Last week, I spent three days with Demetrius for a one-on-one boot camp experience and I need to share it with the AZ community. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.
For those of you who don’t know Demetrius, as I type this, he is currently a 739 FargoRate and ranked as the 44th top Fargo player in the US. I rank his instructor abilities and communication skills (both verbal and written) in a similar category.
I really can’t express how impressed I was with his overall structured organization, ability to diagnose my individual focus areas for improvement and then implementing a plan of attack to address each finding with drills and thoughtful discussions. In my three days there, we logged 37.25 hours of actual pool table time. It was challenging. It was informative, eye-opening, FUN and rewarding in so many ways. If you are looking for more pool knowledge and ways to identify opportunities for improvement, look no further than Demetrius. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I’m heading to Dr. Dave’s Billiard University 3-day boot camp in July and I’m interested to see how the two experiences will compare to one another.
Background on me and my playing ability. I’m a B+ to A- level player. Not great, but not bad either. My high run in a line drill is 48 consecutive balls. My high run in 9-ball was a break and run of 5 racks. Both on a 9 foot Gold Crown with 4.25” tight pockets. I’ve won numerous B level tournaments over the years with fields of 16-48 players.
If you haven’t already read this review from another AZ Billiards member, it’s WELL WORTH the read here: https://poolgrimage.blogspot.com/2019/09/three-day-intensive-training-with.html
I found his journal entries in the link above to be incredibly accurate so there’s no need in me re-writing this overview of what to expect. In fact, this is exactly what you get. And MORE.
We worked on:
Pattern Play - playing with the line of the angle for position on the next object ball
Rolling cue ball with spin - spinning rather than draw to establish angle with more control
Cue ball control with spin - twist, full tip and spinning cue ball
Using contradictory spins to manufacture new paths
Core shot drills with five hits- shots down rails with punch follow, punch draw, stop shots, follow and draw.
Stoke - slowing my backswing, hang, and then a smooth transition with acceleration though the cue ball.
Mental game - acceptance of reality, invisible ninjas, no self abuse, mum pool, etc, etc, etc.
Here’s the message I sent to Demetrius after receiving a THREE PAGE detailed email recap from him outlining nearly every detail of the 3-day boot camp experience he provided during my stay:
Demetrius, once again you completely amaze me with your thoughtful, detailed communication. After reading Boise Matt’s review of his experience with you several months ago, I had high expectations of what I might expect if I took the trip to see you myself. You lived up to ALL of them and managed to EXCEED most of them.
It was such a rare opportunity to have a professional pool player’s dedicated time, focus and intense drive to teach me a better way to play the game. Sleeping in your home and sharing meals together during the entire three-day, one-on-one boot camp was just an added part of the total pool immersion I was fortunate enough to be a part of. My count was 37.25 hours of actual table time while I was there! WOW!!!
I’ve had the privilege over the past 35 years (since the first time I picked up a pool cue) to take individual lessons from some truly remarkable players and instructors. Ted G. Brown (acknowledged creator of the Wagon Wheel system), Bart Mahoney (certified instructor and mentor), Gene Ahola (pool room owner, top local player and instructor), Bob Jewett (Billiards Digest contributor and US Open Straight Pool player), Oscar Dominguez (top ranked pro player, instructor, pool room owner), to name a few. Over the years, I’ve read many books on pool (Mastering Pool, 99 Critical Shots in Pool, Play Great Pool, etc), magazine subscription articles for decades (Pool & Billiard magazine, Billiards Digest, etc), mental focus books (Inner Game of Tennis, Finding Your Zone, Pleasures of Small Motions, etc).
To date, the time I spent listening, learning and playing along side you did more for my pool playing journey than any other individual training I’ve received so far. From looking at pattern play and safeties in a new light, to spinning the cue ball and finding ways to move into the next shot line - instead of across it. Having the dedicated time during my visit to make a significant modification to my stroke and then the follow-up with continued instruction and awareness so I could build the new technique into muscle memory through consistent repetition and positive encouragement from you along the way. My self-confidence is raised to a new level and I’m excited at the possibilities my pool playing future will bring.
Thank you sincerely for that. Your hospitality, warm sincere welcome during my entire visit (from the moment you picked me up at the airport until you dropped me back off as I was preparing to head home) was greatly appreciated.
In the days and months ahead, I look forward to continuing to work on the drills you showed me - both the shot making drills as well as the mental focus and positive, realistic thoughts during gameplay.
Perhaps another boot camp with you in the future would be beneficial in my continued development and growth? This is something I will give serious thought as I progress.
