Best instructor?

tpdtom said:
Admittedly, I have not taken instruction from any of the illustrious gentlemen mentioned previously. They are among the best anywhere by reputation. However, I have spent a few days with Stan Shuffett at his home in Kentucky. His communication skills are well honed after a career as a college professor. He has developed his son Landon into the National Junior Champion, and recently after a TAR event on PPV Stevie Moore gave all the credit to Stan. I can't say enough good about him. It will suffice to say that nobody will work harder for your success than Stan, and he is reasonable when compared to most of the others as well ! His aiming systems are regarded as the most sucessful bar none. You can reach Stan at the link below...Tom

www.justcueit.com
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First off, Its great to see Tom post. :grin:

I always felt that any person have the title instructor has strengths and weakness's. No one has the complete package. I learned from several legends of the game, each of them vastly different but all had the same general mentality. No one has more pool knowledge than Danny Diliberto but his style may not fit the student.

I have read the posts above mine and everyone mentioned can help anyone improve a part of their game. I also strongly advise young players or seasoned players to watch TOP pros and look for the similarities and their consistancy's...and try to apply some key functions to their own game. Im not a BCA Certified Instructor but I have helped a few become better at what they love.
 
Personally I agree with much of what has been said so far during this discussion. There are certainly allot of instructors out there, many taleneted individuals...

From my experience, I think Denny Stewart and many of the SPF Based Instructors are great.

I have only been playing for 9 months now, and am currently on the verge of being an APA - 7.

When I began, I joined a large APA League just to spend time with my father as he is retired and handi-cap, and pool is one of the few things he can do.

After a few weeks, I began getting frustrated with not being able to apply my often natural athletic ability to the sport because I failed to comprehend the mental focus and strategy that had to coincide with the game. I had always excelled in sports, yet pool infuriated me... thankfully to the point of inspiration...

Well for a gift earlier this year, my dad bought me a few hours of lessons with Denny's Ohio Pool School. I was a bit hesitant because I wasn't sure what I would face. However, after talking with the guy, I knew right then that he was one of the nicest, most sincere people I had ever met. This is coming from a guy who served in special forces while in the military, and has traveled to over 25 countries. I would like to think I have a knack for judging character..

The first day, Denny introduced me to the "stroke trainer", taught me the premise of the tangent line, and had me perform some basic strokes while being video taped. After watching the video, I couldn't believe my eyes... now I didn't have any "bad habits" from years of practice, but I still understood the mechanics from a certain perspective.

Well over the past 9 months, I have done my best to visit Denny every week for at least an hour. I've missed a few classes, but overall, I have improved dramatically. A year ago, guys who would run all over me on the table now comment me weekly on my stroke, my ability to bank, and my knowledge of cue ball control.

Sure I have a long way to go... but what was once inspiration to play pool with my father has grown to an inspiration to impress my father...

You might ask where is the goal to be able to beat my father on the table.....


Thanks to Dennys wealth of knowledge, accomplished that a while ago.... and the old man's no pushover


Just my $.02


JR
 
What a great testamonial to Denny! He is a great guy, and has a wonderful knack for being able to make learning the game simple. While I haven't had the pleasure of teaching with Denny yet (our schedules have set it up, but had to go different directions, a couple of times), I have watched him in action (and worked with some of his students), and am looking forward to working with him in the near future! He knows one of the same things Randyg, pooltcher, and I all know...S.A.M. Rules! :grin: Keep up the good work Denny! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

new2thegame said:
Personally I agree with much of what has been said so far during this discussion. There are certainly allot of instructors out there, many taleneted individuals...

From my experience, I think Denny Stewart and many of the SPF Based Instructors are great.

I have only been playing for 9 months now, and am currently on the verge of being an APA - 7.

When I began, I joined a large APA League just to spend time with my father as he is retired and handi-cap, and pool is one of the few things he can do.

After a few weeks, I began getting frustrated with not being able to apply my often natural athletic ability to the sport because I failed to comprehend the mental focus and strategy that had to coincide with the game. I had always excelled in sports, yet pool infuriated me... thankfully to the point of inspiration...

Well for a gift earlier this year, my dad bought me a few hours of lessons with Denny's Ohio Pool School. I was a bit hesitant because I wasn't sure what I would face. However, after talking with the guy, I knew right then that he was one of the nicest, most sincere people I had ever met. This is coming from a guy who served in special forces while in the military, and has traveled to over 25 countries. I would like to think I have a knack for judging character..

The first day, Denny introduced me to the "stroke trainer", taught me the premise of the tangent line, and had me perform some basic strokes while being video taped. After watching the video, I couldn't believe my eyes... now I didn't have any "bad habits" from years of practice, but I still understood the mechanics from a certain perspective.

