Unsolicited advice in the pool hall

My experiences as a relative newbie to the game (maybe about 4-5 years total) it depends on when the advice is given. I've given some unsolicited advice to my friends who are very very casual (just playing strictly for fun) and I've found out they don't want to hear it. So I keep my mouth shut until they make a comment about why they keep missing their shots or state that they want to get better.

Personally here's how I view unsolicited advice towards me:

When it's welcomed:
- I'm practicing drills/shooting alone
- As someone stated earlier, when I'm playing with someone more experienced
- When it's a competition situation (League/Tournaments)

Time when I don't like it:
- Casually playing with friends


More often than not it's happened to me in the latter case. When certain friends (who strictly plays for fun) and I start messing around on the table, I'm typically not playing seriously against them. Then usually a person will come by and critique our game when we're trying to make it known that we're there to just have fun (via body language...because being direct would be rude to the nice gesture ;) ). Maybe we should speak up, but again, someone is trying to be nice, no need for negativity.

It's fine if it's a few minutes. We've had someone on the next table watch out game for a good hour and stop us every 10-15 min. Stopping us before we launch a shot, etc.

At the end of the day, I'd say read the room first, but it's best to not offer advice unless someone looks like they want to get better.
 
I was practicing one day recently when a guy I did not know asked if I wanted to play some 8 ball. I said sure but I am not interested in gambling. He said I could brake the first game and we started to play. We both got to the table in that game and I eventually won. As he racked the balls he looked up and said I had played the game wrong and should have shot this or that differently. I thought to myself, what an odd thing to say since you lost and are racking. It was at that moment I decided to play a little harder and see what this guy had to offer. He lost every single game for over an hour. Somewhere along the way he stopped giving me advice on how to play but honestly I can't remember when. I had to go and thanked him for asking me to play. He's never asked to play me again, so I guess he learned I did not need his advice.
 
I welcome advice from better players. I have been playing a relatively short time so I still have much to learn. The problem are the people that give me advice are weaker players than me. If anyone one of you are in WI I would be more than happy to cover table time for your help as long as you are a stronger player. There are so many fricken subtle things in pool that you dont even know that you dont know. Without help it will take decades to learn this stuff on my own.
 
I'll probably get in trouble for saying this but...

like in many things it's the jerks that ruin things for others.

Because of the jerks...

Guys like SP99 & others that can help many will now keep silent & not make the offer...

So... those that would appreciate the help won't get any because guys like SP99 are afraid & think that they too might be a jerk.

I saw a 30 something female that was having trouble racking the balls & offered to show her a 'trick' on how to get them to stay.

She said something ugly & I said suit yourself & walked off. She then spent the next 3 to 5 minutes of table time trying to rack the balls & never could & finally just left them loose & tried to break 'em.

The think is that I WILL offer to help again when I see a need...

because I don't want the jerks to win at the cost of those that would be appreciative.

I'd rather take 5 or 6 or more insults if I can help just one that wants & appreciates help.

Many want & would appreciate help but are afraid to ask because of the other side of the coin being those that will tell those asking for help to FO.

So... I say, don't let the jerks of this world dictate what you will or will not do.

Keep doing what YOU think is the right thing to do.

This Game needs ALL the help that it can get & being nice & willing to help & showing it can sometimes bridge a gap between generations.

But there will always be Jerks, I guess

Best Wishes To ALL... even the Jerks.
 
I used to have this guy who was amazing player and he'd come up to me and start correcting me.
Damn it I hated it so much it was truly frushtrating. Then the guy wouldn't leave.
Of course he was always correct about his advice but damn it there's a correct timing for anything.
If I'm just there hanging with a girl I don't want him to suddenly crash the party and turn the whole thing into a pool lesson.
Today my fundamentals are much better and I sometimes find my self thinking "maybe I should" when I see someone doing terribly wtong things but every time I do I remember how much I hated it and besides I also see the look on people's faces, they're having a blast as it is.
So just leave people alone is my policy.
Let them come to me...lol
 
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I am guilty of offering weak players advice when I see them struggling at the table and most of the time it is appreciated. I am a Certified BCA instructor and an old time road player. When I moved to Connecticut from New York City, I found more time to give and help veterans and seniors, by giving clinics at senior centers, starting senior leagues and free teaching on Saturdays at our local pool hall. How often I see fathers teaching there very young children that are mostly in tears from frustration. So I intervene and tell the father, take away the cue ball and let them shoot the object ball into the pocket and then you should see the smiles on there little faces. For my help with seniors and veterans I was inducted two weeks ago into the New England Billiard Hall of Fame.
 
larry732 said:
I am guilty of offering weak players advice when I see them struggling at the table and most of the time it is appreciated. I am a Certified BCA instructor and an old time road player. When I moved to Connecticut from New York City, I found more time to give and help veterans and seniors, by giving clinics at senior centers, starting senior leagues and free teaching on Saturdays at our local pool hall. How often I see fathers teaching there very young children that are mostly in tears from frustration. So I intervene and tell the father, take away the cue ball and let them shoot the object ball into the pocket and then you should see the smiles on there little faces. For my help with seniors and veterans I was inducted two weeks ago into the New England Billiard Hall of Fame.
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You are a wise man.
VERY wise indeed.
 
