It has been a few days Scott has packed his SUV up and loaded up his tv and equipment ... Made a stop or two along the way and is setting up at the U.S. Open now enjoying the players and the show. Me I am setting here in Georgia still working hard at what Scott has left me to do. And about to let all of those who have asked about Scott's visit know how it went all at one time. I had pm'd Scott months ago and expected him in late August or Early Sept but family business and such had left him at home taking care of priorities that a man needs to take care of first ... But true to his word Scott did make his way down here Tuesday and it was a visit that will effect the way I play for the rest of my life and my sons also... The traveling pool instructor making his way across America like a modern day Santa Clause with a gift for all pool players...
Scott popped up at my house at about 1:30 that afternoon he found my house with out any problem. Which is a small wonder as I live in South Georgia kind of in Hicksville ... He knocked on my door and I had to smile as I was greeted by a smile and a man ready to teach. He wore kind of a Hawaiin looking shirt only it was a billiards shirt but just as bright ... He was not tall , nor was he rough looking , In fact he kind of looked a little and reminded me of Norm off of Cheers ... Only a more serious Norm one that did not inhabited the local bar stool but one that lived on the pool table and studied it to perfection. He was all business and moved the lesson along in a serious manner ... Never taking a break and steady in parting knowledge and teaching to me... He did not know me , He never seen me for all he knew I was Ted Bundy , Or Gracie the Clown.. Maybe son of Sam ... But he walked right in never shy and inputted knowledge of the game to me that I'm still kind of like wow .. this is the stuff I need to know ....
What did I expect ? I think I expected for Scott to walk in and solve all my banking problems , any thing I have had a problem with. What did I get ? Well not what I expected !!! I have been told several times by some of the older men in pool halls that I have one of the prettiest strokes they have ever seen ... Well after being with Scott I don't guess those older guys have seen a pretty stroke or they were just being very nice. :rotflmao1: ... Scott never said a bad word about how I played , Never put down anything I did ... But through his teaching and him showing me things and mistakes I was making I know that my stroke was not what I thought it was or was told it was...He did not try to change alot of things I do ... He did not try to change my stance in fact he told me my stance was good. He did not try to change my stroke on my draw shot he told me mine was very good and he saw no problems with it ... He did show me where I had some flaws like when I use top english my cue goes high and becomes inconsistant ...
Scott had me take 7 basic shots and recorded them then broke things down on the TV with me ... Looking for me to rise up which I did not .. Looking at my stance ...Good ... My stroke it was random ... though smooth it had no pause to it ... And I was way off on my stroke when using top english as I previously stated. My back swing was nice I delivered the cue smooth ... but there was things that was wrong , things I would of never picked up and things it seems that no common player would either. As I said as long as I was drawing the ball everything was great nice pendullum swing ... Arm was right like it was suppose to be ... But when I went high I have a tendency to follow though with my whole arm putting my shoulder into it ... Leading to a inconsistant stroke and raising my cue up while dropping my shoulder. Also I was not finishing my stroke correctly as my back hand was not coming up into the finishing position for me ... often leading to a inconsistant stroke and inconsistant hit on the cue ball and finishing point. Scott was quick to tell me this is very common and I was fortunate because I already have half of it figured out on my draw shots ... Just need to do it when I use high english...and to get my finshing point down every time...
We spent probably 5 hours going over the Stroke ... Set , Pause , Finish we went over Personal eye patterns and how to focus on the cue ball and object ball ... Not to be pinging back and forth with your eyes from cue ball to OB... How to get your mind and eyes to focus on the shot for the best possible aiming techniques and greatest chances of making the shot. Speed Control , Mechanics and so much more... Scott had great explanations of why things are done this way and sighted certain tests that where done and how they come to these conclussions. Scott never took a break and I never asked for one ... He was more then willing to teach and I did not want to miss one moment of his tutorledge so I was glued to the table right with him...
Let me say this if I had known that Scott was coming down here to give me 5 hours of lessons on my stroke ... I never would of done this becuase I thought my stroke was good ... I'm glad I did not know because I would of missed out and never improved my game. I thought my stroke was great and now I know better ... I know enough to know that the stroke is the most important factor of anyones game. And like a baby you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you can run... Can Scott play pool good ? I don't know we never even played a game that was not a factor or even important ... Scott don't have to be able to play to teach in the manner he does ... He is very good at teaching and as good as he is at teaching I would venture to say he probably does play pretty good pool. Scott teaches in a very proffesional manner and with scientific methods that to me seem very up to date ... He is very business like and very serious about teaching ... He is a professional no doubt in my mind at all when it comes to teaching ...
Everything he showed me was recorded to DVD and the copy was left with me... Along with a folder on everything we went over for future refrence. It contains something he refers to as Mother Drills ... These are drills that I practice to get my game/stroke to where Scott showed me it should be ... The Mother drills seem pretty easy but are a little harder then they seem and they would not do a person much good without going through the lessons with Scott to explain everything and let you know where you need to work the most to improve. The first thing he does is analyze your stroke to find where it can improve at and looking for flaws. That is a very important step.
