Natural Talent (young) VS. Veteran (old)

Natural talent?

justnum said:
Pool is a sport where age doesn't have as much as an impact as in other sports, at least the more physical ones.

Despite what type of player you are or the advantages you see in each there is still the difficulty that all players have to deal with losing.

Who takes a loss better a younger player or an older player?

The point of the thread is to argue each side.

Young players have advantages like time and beginners luck. While older players have experience whether or not they can adapt is another issue.
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Natural talent a young thing! You have it or don't, no matter the age. Time? How do you have more time? Working or going to school does not afford much time for pool. I'm retired and can play as much as I choose. Older people certainly are better losers as we have been down that road a bunch. Your strongest advantage is your vision. Adapt? To what? Your thinking to much! Play as often as you can and play people better than yourself and you will get there. Oh, I forgot, you never get there. It's a journey with no end.
 
justnum said:
Pool is a sport where age doesn't have as much as an impact as in other sports, at least the more physical ones.

Despite what type of player you are or the advantages you see in each there is still the difficulty that all players have to deal with losing.

Who takes a loss better a younger player or an older player?

The point of the thread is to argue each side.

Young players have advantages like time and beginners luck. While older players have experience whether or not they can adapt is another issue.
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beginner's luck?
 
In 50 years of playing I have lost many times and always try as best as I can to take it with class.
But i will think about the key mistakes that cost me my last lost game or set and review how I could have done it better. That is how I learn.
 
I think in pool youth is a huge advantage.


Everyone says how great they "used to play" so obviously younger players are better! :lol:
 
Johnnyt said:
Always talk up a loss. Never talk up a win. Johnnyt
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Is this a hustler move? Make everyone believe you never win.

I agree with your comment. Driller (one of the old hustlers that hangs out at Chesters) says I'm on the soft hustle (what ever that means).
 
The overall for the past few

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justnum said:
In the long run older players score much higher total prize winnings.
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Which should be expected. Some guy who just came into prominence three years ago would be very hard pressed to match the career earnings of a top pro who's been playing for 15-20 years. Still doesn't mean the new guy isn't the better player at the moment.
 
I agree, Justnum. I didn't learn to play pool until I was 60 years old! And I am still getting better at the ripe old age of 71 (72 in July). I play 8-ball (which I don't like), 9-ball, 14.1 and One Pocket (at which I suck but which I really love). My stamina is as good (almost) as it has ever been and I have 20-20 vision. Never give up!
Nell
 
Wish I had some of that natural talent!

Eyes will be the biggest factor in young versus old. That will be the largest advantage for young players.

A lot of players don't take losses well, young or old. Too many people lack good sportsmanship but it's the society we are now. I would say young people gripe a little more than old players due to immaturity. Some grow out of it, some don't.
 
The younger generation will always come to dominate the older for obvious reasons. However it is also due to younger players aspiring to play like (insert favorite player) and then building on and improving those abilities.

But at the moment, professional pool is in a state of growth in so far as standard of play I think. With 10 ball tournaments being the norm, more is being asked of them and they are improving their game to meet these expectations. They NEEDED to improve their run out percentages otherwise they would be leaving more 3 and 4 ball outs for their opponents and/or resorting safety play. If 15 ball Rotation came to prominance the standard would improve even further.

Over the past 20 years snooker has been dominated by players aged between 20-30 years old. The younger group has been coming with insane pocketing abilities, taking on pots older players would never have bothered with even in their younger days. So while players from the 80's were making 30-40 breaks and resorting to safety play, often their young opponents were simply trying pot a long red and finish the frame with a 70-100 break. Now, as we are seeing the standard leveling off there are more top players in their 30's and 40's. John Higgins will probably win another world title and he will be oldest World title winner in 30 years.
 
justnum said:
Drugs play a factor in both the old and young community (or alcohol for the old people).

Recently several younger players have been lost to unforeseen circumstances.

Are the pressures younger talents faced different then those by older players?

For this post assume a young player is strong and established but isn't cashing in as much as he'd like. The story follows classic depression and substance abuse and the worst case death.

Sometimes that can happen with older players but that hasn't been as frequent.

There is more to the story of tournaments then the players that place, there are all the players that lose. Competition is healthy but repetitive losing can be stressful for some players. The point a player breaks down and fails to enjoy the game happens and that story doesn't end well.

When we talk on the threads about who is winning and who is the best a lot of people aren't mentioned. The billiards community is small enough that it is easy to notice the players on tour or at the events that viewed a career in pool differently then others. I am talking about giving attention to the lesser known players the "at-risk" people who are potentially suicidal, because it happens and I am trying to make a thread to seriously discuss it as a community problem.

The community that "searches" for the "billiard idol of the event." And the community that learns that search has overlooked them. A tournament can be fun but there isn't much to do for the losers, there isn't a place for players to just talk about being on tour and whether or not they are adjusting well. I know it is a foreign idea of players talking to each other and is very demanding on social skills but if tournament operators or someone that is around the players a lot could just check up on them to make sure no one is showing signs of being "at-risk." The idea is sketchy but essentially it is a person that checks up on the mental health of players. It doesn't have to be limited to tournament players it could be applied to room regulars. The pool culture is small and the small changes have the biggest impact.
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First you would have to give some sort of statistics that suggest pool players have a higher rate of drug use than the general population. And also that the suicide rate is higher for pool players.

I doubt this is true, but who knows.
 
I believe the older we get, the less drive we have in the game. When I was in my teens and early 20's I had the determination to be the best. Everything had to be perfect, and accepted nothing less.
Now, at 40. I take a loss a lot better. I have trouble staying in deep focus, and I just don't have the drive like I use too.
 
i saw a post on here the other day wherein someone made the satement that the best years of shooting were something like 30 to 45 yrs....i know this is the case with me. i started when i was 19 yrs and always played with someone better (got beat a lot) but learned much more than the average person. stopped playing at 25 yrs old then started back at 36 & got my home table (brunswick monarch). played 5 hours everyday and shot great, better than ever, and then quit at 50. started back 2 years ago and now i am 66 yrs old. what a difference those years made! so, i totally agree with the other members statement about the best years. i can't exactly put my finger on one certain reason i'm not as good. more of a combination of eyes, concentration and remembering what to do, i can't hardly remember last week! :( but i just love the game too much to quit just because i can't make the high runs and beat everyone on the block!
 
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