I was asked to train a league level 1 player who couldn’t win a match. The lady who showed up looked like she’s been playing for 2 weeks total. Complete beginner. We went over fundamentals from scratch, bridge hand, stroke, mental game, alignment, stance, aiming system.. She listened carefully and took notes but saw her play a game after and not much progress. How do you teach complete beginners? Lots of talking or just have them shoot balls over and over?
How do you train beginner beginner?
- Thread starter Mustardeer
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tomatoshooter
Well-known member
Mighty X. Stop shots of different distances. Centerfield drill. Eye pattern when stroking and vision center. Find out what she's best at and teach her to play to her strengths, utilizing strategy and understanding the odds. I'm personally a little cautious about getting too immersed into the obstructive play to not lose strategy because I think it's much less effective at the higher level I want to achieve, but it can be very effective for a low level player against a mediocre player.
Most importantly, understand that, unless there's a significant yet quickly correctible flaw in her game, it will take some time to see results. Sometimes you'll get into a groove in a practice session, but real gains take a little while to show up.
Honestly, the Mighty X drill is probably the most important drill, because it only requires accurate delivery of the cue ball and is so repetitive, will quickly hone your delivery because it's easy to see exactly what is going wrong. Just make her do this for 1 hour:
Plenty of times I'll have rough nights and then I remember that I haven't done the Mighty X in a couple of weeks, it always helps. You can move the balls closer if she's struggling, I'd try to keep her above 50%.
Most importantly, understand that, unless there's a significant yet quickly correctible flaw in her game, it will take some time to see results. Sometimes you'll get into a groove in a practice session, but real gains take a little while to show up.
Honestly, the Mighty X drill is probably the most important drill, because it only requires accurate delivery of the cue ball and is so repetitive, will quickly hone your delivery because it's easy to see exactly what is going wrong. Just make her do this for 1 hour:
Plenty of times I'll have rough nights and then I remember that I haven't done the Mighty X in a couple of weeks, it always helps. You can move the balls closer if she's struggling, I'd try to keep her above 50%.
In the thread in the main forum where someone asked about teaching their young daughter, there is some good, relevant discussion.
Mostly, you need to work on very basic drills to improve mechanics. For the level mentioned, the Mighty X is entirely out of the question. I doubt the student has a stop shot from a foot away.
Mostly, you need to work on very basic drills to improve mechanics. For the level mentioned, the Mighty X is entirely out of the question. I doubt the student has a stop shot from a foot away.
How do you join a league when you can't play at all? Did someone push her to join because they needed a low level player to round out their team? Give this person some dignity and teach her how to play before pushing her into a league, not the other way around! Geez!
You want advice in how to teach her? Get her off the team and get her some lessons from a qualified instructor, and give her time to learn the game rather than throwing her into the ring.
You want advice in how to teach her? Get her off the team and get her some lessons from a qualified instructor, and give her time to learn the game rather than throwing her into the ring.
I'd first talk to this person and find out who they are, what makes em tick in life and understand them.
Why were you chosen to do this?
What motivates her?
In our neck of the woods, there's a very pretty young woman that plays pretty good and wins quite often.
Welllllllllll, being in an area with Supermax prison and many other prison guards, the men in the leagues around here can and are, Very annoying when she's around.
I just talked to her last week, she quit, too much testosterone and lack of respect.
But that's Fremont County CO.
I used to give lessons back in Jersey in the mid 80's I charged $25 an hour plus table time,this was a part time gig to pick up a few bucks,I had a real day job.
So a new guy wants lessons,I throw out 10 balls and give him cue ball in hand and say shoot them in.
After he got done I realized he needed basic draw and follow instructions and we worked the whole hour on that and scant progress was made.
The next time we meet up he says "when are you going to teach me how to run a rack of 9 ball?"
From that day on I decided to only work with those that had a couple years playing up to a certain ability(can run 8 or 9 balls on an open table or better),I dont have the patience to teach a pure noobie.
So a new guy wants lessons,I throw out 10 balls and give him cue ball in hand and say shoot them in.
After he got done I realized he needed basic draw and follow instructions and we worked the whole hour on that and scant progress was made.
The next time we meet up he says "when are you going to teach me how to run a rack of 9 ball?"
From that day on I decided to only work with those that had a couple years playing up to a certain ability(can run 8 or 9 balls on an open table or better),I dont have the patience to teach a pure noobie.
