When are you to old

[kmthor]

Hi guys
i started playing snooker in my teens and carried on till my mid thirties i used to play league but i was never great at the game but not bad. I gave up playing for 14 years and have now picked up the cue again at the age of 50 my problem is i am now really bad at playing and even after a six months playing i dont seem to be getting better in fact i think it is the reverse and im getting worse.
Do you guys think people of my age can still improve playing?

[robertmac]

Of course you can improve. When I married I stopped
playing snooker which I started in my teens and have
just be back playing for a couple of years and I am
retired now. It took me months to get used to playing
again but I continue to improve.
Be patient and keep practising and playing.

[DeanH]

NEVER! :biggrin:

[itsnoteasy]

I never played at all, except for a few games in my late teens, untill I was forty seven , think that's right , and have been playing just over two and a half years and my learning curve is almost straight up, I am improving all the time, although I have put a hell of a lot of work in.

[tedisbill]

I agree with everyone else. You're never too old.

[rimmer10]

48 and still dreaming. Age is a state of mind and not a number. There's a lot of inspirational people on this forum. Stick around mate, a lot of wisdom on here.

[cyberheater]

Get in some solo practise mate and set yourself realistic goals. It makes a huge difference.

For instance. With a clear table. Put a red on the black spot, a red on the pink spot and one in between. Do not leave that exercise until you have potted all three balls. Repeat 5 times. Do that for a week.

Next week add another ball.

In twelve weeks you might be able to complete a 15 red line up.

[two-cues]

I feel your pain!

I used to play a lot in my late teens to early twenties and reached a reasonable standard - regular 50's with a high of 80+ in a practice game and definitely (apparently) could have got much better with coaching which I now regret not having, anyway, I packed up and didn't play for many years but just recently have got interested again - 30 years later!!

I wasn't expecting too much to be honest and boy was I correct in that!! it's a struggle to string 4 or 5 balls together - I can still see the angles ok and know what I want to do but it's a real struggle executing it, biggest problem I think is I now can't get my chin right down on the cue.

It's like having to learn all over again

[Terry Davidson]

I gave up playing any snooker or pool for 10 years when I moved to the States and came back to Canada in 2005 when I was 60yrs old. I'm now 70yrs old and still learning the odd bit and still improving however sightly.

As I like to play in tournaments I find the biggest thing about being older is my stamina which after 3 best-of-7 matches is flagging a little. I have noticed the hand-eye coordination is not as good as it used to be either so I have to try and have a technique with as few moving parts as possible, ideally just the elbow.

[GeordieDS]

Once you get past a certain age your snooker mirrors your sex life, you know there's a good performance in there somewhere but unfortunately you don't get to choose when.

Whatever you do though don't take Viagra before a snooker match

[Terry Davidson]

Is there any LEGAL drug which will improve coordination?

[cyberheater]

Once you get past a certain age your snooker mirrors your sex life, you know there's a good performance in there somewhere but unfortunately you don't get to choose when.

Does solo practice help?

[Sir Ivanhoe]

Hi guys
i started playing snooker in my teens and carried on till my mid thirties i used to play league but i was never great at the game but not bad. I gave up playing for 14 years and have now picked up the cue again at the age of 50 my problem is i am now really bad at playing and even after a six months playing i dont seem to be getting better in fact i think it is the reverse and im getting worse.
Do you guys think people of my age can still improve playing?

I started snooker in two billiard hall from age 14. Played money matches inthese establishments in my 20's, 30's whilst playing in local leagues. Moved away with job career to Liverpool and N. Ileland. Carried on playing league, English, County Championships. It was a tough school in Liverpool. Stopped employment to play semi pro in pro-am's which were in abundance in the 70's 80's. back in England. Top break 142 (practise), 126 (match). My top break made at Willie Thorne Centre Leicester. The main table had rather generous pockets. In those days developed really good cue action playing on fast pace tables and never hitting the cueball hard. Now at age 69 with the demise of grass routs snooker not able to compete with young players. I still play once a week for three hours with a third division league player who as never beat me over three years best of seven. I can get a 50 break sometimes. Technique not so good as years back but it is ingrain from earlier years. Even at 50 if you are playing on a good table with good cushion and top quality cloth, one can still improve if your technique is sound. Hope this is helpful.

[Byrom]

Once you get past a certain age your snooker mirrors your sex life, you know there's a good performance in there somewhere but unfortunately you don't get to choose when.

Whatever you do though don't take Viagra before a snooker match

Cant wait for that age to come - when my its frame and match all done and dusted in 3 minutes

[Sir Ivanhoe]

Does solo practice help?

It certainly does. practise routines and sharpening up technique. Solo practise was gospel to Stephen Henry.