yes Joey I do solicit and advertise 24/7
but with the current economy and a higher-than-usual hourly rate, it becomes a part time position
many thanks for the consideration
Billy Stephens is a good example of why a list like this has some value. A good lesson for me includes some time on fundamentals
and a period of time on how to get out of situations / talking me through racks. Like John Schmidt said earlier, pool is different than other sports in that it's 50% thinking and 50% execution.
And it's when it come to the second part--thinking through racks and situations--that I think the top players who also instruct offer something different--and for some students, better--than the full-time instructors.
I can get stroke fundamentals and reasonably high level strategy advice from any of the instructors, but if I want to
also learn some one pocket moves, straight pool thinking, even multi-rack-running 8/9 strategies, I need to go to someone who has fought those battles and knows what he would do with a few thousand on the line, whether from gambling or tournaments. Billy is one example--from his experience, he could teach me things that I don't think Scott Lee, RandyG, etc. could (and yes, there are other things that Scott/Randy/etc. could most likely teach better). The list of players Joey is building is full of other examples.
I don't think anyone can seriously argue that all the experience and strategies that comes from being a top player has NO value, can they? If it does have SOME value, at least to
some potential students, then a list like this is valuable. Moreover, if someone has that battle experience but doesn't have good teaching methods, then that's not much use to the potential student. So, again, this list has value.
A semi-related anecdote: I took a group lesson once from an instructor who is a solid player and a great teacher, but wouldn't make Joey's list (at least according to my interpretation) and I learned a lot and really enjoyed the lesson. Only one thing in lesson bugged me: The instructor hyped his win in a recent, large tournament to the group. I was, by a pretty good margin, the best and most experienced player in the group, which included mostly inexperienced players (APA 4s and 5 speeds). As a result, I was the only one in the group to know that the tournament the instructor had won was a senior tournament, not an open tournament. So even this particular instructor seemed to think there was value in being perceived by his students as a top player. I didn't see any reason to say anything, but it did bug me a bit and slightly (only slightly) soured what was otherwise a great experience. I have and would continue to recommend the instructor.
Cory
