Which PRO PLAYERS give the best lessons?
- Thread starter morris
- Start date
Earl.....good reviews by those who took lessons from him
The best instructor may not be a pro player, and the best pro player may not know how to teach you in a way you'd understand. You'll learn the stance, grip, and the bridge. and how to approach the shot on the shot line, probably locking your chin on that line then bringing your body down keeping your chin over the cue, getting your body out of the way of the stroke, usually with different foot positions but some variation of your back foot on the shot line and feet about shoulder width apart either by squaring your body and moving your left foot to the left like a snooker player, or having your body at more of a 45 degree angle to that line..You'll then learn a pre-shot routine, and your Set, Pause and Finish, and probably the Ghost Ball System for aiming. All the great fundamentals you need, but they can't teach you some of the most important things like Feel and Touch, this will have to come with many thousands of hours of practice. Remember all of this is not set in stone or all the pros would look the same. When you're practicing at home and you're in your stance and you don't feel comfortable then move around, let your body fill in around the stick by by shuffling your feet, bending your knees or just one knee, stretching out your bridge hand while pushing out your azz, get comfortable shift your weight around. As long as you're basically keeping your feet and chin where they are there's no reason to be a rigid, uncomfortable piece of cardboard!
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For some reason there's this myth that pro players are idiot savants who play on instincts alone without any notion of what they're doing or why they're doing it.
I sometimes wonder if taking lessons with a pro who doesn't speak a word of English (preferably Taiwanese) might be extremely rewarding.
I sometimes wonder if taking lessons with a pro who doesn't speak a word of English (preferably Taiwanese) might be extremely rewarding.
Best i've ever seen personally is Buddy Hall. He gives clear, easy-to-follow info. He really stresses the KISS(keep it simple,stupid) method. Don't get cute and just roll the ball forward whenever possible. I think he's staying in the Houston area and plays at Fast Eddies some. If you're down there he'd be worth tracking down.
Depends on what is being learned.
Tom Wirth for OnePocket
Scott Lee for Stroke ....you asked for Pro's however I watch some Pro's give lessons.....they do not compare with Scott's.
I know Max Eberle shares some videos online and I assume he gives lessons too. The way he discusses shots in his videos makes me think he’d be very good 1:1.
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I can vouch for two guys:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=267014
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=230880
Lou Figueroa
gets my vote
Never had a formal lesson from him but have played him more than a few times,
when he was in Dallas. These sessions were cheap sets that I used as lessons.
I would asked questions while we played and he was great at explaining not only
what but why, I liked doing this because you were in a game situation and got
to see what they were doing first hand. I played Louie like this many times,but
his style of play was all offence and if he could see it he would fire away.He was
a lot of fun, once when we got ready to play he put a 1 question per game limit
on me plus no coming up behind him and screaming the question on his last
back swing. Although I don't know if he ever gave lessons my old buddy from
Dallas Billy Stroud is as good as it gets to learn from. He is the best center ball
pool player I have ever seen, Never fancy or spinning the cue ball around, just
connecting the dots, staying on the angle .I think this is the reason he never
cared what size or what condition the table was in, what cue ball, didn't matter.
Just run out, there could be a 2 foot tear in the cloth and he wouldn't even notice
it. He would have been a great instructor had he chosen to be.
jack
Never had a formal lesson from him but have played him more than a few times,
when he was in Dallas. These sessions were cheap sets that I used as lessons.
I would asked questions while we played and he was great at explaining not only
what but why, I liked doing this because you were in a game situation and got
to see what they were doing first hand. I played Louie like this many times,but
his style of play was all offence and if he could see it he would fire away.He was
a lot of fun, once when we got ready to play he put a 1 question per game limit
on me plus no coming up behind him and screaming the question on his last
back swing. Although I don't know if he ever gave lessons my old buddy from
Dallas Billy Stroud is as good as it gets to learn from. He is the best center ball
pool player I have ever seen, Never fancy or spinning the cue ball around, just
connecting the dots, staying on the angle .I think this is the reason he never
cared what size or what condition the table was in, what cue ball, didn't matter.
Just run out, there could be a 2 foot tear in the cloth and he wouldn't even notice
it. He would have been a great instructor had he chosen to be.
jack
Best lessons
While I grew up watching Mike Sigel play, it was not until very recently that I was surprised by his ability to actually teach . . . of course being the winningest professional tournament player on record might have given me a clue . . . but all too often there is a disconnect between knowing how to make the shots and teaching someone - Larry Liscotti was a good example. Yes, Mike can get a bit wound up at times but if you are looking for someone who has the knowledge and can pass it on - give Mike a call.
While I grew up watching Mike Sigel play, it was not until very recently that I was surprised by his ability to actually teach . . . of course being the winningest professional tournament player on record might have given me a clue . . . but all too often there is a disconnect between knowing how to make the shots and teaching someone - Larry Liscotti was a good example. Yes, Mike can get a bit wound up at times but if you are looking for someone who has the knowledge and can pass it on - give Mike a call.
So does Dallas West still live in Rockford? Is his number in phone book?
I've probably had as many lessons from pro players as anyone you'll run into. Seriously. I counted to 10 right off the top of my head, but I'm sure that I'm missing someone.
With that said, one thing I've learned is that finding the right person means that you need to figure out what you're trying to learn. I've learned things from even the weakest of lessons.
Now, if I had to go back and take lessons from any one particular PRO again, I can say without any reservation that it would be Charlie "Hillbilly" Bryant. Without a doubt. His passion for teaching, love of systems, and showing you the reason why things happen is unparalled amongst any pro I've come across. He's seriously THAT good.
Pros that I have NOT taken a face-to-face lesson with, but would love to, include:
Hunter Lombardo
Lee Brett
Corey Deuel
Efren Reyes
Francisco Bustamante
Dennis Orcullo
Now, I'd work with any pro, but those are the ones that I've heard one can get great info from.
With that said, one thing I've learned is that finding the right person means that you need to figure out what you're trying to learn. I've learned things from even the weakest of lessons.
Now, if I had to go back and take lessons from any one particular PRO again, I can say without any reservation that it would be Charlie "Hillbilly" Bryant. Without a doubt. His passion for teaching, love of systems, and showing you the reason why things happen is unparalled amongst any pro I've come across. He's seriously THAT good.
Pros that I have NOT taken a face-to-face lesson with, but would love to, include:
Hunter Lombardo
Lee Brett
Corey Deuel
Efren Reyes
Francisco Bustamante
Dennis Orcullo
Now, I'd work with any pro, but those are the ones that I've heard one can get great info from.
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