Getting into Coaching

[Pidge]

Never was something that crossed my mind. Friends would laugh and joke about it but it's always something I assumed older players progressed into after their career in the sport was over. Now I'm starting to really think about it and take it seriously.I've coached a kid the past year and he has gone from a complete beginner to making 50 breaks on a big table. I get more enjoyment out of watching this kid progress than I do making big breaks my self.

I got a phone call from a friend who had a friend who needed a tip putting on his cue and he was referred to me. The next thing you know he was asking me for a couple of hours lessons for £100. I was like wtf, he doesn't even know me. I declined but said I'd give him the lessons but all he had to do was buy me a beer. We did the lesson and he leaves money on the table. He was not taking no for an answer. I was amazed someone who has just met me and had a lesson for an hour would be so hell bent on paying me for my time. This got me thinking. Could I make a go at it?

For now, I'm not ready to give everything up. It is something I would like to consider to do on the side as more of a hobby.

A question for the instructors out there...how did you get into coaching?

 

[j_zippel]

Pidge I really find your knowledge insightful and I'd be interested in learning more from you, although I'm sure I live no where close to you so I'm not sure how to accomplish it. I probably have a half down screen shots of some of your posts that I've found to be very good information


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[Poolmanis]

This is nice topic. I can assure for you that you get more from that than you put in.

I Don´t have time to answer properly just now.
I will come back later..

 

[Tony_in_MD]

For myself it was a calling. I was a classroom teacher for half of my career, and coached wrestling, football and strength/conditioning, when I retired I still had that desire to help people.

Never was something that crossed my mind. Friends would laugh and joke about it but it's always something I assumed older players progressed into after their career in the sport was over. Now I'm starting to really think about it and take it seriously.I've coached a kid the past year and he has gone from a complete beginner to making 50 breaks on a big table. I get more enjoyment out of watching this kid progress than I do making big breaks my self.

I got a phone call from a friend who had a friend who needed a tip putting on his cue and he was referred to me. The next thing you know he was asking me for a couple of hours lessons for £100. I was like wtf, he doesn't even know me. I declined but said I'd give him the lessons but all he had to do was buy me a beer. We did the lesson and he leaves money on the table. He was not taking no for an answer. I was amazed someone who has just met me and had a lesson for an hour would be so hell bent on paying me for my time. This got me thinking. Could I make a go at it?

For now, I'm not ready to give everything up. It is something I would like to consider to do on the side as more of a hobby.

A question for the instructors out there...how did you get into coaching?

 

[michael4]

We did the lesson and he leaves money on the table. He was not taking no for an answer.
For now, I'm not ready to give everything up. It is something I would like to consider to do on the side as more of a hobby.

the kid who left the money has good character!:thumbup:

as for coaching - if you do it for a hobby, and for the people you choose to coach, it will be rewarding. Don't do it for the money, let people pay you according to what they can afford, which will sometimes be nothing......

Its a nice opportunity to teach life skills, along with a little billiards mixed in :grin-square:

 

[mjantti]

People know I have tons of knowledge and experience and they just approached me for lessons. I usually don't do beginners, only players who are willing to learn and already have tried and practiced and are stuck. I don't prolong the coaching to milk money, I try to teach everything I know within a couple of lectures. If I had all the fancy certificates, I could start marketing myself as a coach but I have no intention to start taking to much responsibility on someone elses learning and success. I just want to see the enlightenment on their faces

 

[JoeyA]

Pidge,
As in most things in this world, your reputation speaks for itself. I seldom if ever, ask anyone if they would like pool lessons or to be coached. Almost all of the time my former students refer people to me.

It is obvious to me that you have very good skills both on the table and off. Your communication skills are QUITE GOOD, so don't hesitate to work your way into coaching.

Design yourself a business card and when people come to you to talk about coaching, hand your business card over to them.

JoeyA

 

[j_zippel]

Pidge,

As in most things in this world, your reputation speaks for itself. I seldom if ever, ask anyone if they would like pool lessons or to be coached. Almost all of the time my former students refer people to me.



It is obvious to me that you have very good skills both on the table and off. Your communication skills are QUITE GOOD, so don't hesitate to work your way into coaching.



Design yourself a business card and when people come to you to talk about coaching, hand your business card over to them.

JoeyA

You have any videos of yourself in action Joey?


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[JoeyA]

For the most part, I humbly disagree with your suggestion that Pidge allow people to "pay what they can afford, which will sometimes be nothing....".


The reason being is that students need to have some skin in the deal. A student MUST have an investment in the process, otherwise the value of the lesson will be diminished.

On rare occasions a pro bono student will appreciate what was done for him but in the long run, their memory will dim with time.

There are times when I share information pro bono but when I do it almost always is to reward someone for their character, attitude etc. and even then it is brief.

Providing free pool lessons isn't fair to the students who do pay and it also isn't fair to the other coaches/instructors who do it for a living.

That's just my opinion but I appreciate the spirit of what you say.

