How does aging affect your game?

It is not exactly hard to see that it has an effect.

Look at the players who dominate pool, generally they are sub 50 and normally they are in their 20's and 30's. Past that a player is lucky if age is not slowly degrading their game.

Look at Efren, still a great player but certainly a step below his speed 10 years ago. Fong Pang Chou, Allen Hopkins, Buddy Hall, Jim Rempe, Nick Varner, Mike Sigel, ect...

I have watched the same footage you watched. Lassiter at that age looked fairly shakey. I have also watched footage of Lassiter playing in the 1960's and that Lassiter was a hell of a player.

I have watched Mosconi shoot in that match late in his life decades out of serious competition and practice. I have also seen some footage of him decades earlier still far after his prime but his speed even at that point was easily pro level.

I mean, I am shooting fairly well right now, I have been practicing a fair bit. I am probably the 7 ball worse then I was in Vegas 6 months ago though, and I will get that level back before Vegas by putting weeks of practice in. If I were to quit playing this game for 10 years I would be a fraction of how well I shoot now.

Alot of those old players that is exactly what you are seeing, they had not shot serious pool in ages and slowly the muscle memory and the sighting of the angles and the shots fades.

It is not hard to simply study things yourself rather then post a thread like this on AZBilliards. Want a prime example that is easy to study? Watch Nick Varner now (very good), and then watch some Nick Varner 20 years ago (world class), there is a HUGE difference in his game now compared to his game then.

Age DOES affect things hugely, you will figure that out first hand eventually.
 
dsearcy said:
Take efren for example, he's been tagged as having a weak break, but that dosent make sense. He has one of the best breaks ever.
Everything about his execution of this shot is proper, how else will he be able to put 5s and 6s together more than anyone else? In reverse, put a powerful man behind the line and he'll hit it harder, but will never hit it right.
This is automaticly built as he ages. Until he can't swing the cue at the speed necessary to deliver the shot is when age starts to matter. But that will be a ways from now.
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Not exactly. Efren circa 1995 would drill Efren circa 2009 in a long race or an ahead set. Efren has lost alot of his top speed since those days.
 
Eyesight and agility

Being able to get down on a ball, seeing the ball, loose muscles

Time to practice. These are all good reasons to not play as well

in a game that requires them all to play your best.

It`s as fun as ever though:)

fish
 
I didn't hit a cue ball with real purpose or intent until I was 36..

I'm not a has been teen-early 20's player

I didn't play then

I'm approaching my 40th birthday.. next week

but I play with purpose.. I am determined to get better..

I am determined to get great

the old guys who forgot why they got good in the first place

will have a different view from those of us who are 40 and playing the best pool of our lives..

it's only a number..

your heart determines how good you will be.....

not your age
 
Bellhemen said:
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?
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it's strange to me how far away from their chins are from their cues. they don't seem to bend at all when they shoot.

i hear when mosconi unleashed that monster run he did it on a table with 5" pockets.
 
I'm 66...and agree with all who say age hurts stamina. I just can't hang with folks half my age...getting little sleep, etc. Enjoy all you can, while you can...no joke.
 
poolplayer2093 said:
it's strange to me how far away from their chins are from their cues. they don't seem to bend at all when they shoot.
i hear when mosconi unleashed that monster run he did it on a table with 5" pockets.
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Poolplayer

I believe that has to do with Beer Bellies in many cases. At least in my case. I am very thin and when I put on a little weight in the tummy, I feel it when bending over to shoot. I quickly start watching what I eat until I am comfortable again. But I have seen a lot of older thin people who don't bend over to shoot also. They may have back trouble they are trying to protect. But also notice a lot of younger guys who have poor mechanics.

Burning the candle at both ends is a young mans thing. I read somewhere that those who do hard physical work all their life age quicker than those who do Office type work with some exercise. The body has a life expectancy and does wear out.

As for Mosconi's big run with 5 inch pockets. He also didn't have modern technology like we have today on his side either. I think when you account for the equipment difference, Mosconi and the player of by gone eras, They are still the supermen.
 
I'm 55. I played pool alot as a young man in my 20's but then life got in the way.

About 5 years ago, I got a stick and started playing again. Two years ago I got serious.

I can put in 4-5 hours a day, 3-4 times a week of serious practice time. I approach pool as a sport that requires phyiscal conditioning and do what I can outside of the pool room to maintain and improve my phyiscal condtions. I do stretching exercises before and during practice. My back, knees, legs never have brother me. The only things that start to hurt after a long session are my shoulder muscles and thats just from long sessions.

I hate to lose, I desire to win every game and do get pissed if I lose based on my performance.

