Can Selby reach O'Sullivan's longevity in his 40s?

Granite wrote:

The_Abbott wrote:you don't wake up one day and your 40 and your eyes fall out and your limbs start drooping.

Things can deteriorate over time but you don't tend to lose the snooker brain which is important to Selby' style of play. He will be fine competing in his 40's

Someone like Judd is different as he relys more on his style of play which could get effected by older age.

Out of curiosity why would Judd suffer if O'Sullivan hasn't? They both rely on their attacking games.

Cause unfortunately for Judd, he has a bad cue action. He aims with his cue not straight, then straightens it at the last moment when he delivers the cue.
With age, that's bound to get worse.

I think the key to longevity is motivation. If the desire is there there’s no reason why players can’t carry on even into their 50’s. All the top players have such sound techniques these days it stands them in good stead against the ageing process. Experience and correct shot selection is also probably more of a factor in the modern game.

Johnny Bravo wrote:

Granite wrote:

The_Abbott wrote:you don't wake up one day and your 40 and your eyes fall out and your limbs start drooping.

Things can deteriorate over time but you don't tend to lose the snooker brain which is important to Selby' style of play. He will be fine competing in his 40's

Someone like Judd is different as he relys more on his style of play which could get effected by older age.

Out of curiosity why would Judd suffer if O'Sullivan hasn't? They both rely on their attacking games.

Cause unfortunately for Judd, he has a bad cue action. He aims with his cue not straight, then straightens it at the last moment when he delivers the cue.
With age, that's bound to get worse.

Why “bound to”? What’s your evidence for this?

Iranu wrote:

badtemperedcyril wrote:

Iranu wrote:People think Judd’s technique will be detrimental to his longterm success.

I’m not sure I buy that either, actually.

Ronnie’s cue action is more solid and there’s less that can go wrong. Usually when Ronnie loses it’s because he’s not fully up for it. When Judd doesn’t get his timing just right his alignment goes awol and he can miss anything. In fairness, he has developed a shrewd tactical game which often buys him some time to play his way in to a game.

Yes I get that.

I don’t agree that that will necessarily lead to his technique deteriorating with age.

But regardless of age, Judd’s technique is already an issue — it is usually accountable for his losses of form. It’s complex. I don’t agree with JB that his technique is ‘bad’ because when it works he is a phenomenal player and has absolute command of the cueball, probably second only to Ronnie at his best.

physical aging isn't just a matter of time since birth. lifestyle, diet, etc are all important factors.

who's to say selby won't buy this book
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Not-Age-Sc ... 1250796334
stop ageing, and play snooker forevermore.

badtemperedcyril wrote:

Iranu wrote:People think Judd’s technique will be detrimental to his longterm success.

I’m not sure I buy that either, actually.

Ronnie’s cue action is more solid and there’s less that can go wrong. Usually when Ronnie loses it’s because he’s not fully up for it. When Judd doesn’t get his timing just right his alignment goes awol and he can miss anything. In fairness, he has developed a shrewd tactical game which often buys him some time to play his way in to a game.

Yes perhaps, but even with O'Sullivan there's a lot that can go wrong. He's managed to reinvent himself continuously, making adjustments. Both Trump and O'Sullivan rely a lot on timing and touch, which can go off, increasingly with age. I agree that it's not yet clear if Trump can withstand the tinkering that O'Sullivan has achieved. Trump may never again reach the heights he did. But he's still got enormous ability and there will be occasions when he's practically unplayable.


But of course everything in this thread is just speculation - we don't know.

If Judd isn't gonna last it'll be due to his long potting skills giving away. That's the biggest skill in his game.

Mark Williams is probably the only exception to long potters having longevity.

O'Sullivan's break building and cue ball control is better than Judd's when he's amongst the balls, he scores the 60s and the 70s with far more ease than Judd who'll break down somewhere during the break and rely on recovery shots. At that point things can go wrong.

Luca Brecel.

SnookerFan wrote:

Granite wrote:If Judd isn't gonna last it'll be due to his long potting skills giving away. That's the biggest skill in his game.

Mark Williams is probably the only exception to long potters having longevity.

O'Sullivan's break building and cue ball control is better than Judd's when he's amongst the balls, he scores the 60s and the 70s with far more ease than Judd who'll break down somewhere during the break and rely on recovery shots. At that point things can go wrong.

But Mark Williams pots single balls better than anyone in the game.

It must be a Welsh thing — Cliff Wilson could only see out of one eye and yet he could pot them from anywhere on the table, even in his 50’s.