Highest pool-playing skill level Pool Instructor that you know.

JoeW said:
I wonder how many people even know the shots that Grady Mathews had on his one pocket VHS tape. Now there is a teacher who can blow most people away in the knowledge category.
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Those tapes he did with Accu-Stats were really good but IMO his best instructional video was done back in the late 80's. It has a lot of great stuff on it, tickie and umbrella shots, passing shots, kicking, etc... It's the best all around instructional tape I have ever watched. I have it on VHS but the tape is so worn out and the quality is so bad it wouldn't transfer to DVD very well. If someone has a good copy of it transfer it to DVD and upload it to youtube. I doubt Grady would mind, he said one of his ex's got the rights to it in the divorce!
 
The Saw said:
One name that is absent here is Danny Basavich... He is one of the best "real world" teachers of the game that I ever seen. Danny has an uncanny ability to size up what skill level a student is at and what the best direction is for that player to improve their game. For those in the NY, NJ, and Philly area, you can't do any better IMO......
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I've never had lessons with Danny, but I know he did a lot of learning from Neptune Joe Frady. That should speak volumes, if you are a local NJ/NYC player.


Eric
 
Ah, what do YOU know Tony? (tongue planted FIRMLY in cheek) :eek: :grin: From what I hear, you don't teach too shabby either!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

tonyc said:
I have watched and learned a lot from watching Blackjack play and instruct. He is very good at what he does.
Tony Crosby
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How about Tommy Kennedy. A former US Open 9 ball champion. One of the nicest people you will ever meet. A great teacher and he truly loves the game.
 
I find this whole thread hilarious. Even JoeyA went far off track 'surveying' what pro player he was gonna take lessons from. The thread was supposed to be about instructors...not pro players that occasionally teach a little. There have been 50x as many posts listing pro players than true instructors.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JoeyA said:
Who do you think is the best playing "genuine" pool instructor you know of?

I'm talking about pool instructors who regularly provide pool instruction to students, not professional pool players who occasionally give pool lessons.
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Scott Lee said:
I find this whole thread hilarious. Even JoeyA went far off track 'surveying' what pro player he was gonna take lessons from. The thread was supposed to be about instructors...not pro players that occasionally teach a little. There have been 50x as many posts listing pro players than true instructors.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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While you may reasonably find it to be "hilarious," nevertheless I think this thread is extremely useful, for there are pro players who also teach from time to time and getting a feel for their ability to teach and communicate through lessons is an invaluable resource.

Ten minutes of changing and tweaking my stroke with Mark Wilson (after having played him 9 ball for probably two or three hours) was incredibly valuable to me. Yes, I sing his praises...

To me, it was important to know he not only is a top notch teacher but player as well. Had he not been an excellent pro player, I probably wouldn't have stopped by his place to check it out. Although I know other pros who also give lessons, and might consider taking some lessons from them, if I were to sink some money into lessons, I'd probably go with Mark Wilson, or perhaps Stan Shuffett.

Buddy Hall would be great too... and Grady, of course.

Blackjack has helped me over the phone.

I say "The more the merrier" ... Is that hilarious, too? Long live this thread!


Flex
 
Hey John Barton!

JB Cases said:
I am pretty sure that if it's on live stream then we will all be counting the balls. In any event it's up to David now if he wants to do this. You said you would bet $1500 and I'd like to bet the whole $1500 but I understand if you want to bet less.

Make the arrangements and let's agree on where to send the money.

John

Edited to add that I just found out that David has Parkinson's disease. I would like to double the bet to $3000 just so I can donate this asshole's money to a worthwhile charity that is involved in fighting this disease.
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Hey John,

I just can't keep my mouth shut anymore.

It's no secret that you aren't high on my list, especially after your vindictiveness destroyed another Pool forum I enjoyed.

What galls me is watching you jumping into a fight that has nothing to do with you. Isn't this the very thing you resent JimBo's minions of doing to you? I suppose it's more fun to play offense, than defense, huh?

I got a proposition for ya...instead of betting on those two amateur hacks, how bout betting on two other amateur hacks; maybe you and I can play?

See? I feel that you, John, are another one of those "talk a better game on the Net than reality" types. I've read about how you beat this top player and that top player...how many racks you've strung... Well, I'm just a recreational player. Hell, I play the bar leagues too. Despite my lowly credentials, I think I like my chances playing you. I'm willing to pay, to find out. I won't even ask for a spot. I also have a bit of a grudge against you. I don't "hate" you, but I would love to show the world that John Barton doesn't play as "big" as he makes himself out.

Got action?


Eric
 
Eric. said:
Hey John,

I just can't keep my mouth shut anymore.

It's no secret that you aren't high on my list, especially after your vindictiveness destroyed another Pool forum I enjoyed.

