do I need professional lessons

$70 per hour seems way too expensive. I wouldn't pay more than $30.

When you hire an instructor they are going to spend almost 100% of the time looking at your fundamentals regarding how you stand and stroke through the shot. They won't do anything special to improve your speed control. That's something you have to practice on your own with repetition.

I suggest filming yourself shoot and deciding whether or not you have MAJOR flaws in your fundamentals. If you do, go see an instructor and the money will be well spent. If you don't have any major flaws, then skip the lesson for now and just continue to play.

During the early stages of development you will improve exponentially as you improve your knowledge of the game and get more comfortable with your shot making and position play.

I've always had naturally good fundamentals so I don't prefer lessons unless it's on something very specific such as racking secrets, jumping, breaking, etc.

Keep in mind that for the most part, instructors don't have all of the answers. If they did, they would be competing at the pro level.

FeelDaShot said:

$70 per hour seems way too expensive. I wouldn't pay more than $30.

They won't do anything special to improve your speed control. That's something you have to practice on your own with repetition.

...instructors don't have all of the answers. If they did, they would be competing at the pro level.

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Sounds like your experience with instructors is limited.

$30/hr is at the lower end of instructor fees - you could get a good instructor for that, but maybe not as experienced as others.

A good instructor will teach you how to effectively work on your speed control.

Having all the answers is not a description of a pro player. Most of them don't have much of a clue.

I think one of the well known traveling instructors (like Scott Lee who posts here) might be the best answer, depending on what's available locally.

pj
chgo

Patrick Johnson said:

Sounds like your experience with instructors is limited.

$30/hr is at the lower end of instructor fees - you could get a good instructor for that, but maybe not as experienced as others.

A good instructor will teach you how to effectively work on your speed control.

I think one of the well known traveling instructors (like Scott Lee who posts here) might be the best answer, depending on what's available locally.

pj
chgo

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Yes, I'll admit that my experience with instructors is limited. I guess my thought process is that if you're only a few months into playing, you don't need a top notch instructor to get you started on the right track.

A top of the line instructor would be better suited to help players who have been playing a long time and can't break through to the next level. In that case, the high cost to seek out a great instructor is worth it.

Regarding speed control, I could be wrong but I doubt they would do anything more than have you setup the same shot several times which is something you can easily do on your own.

Do I need an Instructor

Yes! You need professional instruction. In my experience learning pool by yourself is a long, hard road filled with frustration. Great pool is played by doing simple things very well. Yes you can learn to play pool hitting a million balls and watching others and gambling etc., but it takes a really long time.

Hitting a shot 50 times is called block practice in the sports training vernacular (yes there is a big world of scientists out there who study how humans learn sports skills), but does nothing other than teach you one shot. A graduated series of block practice shots, followed by random shots will better serve you. Or perhaps a progressive series shooting a shot that is troublesome.

Learning to move the cue ball with english without knowing how to really control the cue ball without spin is a disaster for your pool game in the making. Ball pocketing and speed control are very difficult as it is without adding the complexities of spin. Learning how to play without spin is where to start.

To learn a sport you need quality instruction, dedicated practice, and tough competition. In the beginning stages focus on instruction and practice with little competition. As you improve you can take fewer lessons and practice and compete more.

Yes there are some instructors who can and have played at the pro level, and $70 per hour is not a lot of money. And I gave you all this advice for free!

Haters have a great day!

FeelDaShot said:

I guess my thought process is that if you're only a few months into playing, you don't need a top notch instructor to get you started on the right track.

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Probably not, but even fundamentals can be taught more or less effectively. On the other hand, lower rates might mean you can try more than one, if you can find 'em.

pj
chgo

In every other sport in the world, folks get instruction. Nobody, and I mean nobody that plays professional sports did not take lessons.

Nobody ever told a baseball player, just go watch some videos and just work by yourself in the cages.

Heck, even pro's now still get instruction and they change their mechanics even after they get called to the big leagues. And they got instruction along the way since they were 5.

I taught my son for years in hitting. I sent him for camps and private lessons for catching and pitching. Thousands of dollars to ensure he got better. Oh, i'm sure we could have "figured" it out in 5 or 10 years or longer, but tryouts come up fast. So either you want to get good now, or wait many, many years to get better.

Yes, some phenoms pick up pool like nobody's business. There are not many, but there are quite a few that can do it. So, you have to ask yourself one question, are you a phenom? Well, are you punk If not, a couple of lessons is NOT going to break the bank. Actually, it's damn near reasonable.

Tor Lowry- zero-x billiards YouTube channel- free
Dr. Dave - billiards.colostate.edu-free

Get a competent player or instructor to teach you
stance, stroke, pre-shot routine. Should take about
30 min. Video the instruction.

Take said video and new info and get to work.

When you hit a plateau, maybe take another lesson
or ask the good players in your area for help.

It will take a looooong time to become consistent.
It will take a looooong time to play well under pressure
It will take serious discipline and effort from you.
You probably will need to hit a million balls.

you've gotten some good advice, and some bad advice; that's how posing a question to an assortment of people goes, and at your level, you have no way of knowing which is which.

but note that one person, and one person only, in this thread -- Bob Jewett -- has beaten Shane Van Boening, America's best pro, in a long match.

so you might want to pay attention to his comments.

wigglybridge said:

you've gotten some good advice, and some bad advice; that's how posing a question to an assortment of people goes, and at your level, you have no way of knowing which is which.

but note that one person, and one person only, in this thread -- Bob Jewett -- has beaten Shane Van Boening, America's best pro, in a long match.

so you might want to pay attention to his comments.