Well over the past 9 months, I have done my best to visit Denny every week for at least an hour. I've missed a few classes, but overall, I have improved dramatically. A year ago, guys who would run all over me on the table now comment me weekly on my stroke, my ability to bank, and my knowledge of cue ball control.

Sure I have a long way to go... but what was once inspiration to play pool with my father has grown to an inspiration to impress my father...

You might ask where is the goal to be able to beat my father on the table.....


Thanks to Dennys wealth of knowledge, accomplished that a while ago.... and the old man's no pushover


Just my $.02


JR
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Think that question is a bit unlucky. There are so many great instructors who would be worth to name. An important point is always: Is the person who s *teachin* his knowledge able to transport this to his *pupil*. Sure, to teach just theoretical things- that s not the biggest part in my opinion. The hardest imo is, to be able to keep it simple to *transport* your knowledge, and even so to create a trainingprogram (drills) to arrogate/ask for the *pupils* enthusiasm. The guy who needs help also need to believe what his instructor says. Further i think, each instructor has his good ablities- but...there are very less, who are able to *cover the whole range* of teaching. I ve seen now, after my long break some guys, who has an official license to teach......and i was a bit unlucky after saw that- trust me, i don t wanna blame anyone. but from this 3 ppl i saw there was only 1 worth to be called a teacher. I tried to have a discussion with one of the 2 guys where i asked him, what he wanna show his *pupils*. He wasn t able to gimme any clue....i just turned around and wished him a nice day, and recommendet him to *learn* a bit more how to teach. His answer was "no need to learn how to teach, my pupils just have to learn how to play.....* ...........what an arrogant idiot...

and now: dumbs high to all instructors who love to teach ppl and even so those who always also wanna learn eventually from their students or other ppl :)

sry for low english,

ingo
 
Ratta said:
and now: dumbs high to all instructors who love to teach ppl and even so those who always also wanna learn eventually from their students or other ppl :)

sry for low english,

ingo
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The best instructors are also perpetual students!
Good Post!!!!

Steve
 
Scott,

Thanks for the comment :grin:

I agree Denny does have a knack for making the learning process simple . . . more importantly; he has a knack for making the game relative. I admire the fact that he can correlate some of the things that he teaches with other aspects of everyday life.

The mental game for example, Denny has given me some techniques on how to control my nerves based on his experiences and knowledge. The irony is that his technique reverts back to innate techniques that people don't realize that they have. In its core, his technique is relative to everyone, at anytime, and it has to do with breathing.

Also, Scott, I can attest that I have heard of you from Denny and Lance Keppler during class. I know for certain that Denny is looking forward to working with you, as he always has very admirable things to say about all of the "SPF Family" (I believe that is the term he uses).

I know that he did mention to me that it would be good for me, as I advance, to consider visiting another instructor like yourself just to get another perspective of my game. But that will be in the future I am sure. After I finished my Masters Degree in college, I promised Deny I would be the 1st Masters Degree recipient from Ohio Pool School. . and I mean to keep all of my promises.


Happy Thanksgiving Sir!



Scott Lee said:
What a great testamonial to Denny! He is a great guy, and has a wonderful knack for being able to make learning the game simple. While I haven't had the pleasure of teaching with Denny yet (our schedules have set it up, but had to go different directions, a couple of times), I have watched him in action (and worked with some of his students), and am looking forward to working with him in the near future! He knows one of the same things Randyg, pooltcher, and I all know...S.A.M. Rules! :grin: Keep up the good work Denny! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...
 
Best Instructors

I am sure there are many. Master BCA Instructors would be a start. I just attended Tom Simpson's National Billiard Academy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It exceeeded my expectations even at the $995 price for 3 days. I think that says alot!

Good luck!

Tom Simpson has a website at poolclinics.com. He is also a featured contributor to Inside Pool an other billiard circulations.
 
I would also like to say thank you, to a lot of posters on AZ. So many are willing to share a wealth of knowledge, that I know can be very hard to come by. I would also like to comment on the young posters, who added to this thread. If the game of pool has many more young players, who carry themselves with the dignity and character that you do, the game of pool has a very bright future indeed.
 
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new2thegame...ALL of the best instructors recommend learning from as many teachers as you have the time, money and opportunity to take advantage of! Whenever you're ready, we'll find a way to meet! Good luck with your studies, on and off the green felt!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

new2thegame said:
Scott,

Thanks for the comment :grin:

I agree Denny does have a knack for making the learning process simple . . . more importantly; he has a knack for making the game relative. I admire the fact that he can correlate some of the things that he teaches with other aspects of everyday life.

The mental game for example, Denny has given me some techniques on how to control my nerves based on his experiences and knowledge. The irony is that his technique reverts back to innate techniques that people don't realize that they have. In its core, his technique is relative to everyone, at anytime, and it has to do with breathing.

