Can any forumers explain to me why somebody that was good at snooker does not continue to keep that level of play up.

I can understand that footballers legs 'get tired' easily over age of 30, cricketers, rugby players etc. the same. In fact anything physical takes its toll but I cant understand snooker players 'loosing their eye'

Please explain.

A deterioration in eye sight will certainly effect anybodies snooker game but of course this can be overcome with visual aids.

I personally think it's more to do with hand eye co-ordination as you get older coupled with struggling to maintain concentration levels. I regularly watch the older players and the main thing I notice is that their percentage of successful long pots has diminished and so has the amount of century breaks that they make.

Players like Jimmy White and Steve Davis are still very much capable of making frame winning breaks of 60-70 but they seem to struggle with concentration and miss easy shots foiling century breaks which I'm convinced they would have made in their younger days.

I think also the recent story surrounding Ronnie highlighted the mental pressure of the game (not just the concentration involved).

May be over time players struggle to maintain their mental control. Also maybe after a period of success their hunger isn't as strong as it used to be.

Very possible on both counts.

Both Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry seemed to dip in form/success when they became fathers. I guess you could argue that they had other priorities than practising snooker for 8 hours a day.

When I first saw the topic title, I thought it was going to be about some freak cue-related accident!

You've got to remember the amount of walking and energy involved with professional snooker. Someone who isn't as physically fit as they used to be, is bound to get exhausted when they are playing and practicing for hours and hours every single day.

Originally posted by BoppinBruce
Can any forumers explain to me why somebody that was good at snooker does not continue to keep that level of play up.

I can understand that footballers legs 'get tired' easily over age of 30, cricketers, rugby players etc. the same. In fact anything physical takes its toll but I cant understand snooker players 'loosing their eye'

Please explain.

have a gander of a pic of alex higgins