To old to improve?

[treefella]

Hi folks,

I am 37 years of age and i have just started playing again since quitting in 2002 (lack of free time work and kids etc). I used to knock in regular 60 and 70 breaks with the odd century. Since starting playing again,once or twice a week, back in January, I am playing so so and knocking in one or two 40 or 50breaks each time at the club.

I seem to be playing ok when in the balls but do miss some absolute sitters, from lack of concentration i think. Long potting is also pretty dire at the moment.

My question to you guys is, do you think it is possible to improve at 37 and only playing a couple of times a week?

Iam also considering treating myself to a new custom made cue.

cheers james

[nevets]

Hi James

Of course you can improve! I am also 37 and have just started playing again after 15 years. I have increased my high break from 62 to 104 in the 5 months I have been playing again. With age comes patience and coping with losing better.
Of course, we have to lower our horizons a bit, my crucible dreams are long gone!

But there is no reason why can't still be a very, very good player.

[cazmac1]

I'm in the same situation as you and often ask myself the same question, When I quit at 20 I was knocking 70 and 80 breaks in all the time, I've been playing now for around four years and am 43 years old. I gave up at the stage when I was knocking on the door of a century. Last xmas I had two 90+ breaks in a week missing a simple pink in the middle pocket for 101. Since then I change my cue and cue action because even thou I was making the odd big break I was never happy or confident. I then went through a period where I went backwards and started to doubt weather I could ever get to the level I wanted. I decided to get coaching and went to see Del hill. Dell showed me a few things and when I started to play after the coaching I went through a very bad phase and went back to my old style of play. I new straight away that that this was wrong and focused more on trying to implement what Del had taught me. I am now almost potting to the same level I was at when I was 20 and every time I play I feel my game is improving. I feel really good about my game at the moment and am starting to feel confident when I come to the table and feel confident I can make things happen. So to answer your question yes I think you can improve and you are younger than me after all.
I think it comes down to two things, do you believe in your own ability and how much effort you are willing or able to put in to achieve your goals.
What I would say as a final note is it just a game and at our age it is unlikely we our going to be pros, so as long as your enjoying playing you can have moments of magic that make it all worth while.

[thinsy]

I'm in the same situation as you and often ask myself the same question, When I quit at 20 I was knocking 70 and 80 breaks in all the time, I've been playing now for around four years and am 43 years old. I gave up at the stage when I was knocking on the door of a century. Last xmas I had two 90+ breaks in a week missing a simple pink in the middle pocket for 106. Since then I change my cue and cue action because even thou I was making the odd big break I was never happy or confident. I then went through a period where I went backwards and started to doubt weather I could ever get to the level I wanted. I decided to get coaching and went to see Del hill. Dell showed me a few things and when I started to play after the coaching I went through a very bad phase and went back to my old style of play. I new straight away that that this was wrong and focused more on trying to implement what Del had taught me. I am now almost potting to the same level I was at when I was 20 and every time I play I feel my game is improving. I feel really good about my game at the moment and am starting to feel confident when I come to the table and feel confident I can make things happen. So to answer your question yes I think you can improve and you are younger than me after all.
I think it comes down to two things, do you believe in your own ability and how much effort you are willing or able to put in to achieve your goals.
What I would say as a final note is it just a game and at our age it is unlikely we our going to be pros, so as long as your enjoying playing you can have moments of magic that make it all worth while.

if you missed the pink (6 points) doesn't that mean you had a hundred?

I have been playing since i was 14 and had quite a few tons in my twenties, however i found that when i was in my thirties i had a more relaxed attitude..... If i won i went to work in the morning, if i lost i went to work in the morning, if i knocked in a ton i went to work in the morning, if i couldn't pot a ball i still went to work in the morning!!!! i played less. enjoyed it more... had better results and made better and more consistent breaks... Don't put any pressure on yourself and i'm sure your game will come back to you...

[hotpot]

Age should,nt be no barrier . im 42 and have recently started playing snooker aftere approx 5 years lay off and i,m starting to play better recently especially in matches than ever .

I,m not a bit concerned about making 100 breaks i just concentrate on doing the basics and trying to hit the ball nice and sweet and when i do the breaks come on their own . Of cours there are times when you cant seem to do anything right and just put it down to one of those days .

If youre doing the basics right then just try and enjoy your game without trying to put pressure on yourself about getting big breaks .

If youre not doing the basics right then pheraps it may be a good idea to see a coach .

You never forget how to play and your brain will always remember the potting angles so theres no reason at all why you should,nt reach the standars your capable of bar a few technical issues .

