Video review with Lil' Chris

Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Hey guys! I just had the chance to collaborate with Lil' Chris and Neight from Cue It Up Podcast on a video review of a league player that wanted some feedback on his game. Some of what we shared might be of interest to others. Please let us know what you think of the format. Thank you and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZNSh2Kza_o
 

The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
I love the premise... Having stronger players critique your game is always valuable. I hope this is something the host continues to do. Listing your fargo rates is also is great idea. Provides substance to your comments.

Honestly... I think you guys were generous with your comments. The player has a decent stroke, granted. His position play is haphazard, and pattern play / table IQ is at square one imo. Of course you don't want to tear someone down too intensively, so I'm obviously not a good option as commentator for this channel.

I saw someone in the comments say that the player is around a strong 5 or a low 6 APA. We all know APA handicaps are driven by local talent pool, but I would say he is typical of a player who has focused solely on potting for a couple of years.

All in all... I hope you continue contributing to this channel. I didn't disagree with anything your group stated.

Well done
 
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Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thank you

I love the premise... Having stronger players critique your game is always valuable. I hope this is something the host continues to do. Listing your fargo rates is also is great idea. Provides substance to your comments.

Honestly... I think you guys were generous with your comments. The player has a decent stroke, granted. His position play is haphazard, and pattern play / table IQ is at square one imo. Of course you don't want to tear someone down too intensively, so I'm obviously not a good option as commentator for this channel.

I saw someone in the comments say that the player is around a strong 5 or a low 6 APA. We all know APA handicaps are driven by local talent pool, but I would say he is typical of a player who has focused solely on potting for a couple of years.

All in all... I hope you continue contributing to this channel. I didn't disagree with anything your group stated.

Well done

Thanks JV! Yes, I tried to be a bit gentle. But it turns out he is an APA 6 in 8 ball and an APA 7 in 9 ball. I was surprised 9 ball was his favorite game because it seems that would require a bit more planning and cue ball precision than he displayed. It sounds like he was just a bit nervous and got rushed in this video. He does have the stroke and firepower to be a threat, and most importantly I can see him getting a lot better over the next 3-6 months.

All in good fun. This was our first video so we'll see if there is demand for more, if so we'll do our best to provide the right level of good instruction without being discouraging. Pool is super tough and we are all students!
 

VarmintKong

Cannonball comin’!
I really enjoyed this. The format reminds me of a round table NFL recap you might see before the prime time game on a Sunday night. Especially how a talking point is brought up and the video morphs into the setup to the shot complete with a tele-strator diagram of preferred position zones. With that info I can set the situation up on my own table. I love permutations on a theme.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been watching lil chris videos for a while now. His 9 ball break has helped me along with his videos of his thought process during league matches and what english he uses to go from shot to shot. In my opinion they are very helpful to league players like me. Btw i am a 5 in 8 ball and a 6 in 9 ball with a fargo rating of 490.
 

The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
Thanks JV! Yes, I tried to be a bit gentle. But it turns out he is an APA 6 in 8 ball and an APA 7 in 9 ball. I was surprised 9 ball was his favorite game because it seems that would require a bit more planning and cue ball precision than he displayed. It sounds like he was just a bit nervous and got rushed in this video. He does have the stroke and firepower to be a threat, and most importantly I can see him getting a lot better over the next 3-6 months.

All in good fun. This was our first video so we'll see if there is demand for more, if so we'll do our best to provide the right level of good instruction without being discouraging. Pool is super tough and we are all students!

I'm actually not surprised at his 9 ball preference. 8 Ball being more a touch game then full stroke / move the CB around situation. 8 Ball'ers, especially those who play on bar boxes tend to have much shorter strokes. I imagine his 9 ball play would have displayed more of his struggles with position control.

I hope you do receive great response and continue with the vids. I can say I watched the whole thing. I always like to know how other players prefer to handle situations.
 

