Whos the best playing instructor?

Yeah, I noticed most of the top golf instructors were HOF Golfers. Wait a minute, now that I think about it, I can't name a single famous instructor that even played on the PGA Tour.

Once again, I firmly believe the vast majority of the professionals in any sport are Savants. You can't teach what they have since God gave it to them. Pretty hard for them to relate to Joe Sixpack and attempt to teach them at the level that is needed to be effective.

I think (not sure) there may be a notable exception. Perhaps a rising star who isn't that far from being ready to play professionally may benefit more from some teaching from the right professional.

Every golf instructor I've ever seen was also a scratch gofer themselfs at one time. I played golf 5 days a week for many years and was a scratch golfer myself so, I know a little about the subject.
 
To me, it would be more interesting to have a 'teaching contest'.
All teachers start with 4 APA 2's and have a month to train them....
...then you have a round robin tournament and see who's pupil wins.

A great teacher doesn't necessarily have to be a great player....
..I knew a golf teacher that I could give two aside to...but touring
pros came to see him, not me.

However, if you want a 'great player that teaches' in the mix......
...I present you Alex Pagulayan.....

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...brAAd-Zz5CQHfDthQ&sig2=LoESlakv1LnhWibd96jfZQ

The problem with this is give me the student with natural ability and he will beat the others almost everytime within a time limit.One reason most teachers claim everyone can learn is it wouldn't be very good for business to say you have no natual ability so, you can only learn to play at a certain level. I don't care how many lessons someone takes and who gives them if they don't have natual talent they will not be able to play at a high level. Everyone would be pro-speed at everything if this wasn't the case.
 
There are certain people that can't do anything with a pool cue. Once I was giving this lady a private lesson at a corperate function I was working. No matter how I showed her how to HOLD the cue she couldn't grab it!! :lol: she was literally impossible to teach. Not an ounce of talent in her little body. Not only was it infurating but funny as well. :angry: :lol:
 
Seriously , most of us have seen video of most instructors. We know who can play and who can't . I don't believe a master instructor should be a "D" player. I have seen one particular so called master instructor (on video)who can't play a lick. Something's wrong if you can't play the game your teaching IMO . If asked who the worst player/instructor was...... I could answer without thinking about it
 
If theres only 8 players, get 40 students to be "drafted" by the players(5 each). The players get to observe the students, then they begin the draft. Lowest seed chooses first, until all the students are chosen by the players.

From there, the players can vote to decide how much time they want with their groups. Then, let the groups face off in a few different formats.....sometimes with and sometimes without instructors. Let the students in, and the cost to the players comes down. (Make it 2 grand and you just bluffed out half the field.)
 
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I don't believe there was anything that could be called a "pro tour" when Jerry played. I'm not ignoring the fact that the man could play very well, I'm just saying that Mark Wilson "qualified" himself as a pro by playing competitively on the PBT, and Fran Crimi "qualified" herself as a pro by playing competitively in the WPBA. Both of these people went on to "qualify" themselves as instructors by becoming accredited by the BCA (now the PBIA). To my knowledge, they are the only two people to distinguish themselves in that exact manner.

I really don't see the sense in threads of this type. Even if it could somehow be proven that a certain player instructs better that others, or that a certain instructor plays better than others, what is the purpose for wanting to prove it?

Roger

Your posts are the most thought out and logical on this thread.

I tried to get a tournament going among instructors in Florida and got no response. I wasn't trying to prove anything, I just thought it would be fun and perhaps some publicity for all of us.

Many of the active instructors are my age (70) and older, and are simply past our "prime". For me, I was never a "professional" player, though I came out $$ ahead playing pool every year from 1967 to 1987 and 1990 to 2008. (brief retirement '87-'90)

While my knowledge of the game continues to increase, my physical skills have not. Health problems and economic woes have not helped.

Any kind of national or even state "Instructor Championships" would almost have to have a "senior" and "super senior" division to be fair.

How good an instructor plays is hardly as important as how well he or she teaches. And no "one size fits all"! Some folks think I'm a great instructor and others do not. That's OK...

"what is the purpose for trying to prove it?" Human ego, the curse of our species...
 
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Your posts are the most thought out and logical on this thread.

I tried to get a tournament going among instructors in Florida and got no response. I wasn't trying to prove anything, I just thought it would be fun and perhaps some publicity for all of us.

Many of the active instructors are my age (70) and older, and are simply past our "prime". For me, I was never a "professional" player, though I came out $$ ahead playing pool every year from 1967 to 1987 and 1990 to 2008. (brief retirement '87-'90)

While my knowledge of the game continues to increase, my physical skills have not. Health problems and economic woes have not helped.

Any kind of national or even state "Instructor Championships" would almost have to have a "senior" and "super senior" division to be fair.

How good an instructor plays is hardly as important as how well he or she teaches. And no "one size fits all"! Some folks think I'm a great instructor and others do not. That's OK...

"what is the purpose for trying to prove it?" Human ego, the curse of our species...

Because the OP asked who is the best playing instructor, not who is the best instructor. Nobody is saying that the best player is the best instructor, just they are the best player. I have no problem with it, and I'm not donating $2K to the cause but would pay to watch it.

