I’m facing the realization that rotation games such as 9 ball have become just too challenging and frustrating for us senior players, including those of us who played these games quite well in our younger years. I’m wondering if other senior players agree, particularly as it relates to matching up against skilled players often less than half our age?
In choosing a game to focus and concentrate on trying to play as best I can for the next hopefully final 10-20 years of my pool playing life, the logical choice for me is between 1-Pocket and 14.1. Not that 8-ball isn’t a good game, but I just don’t think it’s as challenging a game as the other two, and at the risk of insulting those here who play it and love it, it seems to be the preferred game for recreational players and bar players.
I’ve played very little 1-Pocket, but I know it’s a great game that many players of all ages have become hooked on and it seems to be a game that senior players can remain quite competitive in, even in to their 70s. The issue for me would be the lack of 1-Pocket players in my area to learn from and to compete against. Even as our shotmaking skills naturally deteriorate in our advanced years, the knowledge and the defensive moves that are so critical in 1-Pocket are what allows senior players to still be a formidable challenge to a much younger 1-Pocket player.
By contrast, 14.1 is the game I grew up playing and loving for most of my first nearly 10 years of playing pool in the 1970s before 9-Ball took over as the preferred game for most serious players. Yes, there are still certainly shotmaking skills that younger players will always possess over us seniors. However, my premise is that if one can play 14.1 really well, with knowledge, simple positioning and limited cue ball movement, in the course of running a rack most shots should be relatively short, high percentage shots that even us seniors can handle as well as we ever have. And if we are faced with a longer or lower percentage shot, our defensive skills should be able to limit our opponent’s opportunities.
Any thoughts from others on this topic?
In choosing a game to focus and concentrate on trying to play as best I can for the next hopefully final 10-20 years of my pool playing life, the logical choice for me is between 1-Pocket and 14.1. Not that 8-ball isn’t a good game, but I just don’t think it’s as challenging a game as the other two, and at the risk of insulting those here who play it and love it, it seems to be the preferred game for recreational players and bar players.
I’ve played very little 1-Pocket, but I know it’s a great game that many players of all ages have become hooked on and it seems to be a game that senior players can remain quite competitive in, even in to their 70s. The issue for me would be the lack of 1-Pocket players in my area to learn from and to compete against. Even as our shotmaking skills naturally deteriorate in our advanced years, the knowledge and the defensive moves that are so critical in 1-Pocket are what allows senior players to still be a formidable challenge to a much younger 1-Pocket player.
By contrast, 14.1 is the game I grew up playing and loving for most of my first nearly 10 years of playing pool in the 1970s before 9-Ball took over as the preferred game for most serious players. Yes, there are still certainly shotmaking skills that younger players will always possess over us seniors. However, my premise is that if one can play 14.1 really well, with knowledge, simple positioning and limited cue ball movement, in the course of running a rack most shots should be relatively short, high percentage shots that even us seniors can handle as well as we ever have. And if we are faced with a longer or lower percentage shot, our defensive skills should be able to limit our opponent’s opportunities.
Any thoughts from others on this topic?
