Mark Wilson's New Book

[Mike the Beginner]

I just received Mark Wilson's new book "Play Great Pool" 48 hours ago. When I started in to Chapter 3 "Stance and Setup" I thought, that's silly, I don't need to change my stance. Then there it was right on page 15: "Stance is usually the first change to make in the game of a student unacquainted with orthodox principles because it will usually yield the most improvement initially. Oddly enough it is the type of change most casual students resist." (Emphasis mine.)

Huh. So, okay, here I was resisting it, just like he said.

So having skimmed the first 6 Chapters I dove into "Stance and Setup" and followed his instructions, just to try it.

Initially it felt quite awkward. But within just a few hours it had made a HUGE improvement in my stroke (which I work on diligently).

I didn't write this post last night because I wanted to give it another day to see if the improvement was real.

Today: A-MAZ-ING. Really amazing. Yesterday was not just a fluke--all day today I have been hitting MUCH better out of Mark's "orthodox" stance. And my back arm, which I have trouble with, FEELS better. Freer, straighter.

For the record I am a beginner (hence my handle) and have already "bought into" the Wilson/Briesath method somewhat, having taken three lessons with Jerry Briesath. Which I would not trade for anything--they won't be my last lessons either. (Well, I guess I don't need to put "bought into" in quotes, those lessons were expensive!)

I can tell you one thing, I am going to engage with this book with a will and a purpose. Very, very pleased so far.

Mike

 

[victorl]

I only wish I could have had this book when I first started playing. I feel like I've wasted years blindly playing and trying to copy others and hoping to become a great player someday. I would be light years ahead of where I am today if I had started playing the right way from the start.

Stick with it and you're going to have to change your name pretty soon!
Happy shooting!

 

[Mike the Beginner]

Don't feel too bad, victorl. Mark says that Efren Reyes told him the very same thing! Efren said he might have been even better if he learned a better stroke early on, and that he doesn't really know how good he could have been.

It brought up one of those weird connections. I went to a local pool tournament a few weeks ago and there was a gifted junior player who had obviously copied Efren's stroke--looked just like Efren's. And Efren has said that when he started out, he just copied the stroke of the man who was then the best player at his local pool joint.

Which means that a modern-day kid in Wisconsin has inherited the pool stroke of an obscure player in the Philippine Islands from fifty years ago or so. Weird, huh?

 

[Cory in DC]

I just received Mark Wilson's new book "Play Great Pool" 48 hours ago. When I started in to Chapter 3 "Stance and Setup" I thought, that's silly, I don't need to change my stance. Then there it was right on page 15: "Stance is usually the first change to make in the game of a student unacquainted with orthodox principles because it will usually yield the most improvement initially. Oddly enough it is the type of change most casual students resist." (Emphasis mine.)

Huh. So, okay, here I was resisting it, just like he said.

So having skimmed the first 6 Chapters I dove into "Stance and Setup" and followed his instructions, just to try it.

Initially it felt quite awkward. But within just a few hours it had made a HUGE improvement in my stroke (which I work on diligently).

I didn't write this post last night because I wanted to give it another day to see if the improvement was real.

Today: A-MAZ-ING. Really amazing. Yesterday was not just a fluke--all day today I have been hitting MUCH better out of Mark's "orthodox" stance. And my back arm, which I have trouble with, FEELS better. Freer, straighter.

For the record I am a beginner (hence my handle) and have already "bought into" the Wilson/Briesath method somewhat, having taken three lessons with Jerry Briesath. Which I would not trade for anything--they won't be my last lessons either. (Well, I guess I don't need to put "bought into" in quotes, those lessons were expensive!)

I can tell you one thing, I am going to engage with this book with a will and a purpose. Very, very pleased so far.

Mike

My experience matches yours. A local shortstop diagnosed some problems with my stroke (chicken wing and wrist curl). I worked on it before Wilson's book and was having a tough time making progress.

Come to get Wilson's book, and he flags my exact problems and states that they are usually the result of wrongly positioned feet. Following the instructions in the book has helped a lot already--it gets the cue away from my body and more under my elbow. I still need to get the new stance from my conscious to my muscle memory. But it's already helped, especially on long straight shots and tight cuts.

Buy the book!

 

[DunnM1]

What is the name of the book and where can I purchase said book? Thanks!

 

[Cdryden]

It's funny, I used to get instructional books about pool and skip over the fundamental chapters thinking "I already know that stuff". But when I decided to get serious about my game I wanted to rebuild it from the ground up.

When I worked with Mark he went over my stance with me. I had already done some work on my stance so Mark only felt the need to tweek it a bit but it still made a difference. No one builds a house starting with the roof. You need a good foundation to start with otherwise everything else will be off.

Mark also made a very minor change to my bridge hand that made a world of difference for me. I was almost mad at myself for never noticing it before now. What a difference a trained eye can make.

 

[Muziq]

Link to Purchase Book

What is the name of the book and where can I purchase said book? Thanks!

Here's the link to purchase the book: http://playgreatpool.com/InstructionBook.aspx

The hyperlink was in the original posters post, very first sentence.

 

[randallt6]

so who's gonna be the first to tell us what he says about the stance......lol

 

[DunnM1]

Thanks! Ordered.

 

[victorl]

I'm also in the middle of refining my stance and PSR according to Mark's book and the results are starting to show in terms of accuracy, stability, and confidence in my stroke.

