Someone had recently asked me via pm about what I thought about the Allison Fisher School I had attended in September 2013. I responded with most of what's below, so I thought I'd post this officially in the reviews forum...
---
I've been playing for a long time now (on and off for 25 years) and felt my game hit a wall in not being able to improve or get to another level. I took Allison's class A) because I've always been a fan of her's anyways and wanted to do this, and B) I was hoping on the off chance I would actually get something useful out of the class. I honestly wasn't expecting that much as I have a ton of knowledge, but went to the class with a completely opened mind.
The class is two full days and she has lots of time to work 1-on-1 with the students to help them where she can. On the first day she covers all the basics. This is the best day for one on one help with fixing any problems or bad habits you have in your stance, alignment and stroke. Day two is more about moving the cueball around with different types of shots. An advanced player will not benefit much from day two.
To put it bluntly, I can't measure how much I got out of the class. The first day was worth the admission price alone. She was able to show me many ideas to help fix the stability problems I had with my game. Some of the changes I wanted to make were fairly drastic so I have been working hard on erasing my bad habits (see below). Literally within two months of taking the class I finally met my goal of becoming a 9 in APA 9-ball. Now, every time I practice I feel myself improving.
So yes I'd say the class was totally worth it. I got a LOT more out of it than I thought I would, plus I got to hang out with one of the most personable pros to ever play the game. As with any class the more you put into it the more you'll get out.
As for how I have been practicing since the class... Like with any sport, if you want to make any changes in your game "permanent" you have to drill it in as fast as you can and as often as you can. You are after all trying to re-write some "muscle memory" which is really hard to do permanately. To do this you have to submerge yourself in the new habits completely. You need to do nothing but practice the new motions hundreds (if not thousands) of times to really burn it in. The means you really should do nothing but practice for a few weeks, and refrain from "casual" games, and league play if you can.
Personally, what I decided to do was hit the most basic shot, which also happens to be the shot that gives the most feedback for error. Straight in shots. I would hit about 100 a day (at varying difficulty levels) concentrating on nothing but the changes I was making to my game, and repeatedly hit these shots as accurately as I could. Straight in shots will tell you when you are off a mil on either side of the ball, so it's easy to gauge how well you are doing. I'm almost at 2000 shots and I feel all my old habits are completely gone now. I will continue to keep at it though, I feel like every time I practice them my game improves more and more.
Anyways that's what I got out of the school. It wasn't exactly cheap, but to me ended up being worth every penny as I don't see an end to my progress anymore. In fact it feels like it's just beginning.
---
I've been playing for a long time now (on and off for 25 years) and felt my game hit a wall in not being able to improve or get to another level. I took Allison's class A) because I've always been a fan of her's anyways and wanted to do this, and B) I was hoping on the off chance I would actually get something useful out of the class. I honestly wasn't expecting that much as I have a ton of knowledge, but went to the class with a completely opened mind.
The class is two full days and she has lots of time to work 1-on-1 with the students to help them where she can. On the first day she covers all the basics. This is the best day for one on one help with fixing any problems or bad habits you have in your stance, alignment and stroke. Day two is more about moving the cueball around with different types of shots. An advanced player will not benefit much from day two.
To put it bluntly, I can't measure how much I got out of the class. The first day was worth the admission price alone. She was able to show me many ideas to help fix the stability problems I had with my game. Some of the changes I wanted to make were fairly drastic so I have been working hard on erasing my bad habits (see below). Literally within two months of taking the class I finally met my goal of becoming a 9 in APA 9-ball. Now, every time I practice I feel myself improving.
So yes I'd say the class was totally worth it. I got a LOT more out of it than I thought I would, plus I got to hang out with one of the most personable pros to ever play the game. As with any class the more you put into it the more you'll get out.
As for how I have been practicing since the class... Like with any sport, if you want to make any changes in your game "permanent" you have to drill it in as fast as you can and as often as you can. You are after all trying to re-write some "muscle memory" which is really hard to do permanately. To do this you have to submerge yourself in the new habits completely. You need to do nothing but practice the new motions hundreds (if not thousands) of times to really burn it in. The means you really should do nothing but practice for a few weeks, and refrain from "casual" games, and league play if you can.
Personally, what I decided to do was hit the most basic shot, which also happens to be the shot that gives the most feedback for error. Straight in shots. I would hit about 100 a day (at varying difficulty levels) concentrating on nothing but the changes I was making to my game, and repeatedly hit these shots as accurately as I could. Straight in shots will tell you when you are off a mil on either side of the ball, so it's easy to gauge how well you are doing. I'm almost at 2000 shots and I feel all my old habits are completely gone now. I will continue to keep at it though, I feel like every time I practice them my game improves more and more.
Anyways that's what I got out of the school. It wasn't exactly cheap, but to me ended up being worth every penny as I don't see an end to my progress anymore. In fact it feels like it's just beginning.
