I play a lot of 14.1 & AR. I honestly feel that thise two games are the "teaching" games of pool.
I'll 14.1 for a week or so and then play AR for a week or so. Then, when I decide to have a free play day and play 9 ball, 10 ball or 8 ball, well, it feels like cheating.
14.1 and AR will help weak players (like myself) reach average to intermediate levels much, much faster than 9 ball, 10 ball or 8 ball games ever will IMO.
On the other hand, 14.1 and AR will take intermediate players to advanced levels and so on.
BTW, are you still considering a 9' diamond. It will be a different day compared to that beast your playing on, unless you order the 9' diamond with ~4" corners.
I'm so glad I grew up knowing 14.1 and the Philippino 61 (much like AR). I'm not world beater but, I'm a much, much stronger player than I would've been if I had not went headfirst into two of the best teaching games.
On a side note: everyone says 1hole is the best teaching game. Not IMO. IMO, 1hole is good for one thing and thats to put me to sleep.
Enjoyed the vid. Have a good day.
Jeff