After having written extensively on masse instruction for www.professorqball.com for over a year, I came to the conclusion that it is quite difficult to learn the masse on one's own, even with explicit instruction. I shared this conclusion and other comments in my most recent article for PQB.
See, I learned to masse virtually on my own. I have found very little written on the subject as it is seemingly unmasterable and the physics is harder to pin down to a bright line set of principles. With some literary instruction from Robert Byrne and Rick Malm, and massive amounts of trial and error, I am confident that I have a solid grasp on this facet of the game, perhaps more than any other - masse is certainly my forte, as evidenced by my performance at the 06 World Championship.
However, I have received numerous emails and calls from people who have read every word of instruction that I've written on the masse, yet still have considerable difficulty getting the hang of it. But, whenever I spend one-on-one time with 'students', my explanations and directions prove all the more effective, particularly when the shooter is familiar with my writings.
So, I am considering making my services available as an instructor, namely for purposes of masse instruction. Granted, there is not high demand for "artistic pool" instruction as a genre (though I would certainly humor the student with an exhaustive lesson on the "pro shots" if he/she liked), but I'm confident that many players, even those who are great, desire to fill the last gap by learning the masse.
In Vegas last month I spent about an hour and a half teaching Scott Lee and a number of instructors from Cue Tech Pool School on this very subject. Perhaps you can get their input and insight on the practicality of learning the masse, and the value of personal instruction.
To get to the point, if you're interested in personal, hands-on masse instruction from a masse world champion, let me know and we'll see what we can work out. In memphis, I'm already taking sign-ups for the locals. I anticipate giving precise instruction as to the physics of the masse, followed by instruction as to the various techniques to be employed for the various types of shots, both on a practical level and the fancy-shmancy ones. We would use a variety of full length cues as well as my Dieckman masse cues. As a bonus, I would videotape the students for later review and to record progress.
What do ya'll think?
Classes will begin being offered in September both individually and for groups. If you would like me to travel to you, we can work that out as well.
-yow!
See, I learned to masse virtually on my own. I have found very little written on the subject as it is seemingly unmasterable and the physics is harder to pin down to a bright line set of principles. With some literary instruction from Robert Byrne and Rick Malm, and massive amounts of trial and error, I am confident that I have a solid grasp on this facet of the game, perhaps more than any other - masse is certainly my forte, as evidenced by my performance at the 06 World Championship.
However, I have received numerous emails and calls from people who have read every word of instruction that I've written on the masse, yet still have considerable difficulty getting the hang of it. But, whenever I spend one-on-one time with 'students', my explanations and directions prove all the more effective, particularly when the shooter is familiar with my writings.
So, I am considering making my services available as an instructor, namely for purposes of masse instruction. Granted, there is not high demand for "artistic pool" instruction as a genre (though I would certainly humor the student with an exhaustive lesson on the "pro shots" if he/she liked), but I'm confident that many players, even those who are great, desire to fill the last gap by learning the masse.
In Vegas last month I spent about an hour and a half teaching Scott Lee and a number of instructors from Cue Tech Pool School on this very subject. Perhaps you can get their input and insight on the practicality of learning the masse, and the value of personal instruction.
To get to the point, if you're interested in personal, hands-on masse instruction from a masse world champion, let me know and we'll see what we can work out. In memphis, I'm already taking sign-ups for the locals. I anticipate giving precise instruction as to the physics of the masse, followed by instruction as to the various techniques to be employed for the various types of shots, both on a practical level and the fancy-shmancy ones. We would use a variety of full length cues as well as my Dieckman masse cues. As a bonus, I would videotape the students for later review and to record progress.
What do ya'll think?
Classes will begin being offered in September both individually and for groups. If you would like me to travel to you, we can work that out as well.
-yow!
And no, you don't get free legal advice with each session. lol
, so if there are any "Texans" that would like to take a road trip, just pm me and we can discuss this further! 
