How old is too old?

[3kushn]

You may not know who Raymond Ceulemans is so I'll tell you. He is most probably the very best 3 Cushion player the world has ever seen since the beginning of time. Well Over 100 MAJOR Championships. The year he announced his retirement at age 64, the below occured in 2001, 38 years after his first World Championship. I can go on and on. If you don't know the game and the history of Raymond vs other great players you won't understand, but this is unbelievable in many respects. But at age, what was it... 29??? Give me a break. All you need to do is practice 2 - 5 hours a day for another couple of years and youl'll be there. Best advise:
With only 2 years to develope severe bad habits - invest in lessons from the best player you can reach. They must be exceptional although.

Read about Raymound:

Raymond Ceulemans again Worldchampion
In Luxembourg, where the UMB organised the World Chapionships, Raymond Ceulemans showed the world that he can still beat them all.

In the Centre Culturel Raymond Ceulemans was so happy that he raised his arms to heaven when he made the last point in the final against Marco Zanetti. Followed by an ovantion of the audience and his collagues, cause they know what it means to win a championship like this after such a succesfull career.
,,And then keep in mind that i left home having the goal to become one of the best four. Only being one of the best four players of the tournament is a superb achievement on its self. Cause in nowadays threecushion there are strong players on the top, and they're not ease to defeat''.

Raymond Ceulemans played 1.800 in the poulematches and reached a spectacular high average of 1.688. A moyenne that he never had reached before in his life on a World Championship or WordCup.
,,Without notice i suddenly placed myself for the half-final, while many strong players were already defeated by others ''.
Ceulemans had to give all against Michael Nilsson, who was so kind to defeat Daniel Sanchez. Takamitsu Arakawa was defeated by the Belgian with 3-0. ,,It are those little things who count in a later stadium, but, i played very well till the end. Also against Marco Zanetti in the final. If he made just a little mistake, then i took my chance. It was a fantastic game, and a average of 2.200 in the final stuggle says enough i think".

Ceulemans made a very special show of the match; kept on scoring points, finished with 8 and started immediately with seven. Fifteen points in two turns like it was peanuts.
,,I also made a thirteen and two times twelve. I played better then e

 

[Dgerst]

29 is far from too old. Just make sure to schedule regular visits to the eye doctor.

I turn 29 tommorrow, and everyone tells me that I am to old to ever get anywhere in pool. But the thing is that I have only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and have moved to a 6 in 8 ball and a 7 in 9 ball. I play for hours every day. Am I too old?

 

[lewdo26]

Is anyone aware of a male pro who got started in his late 20s?

For women in the WPBA, Jennifer's example should be enough to answer that particular question.

It's probably more about spending enough time at the table, intelligence in learning, and talent.

For a male player, I think 29 would be tough... assuming he'd still have to earn a living otherwise. Unless you got a real good portfolio.

 

[dogginda9]

I turn 29 tommorrow, and everyone tells me that I am to old to ever get anywhere in pool. But the thing is that I have only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and have moved to a 6 in 8 ball and a 7 in 9 ball. I play for hours every day. Am I too old?

Absolutely not !!!!!! I started playing seriously in college and I was told that was kind of a late start. Bullsh$t! I played pretty good in my 20's, but it wasn't until after I turned 30 that I actually "understood" how to win. It has been like a snowball ever since so you are just coming into prime pool time right now if you ask me. Good luck with it.

 

[NINEBALLART]

I bowled for over 20 years and got into pool by accident. My bowling buddy said he was joining a 8 ball league and wanted me to play. I told him I don't play pool. He said, "it is just for fun". Well I joined and got my butt kicked. I told him, I thought this was for fun. These guys are out to kill me on the pool table.
So being competive I bought a $75 players cue and started practicing 2 to 3 hours a day and sometimes 8 hours on a Saturday.
I started entering a 9 ball tournament every Tuesday on 9 footers, and a 8 ball tourney in a bar every Friday. I went faithfully every week for 2 years and never cashed even once.
Finally I started to cash and then started to win and am a feared player wherever I play. I don't plan on going pro or on the road but I play Reno and Vegas. I always cash in Vegas. Singles, scotch doubles or team.
By the way, I started when I was turning 58 and I will be 66 in May.
So it is never too late....

