Help decinding which product to purchase

JimmyWhite

JimmyWhite

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi. I have been playing pool (mostly 9ball) for the past 6 months about 18+ hours per week . (been playing in the past too, but more casually) I have made several 9-ball run outs so far, and I am pretty determined to take my game to the next level and I think that it will help me to buy some instructional material. I enjoy playing drills and they have helped me a lot to improve my game so I will need something that has plenty of drills in it. Also, I think I may need some help with kicking systems, and safety play. So far, I think that I will surely buy some "Pro Skill Drills" books. (volume #1, #2 and #5) My main issue is whether to buy (additionally with the pro skill books), the complete set of VEPS or the set of Mastering Pool with Immonen. From what I have read so far, there are both great material, but the MP series must have a better-quality production, but on the other hand, VEPS seems to have more stuff in it. Which are the main differences between the two sets?

Thanks in advance.
 
JimmyWhite said:
Sorry about that.

Anyone that can answer my question in this part of the forum?
Click to expand...

Both videos are well made, effective, and contains a ton of information. They are however, almost complete opposites. Here is my honest comparison:

VEPS:

PROS: Very appropriately named. It's an encyclopedia of shots...meaning that it dissects a zillion different shot scenarios.

CONS: It is dry and lacking in production value.

CONCLUSION: VEPS is for the die hard enthusiast who can sit through a very dry presentation, and can still manage to absorb repetitive shot variations. If you truly love billiards and don't find instructional material boring, then VEPS is your best bet.


Mastering Pool with Mika Immonen:

PROS: It focuses on summarizing billiard concepts through strong visuals and production value.

CONS: The video omits the application process, meaning that it does not offer you many examples, in turn leaving that aspect of learning in your own hands.

CONCLUSION: If instructional content and repetition tend to bore you, then Mastering Pool is your best bet. It covers a lot of concepts quickly, while maintaining casual interest.

--

DISCLAIMER:

I will add that I am the fella who created the Mastering Pool series. I am however completely honest in my recommendations, as in the past I have many times recommended a competitors product over my own if I felt the customer would benefit from it.

As a pool enthusiast, even though dedicated, I still am unable to watch most instructional videos. I find them terribly boring, and my attention wanders. As such, I do not absorb the content as intended. To cater to like minded individuals, I created the Mastering Pool series. Although not perfect, they do offer a far more 'watchable' presentation.

If you are like me, Mastering Pool is the way to go. If however you understand most billiard concepts very well, and don't have a problem with dry content, then I would recommend VEPS. Also check out the IPAT series for drills and measuring/documenting your ability and progress (again, an entirely different type of product than VEPS or the Mika DVDs.
 
I know that Nathan has a keen understanding of production values and so, despite my not having seen "Mastering Pool" with Mika, I would trust in his opinion on it.

However, I must say that I found VEPS to be both comprehensive and fascinating. That is my go-to dvd resource.

Welcome to azb, Jimmy, and I'm glad I could clear this up for you. :D :thumbup:

Best,
Brian kc
 
For 9 ball a good video to get is Bert Kinisters 60 Minute Workout. Bob Hennings Pro Book and DVD cover the same shots but condenses them. The book is helpful because it has the shots layout so you have a reference for practice.
 
I have found the best thing after years of playing for actually improving my game is "Joe Tucker's Guaranteed Improvement". Its an $11 drill book, where the entire focus on the drills is cueball control. Most of the drills in the book are of simple shots where you have the cueball land on a piece of paper, placed at many various locations around the table. There is a record sheet to keep score, and measure how you improve at each drill over time. It also has a companinon dvd for a few dollars more, but I found the dvd not necessary at all.

By the way, the reason we miss runouts is due to poor position. Too much focus is on pocketing balls, aiming systems, etc. Play 10 racks and record why the run ended on each rack, and I'd bet anything on the vast majority of racks it was due to poor position (which resulted in a very difficult shot that was missed, a scratch, a kick, etc, but the root cause was poor position)


Its at the bottom of this page:
http://joetucker.net/products.html
 
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