Like others have mentioned, I don't string students out for lengthy lessons just to mine their wallets. I set the first hourly rate, slightly higher than others in my area, mostly because if a student is willing to pay the higher hourly fee, I know that they really want to learn. I don't enjoy teaching just for the money. I want my students to be very interested in learning what I know and that is more important to me than making the money. All hours after the first hour are discounted to a lower rate. In fact, I recommend that most students take only one hour the first time. I've found that within an hour, I can address most obvious issues, questions and candidly the student has so much information in that period of time that it is difficult for them to focus for longer than an hour at a time. I tell them to practice what I teach for a month and after that, come back for a refresher. Most come back for another hour of instruction and I have never had a complaint.

JoeyA

the kid who left the money has good character!:thumbup:

as for coaching - if you do it for a hobby, and for the people you choose to coach, it will be rewarding. Don't do it for the money, let people pay you according to what they can afford, which will sometimes be nothing......

Its a nice opportunity to teach life skills, along with a little billiards mixed in :grin-square:

 

[JoeyA]

You have any videos of yourself in action Joey?


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Against my pal Robb Saez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9ljtB11I78



JoeyA

 

[Sloppy Pockets]

I think it's a real good fit for you, Pidge. You have a nice way of expressing yourself and get across complex points rather well. You strike me as very mature for your tender age, and this will carry you far when it comes to coaching. I say do it, and don't be afraid to charge what you are worth. There is no shame in recognizing your true value. I always charged much higher than the competition in my line of work, but I was a notch above them (and they all knew it). Besides, I always went the extra mile for a client, even if it was at my own expense. I had very few complaints over the years.

 

[Donny Lutz]

Teaching

For myself it was a calling. I was a classroom teacher for half of my career, and coached wrestling, football and strength/conditioning, when I retired I still had that desire to help people.

I taught bowling as well as billiards, and also did some classroom teaching at the college level.

What bugs me is all the guys who claim to be instructors (having fancy websites, etc.), but have limited knowledge and VERY limited teaching skills.

But they are good at BS, and are charging people for bogus lessons.

This is why I believe in certification as an instructor. You must have at least some meaningful qualifications. I've given countless free lessons, too, but I am of the mind that if you've been competing for many years, made the effort to understand the game, and develop teaching skills, you deserve to get paid...just as do coach/instructors in all other sports.

 

[Pidge]

The WPBSA offer a service for up and coming instructors. They have 3 tiers each at a different price. Tier 1 is £200, tier 2 is £900 and tier 3 is £1500. For someone to become a personal trainer for example it would cost them upwards of 4k so it is fairly cheap. The problem is, like with any certification in coaching and especially pool and snooker... Your certificates aren't worth the paper they're printed on for the most part. The first tier is a day course. That sounds to me to be a complete and utter waste of time. You can't learn anything in a day and I wouldn't give someone boasting a tier 1 certificate the time of day.

My own coach from the age of 9 had no qualifications, he could barely read and write but he was an absolute class act in terms of teaching. He simplified everything to make it easy to understand for children. He has worked with several top professional snooker players over the years taking thousands of pounds for lessons. Ideally I would like to work with 7-16 year olds if I do take this up in the future. I think I have a knack for getting things through to kids and it gives me the most enjoyment. As such I wouldn't be doing much travelling or 1on1's.I would like to open a center of development for children to come and take lessons there. For the time being though I will stick to my day job and see it as a hobby.

One thing the WPBSA do offer is child protection training which for that alone I guess the price is worth it. I'm unsure as to how in-depth it is as I'm sure there are courses designed to child protection that are more indepth for the same cost

 

[july9x]

Against my pal Robb Saez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9ljtB11I78



JoeyA

OMGGGG

 

[JoeyA]

Fran Crimi is a billiards instructor and she has a tagline that reads something to the effect: "Been Verified. Supporter of responsible teaching. Background checks for instructors, especially those who teach kids." You might check with her. I like the idea of being verified as a person who can be trusted around children. Pedophiles seem to be everywhere they shouldn't be. You might get some good ideas on how to become "verified as one who can be trusted around children" from Fran.

JoeyA

The WPBSA offer a service for up and coming instructors. They have 3 tiers each at a different price. Tier 1 is £200, tier 2 is £900 and tier 3 is £1500. For someone to become a personal trainer for example it would cost them upwards of 4k so it is fairly cheap. The problem is, like with any certification in coaching and especially pool and snooker... Your certificates aren't worth the paper they're printed on for the most part. The first tier is a day course. That sounds to me to be a complete and utter waste of time. You can't learn anything in a day and I wouldn't give someone boasting a tier 1 certificate the time of day.

My own coach from the age of 9 had no qualifications, he could barely read and write but he was an absolute class act in terms of teaching. He simplified everything to make it easy to understand for children. He has worked with several top professional snooker players over the years taking thousands of pounds for lessons. Ideally I would like to work with 7-16 year olds if I do take this up in the future. I think I have a knack for getting things through to kids and it gives me the most enjoyment. As such I wouldn't be doing much travelling or 1on1's.I would like to open a center of development for children to come and take lessons there. For the time being though I will stick to my day job and see it as a hobby.

One thing the WPBSA do offer is child protection training which for that alone I guess the price is worth it. I'm unsure as to how in-depth it is as I'm sure there are courses designed to child protection that are more indepth for the same cost

 

[JoeyA]

OMGGGG

You've got to be willing to poke a little fun at yourself from time to time.

JoeyA