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I watched the first rack.
One thing I don't see is one of you
guys talking about the beginning of
the rack. This dude gets down and
starts firing balls in 30 sec. He clearly
does not have the pattern recognition
skills to do this. Even the very best
have to dissect the rack for a minute,
check problems and solutions, find your
route for the out, etc. Especially in 8 ball!

I think this video review with you 3 is well done
and a great contribution to pool. Keep up the
good work.

Finally got a chance to watch the rest.
Rack 2 addresses it much more.

It does take courage to send in a
video like that. If the tinman can
get his hands on him for a bootcamp,
that guy could be a fine player.
 
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Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Thank you for the comments guys!

One choice we made was to do "live commentary", meaning we didn't watch the video ahead of time. We made a few comments during the rack run which was our first time seeing it, then afterwards we picked a couple of things to look back at. The positive of this is that it was genuine and unrehearsed. I wonder, however, if that lead to missed opportunities. I know if I had more time I might have come up with some more pointed comments.

Which do you guys think would be better? Off the cuff or pre-planned?

I appreciate the feedback!
 

couldnthinkof01

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Put me down for pre-planned.
Your full knowledge about the rack
with time and perspective would
be best for analysis. You guys have
good chemistry, if you do your own
breakdown individually and then
come together. The different perspective
or common perspective maybe educational
too.
 

peppersauce

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would really like to see the three of you tackle a more advanced players game and break it down. It would be interesting to see what recommendations the three of you come up with.

That being said, the pool coaching videos and player interviews Chris does are my favorite content on his channel. I hope what you guys have started together gets some traction and the three of you do a bunch more of these!
 

The_JV

'AZB_Combat Certified'
Which do you guys think would be better? Off the cuff or pre-planned?

Off the cuff imo.... Sure you could really focus in on some details if you reviewed and pre-planned, but what are you going for...?..., advice or intense critique..?

I like the "under the gun" points of view. Nobody has eternity to analyze every approach to playing a rack before taking a shot. Assessing a rack real time at least provides even keel to what the shooter is experiencing.
 

VarmintKong

Cannonball comin’!
Which do you guys think would be better? Off the cuff or pre-planned?

Off the cuff for me. When you pop the cap on a rack and step up to the table you can’t spend all day over-analyzing it; you have to get down and make a shot or be penalized, at least ragged on. Giving your input as the game happens with limited time to analyze provides a greater apples to apples comparison of real game play.

However, if there is a concept you feel would be especially beneficial to your viewers, you could provide a deep dive in a separate video. You could put up one of those box links in the corner of the screen (videos my kids watch have them all the time) to drive more traffic to your account. I would think it’s not just about getting that click, but getting the viewers next click. Maybe something like, “UNLOCKING THE KEY BALL.” Provide similar themed content the viewer already can relate to. Whether it be showing how an error could have been avoided or an approach where you didn’t need to fight yourself as hard for position.

Just a hack here and talkin’ out my rear.
 
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bb9ball

Registered
Thank you for the comments guys!

One choice we made was to do "live commentary", meaning we didn't watch the video ahead of time. We made a few comments during the rack run which was our first time seeing it, then afterwards we picked a couple of things to look back at. The positive of this is that it was genuine and unrehearsed. I wonder, however, if that lead to missed opportunities. I know if I had more time I might have come up with some more pointed comments.

Which do you guys think would be better? Off the cuff or pre-planned?

I appreciate the feedback!

First, thank you for the insights you have already provided.

Are you intending it for a wide audience or the specific player? And, free or paid instruction? For free, I would welcome anything you do. For paid instruction, I would hope for something more specific. As for the people mentioning not spending more time, I think that is better during game play, but for teaching some things it is worth spending more time. What would you want if you were the one would submitted the video for looking for some help?
 

Scratch85

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Which do you guys think would be better? Off the cuff or pre-planned?

I appreciate the feedback!



Pre-planned would be of more value, to me. However, you can do both. Commentary during the video, in real time, with pre-planned analysis after. The comments, in real time, would have to be short and only one of the analysts would have time to comment, but you could elaborate with the planned commentary at the end. My .02.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
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