone. Gone for good i would imagine. But hey, i did enjoy the game, and i thought i could do some damage playing 9 ball. But its over for me.

i still lift heavy weights in the gym, and i dont think pool is the game for bigger muscular guys, (5/11-265 pounds)
I had a back problem and they did xrays MRIs everything imaginable. They said it was sciatica . It was so painful some times it made me throw up. I prayed to God for relief and started sleeping in my recliner , My back started to feel a bit better and I went back to the bed , a few days later I'm miserable again. Now I only sleep in the recliner at about half way back . My sciatica is gone {Thank you God } after about a week and although it is not really as comfortable as a bed , I can deal with it to get rid of that pain. You might try it and see if it helps you.
 

Paul Schofield

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have played EVERY DAY FOR TWO YEARS ON MY HOME TABLE, 3 hours a day. I did not miss a day. I did it all, drills, playing the ghost, hitting hundreds of straight
shots a day. I gave it everything i had.
More power to you. I cannot and have never "practiced". For me, pool always had a financial component that outweighed the desire to be a good player. Practicing pool would have been like practicing poker.
 
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David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm 41. My back hurts, my neck hurts, my elbow hurts, my knee hurts. Basically everything hurts and I'm dying! ha ha. All that has affected my pool game. My speed isn't really any worse, it actually might be the best it ever was. But I only play a short while at a time now, because of all the discomfort I have. So I can't be practicing all the time to stay in stroke. And the days of playing long sessions are gone. And because things hurt, I rarely even have the motivation to play anymore.
At 41?

Hell, my socks are older than that!
 

philly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
About to turn 70 and play better than ever and see the table better as far as layout, patterns, and possibilities.
Plateaus last much longer before a breakthrough though.
 
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