You make it $200, and you might get evey instructor in the country to play, and then we have a real tourney, with live stream, and then I'm in......I'm still donating, but it be fun to meet the other instructors and win a few matches before I meet CJ or Geno or Max, or Stan , etc. :(

It's called fun, a little bragging rights, some students get to see some instructors in the box. And ego's is what built many great businesses, or allowed some to invent many things that have helped mankind. Or just strive to play the best you can on league night.....
 
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Your posts are the most thought out and logical on this thread.

I tried to get a tournament going among instructors in Florida and got no response. I wasn't trying to prove anything, I just thought it would be fun and perhaps some publicity for all of us.

Many of the active instructors are my age (70) and older, and are simply past our "prime". For me, I was never a "professional" player, though I came out $$ ahead playing pool every year from 1967 to 1987 and 1990 to 2008. (brief retirement '87-'90)

While my knowledge of the game continues to increase, my physical skills have not. Health problems and economic woes have not helped.

Any kind of national or even state "Instructor Championships" would almost have to have a "senior" and "super senior" division to be fair.

How good an instructor plays is hardly as important as how well he or she teaches. And no "one size fits all"! Some folks think I'm a great instructor and others do not. That's OK...

"what is the purpose for trying to prove it?" Human ego, the curse of our species...


I think most players starting out or ones that never figured it out are suited better to coaches with very good communication skills as there is so much to learn. I don't think these coaches necessarily need to be A or above players. I guess what I am saying is that an APA 3 or 4 does not necessarily need Ekkes or an elite player/instructor . I think their is instruction out there for any level . It's all in what ones trying to accomplish at that moment in their pool journey . There is room for all level player/instructors in the pool world.
 
I really don't see the sense in threads of this type. Even if it could somehow be proven that a certain player instructs better that others, or that a certain instructor plays better than others, what is the purpose for wanting to prove it?

Roger

Good ole fashioned competition Roger....that's why they have the Superbowl, the World Series, The Triathlons, The World Series of Poker, The Academy Awards, The World Pocket Billiards, Billiards, and Snooker Championships, Scholastic Awards, The Kentucky Derby, etc. America's not just about "baseball, hotdogs and apple pie" it's about who has THE BEST baseball team, hotdog brand and who's mom makes the BEST apple pie. And if it's not about any of those things no one would bother keeping score. :wink: Plus Competition is just good, clean fun. :groucho:[/QUOTE]

Finally something I can bet on! My mom def makes the best apple pie. I'll send'r in for whatever Mrs. Wiley feels comfortable betting. My only caveat is you can't tell my mom that she's in action. Otherwise, she might get frazzled and drop it and then I'd lose by default.... and getting defaulted sucks.

:)
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
 
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I didn't make the rules to life and success, I just try to follow them.

Because the OP asked who is the best playing instructor, not who is the best instructor. Nobody is saying that the best player is the best instructor, just they are the best player. I have no problem with it, and I'm not donating $2K to the cause but would pay to watch it.

You make it $200, and you might get evey instructor in the country to play, and then we have a real tourney, with live stream, and then I'm in......I'm still donating, but it be fun to meet the other instructors and win a few matches before I meet CJ or Geno or Max, or Stan , etc. :(

It's called fun, a little bragging rights, some students get to see some instructors in the box. And ego's is what built many great businesses, or allowed some to invent many things that have helped mankind. Or just strive to play the best you can on league night.....

You communicated the point I was attempting to make. There are two ways to think about "ego in sports or business", that it's a bad, unhealthy, unappealing thing or that it's a healthy motivator that pushes people to do things they wouldn't normally do. That means put in more hours, travel more places and experiment into the early morning hours to "find a better way".

I know when I first went on the pro tour my motivating factor wasn't "to make a bunch of money" or just "play my best game", it was to be as good or better than the Mike Sigel's, the Steve Miz's, the Earl Stricklands, Nick Varners, Jimmy Rempe's, etc. and this lead to practicing and thinking about the Game constantly. Without this competition and desire to win my game would have laid dormant and would have only improved modestly if at all.

This brings on another point about Professional Pool that I think is important. There's no ONE tour or group that can succeed. That means the ABP, the Bonus Ball, or anything I do like the PCA (Professional CueSports Association). It will take TWO of them competing against one another to FORCE the other one to grow and do the same things that we ALL have to go through to exel at something personal or in business.

If we don't have competition in our lives we don't grow or mature to our potential. That's why I love and encourage competition around me, against me or with me, it doens't matter. The important thing is that it's present or things will get stagnant and who want's that.....if we're not growing we're wasting away and wasting our potention to reach full maturity. I didn't make the rules to life and success, I just try to follow them. :wink:'The Game is the Teacher'
 
Instructor Challenge?

How about a Mosconi Cup type match between 3 Pendulum Stroke Instructors & 3 of their best students vs 3 Non Pendulum Proponent Instuctors & 3 of their best students or 8 vs 8. Whatever. Just an idea as I'm coming from another thread.
 
As I recall, Fong Pang Chao went to Mainland China to instruct their players.

Chao is now back in Taiwan teaching. Lee Kwen Fang also teaches who was also once a world beater. Both of them are teaching in my hometown in Kaohsiung at about a rate of 40 an hr
 
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