If you can't explain it simply......
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An instructor should have three to five ways to explain something also. If a student still has a blank stare after an explanation you should be able to roll into another approach.
Hu
Hu
Best simple explanation on how to play pool I ever heard-
take the easy shots to get to the hard shots to make the hard shots easy.
take the easy shots to get to the hard shots to make the hard shots easy.
Lot's of UTUBERS.
Seems like a tongue twister or play on words but a lot of truth in that one sentence! The way I put it is never have a hard shot with hard shape. Usually you can arrange things where only one is difficult, hopefully neither but sometimes we can't have things perfect.
Hu
The one and only Tor Lowry.
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
One of the best tidbits of pool knowledge I ever picked up came from reading an article in which the author was venting at the state of pool instruction. He was pissed that he spent 2hrs driving each way to see a renowned instructor, only to pay $300 for a lesson that boiled down to one sentence on the grip. This teacher sure did explain it perfectly and simply and the student missed the point entirely. Had I known the level understanding/consistency this little bit of knowledge would unlock for me, I'd have paid $3000 for it. I'll just say that it brought to my conscious attention something I was def doing when I was 'on' without realizing it, but would struggle when I didn't do it.
So ye, not only do you need to be able to explain things simply, you have to have a few different approaches so it clicks for THIS student.
And don't bother asking what the tidbit was. I don't just give out $300 advice for free like the writer of that article did. But you can do some digging knowing it was published.
So ye, not only do you need to be able to explain things simply, you have to have a few different approaches so it clicks for THIS student.
And don't bother asking what the tidbit was. I don't just give out $300 advice for free like the writer of that article did. But you can do some digging knowing it was published.
Seek to understand, rediscover what has already been discovered.
There is a lot to be gained through reviewing something over or reflecting on what was already said .
Don't get lost in the production get lost in thought.
I've never read the same book twice no matter how many times I read it...
The amateur YouTube instructor is a warrior...
There is a lot to be gained through reviewing something over or reflecting on what was already said .
Don't get lost in the production get lost in thought.
I've never read the same book twice no matter how many times I read it...
The amateur YouTube instructor is a warrior...
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
I don't play pool during golf season and only returned to the game in October with my last game being in April. It always takes a little bit of time to shake the rust off but this time it happened in a hurry and then some as I happened to find a hidden scrap paper stored in an old glasses case from my money games hay day. The scribbled note starting with KEY TO YOUR STROKE was written 17years ago and was still so perfect for me I applied it that night and just rekt the ghost with near shutouts...a level I hadn't played at for a long time; not since I was playing daily for hours.
Rediscovering that lil nugget of gold was def an instant level-up.
A similar thing happened with my golf game this summer, in which I had an epiphany leading to a full round without even a slight mishit. Naturally, I rushed home to write it down. I have a Word file for my golf playing/coaching that I opened up and gave a quick read through a couple pages before making my entry on the day's discovery. Sure enough, it was in there from 2017 and just slipped away from me needing to be rediscovered all over again.
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I spent decades away from pool but when i decided to get back into it, i decided to start over from scratch and focus on fundamentals.
I've also spent a lot of time developing training systems, so I took a few lessons to see what modern training was like.
I took a lesson from two different semi-pros and each gave me a couple of good tips, but their training was simplistic.
In Vegas I took a lesson from a former professional player with some reputation. He had me play the 9-ball ghost while he sat back and talked on his phone. At the end, he gave me an autographed picture with some three notes scrawled on the back. Simplistic at best.
I went away thinking that instruction was generally of poor quality and not very systematic.
As i was about to leave Vegas, i saw a sign in the Tropicana saying 'free pool school'. I decided to see what that was about. Two instructors were standing there, and i told them what i wanted to learn about. They both suggested I talk to the third instructor. In five minutes, that third instructor pointed out four things i was doing that i didn't know i was doing. I wound up working with that instructor for 40 minutes. It was a revelation what a good instructor will see and what a good instructor will provide as a plan to improve your game. That third instructor was Scott Lee.
Since then, I've read more, and yes, there are great instructors out there, with expertise in diagnosing problems, and developing training plans.
But there are a lot more that aren't.
I've also spent a lot of time developing training systems, so I took a few lessons to see what modern training was like.
I took a lesson from two different semi-pros and each gave me a couple of good tips, but their training was simplistic.
In Vegas I took a lesson from a former professional player with some reputation. He had me play the 9-ball ghost while he sat back and talked on his phone. At the end, he gave me an autographed picture with some three notes scrawled on the back. Simplistic at best.
I went away thinking that instruction was generally of poor quality and not very systematic.
As i was about to leave Vegas, i saw a sign in the Tropicana saying 'free pool school'. I decided to see what that was about. Two instructors were standing there, and i told them what i wanted to learn about. They both suggested I talk to the third instructor. In five minutes, that third instructor pointed out four things i was doing that i didn't know i was doing. I wound up working with that instructor for 40 minutes. It was a revelation what a good instructor will see and what a good instructor will provide as a plan to improve your game. That third instructor was Scott Lee.
Since then, I've read more, and yes, there are great instructors out there, with expertise in diagnosing problems, and developing training plans.
But there are a lot more that aren't.
I would play golf if I could, I read golf books to help me understand pool I imagine if I had time to play golf it would help me with pool as a form of cross training. Like swimming and running.
I listen to cue it up podcast all the time is this Rob? If not sorry if so thks for your contribution
Barry Stark
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
Nah, not Rob, just an anonymous movement junky. You are right about getting better at pool through golf though. Anything that crosses over really. When I teach people a sport I make sure to ask them what other sports they are already good at and try to take my analogies from that sport in order to help them 'translate' their preexisting skills and movement patterns to this new activity. It is absolutely amazing to me how many good athletes are just complete rhino droppings at golf because nobody taught them to bring their athleticism over to the golf and instead tried to teach them to build something (that they already know how to do) from scratch. Here's the problem we run into when doing that.... A bio-mechanics professor of mine came into the room and asked if a volunteer could demonstrate this movement (he then used precise anatomical language to describe a movement). Nobody could do it.....he described walking.
Students often come to new things like we interpreted our prof's words that day. But by getting them to do something they know and understand and then tweaking it slightly in order to perform the desired task, they get to enjoy very rapid skill acquisition. The main reason is that time isn't wasted on building up new movement patterns or slowly training up a sequence of movement that the person already knows/has wired. Even worse, some coaches will get a student with a completely functional movement pattern that will drive a swing/throw but then that is torn down and rebuilt to suit the coach's preferred style and completely wrecks the player....this is how many promising golfing careers have been derailed, including Mike Malaska's who went on to become a PGA teacher of the year by teaching in a way that avoids this pitfall.
I currently teach part time and only have a handful of students across a few sports (have taught thousands of students over thousands of hours in the past), but I always tell them that since there is so much overlap: When you get better at one, you get better at them all.
Scott Lee was our best!
If you explain something five ways and still get a blank stare it may be time to tell the student to take up bowling.
If you read books about golf to get better at pool, a good book for you would be The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey.
Also a very good book is In Pursuit of Excellence by Terry Orlick. It is not about any specific game or sport, just sports performance in general.
They both deal a lot with the mental aspects of sports and performance.
Jerry Briseth teaches fundamentals, believe he believe this is what you must master to build your game off of.
Behind the ball it's the same game..
Your right improvement radiates in all directions. I definitely forgot that because I am so focused on pool. Good post or comment