advice for teaching an 8 year old

D

dcb1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello. I'm trying to teach my 8 year old daughter how to play pool and I'm wondering if there is any good advice you can give me. Is there anything online that outlines the steps to teach a child how to play?

I've taught her a stance and bridge but she has trouble hitting the cue ball solidly and her aim needs some work. (of course we've only played a few times)

Any advice would be appreciated. (note that I have a 42" child's cue that she is using that is about 9 ounces and the tip is pretty small...somewhere in the range of 8-9mm....not sure if this is helping or hurting. It is one of the McDermott prodigy cues.)


Thanks!
 
i have taught many young kids, after you get the stance and a solid bridge in place, we should now move toward the stroke and contacting the cue ball. I would suggest getting with one of these instructors in the Ask The Instructor section further down the main page and ask them for some good drills to help with this. They will have the best answers Im sure !
 
j/k. Tell her to mimic ting pan. That girl has some good mechanics. That Norwegian chick that plays with the guys, she has good mechanics. Ga young kim has a good stance and strokes the balls good......omg I can't believe I posted in this advertisement.
 
I would suggest that you get in touch with Stan Shuffett as he has been there & done that with his remarkable son Landon Shuffett.

With today's cameras & media tools, Stan could well become a long distance coach for your daughter.

go see http://www.justcueit.com/
 
Above all else, make it fun for her. As soon as it becomes work she will probably loose interest. Find games that teach while being fun. Work on fundamentals, but not too much. Encourage her as much as you can and be patient. Eventually if they enjoy the game they will look to you for more instruction and that's when you get more serious with it.

I have a game I taught my daughter using 2 object balls and a bottle. If you want more info PM me and I'll see what I can do.
 
Cdryden said:
Above all else, make it fun for her. As soon as it becomes work she will probably loose interest. Find games that teach while being fun. Work on fundamentals, but not too much. Encourage her as much as you can and be patient. Eventually if they enjoy the game they will look to you for more instruction and that's when you get more serious with it.
Click to expand...

I second this. While some kids, like a 6-year-old Jean Balukas, might be prodigies and respond to instruction and prosper, most kids are just trying to have fun. I've mentored/taught many kids pool and just spending time with them and allowing them to have fun is 98% of it. Give an occasional pointer, but for the most part let them ask questions when they want to know something. Otherwise, it becomes homework.

Of course every kid is different, so as a parent you're in a good position where you know your kid better than anyone else so teach as much as possible that keeps her working towards goals that are suitable and attainable for her current abilities and keeps the game fun, first and foremost.
 
start her shooting balls directly in the pocket. she is probably too short to work on stance but get her stroking not poking asap.
 
take 2 golf tees and place them almost touching standing up ,put ball on the other side and have her shoot between the tees without touching them .she will have fun and learn too hit cue ball solid .
 
1. It should be fun.
2. She should make about 90% of the shots she attempts.
3. A session should not exceed her attention span (probably 15 – 30 minutes)

After showing basic fundamentals, move to the answering approach.
For instance, “I wonder why you missed that shot?”
Her answer here.
OK lets try that solution.
Here is another way that might help, let’s try it.
 
Tell her to put the ball in the middle of her stance and just concentrate on making solid contact with the ball. She is too young to worry about distance. Make sure she has a set of clubs that are fit to her size and keep adjusting as she grows. Hopefully she will win a state championship when she is in high school and get a college scholarship as a result.
 
Chris Horton has the best suggestion. "Ask the Instructors"

But here's my take dealing with the same problem only now an 11 year old.

IT HAS TO BE FUN.

SHE HAS TO WANT TO LEARN THIS

Attention span is short as mentioned. Pay attention to that. Don't push keep it fun.

Let her bang the balls some. Keep it fun.

Make it simple. As mentioned 90% success is the goal at first. Keep it fun.

IMO, As far as the tip size. Its probably ok given her hand size. Also she should learn center ball first anyway plus she can probably see center easier with a small tip. If she miscues its an instant learning experience. After all if you don't hit the center ball that's what's going to happen.:groucho:

There was someone months ago here, that had a prototype platform that was adjustable in height for growth, with casters, and was large enough for a proper stance. I thought it was a decent idea to help prevent a side arm stroke plus allow a child to reach more shots.

Drills? Takes away from the fun but add rewards like an ice cream cone or something. For the arm have her hit across the short rail diamond to diamond straight across ( instead of the long rails). If she hits the diamond coming back 1 time in 10 it becomes a big deal for daughter and of course dad. make it fun. When she gets good at that up the anti. maybe 2 in 10 or 3 or 2 in a row. Eventually back to the cue tip then graduate to the long rail but don't rush it. You be the judge, but keep it fun.



Did I mention keeping it fun?
 
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Some suggestions........

dcb1 said:
Hello. I'm trying to teach my 8 year old daughter how to play pool and I'm wondering if there is any good advice you can give me. Is there anything online that outlines the steps to teach a child how to play?

