advice for teaching an 8 year old

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!
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What ever method you use to teach her make sure that it fun first serious play second. I own a room and I see parents forget that playing should be something enjoyed and not a task that can be forced upon a young person.

Set goals that she can easily make in the beginning, and by doing so you will instill confidences in her that she has the ability to play well. Never, stop her from growing, in many cases even seasoned instructors can do harm by trying to make a persons play conform to their method's. The way she sees the table will dictate what she is comfortable with, if she attempts shots beyond her ability that should be OK and encouraged never discouraged.

If you keep this in mind, and allow her to grow at her own pace while insuring that she uses the correct basic fundamentals you may have a champion on your hands in few years, only time will tell.

JIMO
 
I nearly forgot the bridge. Its a very important tool, kids will need it may times, I soon realized that making shots with the bridge was easier simply because I could sight it like a gun. Nobody pockets balls by over reaching.
NO CLIMBING ON THE TABLE one foot on the ground:smile:
 
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I resurrected this old thread because I've discovered something that has been fun for my kids:

The first step is obviously just shooting object balls straight into the pockets. It really doesn't take interested kids long to move beyond this. But what's the next step? I have a 9 footer so pocketing balls can be a bit of challenge for young kids (mine are 8 & 6).

Here's what I've been doing: I've been throwing about 30 object balls onto the table. You can do less if you don't have 2 sets of balls but the clusters are actually nice for this type of play. I then have my kids take turns shooting object balls into each other, trying to pocket one of them. This way they can find the easiest shot on the table. The thinking part can be a challenge since there are so many balls to choose from. This keeps them engaged. The shots get harder as more balls are eliminated.

You can even play with them. I'll throw a cue ball in just for me and we see how many WE can run in a row.

It's pretty fun for them.
 
john schmidt said:
buy her golf clubs ,trust me 10 years from now she will thank you
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I don't golf.

It's too expensive and too time consuming. Plus how many young kids are spending their entire adolescent years away from their home, working on their golf game? All of this in the hopes (usually of the father) that they make the tour someday?

Pool, with all of its faults, can still be a very family friendly game. Last night, I was down in the basement playing a game with my two oldest kids. My lovely wife was kind enough to prepare our dinner. Once dinner was complete, we put down our cues and went up and ate dinner together as a family. That's pretty tough to do with golf. Unless you live on a golf course I suppose.

I have no doubt my kids would love to golf and I think they have the aptitude for it. I'm just not willing to schedule our family's entire life around it. It just doesn't work logistically.

Pool on the other hand...

Now, my son the other day asked me if I thought he could someday beat Shane Van Boening? I said of course you could. Then he said, "You think I could be the greatest player that ever lived?" I chuckled to myself in my head for a second. Then I said, "I can't think of a reason that you couldn't, as long as you're willing to do the work."

Everybody thinks they want to be famous. There's one thing that I still think would be cool about being a great pool player. I kind of think it would be cool to be the greatest player in the world and still be able to go out to Chili’s without being harassed (I was going to say Applebee's but I didn't want to look unsophisticated).

Maybe it's just me.
 
Development

One thing to hinder develop in a kid, and especially women, learning the game is that they do not 'bridge' right. They have their bridge hands in some contorted shape trying to stroke through a 'crooked bridge' to begin with, and it develops a sloppy stroke.

Teach them how to plant their bridge hand where it is solid on the cloth, and to where they can stroke true. Many kids and women can not use a closed bridge because their hands are too small. Also teach them how to bridge when they are close to a rail.
 
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...


Edit.. I just noticed this thread is from 2011 :-)

It will be many many weeks before she can hit the cue ball properly to send it where it should go. My son started playing at about 8, he just turned 13, it was less than a year ago that he could draw the cue ball well or hit it with any type of real speed control. This is playing once or twice a week at most, some weeks he did not play at all.

Don't worry about her not being able to hit properly for a year or so. Lining up and stroking straight is the #1 thing to try to teach now, it will form a very solid start to the game. I made sure my son had instruction from me and other players, as well as watching videos with him and pointing out shots, how they were hit, how the players aproached the shot (Varner, Van Boening and Buddy Hall are great to watch for that).

This is him now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFBzXAXuuy8 you can see how he lines straight and has a solid hit, but that took years to get him to do that. Good instruction and small corrections are key, don't expect her to be playing position 3 rails in a month hehe
 
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Scott Lee said:
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
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Good advice, here.
Patience, and lot's of it, with a snickerdoodle, from time to time, for motivation. :smile:
 
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