I see it the same way as fooling around and not playing your best against a weaker opponent. Again, it's disrespectful. You wouldn't do that against a stronger opponent, and you certainly wouldn't interrupt a stronger opponent to give advice. Treat every opponent like a strong opponent.

After you're done playing is completely different. I see guys showing each other things all the time...I do it all the time and teach a bit of what I know and learn a bit of what other people know.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
When I started playing pool I would have loved to have someone show me all the things I did wrong. I have a video (just a couple of minutes long) from back then, and I cringe when I look at it. I did get some help from a guy I knew, but I'm pretty sure I would have taken advice from better players if such were offered. To this day, if someone says I'm doing something wrong, I always listen. I may not take their advice every time, but I'll always hear them out. It took me this long to truely understand why the good players never offered to show me anything. I always thought they were just being jerks or afraid of competition,lol It's pretty much pointless to try to help, unless the person actively seeks you out, and has the right attitude.
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There are at least 2 types of players
1) The serious players who want to learn and improve
2) Th recreational players who just want to have fun

Type 1 will be open to advice but again not unsolicited advice
Type 2 will laugh at any advice

Bottomline- Never be a busybody giving unsolicited advice to strangers. And as other poster above said- this does not apply to pool, it applies to anything in life
 
spartan said:
There are at least 2 types of players


Bottomline- Never be a busybody giving unsolicited advice to strangers. And as other poster above said- this does not apply to pool, it applies to anything in life
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Many seem to find it rude.

Outside the US, in some places, such a thing is EXTREMELY rude. Try it in Denmark.

Sometimes people say there is no such thing as a single culture in the US. Certainly there is. It's just less consistently found than the culture in some older countries. That inconsistency is what we are seeing I think.

I think it seem most feel imposed on if offered unsolicited advice, regardless of the quality of that advice. Most, I think, find it rude. It seems to be cultural. But not all feel the same way, and that is the lack of consistency in the culture.

I don't think it has much of anything to do with the willingness to learn, the level of interest in the game, or any other such thing. I think people generally just feel it is rude, as in a matter of violating acceptable manners.



.
 
How I feel about it usually depends on where the advice is coming from. You can get a sense for why they are offering you advice and if it good then I'm ok with it.
 
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Then again, someone could come on here and give unsolicited advice that calling other people "stupip" is stupid or even point out that "occation" is really occasion. I'm sure the OP would find those corrections rude too.

Not everyone plays pool like Willie did, or writes like George Will.
 
Larry...We use this technique with ALL students, young and old. It is a very quick way to teach someone how to accurately stroke the CB. Congratulations on your induction! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

larry732 said:
How often I see fathers teaching there very young children that are mostly in tears from frustration. So I intervene and tell the father, take away the cue ball and let them shoot the object ball into the pocket and then you should see the smiles on there little faces. For my help with seniors and veterans I was inducted two weeks ago into the New England Billiard Hall of Fame.
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after reading all the posts I think my best bet is to just be quiet and if someone asks I will help them.
 
easy-e said:
I may be moving to Denver this fall, and I'd gladly listen to any advise that you offer. Any good rooms out there?
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Felt in Englewood is the best all around room.
Englewood is a suburb of Denver.
Felt has 7 9 foot Diamonds.5 9 foot Gold Crowns.1 10 foot snooker table.
And I think 12 or so 7 foot Diamonds.I don't go to that side of the room much.
Lots of TV's,good food and I saved the best for last Free Water!
 
for you advice givers how would you like someone giving you advice when you are driving for instance. if they dont ask mind your own business.

if they ask then show them what they need to know that they can also understand.
 
I guess I dance to a different drum.
If I see someone who has been around a while, having trouble , I will go over and say ," I think I might be able to help you, do you want to try?
Or sometimes, someone will say , hey , you really helped so and so , what would you charge to help me?
I don't charge anything, if I needed the money I might , but thankfully, I don't.
I have only had a handful of people out of hundreds I have asked, who said something negative, and a couple of them came back later and apologised .
I wish more people had helped me along my way , not just with pool, but with life in general.
It seems as though I had to crash into every tree, along the road to success, to get where I am.
Thankfully again, I was born more stubborn than most mules, so every time I ran into one of those trees, I got up and kept moving.
{Maybe I'm not stubborn , maybe I am a zombie?}
I do what feels right inside of me, and I couldn't care less what knockers think, about anything.
 
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