I wear glasses, but that doesn't brother me. I do eye exercises and such to help with the strain from just everyday use.

I've had two motorcycle accidents where I used pool as therapy. One resulted in a broken right shoulder in the joint area and the other accident resulted in a broken right ankle and badly sprained right thumb. Yes, pool can be used as phyiscal therapy. Plus I've had to re learn my stroke twice now which really has helped. Oh, I'm righthand BTW.

The reason I really don't play alot of tourneys is that the older I have gotten, the less I'm willing to put up with bullshit that goes on in some some local tourney's. Plus winning a handicapp match isn't a true test of playing skill.

I have no problem going to shoot pool. I look forward to it everyday. Everyday the balls lay different on the table requiring different actions than the day before.

Basiclly, I still find it fun.......even at my age.
 
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dsearcy said:
the only diffference now is that efren likes to sit on his a$$ eating and drinking, he is hardly in playing condition....basicly he is hardly ever in action, so most players will snap him off.
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So I say Efren is not as good as he used to be, you say "no" and then you turn around and agree that Efren is not playing alot and is not in playing condition and thus not shooting like he was in the 90's..... That about right?
 
Bellhemen said:
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?
Click to expand...

Everybody's different, but from what I've seen of players older than me, mostly it's illnesses and physical deterioration, such as artrhritis, back problems, deterioriorating eyesight, nerve problems such as parkinson's, and loss of strength.

Seems it starts more in the 60's and 70's than the 50's.

I'm 56 and haven't had a problem with kind of physical deterioration or injuries yet. I work out with weights regularly and run 15 - 20 miles a week, and try to swim and bicylcle too when time permits. I've also had Lasik - it works well. I was influenced by a friend who is a triathlete and he's 63 - he wins his division in almost every race.

When I was in my early 40's I was a stress case, smoking 2 packs a day, a couch potato and I felt like an old man - no energy. Taking out the trash cans caused huffing and puffing. We go downhill and don't know why - a lot of it is daily stress, a lot of it is bad habits like smoking and drinking.

Then I quit smoking, then I started exercising, now I feel fine. I play a lot better now than I did then, but it's because of desire and practice and having the energy to play.

The older people I've seen who strggle playing have really lost a lot of strength and flexibility. Playing pool, you need some strength, flexibility, and fitness to support yourself over shots. The stronger your core is, the easier it is to stablize the head over a shot. Also, a good back is critical - otherwise getting down on the shots is all but impossible and very painful.

We all physically deteriorate. Postponing the process through intelligent exercise and a healthy lifestyle is entirely possible and definitely desirable. As far as skills go, it's practice and playing.

Chris
 
I'm 39 and in the prime of my life, and I got my a$$ handed to me by a very nice 81 year old man last weekend.
 
Best answer yet!

whitewolf said:
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.
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Great answer. It is what it is.............
 
Another great answer...........

androd said:
The main thing with me is stamina, you begin to tire and reach down for some energy and there's nothing there. although I play as well or better than ever, for about 3-4 hrs. Then it's over and I can't call it back. In the old days I washed my hands , slapped my face a couple of times and toughened up, thats no longer working.
Rod. 09-05-1937
Click to expand...

Good one!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ball Banger said:
Poolplayer

I believe that has to do with Beer Bellies in many cases. At least in my case. I am very thin and when I put on a little weight in the tummy, I feel it when bending over to shoot. I quickly start watching what I eat until I am comfortable again. But I have seen a lot of older thin people who don't bend over to shoot also. They may have back trouble they are trying to protect. But also notice a lot of younger guys who have poor mechanics.

Burning the candle at both ends is a young mans thing. I read somewhere that those who do hard physical work all their life age quicker than those who do Office type work with some exercise. The body has a life expectancy and does wear out.

As for Mosconi's big run with 5 inch pockets. He also didn't have modern technology like we have today on his side either. I think when you account for the equipment difference, Mosconi and the player of by gone eras, They are still the supermen.
Click to expand...

No way! john shmidt could give mosconi the 7 and the breaks and smoke him like a phillie blint!
 
softshot said:
I didn't hit a cue ball with real purpose or intent until I was 36..


I'm approaching my 40th birthday.. next week

but I play with purpose.. I am determined to get better..

I am determined to get great

the old guys who forgot why they got good in the first place

will have a different view from those of us who are 40 and playing the best pool of our lives..

it's only a number..

your heart determines how good you will be.....

not your age
Click to expand...

This is sort of an amusing post from a guy in his 30's. You haven't been old yet but hopefully you'll get there. Hope being 40 yrs. isn't sharking you.
Bless your heart Softshot.:wink::grin::cool:
 
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