How does aging affect your game?

[JoeyA]

Passion

I've heard comments about/from older people not playing like they used too. I don't know if this is an excuse to use for missing shots or is there something to it? I just watched ESPN Classic (again) with Mosconi, Fats and Jimmie. Hard to believe they can run 100 balls much less 500+ shooting like that.

If age really is a factor, what causes it to get worse? The only things I can think of are eye sight, arthritis and maybe memory. I would think as long as your memory holds and you can still bend over a table doctors could fix your eyesight, and tylenol for arthritis you should be able to shoot great your entire life.

Am I missing something here?

Yes, you are missing the main ingredient for playing pool well into your latter years. It's passion for the game. I'm sure there are other factors but I have seen an 80 year old man splitting the pocket, banking balls consistently and while I haven't gotten to that prime age just yet, my skills seem to be increasing, albeit at a much slower rate than ever.

You have to dream about winning that next match; dream about banking that three railer, dream about winning that hill-hill game before a crowd; you just have to want it bad enough to do what it takes to win: Learn, practice and execute under pressure. Sometimes the dream of excelling is displaced by the reality of the hard work it takes to stay on top of your game.

JoeyA

 

[mnorwood]

When old guys use the power break they can't hold their urine and sometimes leave a fart stain. A depends undergarment should take care of that.

 

[jay helfert]

Aside from any physical problems, the older players simply CANNOT play like they used to play because they CANNOT put in the hours it takes to play the game at a high level.

Also, the older players, like the other poster just stated, don't have the desire anymore. And the older you get the harder it is to concentrate over long periods of time.

You hit the nail on the head with this one Wolf. When you are no longer motivated to play hours every day, you begin to lose your edge. Pool is not so unlike golf or tennis or any other sport like basketball or baseball. You must stay in shape and practice, practice, practice. Pool is not an easy game by any means, and all the top players work hard at their craft.

You cannot and will not stay in stroke playing a few hours a couple of times a week. I would suggest to stay sharp you must put in time daily, more like two hours or more at least four or five days a week. And that is a bare minimum. The best players are playing several hours a day; hitting balls, working on shots and playing matches.

Often times when we get older we have other priorities and spending hours on the table is not one of them. That burning desire to play is gone.

 

[jay helfert]

Yes, you are missing the main ingredient for playing pool well into your latter years. It's passion for the game. I'm sure there are other factors but I have seen an 80 year old man splitting the pocket, banking balls consistently and while I haven't gotten to that prime age just yet, my skills seem to be increasing, albeit at a much slower rate than ever.

You have to dream about winning that next match; dream about banking that three railer, dream about winning that hill-hill game before a crowd; you just have to want it bad enough to do what it takes to win: Learn, practice and execute under pressure. Sometimes the dream of excelling is displaced by the reality of the hard work it takes to stay on top of your game.

JoeyA

Right on here too Joey. We somehow lose that passion for the game, that used to make it easy to spend hours and hours at the table.

 

[DeepBanks]

Farts . . . .

When old guys use the power break they can't hold their urine and sometimes leave a fart stain. A depends undergarment should take care of that.

I have to take breaks between sets to check the Depends . . . but I still want to whooop whoever's ass is across the table from me . . . besides - us more "mature" guys are better at intimidation - after all, we have experience, lots of experience . . .

 

[gmillioni]

As I've gotten older my eye sight has faded. My close vision is distorted and I have slight double vision. According to my Ophthalmologist it is not surgically repairable, But can be corrected to some degree with glasses. I've spent hundreds on pool shooting glasses to no avail. They seem to help for awhile but are so uncomfortable I have to remove them after a short time.
Also in the dark environment of my pool hall my eyes don't seem to gather the available light as they used to. This, I am told, is caused by "Macular degeneration" again not surgically repairable according to my Ophthalmologist.
Another problem is "Eye Hand Coordination." I know from other activities of my life that my eye hand coordination is not what it used to be. I don't seem to have the touch and finesse of stroke I used to have.
Back pain is another problem. When I hurt I can't perform. I will say that the continued motion provided by playing pool is overall beneficial to my back problems. But sitting for hours sweating a match will give me crippling lower back pain.

there are so many acceptable answers for getting old and game falling off. im 65, still play decently, but find a variety of interferences with my age. it didnt come all at once, just a little at a time and sort of in this order:
marriage, family, job,time, money, willingness to stay out late, ability to manage games til dawn, distances to travel. then comes age and its factors which really affect all those other things that came before.
pool is an athletic game, not like contact sports, but athletic as in talent(skill), attitude, drive, hand/eye coordination, fatique factor (mental and physical alertness). age robs you of some of that. for me the legs get tired a little wobbly at times. maybe my back or neck muscles get knotted up. eyesight is a little off. stroke is a little more jerky. but like the one guy said about mounting up a magnificent game if even for just a couple hours to defeat some smart ass - it just makes you feel young again. but right now the most fun i have is finding a rreally great player who just wants a sparring partner for a couple dollars a game. its hard to explain, getting old. but at sometime you'll have your answers based on how aging affected you. for me i still want to play well, not make excuses.

 

[jay helfert]

I have to take breaks between sets to check the Depends . . . but I still want to whooop whoever's ass is across the table from me . . . besides - us more "mature" guys are better at intimidation - after all, we have experience, lots of experience . . .

Do not, I say NOT, put pictures of me on the internet again without my permission!
P.S. White pants are the worst!