Not going to reveal anything, but adding one small thing to my pre-shot routine has cut my misses by half, just like the book claims it would! That alone was worth the price of the book for me.

 

[Mike the Beginner]

What is the name of the book and where can I purchase said book? Thanks!

Hi DunnM1,
I linked to it in the original post. It's at playgreatpool dot com.

Mike

[Whoops, now I see Muziq already answered this.]

 

[Mike the Beginner]

so who's gonna be the first to tell us what he says about the stance......lol

I can only answer that by saying what Robert Frost once said when he was asked to explain one of his famous poems..."What, you want me to say it worse?"

Mike

 

[Williebetmore]

I can only answer that by saying what Robert Frost once said when he was asked to explain one of his famous poems..."What, you want me to say it worse?"

Mike

Too funny...I had never heard that quote, and he is my favorite poet.

You "get it." There is NO way to describe accurately Mark's ideas on stance without reading the book as a whole. Its just not that easy, without considering the rest of the stroke as well (thus the admonition that chapters 3 through 6 must be read, then immediately re-read). It is hard to see what could possibly be put in an AZB post that would accurately reflect his advice. Over-simplification is as bad as over-complication .

A player that just wants a few simple tips, and does not want to do the work of reading should definitely avoid this book...it is a textbook in every sense of the word. I hope people do not think we are "teasing" for sales....Mark put this book out to SHARE, not to profit....character limitations on AZB assure that any useful description of his material will never appear in threads

 

[randallt6]

Mark put this book out to SHARE, not to profit....

So at a price of $70 he is just "sharing" his material and not trying to turn a profit? Right .....

 

[leto1776]

So at a price of $70 he is just "sharing" his material and not trying to turn a profit? Right .....

If his only avenue is selling it on his own website, he's likely self publishing, which costs a lot, because of the low volume. From pictures, it looks like a well done book with glossy pages.

 

[randallt6]

If his only avenue is selling it on his own website, he's likely self publishing, which costs a lot, because of the low volume. From pictures, it looks like a well done book with glossy pages.

I could totally be wrong but $70 is pretty steep compared to other pool books. I could be totally wrong tho.

 

[leto1776]

I could totally be wrong but $70 is pretty steep compared to other pool books. I could be totally wrong tho.

Your're not wrong. But as I said, he likely isn't making a huge profit, for the reasons I already gave.

 

[Williebetmore]

So at a price of $70 he is just "sharing" his material and not trying to turn a profit? Right .....

RT,
Errr.......YES!

Seventy bucks?? Are you saying that is expensive??? Compared to what? A tank of gas? A meal in a nice restaurant? A pair of shoes? Your playing cue? Your case? Your car? Your table time for a week? If you are comparing it to other pool books; don't. There is nothing even remotely like it (no one would be crazy enough to pump that much time and effort and money into something for the pool market)

Mark has made a living playing and teaching pool for almost 40 years. It is NOT glamorous or high paying in ANY way. He has spent over 20 years writing this book. He did not invent this material, he learned this laboriously at GREAT expense from his mentors over this time span. This is his attempt to repay his mentors by organizing and passing on the knowledge they spent their lives gaining.

He has spent those years, and over $70K out of his pocket (and uncountable hours and travelling expenses) to get this book in print. Photos, diagrams, paper, and bindings are not free. He refused all publishers because he wanted control over every word of the content; and wanted to make sure the paper and binding were of a quality that a player that loved pool like us could use as intended - over and over. It is his life's work and his legacy...he will most likely never recoup his expenses.

I personally am grateful that he expended this monumental effort...I would have killed to have something like this when I was younger - it is a tragedy of my life that I had no adequate instruction when I was young and had the time to learn pool (had to go to medical school instead:wink. For the six years and 4,000 or so hours I spent on the book (not to mention monthly trips to St. Louis), I receive no compensation other than the satisfaction of contributing something important to the sport we love (well...and the fabulous meals I expect to beg from Cathy in the future....). I have every book written about pool, and there is no question that this is a significant contribution to the literature.

If you play pool, or like the game at all, or have any desire to become a good player; I think you are MUCH more likely to want to send him more money after you read it, than you are to complain about the price.

As Mark said over and over during the writing, and even at the publishing party, "Doc, if you and I are the only two people that own a copy of this book, I will die a happy man." I repeat, it is truly his life's work. Anyone who shares it with us will certainly be our friend, and will certainly be someone who loves the game as much as we do. End of screed.

 

[SFC9ball]

YOUR Wrong!

I could totally be wrong but $70 is pretty steep compared to other pool books. I could be totally wrong tho.

This book is worth twice the price!

The Only thing better was having the book and then taking:thumbup: a lesson from Mark it is sure was a game changer.

 

[Doug]

New Book

Interesting observation that some people in the pool community feel that $70 is too much to pay for a book that can teach them to enjoy a game they spend hundreds and probably, ultimately, thousands of dollars on. With dedication to the instruction they may even become better players. Some complain that there is no money to be made in pool. Others insinuate that Mark is going to make too much profit. That's a product of the uninformed. But if it sells in the millions they could be right. Overall this is just a by product of dealing with people. I was a business owner for over 25 years and all my friends and customers wanted me to be successful and profitable; they just didn't want me to make any money off them.