Well let's see. Let me start by saying that I'm confident in saying that there isn't a definitive age where it becomes impossible to compete. It's not like you hit 40 and all of a sudden you're done.
It's not so much age that causes you to not be able to compete, it's more what comes with age and there are remedies. Eye sight starts to decline, lazik. Arthritis gets bad, shoulder, hip, knee replacement surgery. Bad lower back (potentially caused by playing pool for years), steroid injecitions, surgery etc.
I found out after my game declined that I had run away diabetes and massive arthritis. I got the diabetes under control and then found out that I had no rotator cuff movement in my left shoulder, had shoulder replacement surgery and after recovery I started playing well enough to compete again so I signed up for the Arizona open and the Phoenix open, then i found out that my right shoulder needs to be replaced too.
I start practicing like I used to, more than perhaps anyone besides Shane, and my back ( have had lower back issues since I was 17) started making that nigh on impossible. I had one injection a few weeks ago and it was likely in the wrong spot, or I also needed one in a different spot so that's scheduled for late July. We'll see how much of a difference that makes.
I'm still going to compete in both tournaments and depending on how I feel afterwards we'll see whether I continue to try and compete or if I hang up my hat and focus on Ontarget Billiards. I had to delay the surgery on my right shoulder to be able to compete; however the doctor said that if I put it off too long it may not be repairable. I play left handed so my right shoulder doesn't really effecct my quality of play, more so just the pain distracts my focus which is the same with my back pain, it just distracts my focus and anyone who's played top level pool knows that focus is everything in competition.
So we'll see how it goes.
Sorry for the rant if it came off that way,
Jaden
It's not so much age that causes you to not be able to compete, it's more what comes with age and there are remedies. Eye sight starts to decline, lazik. Arthritis gets bad, shoulder, hip, knee replacement surgery. Bad lower back (potentially caused by playing pool for years), steroid injecitions, surgery etc.
I found out after my game declined that I had run away diabetes and massive arthritis. I got the diabetes under control and then found out that I had no rotator cuff movement in my left shoulder, had shoulder replacement surgery and after recovery I started playing well enough to compete again so I signed up for the Arizona open and the Phoenix open, then i found out that my right shoulder needs to be replaced too.
I start practicing like I used to, more than perhaps anyone besides Shane, and my back ( have had lower back issues since I was 17) started making that nigh on impossible. I had one injection a few weeks ago and it was likely in the wrong spot, or I also needed one in a different spot so that's scheduled for late July. We'll see how much of a difference that makes.
I'm still going to compete in both tournaments and depending on how I feel afterwards we'll see whether I continue to try and compete or if I hang up my hat and focus on Ontarget Billiards. I had to delay the surgery on my right shoulder to be able to compete; however the doctor said that if I put it off too long it may not be repairable. I play left handed so my right shoulder doesn't really effecct my quality of play, more so just the pain distracts my focus which is the same with my back pain, it just distracts my focus and anyone who's played top level pool knows that focus is everything in competition.
So we'll see how it goes.
Sorry for the rant if it came off that way,
Jaden
