How is it older people with slower reflexes are often more accurate than young males?

It is not just practice that makes perfect. Perfect practice makes Perfect.

Years of practice tempered with patience.

Less pride associated with outcomes allows for peace in the mind when faced with an opponent.

We have settled into our favorite strikes and moves and have enough of them to cover most situations so our O D A loop is shortened .

These are the top four reasons for your observation.

Practice

Do you think if you took to newbies to fighting one 18 the other 50 that either would be as accurate as a 30 year old with 15-20 years of training.

If you have been in the martial arts long enough and are old enough, you know how to do the least to accomplish an action. The reason younger people aren't as accurate is that they are carrying habits of movement around with them. Those habits throw their technique off. As you progress you can shed more and more of the habits.

Also you get to know the behavior of an opponent. You can size him up pretty well, know his behavior patterns, and know how to use them against him.

You are also so used to sparring that you don't "get excited" as my teacher used to say. It becomes like driving after a while. You know how to do it, how to deal with the other cars, what to expect and how to be prepared for the unexpected. That calm alertness allows you to not waste energy or movements.

Another thing happens when you get older. When you are younger you are filled with emotions like fear and anger when you spar. After decades of sparring all that is left is the joy of sparring. Sparring from a joyful state is always more accurate than from a fearful or angry state.

Sometimes inexperienced students and fighters really lack confidence in hitting or kicking something and making hard contact. When sparring with them I will even give them openings and let them throw shots sometimes to check and see if this is the case. I do not do anything to parry, deflect, slip, or make it miss me but instead just wait for it to happen and when they throw it but it doesn't I will then stop the sparring session right there and address this with them. Depending on the student or fighter and how they are with things helps determine the course I take with them and this. Its important I think to determine if this is the root cause or if it is just a lack of skill and ability.

The reason why I say that is the way you correct a lack of skill and ability is with time, more focus pad drills and other hand-eye coordination drills. That problem is different than a student or fighter being afraid to actually hit something and what might be behind causing that.

More experienced students and fighters don't have this problem of a lack of confidence and being afraid to hit someone solid or afraid of hurting them if they do because they have more skill and control. This along with their ability to anticipate and adjust to their opponent and what he is doing and which way he is moving is why they are more accurate.

In some ways its like duck-hunting. Just try hitting a duck flying quickly by with a shot-gun loaded with buck-shot. Most people can't do it because it takes skill, practice, and experience and those without that really struggle on getting their limit or even close to that. As time goes on though or if they get some practice at a skeet range or as they hunt more they become better at this. That experience and ability to anticipate and adjust for the direction the duck is flying in relation to you is critical and many struggle with this at first for some time.

I am 58. I have lost some stamina, but I have retained my speed for short bursts. I have had years of training, so, a young, lesser trained fighter has no chance against me. There is nothing that counts as much as good training over a prolonged time.

Practise

Max is correct. In addition, old people that have been in martial arts for a long time can easily predict the trajectory of an inexperienced attacker and they understand many principles of hand to hand combat such as distance, timing, etc.

Better timing and perceptual speed.

We know where it hurts the most from experience and have no problem sharing that knowledge with you uppity young-uns Now hold still while I poke that nerve cluster again with my index finger.

Most older people train for years and years. They perfect their skills and it becomes second nature. It moves from one part of your brain to another (the skill). So it becomes like writing your name, or answering a simple math problem. Because of the training, their bodies are more finely tuned, and that's where the accuracy comes from. Martial arts is a lifestyle, and old people still retain it.