Also, Scott, I can attest that I have heard of you from Denny and Lance Keppler during class. I know for certain that Denny is looking forward to working with you, as he always has very admirable things to say about all of the "SPF Family" (I believe that is the term he uses).

I know that he did mention to me that it would be good for me, as I advance, to consider visiting another instructor like yourself just to get another perspective of my game. But that will be in the future I am sure. After I finished my Masters Degree in college, I promised Deny I would be the 1st Masters Degree recipient from Ohio Pool School. . and I mean to keep all of my promises.


Happy Thanksgiving Sir!
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joe tucker..... He teaches stuff that actually helps not stupid boring drills that really dont have much use.
 
5ballcharlie said:
joe tucker..... He teaches stuff that actually helps not stupid boring drills that really dont have much use.
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tho I have to agree that most drills are boring, I firmly state that they are not stupid. No one in any professional feild has ever gotten to the top without them

firefighters, pilots, the military, baseball players, football, basketball etc...all do boring and stupid drills....when you can apply game time play to a stupid boring drill your chances of applying that mental attitude and the ingraned physical attributes while your in a match is greatly improved.

Just like in track others thought butt kicks and high knees were stupid drills and just warm up, but it promotes the proper leg turnover, those same guys wondered why I could just blow them away while standing next to them and opening up my stride without increasing turnover. It helped me learn and ingrain proper mechanical form.

drills are not stupid, but yes very few are fun
Grey Ghost
 
How the guy shown up above the point of *having fun* is amazing important! Especially if you re working with young kids/teens etc. - in the case you re teaching such *students* you also have to be an entertainer and it s a must have to create a good workout/training-plan for them. To keep the attention to let it not beeing to easy is very difficult in my opinion. I just begun to play again after a bout 10 years- and found back my fun givin lessons and teaching- and already after short time met a strange guy who s jealously.......- reason were 2 lil guys who were bored in a club-pool-room. Just saw em, gave em some tips etc. and 1-2 advice about stroke/stance (just fundamentals) - some days laterwondered that the guy didn t talk very much anymore. He never said anything to me -_- just a 3rd person told me, that the kids asked him 2- 3 times *when the guy would come again (me). I m really wondering how an instructor could be jealously- just because if someone perhaps was able to show "his" students somethin he wasn t able to? I hope somethin like that won t happen again to me (cause i was very pissed about his stupidness) and even so hope same won t happen to some u guys.

ok sry- went too off-topic. The most important thing is, that the student *believes* in his instructor- no matter what he says. And of course they HAVE TO KNOW that they could ask anytime they want to- no matter if they don t understand something or just wanna bring in their *idea* of sorting out problem with a drill.

hm. i think i shouldn t start AZ if i m angry, lol^^

have all a nice day :)

Ingo
 
pooltchr said:
Winning at pool is fun. Getting better at playing pool is fun. Doing drills leads to both. That is what makes doing drills fun.

Steve
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I hear ya, you know we used to hate to run 400m repeats in track....we called them fun-hundreds very sarcastically, but we knew that was one of the main reasons we got in such good shape. Without that there is no way i would have ever ran a 4:14 mile....it sucked getting there but the reward made it all worth it and then some. When you don't want to focus then reassert yourself and remmeber that tho its boring or whatever your working towards perfection...and thats what we are all striving for right?
 
5ballcharlie said:
joe tucker..... He teaches stuff that actually helps not stupid boring drills that really dont have much use.
Click to expand...

I sent Joe a pm asking about instruction. He said, from what I know of your game there isn't much I could show you... He offered to take a look at Turning Stone though... I played him a couple times and I now know that he doesn't watch his opponent shoot :grin-square:
 
Jason...Wow! Either you play at an "open" speed level, or I'd find that hard to believe. JoeT is a great teacher, with a lot to offer, even to other pros.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Jason Robichaud said:
I sent Joe a pm asking about instruction. He said, from what I know of your game there isn't much I could show you... He offered to take a look at Turning Stone though... I played him a couple times and I now know that he doesn't watch his opponent shoot :grin-square:
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Scott Lee get my vote

Of course I am biased since I just completed his Pool School
Thanks Scott
 
It is always useful (for every player) to spend time with a good instructor- and how Scott Lee wrote- to work with many good instructors is far better. Atm i try to contact and assist and almost every good instructor i know and able to meet (during absolving my *instructor-program* anyway)-
Each instructor has his own style (even if he s teaching same stuff) to transport theoretical and practise stuff. For me it s amazingly interesting to see how experienced instructors/trainer transporting their knowledge- with these experiences from watching other instructors i will be able to diversify/vary my lessons.
And in my opinion it s either a big advantage for a player if he is able to take lessons from several good instructors.

lg

Ingo
 
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