I Love This Game, But ......

[measureman]

A lot of things we blame on age are caused by other things. For instance, I hated the beta blockers I was on for about ten years for blood pressure. They didn't do much if anything for the pressure and they left me a little dull, very difficult to play well. I have found that all medications have side effects, mild or major. Having to take two or three medicines with "no side effects" may make the total side effects more noticeable.

Might be time for a visit to an eye doctor and a thorough physical exam to cath things that might be creeping up on you like diabetes.

Getting to the pool game, it might be time to change styles or even games to take advantage of your strengths while putting less pressure on your disadvantages. No accident that many older players focus on One Pocket. Straight pool or eight ball both might be better played than rotation games so that you can focus on the short and medium game without running the cue ball all over hell and a half acre to get to the next ball.

There are ages where our eyesight and/or our physical abilities typically take big hits. Forty and sixty being two of them. An individual may see these things happen a few years early or late but few escape them entirely. Experience can help offset these failings.
Hu

Getting to the pool game, it might be time to change styles or even games to take advantage of your strengths while putting less pressure on your disadvantages. No accident that many older players focus on One Pocket. Straight pool or eight ball both might be better played than rotation games so that you can focus on the short and medium game without running the cue ball all over hell and a half acre to get to the next ball.
That's solid advice.

 

[garczar]

There's always golf on a snooker table. You only shoot every few shots depending on how many are playing and you get paid anywhere from 2/1 to 5/1 on your $. Where i play, Magoo's in Tulsa, there's a game everyday of the week. Normal game is $3/game and .50 per hickey(foul). On the weekends they play $10/1 and sometimes $20/2. A long game at 20/2 can pay pretty good.

 

[MitchAlsup]

I happen to be 68 YO.......so I am well versed on the "getting old parts".........

I play against myself. I feel better when I play well and lose than when I don't play well and win.
I think this is the key--alter the way you keep track of "playing" from wins versus losses to well against not so well.
You will feel better about your game in no time........

 

[Dave714]

I love this game, but it’s very sad to compare my game now (at 64) as opposed to my game 20 years ago, despite still having the passion. Accepting this is depressing!

Me too. I started back after 15 years and it's ulgy

 

[LowRight]

Two day later I made an appointment with my internal med doc and he referred me to a neurologist. When I saw him at a movement disorder clinic I got the bad news, I had Benign Essential Tremors.

Treatment is usually beta blockers and moderate alcohol intake helps settle the tremors as well.

I have a good friend who has Benign Essential Tremors. He's looking at trying one of the two new treatments: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Targeted (Focused) Ultrasound.

Here's a link to a video about DBS:

Here's a link to a video about Targeted Ultrasound:

You may want to ask your neurologist if you are a good candidate.

 

[Geosnookery]

I don’t feel much different at 67 than 37. Or, if so, nothing that impacts my skill level at billiards.

I still play hockey and soccer . I don’t have the aerobic recovery like I once did but not an issue on the Snooker table. Went cycling today and out hiking in the mountains tomorrow but will still eagerly put in an hour or so at the table...it’s almost a type of meditation that keeps the brain cells active.

This isn’t being dismissive of others but I have never quite understood the decline in billiard performance with age. It seems more like a health issue. My eyes aren’t as sharp as they once were but I certainly have a good enough vision to see where to hit a ball on the table.

 

[boogieman]

Pool is insanely. subtly, insidiously difficult to play well at a steady level & we just don't realize it when young.

Great quote!

I found something helpful for keeping that laser focus/aim. At work I have a desk, but I'm not a desk worker. I might be at the desk for a couple hours a day. I started doing this a couple minutes here and there, maybe 4-5 minutes every day or two when I think about it.

I have a small 2mm sphere on a stick (about the size of a match head, you could glue a BB on a stick and paint it a bright color). I hold it at a comfortable "arms length" in the center of my vision. I practice putting the sphere into dead laser focus on things on my desk, on something on the computer screen, and up to 20' across the room. When the sphere is in center vision, you look through it without really focusing on it. You should see two spheres (hold your finger up and you'll see what I mean). Figure out what these "doubles" mean and why you see two. Practice lining up the spheres/shot/aim on the edges of random objects. Practice sighting "both" spheres by slightly turning or tilting your head. Think of this as in terms of cut shots. You're practicing that laser focus you need without wearing your eyes out. It honestly looks a bit silly, but it only takes a few minutes every day or two and it really is a skill that helps at the table. Your eyes are like anything, they can be strengthened and trained. Once one eye is focused, even try closing it and see where the other sphere lines up. It's just kind of a little experiment that gets you focused on sighting.

I heard someone say(might have been here?) that pool is closest to archery or pistol target shooting. Well, this little sphere on a stick is practicing the same thing without the equipment. I understand this sounds silly but I honestly think it's made me a better player. you can even set a ruler up at a know distance and try to figure out how far the little sphere shifts on the ruler for each eye. Mine was the same on each side as long as you're in the center to begin with. This changes at different distance. I've not fully figured my experiment out, but I think you're measuring the cone/angle of your eyes. I'd guess the distance the sphere shifts on the ruler could be figured at any distance with trigonometry, but I've not tried it yet.

Hopefully someone finds this useful, I think it's a neat little trick to get some practice in without any equipment.

 

[middleofnowhere]

I

 

[eg9327]

I love this game, but it’s very sad to compare my game now (at 64) as opposed to my game 20 years ago, despite still having the passion. Accepting this is depressing!

I'll be 70 next month. I think I play better now. I bought my first table several months ago, so being able to play hours a day or anytime I want has made a big difference.

 

[eg9327]

I

Yes, you.

 

[Black-Balled]

I

I also.

 

[chefjeff]

I have a good friend who has Benign Essential Tremors. He's looking at trying one of the two new treatments: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and Targeted (Focused) Ultrasound.

Here's a link to a video about DBS:

Here's a link to a video about Targeted Ultrasound:

You may want to ask your neurologist if you are a good candidate.

Do NOT do the Deep Brain Stimulation!

It is unproven and I know of someone who had really bad results from it.

I have essential tremor, too, so...

I live with it and play with it. There are food supplements that help control it.

It's the best disease one can have: It isn't fatal and beer helps control some of the symptoms. If they had a list of diseases to choose, it would be on top. A little perspective.



Jeff Livingston