I've taught her a stance and bridge but she has trouble hitting the cue ball solidly and her aim needs some work. (of course we've only played a few times)

Any advice would be appreciated. (note that I have a 42" child's cue that she is using that is about 9 ounces and the tip is pretty small...somewhere in the range of 8-9mm....not sure if this is helping or hurting. It is one of the McDermott prodigy cues.)


Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi there,

The tip is too small and the cue is too lite. Try shooting with a 8 or 9 mm. It's not easy.

The balls are too heavy for that light of a cue. Add just a little weight to it. You will be able to see the difference yourself by using it yourself but holding it with only one finger and thumb to downsize your strength.

If you want to give me a call. i will work with you for free teaching you my Perfect Aim so you can teach it to your daughter. At that young age, once they get the eyes in the right position there's no stopping them.

Give me a call. 715-563-8712

Looking forward to it.. geno.............
 
"Gamble" with her...for household chores!


If my dad had told me beating him at 9 ball would mean I would get out of doing yard work, I would have been practicing 10 hours a day!

Do you have a table at home to try this? :)
 
i have a 6 and 7 yr old that have been playing for 3 yrs the 6 yr old really loves it i made it like a viudeo game and designed levels
level one is ballin hand on each shot with six balls one deep in each pocket he has to make all balls without scratching or missing 3 times in a row when you miss or scratch you have to set it up and try again.

level 2 is the same but one ball away from the self of the pocket and level 3 is 2 balls and level 4 is 3 balls from the shelf of the slate an so forth until level 5 then you start over but no ball in hand play the ball from where it lies.

my six you old is on level 4 since we started this for a hour or so a day 4 times a week he has improved about 3 balls.

good luck and have patience:thumbup:
 
Cdryden said:
Above all else, make it fun for her. As soon as it becomes work she will probably loose interest. Find games that teach while being fun. Work on fundamentals, but not too much. Encourage her as much as you can and be patient. Eventually if they enjoy the game they will look to you for more instruction and that's when you get more serious with it.

I have a game I taught my daughter using 2 object balls and a bottle. If you want more info PM me and I'll see what I can do.
Click to expand...

This is exactlly what I do with my two little girls :)

Here is a couple cues... an 8 ball rack i break and then they play. I figure its better to let them explore and learn by themselves until they want to improve. Otherwise like said above if it becomes work then they will lose intrest or even hate it. So until the day they both want my help (they love going to tournaments :)) to improve their game they will remain my little angels that are straight bangers :p
 
dcb1...You've gotten some great advice so far. It's true that the cue you have is too light. Your daughter should be playing with at least a 13 oz cue, and there's nothing wrong with her playing with a 15 or 16 either. The length is not such a big deal. I have taught small children and let them use a normal sized and weighted cue, and they've had no problems. It definitely must be fun, and you must pay attention to her short attention span. 30 minutes is probably max for now with her. Pretend the the ball is a "happy face" and have her aim at the nose.

Here's the #1 advice from a professional instructor...leave the CB off the table, and just have her shoot balls into pockets. One of the biggest mistakes instructors make with many beginning students (of all ages) is to put a CB and OB on the table. The beginner first needs to just feel the cue knocking balls in a hole. You can help her develop a smooth stroke that way. Teach a pendulum swing...it is the easiest to learn.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

dcb1 said:
Hello. I'm trying to teach my 8 year old daughter how to play pool and I'm wondering if there is any good advice you can give me. Is there anything online that outlines the steps to teach a child how to play?

I've taught her a stance and bridge but she has trouble hitting the cue ball solidly and her aim needs some work. (of course we've only played a few times)

Any advice would be appreciated. (note that I have a 42" child's cue that she is using that is about 9 ounces and the tip is pretty small...somewhere in the range of 8-9mm....not sure if this is helping or hurting. It is one of the McDermott prodigy cues.)


Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
If she's playing on a regulation height table, I would give her something to stand on until she's tall enough to use a proper stance and stroke. Too many kids begin shooting side-arm and have to waste time learning their stroke over as they grow. Granted it worked for Mosconi and a few others, but I would never want a youngster to begin with the side-arm stroke.
 
Pepsi cases work well for standing on. They have enough area for kids to position feet.
I agree with Scot just let her hit balls directly. Teach her pool edicate about respecting the table and equipment. Full sized cue. Open bridge, and IMO this is important, let her on the table anytime she wants to play, alone. Give her room to experiment she may surprise you. Kids learn and unlearn things very quickly. She'll learn herself that pocketing balls takes focus and concentration, having dad standing around sharking her is not a help.

When my grandfather would play me 8 ball at that age he demonstrated the game he was teaching me. Center ball hit, nearly every shot was the same speed, I'd watch him move around the table making ball after ball after ball duplicating my lesion. It was a very real expectation. No english no dynamic change in speed, simply hit the next ball into the pocket as it lies.
I wish I had paid better attention to him when he was teaching me billiards the various diamond methods. I was a young teen by then and of course I had a game.
 
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