Best Traiing Aid, Device, Book, or VHS-DVD-CD that help your game

Instruction

Better than a book, better than a DVD and better than drills. DEE ADKINS!
 
He was "Tommy Tucker the Pool Sucker" and I was "Butch" from the mountains of Tenn.

One Pocket John said:
Went to your Facebook page. Your head needs a tan. Looks cool though.

If you could dogleg thru St. Louis that would be cool. Could meet you at Cue & Cushion in Overland MO. on a Friday thru Monday during the day.

Take care and travel safely.

John :)
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Last time I was at Cue & Cushion I was with Rusty Branemiere and he was playing Bill Berry....I think Tom Ferry was around that day too.

Does that "date me" or what?

Man, could Rusty play banks and one pocket, He was "Tommy Tucker the Pool Sucker" and I was "Butch" from the mountains of Tennessee when we were traveling on the road together.

The stories I could tell from those road trips would be interesting to put together....Rusty and I ALWAYS got the money in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky - there was some great players around there too.

The only guy I didn't beat (we broke even) was a guy named John Brumback....some of you may have heard that name before.

'The Road was the Teacher'
 
CJ Wiley said:
Last time I was at Cue & Cushion I was with Rusty Branemiere and he was playing Bill Berry....I think Tom Ferry was around that day too.

Does that "date me" or what?

Man, could Rusty play banks and one pocket, He was "Tommy Tucker the Pool Sucker" and I was "Butch" from the mountains of Tennessee when we were traveling on the road together.

The stories I could tell from those road trips would be interesting to put together....Rusty and I ALWAYS got the money in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky - there was some great players around there too.

The only guy I didn't beat (we broke even) was a guy named John Brumback....some of you may have heard that name before.

'The Road was the Teacher'
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CJ, You bring back memories with the mention of Rusty. I only played him once and that was at the Kentucky Open in 1985 at Jimmy Hodges's Cue Time. I won my first match against Louie Lemke 11/10. I played Paul Campbell the next match and he went all in for about 900 with a bookie on our match and I came out on top 11/4. Miss that guy. Paulie was a lot of fun. I played Rusty next and played well to be up at 10/9 and then he came with extremely tough long rail banks to win each of the last 2 games. I mean he cranked'em in when it counted, too. Kim Davenport spanked me my next match and went on to win the event , the first of his many professional tournament victories.

Stan Shuffett
 
CJ Wiley said:
Yes, this the advanced reason for setting the left foot parallel to the line of the shot....it allows you to slightly adjust your aim using the foot, while keeping the upper body angles consistent. You have a snooker background so you understand the advantages to an open stance and a square look at the shot.....it's superior to the normal pool stance that's taught, however, as you noted, the feet must be placed properly and consistently to gain the full advantage.
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Hi CJ,

I naturally gravitated to an 'open' 'square' stance with a 'face on' level head when I was 13 years old. Perhaps I did that because I was also playing other sports, hitting a baseball, tennis ball, pieces of old rubber hose with a broom stick, etc. Anyway, it was natural to me.

We walk around all day long with our head & eyes level & do so many other tasks face on. I have gotten many a young foul ball hitter into hitting doubles, triples, & home runs, just by getting their heads & eyes level & facing the incoming ball with little to no other adjustments. Just doing that allowed their natural hand eye coordination to work by just taking a road block out of the way.

I just wanted to throw my support behind what you're saying & what I feel is a more 'naturally correct' method.

Best Regards & Best Wishes,
Rick
 
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CJ Wiley said:
Yes, the fact of the matter is, "either you do it correct or your subconscious will always have to go through a series of RE adjustments to get the right perception of the shot" - this is what players will struggle with all their life, then label the re adjustments as part of their pre shot routine and teach it ...... this has been going on for the last 30 years, and passed down until the "easy to teach" techniques are "common knowledge".

That's what I saw when I started reading some of this forum info. - it was simply heading people down a dead end street. Once you're shown the truth it will set you free to differentiate the effective way to play from the way that's commonly taught.....there's a recognizable difference. 'The Game is the Teacher'
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Tap! Tap! Tap!
 
Paulie Campbell was great action and a funny character too.

stan shuffett said:
CJ, You bring back memories with the mention of Rusty. I only played him once and that was at the Kentucky Open in 1985 at Jimmy Hodges's Cue Time. I won my first match against Louie Lemke 11/10. I played Paul Campbell the next match and he went all in for about 900 with a bookie on our match and I came out on top 11/4. Miss that guy. Paulie was a lot of fun. I played Rusty next and played well to be up at 10/9 and then he came with extremely tough long rail banks to win each of the last 2 games. I mean he cranked'em in when it counted, too. Kim Davenport spanked me my next match and went on to win the event , the first of his many professional tournament victories.

Stan Shuffett
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Paulie Campbell was great action and a funny character too. "South Side" Louie Lemke I tried to trap in Minnesota but he somehow knew not to play.....Jimmy Hodges was a really solid players, I had him giving me the 8 Ball at his pool room in Kentucky and it was all I could do to win, I had to run a "5 Pack" at the end on him.

I haven't heard those names in a while, those guys were all great action, and no, they didn't play like Rusty...or Kim D.

Another player that was around back then was Mike Johnson, I played him several time for some pretty big money, although we played his best game which was bar table. I believe he ended committing suicide, which was sad, he had a lot of heart and I respected that quality.

"Country Calvin," Reid Pierce and Joe Lawrence were also traveling around gambling a lot in those days.....brings back a lot of memories, Stan, it sure was an adventure [in pool] back then wasn't it? :thumbup2:
 
CJ Wiley said:
Paulie Campbell was great action and a funny character too. "South Side" Louie Lemke I tried to trap in Minnesota but he somehow knew not to play.....Jimmy Hodges was a really solid players, I had him giving me the 8 Ball at his pool room in Kentucky and it was all I could do to win, I had to run a "5 Pack" at the end on him.