 

[DelaWho???]

Too Old

I was at the pool hall yesterday trying to get ready for the pro-am tourney tonight at the SBE. There's an old guy that frequents the pool hall at the same time I do and he usually plays the table next to mine (yeah I'm in there enough to rate my own table..... )...... I started chatting with him here and there when I was in practicing.....Yesterday I asked him to play....

He's a 9 baller which was perfect for me because I'm playing a 9 ball tourney and mostly play 8 ball.....I think I "beat" him 3 games out of 12 or so....After he won the first 3 straight he started giving me pointers and advice.....a couple times making me repeat shots that I had missed.......By the end of the couple hours playing with him.....my game had shown marked improvement....He had me dropping balls that I was missing.....and gave me some priceless bits of strategy.

I gladly paid the table time (I was faster to the counter he never asked for anything) and look forward to playing him again. As I was paying to leave Jimmy the pool man told me he was 83........too old??? Bahhh!

 

[CaptainJR]

I turn 29 tommorrow, and everyone tells me that I am to old to ever get anywhere in pool. But the thing is that I have only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and have moved to a 6 in 8 ball and a 7 in 9 ball. I play for hours every day. Am I too old?

"How old is to old?"
If you wanted to ask me my age all you had to do was ask. You didn't have to beat around the bush about it. That doesn't mean I'm telling though.

 

[chefjeff]

I've posted articles from Lou Tice before as they seem to show up in my mailbox the same time I'm reading relevant posts here on AZ. Here's one that may help us "age-challenged" players:

Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice - 3/13/06 - "Old Brains vs Young
Brains"

As you will remember, human beings possess a filtering system in our brains
that we have come to call the Reticular Activating System (RAS). It filters
out all information coming in from our senses that we have declared as not
necessary right now. Because I am always interested in what is happening in
brain/mind research, my RAS is wide open to what's happening in this area.

Well, good news came in the form of an article in last week's Wall Street
Journal, in the Science Journal column written by Sharon Begley. It seems
scientists and researchers are finding evidence that "old" brains aren't so
bad off, after all - especially trained ones. In other words, use it and you
won't lose it!

As scientists are taking another look at past data, some findings have held
up: older brains do process information more slowly than 19 year old brains,
and as a result, don't make decisions quite as fast. And, older brains are
less nimble when it comes to "multitasking" (a total misnomer - you are
simply switching among tasks, not doing two or three things at a time).

One piece of "fact" has been turned on its ear, and that is the mistaken
belief that the reason older brains don't function as well is because the
neurons die off and are not replaced with new ones. Turns out, even 70 year
old brains produce new neurons and don't lose neurons in most sections of
the brain.

You can see where I'm going with this - be careful of listening to supposed
"experts" and their facts. The "facts" may not be so, and you are stuck
believing something that isn't really true.

My advice, if I may be so bold as to give some - Get up! Get out there, and
dig into your future. There is a lot of life to be lived, and you don't want
to waste a minute of it - no matter how old you "are."

Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute
www.thepacificinstitute.com

"TPI teaches people how to manage change, set and achieve goals, lead more
effectively, and think in ways that create success."

Jeff Livingston

 

[Snapshot9]

Go for it...

If it is what you want and like to do, go for it. Like it was said before,
Jenn Baretta was a little older, and I believe she had some doubts about
being too old to turn pro, but she is doing great in her quest.
And one of the best pro players was older before turning pro .. The Miz.

 

[jay helfert]

The learning curve in Pool

You want to be a good player? I have the answer for you.
Become obsessed with pool for three years, playing night and day, living, eating and literally dreaming about pool.