Warm Regards,
Aaron
For those of you who don’t know Demetrius, as I type this, he is currently a 739 FargoRate and ranked as the 44th top Fargo player in the US. I rank his instructor abilities and communication skills (both verbal and written) in a similar category.
I really can’t express how impressed I was with his overall structured organization, ability to diagnose my individual focus areas for improvement and then implementing a plan of attack to address each finding with drills and thoughtful discussions. In my three days there, we logged 37.25 hours of actual pool table time. It was challenging. It was informative, eye-opening, FUN and rewarding in so many ways. If you are looking for more pool knowledge and ways to identify opportunities for improvement, look no further than Demetrius. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I’m heading to Dr. Dave’s Billiard University 3-day boot camp in July and I’m interested to see how the two experiences will compare to one another.
Background on me and my playing ability. I’m a B+ to A- level player. Not great, but not bad either. My high run in a line drill is 48 consecutive balls. My high run in 9-ball was a break and run of 5 racks. Both on a 9 foot Gold Crown with 4.25” tight pockets. I’ve won numerous B level tournaments over the years with fields of 16-48 players.
If you haven’t already read this review from another AZ Billiards member, it’s WELL WORTH the read here: https://poolgrimage.blogspot.com/2019/09/three-day-intensive-training-with.html
I found his journal entries in the link above to be incredibly accurate so there’s no need in me re-writing this overview of what to expect. In fact, this is exactly what you get. And MORE.
We worked on:
Pattern Play - playing with the line of the angle for position on the next object ball
Rolling cue ball with spin - spinning rather than draw to establish angle with more control
Cue ball control with spin - twist, full tip and spinning cue ball
Using contradictory spins to manufacture new paths
Core shot drills with five hits- shots down rails with punch follow, punch draw, stop shots, follow and draw.
Stoke - slowing my backswing, hang, and then a smooth transition with acceleration though the cue ball.
Mental game - acceptance of reality, invisible ninjas, no self abuse, mum pool, etc, etc, etc.
Here’s the message I sent to Demetrius after receiving a THREE PAGE detailed email recap from him outlining nearly every detail of the 3-day boot camp experience he provided during my stay:
Demetrius, once again you completely amaze me with your thoughtful, detailed communication. After reading Boise Matt’s review of his experience with you several months ago, I had high expectations of what I might expect if I took the trip to see you myself. You lived up to ALL of them and managed to EXCEED most of them.
It was such a rare opportunity to have a professional pool player’s dedicated time, focus and intense drive to teach me a better way to play the game. Sleeping in your home and sharing meals together during the entire three-day, one-on-one boot camp was just an added part of the total pool immersion I was fortunate enough to be a part of. My count was 37.25 hours of actual table time while I was there! WOW!!!
I’ve had the privilege over the past 35 years (since the first time I picked up a pool cue) to take individual lessons from some truly remarkable players and instructors. Ted G. Brown (acknowledged creator of the Wagon Wheel system), Bart Mahoney (certified instructor and mentor), Gene Ahola (pool room owner, top local player and instructor), Bob Jewett (Billiards Digest contributor and US Open Straight Pool player), Oscar Dominguez (top ranked pro player, instructor, pool room owner), to name a few. Over the years, I’ve read many books on pool (Mastering Pool, 99 Critical Shots in Pool, Play Great Pool, etc), magazine subscription articles for decades (Pool & Billiard magazine, Billiards Digest, etc), mental focus books (Inner Game of Tennis, Finding Your Zone, Pleasures of Small Motions, etc).
To date, the time I spent listening, learning and playing along side you did more for my pool playing journey than any other individual training I’ve received so far. From looking at pattern play and safeties in a new light, to spinning the cue ball and finding ways to move into the next shot line - instead of across it. Having the dedicated time during my visit to make a significant modification to my stroke and then the follow-up with continued instruction and awareness so I could build the new technique into muscle memory through consistent repetition and positive encouragement from you along the way. My self-confidence is raised to a new level and I’m excited at the possibilities my pool playing future will bring.
Thank you sincerely for that. Your hospitality, warm sincere welcome during my entire visit (from the moment you picked me up at the airport until you dropped me back off as I was preparing to head home) was greatly appreciated.
In the days and months ahead, I look forward to continuing to work on the drills you showed me - both the shot making drills as well as the mental focus and positive, realistic thoughts during gameplay.
Perhaps another boot camp with you in the future would be beneficial in my continued development and growth? This is something I will give serious thought as I progress.
Warm Regards,
Aaron
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