Until Scott came to my house I have no idea that I had so much work to do I thought my stroke was fine.. I went to league that night and told everyone I had just got done taking my first lesson with Scott Lee ... I then got into my first match and pocketed the 8 on the break ... lol... This has nothing to do with what Scott taught me but it sure did lead to alot of comments ... Like where do I find this guy to get lessons at to play like that ??? Or with a break like that why do you need to take lessons ??? Obviously if you could make the 8 on every break you would not need lessons . But the 8 on the break is far and few between as we all know. When I got home I was watching a Woman's 9 ball tournament on ESPN between Jasmine and Jeanette Lee ... I noticed that Jasmine was using the exact same stroke that Scott taught me that day... Getting down on the ball ... 1,2,3 practice stroke , Set 1000 ... Pause , finish... Jeanette Lee was using it also but only with two practice strokes. Of course this only left me know that indeed Scott has me on the right path to improving my game and it was very encouraging ... Before long I will have the same stroke many of the pro's use ...
Was the time and lessons worth it ? Yes most definatly in my mind they are very much worth it ... I look forward to doing it again... I will say that my game has taken a step back at the moment but only because I'm changing my stroke to do things I am currently not use to doing ... But in a few weeks or month or so I will be alot more consistant and I'm sure my game will be better then it was before Scott came along. I will have eleminated my good night and bad nights and will have become alot more consistant ... Because everything Scott showed me is to make my stroke consistant every time ...
As I said I have the book and DVD and will have all the info we went over when ever I need to refer to it ... My son and I work on it every day we watch the DVD get to the first mother drill then go pracitice it ... we go back watch the second lesson and mother drill and then go practice it on the table and we go through the whole dvd like that. Soon we will not have to keep watching the dvd and will be able to practice without it ... But will always have it for refrence purposes. We refer to the DVD and Scott giving the lessons now to make sure we have it all in our head correctly... I have been teaching my son the game of late and this allows me to make sure he is learning the game correctly. It is awesome to say the least ...
Scott packed up and left ... on to a few more lessons and then the open ... He had made his way to our little hick town as he told me he would. As he was packing he had to chuckle about the Wild Chickens that roam our city streets and chuckled even louder when I told them they even have a Wild Chicken fesival here to celebrate the Chickens... lol...Hey it's South Georgia we are a small town out in the boonies but we love pool and have some good players here and a good league ... I really enjoyed the lessons and the time Scott Lee took up with me ... And I would recommend Scott to anyone who is serious about learning the game of pool... I plan to have Scott back the next time he comes through. And I'm sure Scott has a plan in mind to make me the best I can be ... With Scott teaching me I feel it is all up to me how good / better I get by how hard I'm willing to work at it and stick with it ...
Thanks Scott for all you did ... Enjoyed having you here and look forward to the next time you head this way...
Scott popped up at my house at about 1:30 that afternoon he found my house with out any problem. Which is a small wonder as I live in South Georgia kind of in Hicksville ... He knocked on my door and I had to smile as I was greeted by a smile and a man ready to teach. He wore kind of a Hawaiin looking shirt only it was a billiards shirt but just as bright ... He was not tall , nor was he rough looking , In fact he kind of looked a little and reminded me of Norm off of Cheers ... Only a more serious Norm one that did not inhabited the local bar stool but one that lived on the pool table and studied it to perfection. He was all business and moved the lesson along in a serious manner ... Never taking a break and steady in parting knowledge and teaching to me... He did not know me , He never seen me for all he knew I was Ted Bundy , Or Gracie the Clown.. Maybe son of Sam ... But he walked right in never shy and inputted knowledge of the game to me that I'm still kind of like wow .. this is the stuff I need to know ....
What did I expect ? I think I expected for Scott to walk in and solve all my banking problems , any thing I have had a problem with. What did I get ? Well not what I expected !!! I have been told several times by some of the older men in pool halls that I have one of the prettiest strokes they have ever seen ... Well after being with Scott I don't guess those older guys have seen a pretty stroke or they were just being very nice. :rotflmao1: ... Scott never said a bad word about how I played , Never put down anything I did ... But through his teaching and him showing me things and mistakes I was making I know that my stroke was not what I thought it was or was told it was...He did not try to change alot of things I do ... He did not try to change my stance in fact he told me my stance was good. He did not try to change my stroke on my draw shot he told me mine was very good and he saw no problems with it ... He did show me where I had some flaws like when I use top english my cue goes high and becomes inconsistant ...
Scott had me take 7 basic shots and recorded them then broke things down on the TV with me ... Looking for me to rise up which I did not .. Looking at my stance ...Good ... My stroke it was random ... though smooth it had no pause to it ... And I was way off on my stroke when using top english as I previously stated. My back swing was nice I delivered the cue smooth ... but there was things that was wrong , things I would of never picked up and things it seems that no common player would either. As I said as long as I was drawing the ball everything was great nice pendullum swing ... Arm was right like it was suppose to be ... But when I went high I have a tendency to follow though with my whole arm putting my shoulder into it ... Leading to a inconsistant stroke and raising my cue up while dropping my shoulder. Also I was not finishing my stroke correctly as my back hand was not coming up into the finishing position for me ... often leading to a inconsistant stroke and inconsistant hit on the cue ball and finishing point. Scott was quick to tell me this is very common and I was fortunate because I already have half of it figured out on my draw shots ... Just need to do it when I use high english...and to get my finshing point down every time...
