Pause

3kushn said:
...I think the question might be, If Efren were taught a pendulum stroke, a pause and all the rest, when he first stepped up to a table, would he have entered the world scene any sooner in his career than he did? How many more hours of practice and honing did it take with his unorthodox method? Who knows, with Efren maybe only 1 more hour, but probably a few years.
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So Efren's stroke has hindered his progress, by "probably a few years"? A statement like that should qualify you for a free lesson and dinner from the SPF instructor of your choice. :)

As for Efren entering the world scene earlier - to hear Efren tell it, he was playing his best in the 1970's, before anybody outside the Philippines ever heard of him.

No, I don't think Efren's stroke hindered his progress. One could just as easily say it sped his progress, but I don't say that because I have no basis for saying that. All I say is that it's very rhythmic, very natural, and a beautiful thing to watch.
 
3kushn said:
Rodger

I kinda disagree. The bantering between instructors makes the discussion more complete. One instructor may miss a point. Not necessarily that they're not aware of it. It simply wasn't mentioned. Even if there's total disagreement it's good to hear it. All of you guys are serious, well trained instructors. Some have forgotten more than I know and may need reminding. That's good for all of us.

The reason this game is so great is that nobody will ever know everything.
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3kushn:

You don't have to "kinda" disagree with me. If you disagree with me, let me have it right between the eyes! Just joking.:thumbup:

Seriously, those are very good points, and Rich pretty much said the same thing earlier.

Thank you for the feedback.

Roger
 
If you think his stroke is easier to learn? Well, all I can say is I can't dance either. Aint got that kinda rhythm. Sorry. I need it simple, like one foot in front of the other.

Efren was born in 1954 so Wikipedia says. 1970 puts him at 16. "The 70's" could mean 26.

Efren is delightful to watch simply fantastic no doubt. But should his style be taught?
 
With a pause in the back stroke I feel as though you have better control with how hard or soft you come with the forward stroke. I am surprised that no one has emphasised on this fact.
Ron
 
Rich93 said:
So Efren's stroke has hindered his progress, by "probably a few years"? A statement like that should qualify you for a free lesson and dinner from the SPF instructor of your choice. :)

As for Efren entering the world scene earlier - to hear Efren tell it, he was playing his best in the 1970's, before anybody outside the Philippines ever heard of him.

No, I don't think Efren's stroke hindered his progress. One could just as easily say it sped his progress, but I don't say that because I have no basis for saying that. All I say is that it's very rhythmic, very natural, and a beautiful thing to watch.
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Efren stroke is not unorthodox-ed, nor is Mccreadie's. Anyone that thinks otherwise is mislead by their own idea of what is right. I'm not trying to put anyone down...you're all entitled to your own opinions based on your knowledge and ideas of what is fact.
 
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I agree that instructors should all be expressing their differing opinions. However, I feel that correcting each other and accusing instructors of 'playing' semantics is condescending an unnecessary and immature. Why can't people just give their opinion and be done with it?

Regarding the pause, I think it's an effective way to help a player who has trouble with a forward accelerating stroke. For me, it's mostly a timing issue. The loop-back that the Filipinos use is more difficult to do, but just as effective. Another reason that an instructor might want to encourage a longer pause is if a player has trouble focusing on the object ball. But I like to judge each situation on it's own for each individual player rather than make judgement calls for an entire group.
 
Good point, Fran. The two biggest benefits of the pause as I see it allow the player to make sure for one final check that they are in total correct alignment, and to allow for a smooth transition to that final forward stroke. Whether they do it for a half a second or for 2 seconds really doesn't matter. I encourage all my students to try it and see the potential benefits for themselves.
Steve
 
Mike Page

Let's come up with a new word (phrase) for your transition. Then we can discuss this in the same language.

See you in a couple of days.
randyg
 
FranCrimi said:
I agree that instructors should all be expressing their differing opinions. However, I feel that correcting each other and accusing instructors of 'playing' semantics is condescending an unnecessary and immature. Why can't people just give their opinion and be done with it?
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Nicely stated.
 
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