I haven't heard those names in a while, those guys were all great action, and no, they didn't play like Rusty...or Kim D.

Another player that was around back then was Mike Johnson, I played him several time for some pretty big money, although we played his best game which was bar table. I believe he ended committing suicide, which was sad, he had a lot of heart and I respected that quality.

"Country Calvin," Reid Pierce and Joe Lawrence were also traveling around gambling a lot in those days.....brings back a lot of memories, Stan, it sure was an adventure [in pool] back then wasn't it? :thumbup2:
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Yes, Cj. It was a vastly different time for pool back then. Of course, I was in a classroom teaching and had extremely limited experiences compared to what you had. I was lucky to get play in the Kentucky Open. That particular event fell on my spring break. I was in heaven for that week. I was mostly a weekend warrior of some sort. I got to play somewhere most every weekend for years when I was really after it.
Stan Shuffett
 
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1. 99 Critical Shots book
2. Dr. Dave's website

I'm not sure if you really need a #3. Maybe a breakrak.
 
CreeDo said:
1. 99 Critical Shots book
2. Dr. Dave's website

I'm not sure if you really need a #3. Maybe a breakrak.
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I echo this same list. Even though I give Dr. Dave quite a ribbing for how he strip-mines the AZB forums and his sometimes jabberwocky advertising, his site is definitely chock-full of anything and everything you'd want to sit down with a cup of coffee and get lost in. Lots of great stuff there.

I'd add a third item to that list, and that would be:

3. Joe Tucker's "Third Eye Stroke Trainer." For the simple reason that it keeps you honest and well-tuned in not only knowing where true center axis is, but also -- as a result -- in actually hitting the cue ball where you "think" you're hitting it. One of the best tools to diagnose head/eye alignment and cueing perception issues there is.

-Sean
 
Our Jr Pool League here in Mass has got some new players, you sent me your older video a while back for the kids to watch, and I will have them go though it and work on things with them. Several of the new kids show some promise, including an 8 or so yr old girl that lines up and bridges like a pro already. I am working with a few of them to show them how to line up properly on the shot before even getting down in the full shooting stance with the bridge and why it's important to hit where you are aiming on the cueball.

Thanks for that video and I'll be posting some pictures of the kids in their learning process since everyone talks about the "future of pool", some of us are working on creating the players for that future :smile:

CJ Wiley said:
I may put together a video at some point to show how this process works (clearing the hips to get the ideal visual perspective of every shot), as far as I know it's never been shown in detail. The only reason I can show it is from teaching the martial arts for 22 years has given me a keen insight on how the body functions, and how to train others to accomplish these type movements.

Most people seem to be unaware of their body holistically, so they isolate parts that really have no direct influence on their game. The foundation of the feet, then the center of the body (the hips) are the places that are most neglected in instruction and arguably the most critical areas of potential improvement.

To put it all in place you must first take it apart and refine all the moving parts. I show most of this on my 'Ultimate Pool Secrets' DVD, but it's challenging to show everything at once.....it usually takes a 3 week process. Watching any DVD once or taking a couple hour lesson won't do much good with out the dedication to open you mind and make the effort to incorporate new techniques that work under pressure and competition. 'The Game is the Teacher'
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.the future of pool is getting better every day in every way.

hang-the-9 said:
Our Jr Pool League here in Mass has got some new players, you sent me your older video a while back for the kids to watch, and I will have them go though it and work on things with them. Several of the new kids show some promise, including an 8 or so yr old girl that lines up and bridges like a pro already. I am working with a few of them to show them how to line up properly on the shot before even getting down in the full shooting stance with the bridge and why it's important to hit where you are aiming on the cueball.

Thanks for that video and I'll be posting some pictures of the kids in their learning process since everyone talks about the "future of pool", some of us are working on creating the players for that future :smile:
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That would be fantastic....the future of pool is getting better every day in every way.
 
the trick is to replace the word "archery" with the word "pool".

'Zen if the Art of Archery' is {by far} the best "pool book" I ever read, here' an example of a page out of the book - the trick is to replace the word "archery" with the word "pool".

" Stop thinking about the shot! " the Master called out.

" That way it is bound to fail. "

" I can’t help it, " I answered, " the tension gets too painful. "

" You only feel it because you haven’t really let go of yourself.
It is all so simple.

You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf
what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the
weight of snow.

Suddenly the snow slips to the ground without
the leaf having stirred.

Stay like that at the point of highest
tension until the shot falls from you.

So, indeed, it is: when the
tension is fulfilled, the shot must fall, it must fall from the archer
like snow from a bamboo leaf, before he even thinks it. "

'The Game is the Teacher'
 
Spimp13 said:
+1000...the video does not lie! I remember Randy breaking down my whole process (or lack thereof) and it was a real eye opener. After watching the video I told him I was probably the worst APA 7 in terms of fundamentals and was amazed I could even shoot like I did with those bad fundys. Fortunately he told me he had seen much worse :o
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That sounds like me. I'm an APA 7 and I know my fundamentals are just terrible. I need to find someone local to work with. I've been recording myself and trying to adjust, but I think another set of eyes would be better.
 
When I was young - "Willie Mosconi's On Pocket Billiards" to basic fundamentals.

After too many years of bar banging - "99 Critical Shots" woke me up to actually considering physics in my game. Bob Byrnes' books were also early study tools.

Lately, the concept of progressive exercises as explained by San Francisco Billiards Academy (Bob Jewett & group).

Now - learning from the consequences of success and failure.
 
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