I used to play where there were a lot of leagues. When the team coaches were giving advice during time outs, I had to suppress my urge to scream and apply the butt of my cue as needed. Most leagues are lousy environments to learn pool, in my experience.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I hate that. Fortunately, neither I nor the other men I hang around with do that, but it happens. Then again, it either takes or makes a certain type of personality to go to work at a supermax. That's not a license, and plenty of other people do, too, but you can't expect someone to spend much time in that environment and not develop certain personality traits.
Yessir.....
Lousy environments to play pool IMO.
One reason I quit.
Like Fran's approach. Find out who she is and find out the whys and whats.
In Sales, if you don't know the needs and just pitch the pitch, without asking questions?
You're gonna be a loser, and you're not gonna be of any help to anyone Ever!
Pool is flat-out super difficult to learn. To make it even worse, it's not an instinctual game like golf and many others. While golf may be more difficult to play overall, just about everybody understands how to whack a club instinctively. So they can jump in and start hacking at the ball. Pool -- not so much.
Really at the beginning phase, players are better off being able to shoot any object ball into any other ball. That's if they can cue the ball at all. Clearing the object balls off the table this way, is a much more positive way to start out.
I'm sure there are other good tips out there for teaching beginners.
Really at the beginning phase, players are better off being able to shoot any object ball into any other ball. That's if they can cue the ball at all. Clearing the object balls off the table this way, is a much more positive way to start out.
I'm sure there are other good tips out there for teaching beginners.
Oops....thought I was in the Main Forum.
It should be a pleasure, not a pressure, to teach a beginner. Set up this shot:
Have them cut it in ten times with center ball, to try and reach a spot of your choice with the cue ball. Then ten times to another spot. Then tell them to shoot ten and ten of these to start each playing and practice session going forward.
Once you see sufficient progress and some new feel in their game, come back to this shot with some gentle topspin and draw shots, later adding a dash of english.
Have them cut it in ten times with center ball, to try and reach a spot of your choice with the cue ball. Then ten times to another spot. Then tell them to shoot ten and ten of these to start each playing and practice session going forward.
Once you see sufficient progress and some new feel in their game, come back to this shot with some gentle topspin and draw shots, later adding a dash of english.
I believe the best thing to start an absolute beginner on are the root fundamentals: Developing the bridge, stance, and stroke.
Not sure if anyone else does it this way, but I think this is a good way to help a beginner develop their fundamentals...
Randomly roll all 15 balls out on the table (no clusters) and have them shoot each ball into a pocket, any pocket, without using the cb. They should try to send each ball into the center of the pocket, working on visualizing the path of the ball, getting the body aligned in accordance with that path, building a solid and comfortable stance, a solid bridge, a slow take away and a smooth stroke delivery with a purposeful follow-through on each shot.
The primary goal is to be able to send all 15 balls into the pockets as accurately as possible, striking slightly above center on each ball at medium speed, so the ball starts off rolling, not sliding.
Bring the cb into the mix after the player is able to do this consistently and accurately every time.
I used this method with a couple of beginners and they really enjoyed the process. I believe it was because their improvement/progress was so easily noticeable, and that made them want to keep at it until they pocketed all 15 balls without any misses. Then I'd say, "That was pretty good, now lets do it again, this time really paying attention to sending each ball perfectly into the center of the pocket."
Not sure if anyone else does it this way, but I think this is a good way to help a beginner develop their fundamentals...
Randomly roll all 15 balls out on the table (no clusters) and have them shoot each ball into a pocket, any pocket, without using the cb. They should try to send each ball into the center of the pocket, working on visualizing the path of the ball, getting the body aligned in accordance with that path, building a solid and comfortable stance, a solid bridge, a slow take away and a smooth stroke delivery with a purposeful follow-through on each shot.
The primary goal is to be able to send all 15 balls into the pockets as accurately as possible, striking slightly above center on each ball at medium speed, so the ball starts off rolling, not sliding.
Bring the cb into the mix after the player is able to do this consistently and accurately every time.
I used this method with a couple of beginners and they really enjoyed the process. I believe it was because their improvement/progress was so easily noticeable, and that made them want to keep at it until they pocketed all 15 balls without any misses. Then I'd say, "That was pretty good, now lets do it again, this time really paying attention to sending each ball perfectly into the center of the pocket."
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