Billiard Instructor Qualifications

[Matt_24]

After watching the thread about the Australian Oyster and the Shuffetts, I started to think about instructors, period - and this question came to mind.

What background/experience/titles/etc should a person have who is going to self-proclaim that they are an instructor, and make this their livelihood? Simple question and I'd like to hear your answers.

I've taken lessons twice in my life. Once was from Max Eberle for a few hours. He reviewed my game and the only adjustment he made was my stance, thus ensuring I was properly in-line with every shot.

The second lesson I took was with Jimmy Reid and he worked with me some on the 9 ball break, the though process behind running out a rack of 9 ball, some tricks to improve staying down, and on a few diamond systems.

To me, they were both very qualified with prestigious professional titles and gambling experience under their belts. Those kind of qualifications are what I personally looked for in my instructor the two times I took lessons.

What kind of quals did the Australian Oyster have to start up his Billiard School,etc?? I have never heard of him.

Who are some of the top instructors out there today? I know we have some on the board, like Mr. Blackjack.

Just a few thoughts/questions I had.

 

[Scaramouche]

Here is a school clainimg double-barreled qualifications, but I don't know the significance. Perhaps some knowledgeable soul would pontificate

"Cue U is the official pool school of the American Cuemakers Association."

"Our pool school is accredited by the Billiard Congress of America"

http://www.cue-u.com/

 

[pooltchr]

For starters, you can go to www.bca-pool.com/play and look under instruction. You will find a list of BCA certified instructors. You will also see a list of academy's. While BCA certification is not a guarantee that you will find an instructor that works for you, it does indicate that the instructor has some experience teaching pool, and has been recommended by an advanced or master level instructor for inclusion in the instructor program. Not all good instructors are necessarily BCA instructors, but it's a good place to start.

While there are many very good instructors around, Randy G (Cue-Tech) and Scott Lee are two that I think most would agree are top notch instructors. There are several others as well

Steve

 

[Bob Jewett]

...
What background/experience/titles/etc should a person have who is going to self-proclaim that they are an instructor, and make this their livelihood? Simple question and I'd like to hear your answers. ...

The answer is not so simple. I've seen instructors with impressive credentials who were not very good at teaching, at least for some students. This is true in lots of areas, not just pool.

After a lesson, ask yourself the question, "How will my game change now? What will I do differently? What can I do better now than before the lesson?" Ask yourself the same question about that lesson a month later, and if the answer is "Nothing has changed," then the lesson was (obviously) useless.

What you really want is a fit between the instructor and you. If the instructor is great at one pocket strategy (to pick an extreme example) but you are not able to hit a shot the same way twice because of your grip hand action, you have the wrong instructor unless he can also work on fundamentals.