Help wanted/ for kids

sparkle84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd ask any of the regulars on here if they'd take a look at this thread https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=462837 and offer any advice you may have.
This was posted a couple years ago by my friend Chris Freeman and got some general help as you'll note in the replies but he's still in a bit of a quandary about the best way to proceed.
I talked with him recently and observed a session. After watching things my main thought was that this guy has some incredible determination. This is the 3rd year he's been at this and he's kept it going through sheer force of will. It's a daunting undertaking.
He has about 15 kids this time. 4 or 5 returnees and the rest are new. I think the youngest is 6 and oldest 15. It's difficult with the real young ones because they're so small that normal fundamentals are impossible. The table comes up to the middle of their chest.
We talked after the session and both agreed that trying to instill proper fundamentals, while important, needs to be done in such a way that they don't tune you out. Afterall, it takes discipline and work and most are there just to have fun.
I'll be spending this week trying to come up with some ideas to help out. The sessions are on Sun. from 11-1:00.
Any help would be much appreciated.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, for the younger ones, maybe just rolling the balls without cues for awhile. He can set up balls near the pockets and have contests where they can try to pocket a ball by rolling it. And of course, prizes!

The older ones like contests too. Do a make the shot contest with prizes. They may even ask for your help.

When teaching them, give them lots of breaks for them to play on their own; and don't talk too much or try to teach for too long at a time. They'll start to zone out.

Contests and prizes keep them interested. Everyone gets a goody bag but the contest prizes go to the winners or top three in each age group. I used to make them form a line and take two or three shots each, record the successful ones and then let them get back on line again until everyone had a certain number of tries. They loved it.

As for learning fundamentals --- Believe it or not, don't make it a priority. They're kids. Let them have fun. You can ease them into fundamentals a little at a time. Maybe a bit more with the older ones, but they have to learn to love the game first.
 
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Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'd ask any of the regulars on here if they'd take a look at this thread https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=462837 and offer any advice you may have.
This was posted a couple years ago by my friend Chris Freeman and got some general help as you'll note in the replies but he's still in a bit of a quandary about the best way to proceed.
I talked with him recently and observed a session. After watching things my main thought was that this guy has some incredible determination. This is the 3rd year he's been at this and he's kept it going through sheer force of will. It's a daunting undertaking.
He has about 15 kids this time. 4 or 5 returnees and the rest are new. I think the youngest is 6 and oldest 15. It's difficult with the real young ones because they're so small that normal fundamentals are impossible. The table comes up to the middle of their chest.
We talked after the session and both agreed that trying to instill proper fundamentals, while important, needs to be done in such a way that they don't tune you out. Afterall, it takes discipline and work and most are there just to have fun.
I'll be spending this week trying to come up with some ideas to help out. The sessions are on Sun. from 11-1:00.
Any help would be much appreciated.

I've been working with my daughter, who is 6, for the last year.
She has a determination and work ethic that keeps her focused, but, like Fran said, I still hold little surprises for when she reaches milestones, like 5 days in a row...or makes 10 in a row.
We have a lot of fun. But I started with her standing on a storage container....then aa she grew a little taller, she is now on a milk crate. I think she is almost at the height where I'll have to drop down a notch...like a small step. I read that Jasmine
Ouschan's parents built her a mobile bench around an entire pool table so she could have good mechanics and fundamentals from early on. So I'm sort of copying that.



https://youtu.be/VOpbyPLiua4

For much of the year, we have just been pocketing balls...No cue ball. She got really consistent on a 10 foot table. Lately we have moved on to straight in shots with the cue ball. But at her age it is just repetition and having fun getting little prizes.
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wow...She's got better form than you do! LOL :thumbup:

Scott Lee
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

I've been working with my daughter, who is 6, for the last year.
She has a determination and work ethic that keeps her focused, but, like Fran said, I still hold little surprises for when she reaches milestones, like 5 days in a row...or makes 10 in a row.
We have a lot of fun. But I started with her standing on a storage container....then aa she grew a little taller, she is now on a milk crate. I think she is almost at the height where I'll have to drop down a notch...like a small step. I read that Jasmine
Ouschan's parents built her a mobile bench around an entire pool table so she could have good mechanics and fundamentals from early on. So I'm sort of copying that.



https://youtu.be/VOpbyPLiua4

For much of the year, we have just been pocketing balls...No cue ball. She got really consistent on a 10 foot table. Lately we have moved on to straight in shots with the cue ball. But at her age it is just repetition and having fun getting little prizes.
 

sparkle84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Contact Roy Pastor who has a great deal of experience coaching junior players and also amazing success. Here is a related thread: https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=457079

Roy is a PBIA instructor and his contact info is on the PBIA website:
http://playbetterbilliards.com/

Thanks Bob. We're aware of Roy . He was actually up last Sun. to help out. He's a couple hours away so can't come that often.
Thanks also to everyone who replied, keep ideas coming. We'll definitely be looking into contests/prizes and standing on something. That's a good suggestion.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This ^^^^... If young kids hit balls with a chicken wing stroke they may find it hard to change over.
By standing on a box when shooting they'll develop a pendulum stroke, such as snooker players.