We spent probably 5 hours going over the Stroke ... Set , Pause , Finish we went over Personal eye patterns and how to focus on the cue ball and object ball ... Not to be pinging back and forth with your eyes from cue ball to OB... How to get your mind and eyes to focus on the shot for the best possible aiming techniques and greatest chances of making the shot. Speed Control , Mechanics and so much more... Scott had great explanations of why things are done this way and sighted certain tests that where done and how they come to these conclussions. Scott never took a break and I never asked for one ... He was more then willing to teach and I did not want to miss one moment of his tutorledge so I was glued to the table right with him...
Let me say this if I had known that Scott was coming down here to give me 5 hours of lessons on my stroke ... I never would of done this becuase I thought my stroke was good ... I'm glad I did not know because I would of missed out and never improved my game. I thought my stroke was great and now I know better ... I know enough to know that the stroke is the most important factor of anyones game. And like a baby you have to learn to crawl before you walk and walk before you can run... Can Scott play pool good ? I don't know we never even played a game that was not a factor or even important ... Scott don't have to be able to play to teach in the manner he does ... He is very good at teaching and as good as he is at teaching I would venture to say he probably does play pretty good pool. Scott teaches in a very proffesional manner and with scientific methods that to me seem very up to date ... He is very business like and very serious about teaching ... He is a professional no doubt in my mind at all when it comes to teaching ...
Everything he showed me was recorded to DVD and the copy was left with me... Along with a folder on everything we went over for future refrence. It contains something he refers to as Mother Drills ... These are drills that I practice to get my game/stroke to where Scott showed me it should be ... The Mother drills seem pretty easy but are a little harder then they seem and they would not do a person much good without going through the lessons with Scott to explain everything and let you know where you need to work the most to improve. The first thing he does is analyze your stroke to find where it can improve at and looking for flaws. That is a very important step.
Until Scott came to my house I have no idea that I had so much work to do I thought my stroke was fine.. I went to league that night and told everyone I had just got done taking my first lesson with Scott Lee ... I then got into my first match and pocketed the 8 on the break ... lol... This has nothing to do with what Scott taught me but it sure did lead to alot of comments ... Like where do I find this guy to get lessons at to play like that ??? Or with a break like that why do you need to take lessons ??? Obviously if you could make the 8 on every break you would not need lessons . But the 8 on the break is far and few between as we all know. When I got home I was watching a Woman's 9 ball tournament on ESPN between Jasmine and Jeanette Lee ... I noticed that Jasmine was using the exact same stroke that Scott taught me that day... Getting down on the ball ... 1,2,3 practice stroke , Set 1000 ... Pause , finish... Jeanette Lee was using it also but only with two practice strokes. Of course this only left me know that indeed Scott has me on the right path to improving my game and it was very encouraging ... Before long I will have the same stroke many of the pro's use ...
Was the time and lessons worth it ? Yes most definatly in my mind they are very much worth it ... I look forward to doing it again... I will say that my game has taken a step back at the moment but only because I'm changing my stroke to do things I am currently not use to doing ... But in a few weeks or month or so I will be alot more consistant and I'm sure my game will be better then it was before Scott came along. I will have eleminated my good night and bad nights and will have become alot more consistant ... Because everything Scott showed me is to make my stroke consistant every time ...
As I said I have the book and DVD and will have all the info we went over when ever I need to refer to it ... My son and I work on it every day we watch the DVD get to the first mother drill then go pracitice it ... we go back watch the second lesson and mother drill and then go practice it on the table and we go through the whole dvd like that. Soon we will not have to keep watching the dvd and will be able to practice without it ... But will always have it for refrence purposes. We refer to the DVD and Scott giving the lessons now to make sure we have it all in our head correctly... I have been teaching my son the game of late and this allows me to make sure he is learning the game correctly. It is awesome to say the least ...
Scott packed up and left ... on to a few more lessons and then the open ... He had made his way to our little hick town as he told me he would. As he was packing he had to chuckle about the Wild Chickens that roam our city streets and chuckled even louder when I told them they even have a Wild Chicken fesival here to celebrate the Chickens... lol...Hey it's South Georgia we are a small town out in the boonies but we love pool and have some good players here and a good league ... I really enjoyed the lessons and the time Scott Lee took up with me ... And I would recommend Scott to anyone who is serious about learning the game of pool... I plan to have Scott back the next time he comes through. And I'm sure Scott has a plan in mind to make me the best I can be ... With Scott teaching me I feel it is all up to me how good / better I get by how hard I'm willing to work at it and stick with it ...
Thanks Scott for all you did ... Enjoyed having you here and look forward to the next time you head this way...