What galls me is watching you jumping into a fight that has nothing to do with you. Isn't this the very thing you resent JimBo's minions of doing to you? I suppose it's more fun to play offense, than defense, huh?

I got a proposition for ya...instead of betting on those two amateur hacks, how bout betting on two other amateur hacks; maybe you and I can play?

See? I feel that you, John, are another one of those "talk a better game on the Net than reality" types. I've read about how you beat this top player and that top player...how many racks you've strung... Well, I'm just a recreational player. Hell, I play the bar leagues too. Despite my lowly credentials, I think I like my chances playing you. I'm willing to pay, to find out. I won't even ask for a spot. I also have a bit of a grudge against you. I don't "hate" you, but I would love to show the world that John Barton doesn't play as "big" as he makes himself out.

Got action?


Eric
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Sure,

We only have one problem. I am in China and don't plan to go anywhere soon. I might be in Valley Forge in March or in Vegas for the BCA Expo. Otherwise my trips are going to be quite limited.

I am curious though as to which posts I made saying I BEAT this or that top player?

I think I post a lot that I have played or gotten lessons from top players. I have. Being in the business for 20 years has allowed me to do this from time to time and I am grateful for it. But I have never said I have beaten any top players so I'd really appreciate it if while you are trying to goad me you wouldn't LIE about me.

I don't know who you are nor what you mean about "vindictivness" and destroying another forum that you enjoy. I think you have me confused with Fast Larry. Or you could be talking about the forum where there are no holds barred and the forum owner himself starts posts with titles like "so and so is scum". If you mean that forum then I don't see how my defending myself against the sort of maliciousness that happens there could possibly ruin it. Or maybe you mean that by injecting some logic into the content there it has ruined the daily level of idiotic and childish attacks like the one you are making here.

You could possibly be talking about the IPM forum and the great April Fool's joke that JR and I played. That was awesome and it backfired on JR unfortunately but the truth is that Jimmy and the Minions were gonna move anyway.

Now, I don't know what your problem is but I am sure that beating me on a pool table isn't gong to solve it. However I am always game to play and if you beat me then you can have a little more lunch money and whatever satisfaction beating me brings. If you lose it means nothing to me except getting a little more money to blow. I wonder though after this post where you declare your feelings of loathing and having a "grudge" how you will feel if you lose. Will you do us all a favor and go away?

The last thing is that if someone insults a friend of mine then I can certainly jump in wherever and whenever I want to. APA7 jumped into this thread in a malicious way. Joey A is an accomplished player himself as anyone who has spent time around these forums knows. He was asking a question to find out some opinions on who we think are high level players, not who we think are not. APA7 should have just kept his mouth shut OR EVEN posted his opinion in a much more diplomatic way if couldn't control himself. It wasn't as if David was touting himself.

He proposed a bet and I took him up on it. Then he even had the nerve to say I was ducking him after I agreed to the bet. SO what's YOUR problem, speaking of jumping into to things that DON'T concern you?

So if you want this match with me then reveal who you are so you can be verified, post the money, let's agree on a time, and let's get down. Otherwise take your whining somewhere else when you want to defend APA7's behavior by attacking me. You definitely have the worst of in going after me online.
 
And actually Eric, no I don't resent Jimmy's "minions" for jumping in on any threads I have been involved in. As much as tease them all most of them actually have brains even if not fully engaged. My forum history shows that I actively answer almost every post someone makes that directly speaks to me. I answer each point and that is usually where they go away or answer with more insults.

You have made several points here that are false;

First I never claimed to have beaten any top players in anything other than little FUN matches that were meaningless. ONE time I beat some of the Fury team in tiny little fun races to five where they weren't even trying. And I don't think I even mentioned that on these forums. But if I did and you are using that then that's a pretty far stretch to say that I am always posting about beating pros.

As for how many racks I have strung, again I rarely mention anything like that and when I have it was five racks of nine ball and five racks of 8 ball and 98 balls in straight pool and two 8 and outs in one pocket. That's my high runs in 25 years of playing. Although in reality since starting Instroke my actual playing experience can be condensed down to about 8 years. However I think it's probably enough to handle your game.

I have a feeling I know who you are and if I am right it makes this stance of yours even more puzzling.

Well anyway, now that you have gotten it off your chest that you don't like me and are willing to lie about me to justify that dislike, let's get down to business. You can bet whatever you want to. I like to bet enough to make it really hurt. How about $5000 to the charity of our choice. I mean I'd be really happy to spend your money on myself but as I get older I enjoy giving it to others who need it more than me. Who needs more toys when I have free entertainment from people like you?

So I figure that $5000 should be a decent bet between two bangers. Unless you want to bet more which is fine with me.

All this is conditional on us here at AZ being able to verify who you are. If you really are a no-name league player then you have action.
 