Click to expand...

Interesting...did Bob Jewett take pool lessons within his first few months of playing??

wigglybridge said:

you've gotten some good advice, and some bad advice; that's how posing a question to an assortment of people goes, and at your level, you have no way of knowing which is which.

but note that one person, and one person only, in this thread -- Bob Jewett -- has beaten Shane Van Boening, America's best pro, in a long match.

so you might want to pay attention to his comments.

Click to expand...

I agree you should pay attention to him, but not because he beat Shane (which doesn't surprise me) - because he's both a good enough player and a knowledgable, experienced instructor. I think most pros would make mediocre instructors at best.

pj
chgo

FeelDaShot said:

Interesting...did Bob Jewett take pool lessons within his first few months of playing??

Click to expand...

I'm not Bob, but....

Back then, there wasn't the instructor program we have today. And Bob was instrumental on what and how instructors instruct today.

I know that if I had to do it all over again, I'd love to get a lesson on good fundamentals early, and then hit the million balls with that good foundation rather than the craziness I lived through.

Freddie

FeelDaShot said:

$70 per hour seems way too expensive. I wouldn't pay more than $30.

When you hire an instructor they are going to spend almost 100% of the time looking at your fundamentals regarding how you stand and stroke through the shot. They won't do anything special to improve your speed control. That's something you have to practice on your own with repetition.

I suggest filming yourself shoot and deciding whether or not you have MAJOR flaws in your fundamentals. If you do, go see an instructor and the money will be well spent. If you don't have any major flaws, then skip the lesson for now and just continue to play.

During the early stages of development you will improve exponentially as you improve your knowledge of the game and get more comfortable with your shot making and position play.

I've always had naturally good fundamentals so I don't prefer lessons unless it's on something very specific such as racking secrets, jumping, breaking, etc.

Keep in mind that for the most part, instructors don't have all of the answers. If they did, they would be competing at the pro level.

Click to expand...

Whole lot of BS in this post.

randyg

goettlicher said:

Whole lot of BS in this post.

randyg

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You would be correct Sir More than anyone should post at one time. lol

goettlicher said:

Whole lot of BS in this post.

randyg

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ChicagoRJ said:

You would be correct Sir More than anyone should post at one time. lol

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Ya, ya, ya...Sorry that I don't promote every player to spend all of their hard earned money on lessons lining the pockets of these instructors. Sure, anyone will benefit from a lesson with the right instructor. I'm not denying that.

Just like every child will benefit from going to private school. Public school is just fine for me and millions of others too.

You don't need to pay $70/hr to enjoy or master this game. Watch videos, read books, go to the pool hall, make friends, ask for advice, join a league, play in tournaments, practice, practice, practice...and you will be running racks in no time.

I shot pool multiple times weekly for many hours each time for years. My practice was mainly playing people and asking questions and paying attention. This unfortunately didn't fix fundamental flaws in my stroke or game. I got to a weak 'A' player level, but couldn't quite get the consistency I needed to really be competitive around the run-out players in my area.

Definitely get solid fundamentals and a good straight stroke. Whether you get a pro or watch yourself, whatever, just don't let yourself start committing bad habits to memory (muscle memory as well)

I quit pool for 5 years and when I came back to playing I was a much stronger player than when I stopped. The only logical reason for this huge jump in consistency has to be losing those bad habits and fundamentals I had spent years trying to iron out.

I do also have to add that I spent a lot of time recently studying patterns and pattern play and that has made worlds of difference as well. My touch doesn't have to be so perfect so often. I would recommend anyone interested in rotation games to examine their own games and games of others. Often times even great players in my area are relying too much on their touch and stroke instead of choosing the right shot.

Bob Jewett said:

Yes, I had lessons from Willie Mosconi. Not from Willie in person, but from his second book. The book had a lot of faults, but it got me started in more or less the right direction with only one or two major fundamental flaws.

As Fred mentioned, when I was starting there was no one in my area who taught fundamentals. The only pool "instructor" around was Tugboat Whaley (mentioned in both McGoorty and Mosconi's biography) who was said to have notebook full of useful shots for nine ball and one pocket. I wish I had gone to see him, but I doubt that he would have worked with me on my fundamentals. Whaley has been credited with Denny Searcy's jumping up three levels but Searcy was already a pretty good player before he saw Whaley.

If I had known what I was doing at the time, I would have gone to see Joe Davis or someone who taught his principles, but of course I didn't know what I was doing.

Click to expand...

In the late Grady Mathews book "Bet High and Kiss Low" chapter titled "San Francisco 1963" Mathews at that time in his 20's describes how he was always loosing to the same guy at one pocket and in between games and old guy who said his name was Tugboat offered to show him how to play one pocket. A skeptical Grady accepted and after 2 - 2 1/2 hrs the game completely opened up to him and he made a big score off the player who always beat him. The book stated Tugboat was in his 80's.