At the end of this process, you will be able to play fairly well, and may actually be a good player (like a shortstop speed).

If you play a few hours here and there and read books and watch videos, your game will improve. But to be a strong player you need some period of total dedication to pool. EVERY player has gone through it!

Nothing is better than playing all night sessions (preferably for cash), where your down on your belly, sweating for hours at a time. That is when you really learn how to be a poolplayer, and not just another amateur ball banger.

Of course, being an amateur is totally okay for most folks. But if you really want to excel at this game, that is what it takes. And by the way, you are definitely not too old. I've seen several good players who started in their 20's and 30's.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I turn 29 tommorrow, and everyone tells me that I am to old to ever get anywhere in pool. But the thing is that I have only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and have moved to a 6 in 8 ball and a 7 in 9 ball. I play for hours every day. Am I too old?

Too old for what?

General rule of thumb: if you want to be the best the world has ever seen, you have to start by the age of 7 (and have lots of talent and drive). If you start by 14, you can be the best in this generation. If you start by 21, you can be one of the lead pack. If you start by 28... This can be applied to stuff other than pool.

If you have already played seriously for 2.5 years, I think you can reasonably hope to regularly beat players who beat you fairly regularly now, but who don't dominate you. Like change a 1:2 games ratio into a 2:1 games ratio.

You already play better than 99% of all pool players. Maybe 99.9%, which would put you in the top 40,000. Is that good enough?

 

[sjm]

Joe Balsis won virtually all of his pro titles when he was past 40 years of age.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Joe Balsis won virtually all of his pro titles when he was past 40 years of age.

But that doesn't apply to the OP's question. Joe was the Junior National Champ four consecutive times, and had probably run 100 by the time he was 12. He was also a special case in that he quit competition for decades. See

http://www.bca-pool.com/industry/hof/ind77-84.shtml

Certainly, old people can play very well. George Rood ran 126 when he was 88. That might be the "run your age" record.

 

[sjm]

Certainly, old people can play very well. George Rood ran 126 when he was 88. That might be the "run your age" record.

Now that's incredible. What an accomplishment! I always thought of George as a one pocket legend, but he must have played some pretty sporty 14.1.

PS Yes, I knew Balsis was a great junior who hung his cue up for decades, but I think his achievements should still inspire those who strive to accomplish special things in pool despite not reaching their highest level until reaching middle age.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... I always thought of George as a one pocket legend, but he must have played some pretty sporty 14.1.

...

According to George, his best game when he was seriously playing was nine ball. He didn't start playing one pocket regularly until he lost a large part of his vision. In Norfolk in the late 40's, the only player he didn't beat was Lassiter, and they fought to a draw.

I had the immense pleasure of having breakfast three times with George at the last Derby City Classic. He was entered in the 3-C event, but had never played on European-style tables before.

George was also an Olympic swimmer. He tells the story of one time when he was about 16 and had beaten someone pretty badly at pool, and they asked what else he'd like to gamble at. George suggested ping pong, which he couldn't play well, and they turned him down. Eventually, the other guy suggested a swimming race across the lake. Oops.

 

[cuejoey]

I turn 29 tommorrow, and everyone tells me that I am to old to ever get anywhere in pool. But the thing is that I have only been playing for about 2 1/2 years and have moved to a 6 in 8 ball and a 7 in 9 ball. I play for hours every day. Am I too old?

NO you are not too old.go practice .but rememebr your family.good luck to you and by the way in a few years when you are winning all the tournaments don't forget to remember us here and say hi..

 

[lewdo26]

Well, you can get in stroke for at least 8 more years. Mike LeBron won the US Open 9 Ball Championship in 1988 at age 54. Not too bad for an old guy.

Yeah, but when did he START playing? I don't think starting in your late 20s gives you a chance at all in men's pool, unless were talking phenominally gifted. And an outside chance in women's pool.

Pool requires way too much motor hardwiring to be really learned to world-class level after a certain age (probably early teens), I think.