JB Cases said:
All this is conditional on us here at AZ being able to verify who you are. If you really are a no-name league player then you have action.
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John,

I can say that Eric is exactly who he says he is. He is an APA 7 / 9. Very good stats but still an amateur.

Koop - has played his buddy Eric a couple of times
 
Koop said:
John,

I can say that Eric is exactly who he says he is. He is an APA 7 / 9. Very good stats but still an amateur.

Koop - has played his buddy Eric a couple of times
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What is his full name and where does he play?
 
I want to add that no one - and I mean NO ONE - is able to make 200 balls in straight pool - at any time in their entire life - without being able to play.

If I am not mistaken David's high run is something like 224. No one makes that many balls in straight pool without knowing how to play at a professional level.

APA7 and David may have some "history" between them, I don't know and don't care. The point is that if APA7 thinks that it's cool to use that as an excuse to knock someone else's estimation of David's skill level in addtion to knocking David himself then that's way uncool. And anyone who steps up to defend APA7's uncool behaviour is themselves just as uncool.

It's not as if David came on this thread and nominated himself. Others did that. David has helped MANY MANY MANY people over the years both in person and through phone calls, emails and so on. So as an instructor he definitely has street cred. As a player who knows? I never "heard" of Blackjack David Sapolis in legendary road stories either. But then again there are many fine players I have never heard of.

In Buddy Hall's book Rags to Rifleman they tell a story of going to a poolroom to match up and the table mechanic gets up from underneath the table, doesn't take off the heavy apron he's wearing and runs 150 and out.

I never heard of Joe Tucker until Racking Secrets came out.

So I don't want to hear any more BS about the right to "question" someone's credentials. Yeah you have that right IF you are considering doing buisness with that person. You don't have that right if your intention is to demean and slander someone.

I myself have in the past questioned David's credentials to be allowed to play in the world 14.1 championships. 224 balls is enough for me to see that he has all the skills to be there.

And it's enough for me to bet the guy can run 75 balls in 8 hours if someone is foolish enough to trap themselves by claiming he can't.
 
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but what's he (Kennedy) been doing lately? I've been out of the loop for the past few years. I've heard he's a really nice guy. Just curious. Send me a pm, as to not take away from the thread's current topic.

Klink said:
How about Tommy Kennedy. A former US Open 9 ball champion. One of the nicest people you will ever meet. A great teacher and he truly loves the game.
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Flex...I'm in total agreement with you. I'm just saying that the original thread topic was quite different than how the thread turned out. The first post specified "professional teachers", and specifically not pro players that teach occasionally. Buddy Hall may be a fine teacher...but he is player first and foremost...and only an occasional teacher. Mark Wilson was a pro player, who quit playing to become a pro teacher...an excellent one. Unfortunately he's not even teaching anymore, as he's tied up with his duties with the WPBA.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Flex said:
I say "The more the merrier" ... Is that hilarious, too? Long live this thread!


Flex
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Best post of the thread.

matthew said:
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but what's he (Kennedy) been doing lately? I've been out of the loop for the past few years. I've heard he's a really nice guy. Just curious. Send me a pm, as to not take away from the thread's current topic.
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This thread has been twisted in about 10 totally random directions, most of them involving a lot of woofing. I just finished reading it and when I got to this post I had to laugh out loud.

Matthew, I'm not laughing at you, but your politeness here was so out-of-left-field that it caught me by surprise. The main reason I had to laugh was because you asked for a PM so as not to de-rail the thread.

Much too late for that, but kudos for the thought.
 
worldison2 said:
This thread has been twisted in about 10 totally random directions, most of them involving a lot of woofing. I just finished reading it and when I got to this post I had to laugh out loud.

Matthew, I'm not laughing at you, but your politeness here was so out-of-left-field that it caught me by surprise. The main reason I had to laugh was because you asked for a PM so as not to de-rail the thread.

Much too late for that, but kudos for the thought.
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Yeah, I suppose the thread has been turned around. I felt that asking about Tommy's well-being within the thread, would be too far off topic. But, since I've already broached the subject, what's he been up to?

As far as me being polite, thanks. :smile: After nearly 2 years, Thai culture is finally taking hold.
 
JB Cases said:
Ducking you? I asked to raise the bet. Whatever you want. I said it's up to David if he wants to do it. The man is having medical issues and you probably know that.

I will be glad to send in my money right now to whomever we can mutually trust.

For the record I think it's pretty low of you to do what you are doing with these remarks but if you want to be low class AND broke then that's your choice.

Let's post the cash right now. If the thing doesn't go off inside of a month then we each get the money back less whatever fees are incurred.

I will post with JoeyA, TAR, FastAndLoose, WalkerinTN or any number of reputable posters on this board.
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I don`t kno those guys. We will figure out how 2 post. First, we need 2 hear from Mr. imaginary 224 :o :sorry:

Brian
 
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