[MasterBreak147]

too old my butt im in my 40+ and been playing now around 2 years since i lay my cue to rest for 6 years.
Although my consistency is not as good i still knock high 100+ breaks in matches and seem to enjoy it more.
The only practice i get is pro-am or other events and i find my self busting for matches and looking everywhere to enter them.
Just enjoy the game pal it you will find your gears

[nrage]

You can always improve, but there will always be a limit based on natural talent (ability to see angles) and technique (cue action/consistency/etc).

If you have talent but have terrible technique you might play to the same standard as someone who is not as talented by has better technique. I think you can improve your use of natural talent by simply potting a lot of balls, this will get the brain working to it's full potential, your talent limit. The area where you can make much bigger improvements is in technique. The more consistent the technique, the more consistent the information you feed the brain, and the more likely you are to pot balls consistently.

I am younger, haven't been playing as long and do not play at as high a standard as cazmac1, but.. I had similar experiences where I went through a phase modifying my technique. This sort of thing initially causes a period of playing below where you were previously, due to inconsistency and less confidence in the new set up. But, assuming the new set up is capable of providing more consistency once mastered, you end up pushing the limit up and being able to play at a higher standard.

So... the question is, how much do you want to improve? How much time/effort can you invest?

Assuming 2 hours is all you can invest and both those hours are taken up with league play then all you can do is make sure you're focussed when you play. If you have some time spare from matches to practice then spend some of that time working on specific points of technique as it will help your game overall. I have heard that lots of small practice sessions often is more beneficial than one big one, once a week .. if only we all had a table at home. 30-60 mins a night would be perfect I reckon.

[snookerdad]

37! You're just a babe in arms. You've got years of improvement ahead of you.

Tim Dunkley (World Snooker coach, aged 52)

[cazmac1]

if you missed the pink (6 points) doesn't that mean you had a hundred?

I have been playing since i was 14 and had quite a few tons in my twenties, however i found that when i was in my thirties i had a more relaxed attitude..... If i won i went to work in the morning, if i lost i went to work in the morning, if i knocked in a ton i went to work in the morning, if i couldn't pot a ball i still went to work in the morning!!!! i played less. enjoyed it more... had better results and made better and more consistent breaks... Don't put any pressure on yourself and i'm sure your game will come back to you...

was a bit ****ed at the time of writing my post. Yes your right I was on 95 the pink was for 101

[thinsy]

was a bit ****ed at the time of writing my post. Yes your right I was on 95 the pink was for 101

No problem I wasn't being sarcastic or doubting.... Just spotted the 'deliberate' mistake

:snooker:

[cazmac1]

No probs, I had an 80 last night should have cleared the table with two reds left lost postion, sure I'll get my first ton before xmas.

[peterpackage]

IF we are being honest, whether you can improve with age depends on what percentage of your ultimate potential you have reached in the past.

E.g. Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis who reached close to 100% of their ultimate potential in their prime will never again be that good and will never be able to improve on that level they reached in their prime (usually 25-32 for snooker players).

but take someone who say played a fair bit as a teenager, got to a decent level, say 65% of their ultimate potential, then got distracted with girls etc and gave the game away.

Then they return to the game at 37. Given the aging process which also affects neuromuscular learning, that's person's Current potential is now say 85% of their ultimate potential which is what they may have reached if they continued playing through their 20s. That still leaves an improvement from 65% to 85% which could be achieved from age 37 onwards

Hope that makes sense

[cazmac1]

What I like to add is some of the younger members quite often put up posts that often can be seen as ageist. They seem to base there logic on what they see as decline in previous generations of players seemingly losing form at a certain age. There are so many factors that come in to play as you get older and the physical element although very important is just part of it.
I think some of the current crop of players will prove this to be wrong.
I personally can see Ronnie winning titles in his forties. He keeps himself fit with his running and technique is second to none. My own view on Hendry is that his technique has change so much from what he won the all his titles with he almost a completely different player. I think if Hendry went back to what worked in the past he could compete again. Sadly I think Henry just goes through the motions and the hunger and drive is not there, this is another factor that comes into play. What we need is someone to dispel the myth.
As you get older and have made lots of money and won world titles the thought of travelling around the country living in hotels and being away from your love one becomes less and less attractive. You maybe don’t put the time in on the practice table, thinking that you’re there now and don’t need to put the hours in any more. I think the problem is your priority’s change as you get older but as in every walk of life there are exceptions to the rule.

[seppo147]

Coaches try to make busines here. True is you have to be very poor player now if you want getting better. One ex pro was telling,not trying to make busines cheating people.

[gazza147]

Never too late to Improve.........Even if your Eyes aren't as Good as they used to be you can Improve in Differenbt Area's.

I would say you will Improve alot more if your eyes are Still Good Thou!!