.

Sure, you can provide a box to stand on when you're teaching one kid. But the logistics become very difficult when you're teaching a group of them as the op is suggesting.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Sure, you can provide a box to stand on when you're teaching one kid. But the logistics become very difficult when you're teaching a group of them as the op is suggesting.
I don't see a choice if you want to teach kids that young. They can't learn much if they can't reach the table.

Maybe long steps that only come out for kid classes...

pj
chgo
 

freedog69

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks Bob we are running under Roy's program he is a friend of mine and helped get the wheels turning. If anyone wants see what we are doing we post pics and videos of the kids. Ask to Join our group and I will approve. I am not sure how much you can view if your not part of the group.

https://www.facebook.com/bustersjrleague/?ref=bookmarks
 
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FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't see a choice if you want to teach kids that young. They can't learn much if they can't reach the table.

Maybe long steps that only come out for kid classes...

pj
chgo

That's why I suggested rolling the balls for the young ones. It will still get them used to balls rolling on the table, and they can even shoot shots and pocket balls that way and you can hold contests for them as well.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
I don't see a choice if you want to teach kids that young. They can't learn much if they can't reach the table.

Maybe long steps that only come out for kid classes...

That's why I suggested rolling the balls for the young ones. It will still get them used to balls rolling on the table, and they can even shoot shots and pocket balls that way and you can hold contests for them as well.
Or maybe something like this, with the legs folded up and placed on top of something shorter...

One thing I really like about a local pool room (Surge, here in Chicago) is that I often see dads there teaching their young kids (boys and girls).

pj
chgo

kid table.JPG
 
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BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
For less than $100 you can buy a sheet of plywood and a few 2x8's to build a nice platform so kids can reach the table and be able to hold the cue correctly. I did this for my daughter a few years back....worked great, and could easily accommodate multiple little shooters in class setting.

Also started her off by having her shoot ob's straight into the pockets without using the cb. Once she developed a good enough stroke to consistently be able to shoot an ob cleanly into the pocket of her choice, we began using the cb. And I would tell her where to aim the cb in reference to the ob, using a combination of ghostball and fractional aiming methods. She caught on very quickly, but dance and other activities drew her attention away from the pool table.
 
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FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For less than $100 you can buy a sheet of plywood and a few 2x8's to build a nice platform so kids can reach the table and be able to hold the cue correctly. I did this for my daughter a few years back....worked great, and could easily accommodate multiple little shooters in class setting.

Also started her off by having her shoot ob's straight into the pockets without using the cb. Once she developed a good enough stroke to consistently be able to shoot an ob cleanly into the pocket of her choice, we began using the cb. And I would tell her where to aim the cb in reference to the ob, using a combination of ghostball and fractional aiming methods. She caught on very quickly, but dance and other activities drew her attention away from the pool table.

Maybe I'm too cautious but I'm always leery of doing stuff like that with other people's kids. If a kid acts up and falls, the next thing you know, you're being sued by the parents. It's just not worth it.
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
Maybe I'm too cautious but I'm always leery of doing stuff like that with other people's kids. If a kid acts up and falls, the next thing you know, you're being sued by the parents. It's just not worth it.
I'd have the same worry with any kind of step and kids, especially in groups.

pj
chgo
 

sparkle84

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Maybe I'm too cautious but I'm always leery of doing stuff like that with other people's kids. If a kid acts up and falls, the next thing you know, you're being sued by the parents. It's just not worth it.

I'm in the process of building a platform to try out. The way I'm doing it should be very safe but I suppose the room owner will have to make the decision whether to use it or not.
It's a pretty good group of people and I'm fairly certain everyone will be ok with it but if it comes down to parents signing waivers and running it by a lawyer, etc. then we'll just have it forget about it.
That would suck because I think it's something that would be very beneficial.
Thanks again for the imput.
 

BC21

https://www.playpoolbetter.com
Gold Member
Silver Member
Maybe I'm too cautious but I'm always leery of doing stuff like that with other people's kids. If a kid acts up and falls, the next thing you know, you're being sued by the parents. It's just not worth it.

Understandable, sort of. Kids could just as easily smash or break a finger rolling balls around the table. Or one kid could accidentally poke another in the eye or mouth with the butt of the cue during the back stroke. These are things that can happen quickly and easily. It doesn't seem that it would be too difficult to watch that no child falls off of a 4x8 platform that's less than 10" off the floor.the sides could be made tapered, like a ramp, so there is no chance of stepping off and falling. If I were in the business of giving pool lessons to children, I would surely invest in a nice platform, maybe even one that adjusts in height to accommodate different heights in students.
 
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