How many hours of lessons should a beginner try to cram into a couple days?

[billiardplayer]

I'm a beginner player (probably D level) and there's a tournament coming up in a couple weeks that I want to prepare for. I've contacted a local PBIA instructor and I'm meeting up with him this weekend for a lesson. I'm sure there's a lot of basics and fundamentals that I have wrong, so he can help me with that. He told me he usually doesn't go longer than 2 hours because that would be information overload for a lot of people, but he agreed to give me a 3 hour lesson.

He's about 45 minutes from me though, so I was thinking getting more hours of lessons from him might be worth it. Like maybe I could get a few hours with him in the morning, take a break for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then go back for another few hours of lessons in the afternoon. Then during the week I could work on what he taught me. Then I'd go back for another lesson or two the following weekend before the tournament.

I know there are some courses/clinics out there that last for a full day, so maybe getting several hours of lessons in a day wouldn't be too much. Or would it be too much material for a beginner to realistically put to use in a tournament coming up in 2 weeks?

 

[tomatoshooter]

I think you would be best served by finding the weaknesses in you game and focus on those instead of trying to learn everything. You can pay your instructor for 3-4 hours or more but at that point you are paying him to be a practice partner. Typically lessons are an instructor teaching you something that you work on between lessons. They want you to get your money's worth and most people don't want to pay someone $50/hour to shag balls. If you are looking for the most out of your time and not worried about the money, then go for it! You seem like you want to really knuckle down and it can be fun to do a brief period of intense training that would not be realistic in the long term.

I was getting frustrated with the pace of my improvement and a boxer told me the Bruce Lee quote about how he'd rather fight the guy that practices a thousand strikes than the guy who practiced one strike a thousand times. God knows how many shots you need to know to consistently play well in pool, I think you will do better at this point to focus on the ones that come up 2-3 times a rack. The 80-20 rule, 20% of the skills are what you use 80% of the time.

What game are you playing in the tournament? That can prioritize certain skills.

Good luck in your tournament!

 

[FranCrimi]

Making changes to your fundamentals with a tournament a couple of weeks away is challenging. Just pick a few things and work on those and don't go overboard with the changes. Let your instructor prioritize them for you. A few hours of lessons will be plenty to do that. Then focus on playing the game you're going to be playing in the tournament.

 

[billiardplayer]

I'm sure I have a lot of weaknesses with really basic things like my stance and shooting motion, and I struggle to put draw on shots. It's an 8-ball tournament, and I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack.

 

[BC21]

I'm sure I have a lot of weaknesses with really basic things like my stance and shooting motion, and I struggle to put draw on shots. It's an 8-ball tournament, and I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack.

2 to 3 hours is plenty enough time for an instructor to highlight any fundamental flaws or poor habits you may've developed. The lesson should also provide ways to help you remedy the flaws, modify any bad habits. After that, you'll have to put in the work, following the instructor's advice.

Improvement relies on a big portion of solitary/self development. I mean, an instructor can show and describe what needs to be done, but YOU are the one that has to do it over and over and over in order to actually improve. So take the lesson, pick up a few pointers, a little knowledge or insight, and then practice what you've learned.

 

[BRKNRUN]

I'm sure I have a lot of weaknesses with really basic things like my stance and shooting motion, and I struggle to put draw on shots. It's an 8-ball tournament, and I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack.

Chances are.....there will be other players that can't run racks...and/or are not consistent at running racks...and I would bet pretty much every player in the field will have "some" weakness.

Perhaps go in to the lesson and let the instructor know exactly what you said here.....I have a tournament I want to prepare for and here is where my game is at....

There may be some things your instructor can "fix" right away without the "1 step forward two steps back" syndrome in preparation for your tournament...

I suspect there will be opportunity for you to strengthen your 8-ball strategy as well.....Example...your comment..."I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack"......The good news is...in 8-ball...Depending on the level of the field......in many cases you don't have to "run" the rack and in some situations it is not even advisable to try....You instructor may give you some strategy tips and moves that will win you games without having to "run" racks.

He/She may be able to show you how to identify racks that are and are not runnable....and also how to look for problems that would make your opponents racks non-runnable.....There are also strategies of making your opponents racks "non-runnable" while making yours runnable.

Your instructor may also be able to help you identity/expose other players weakness....You mention "I struggle to put draw on shots" .....If I am playing you I would pick up on that and expose it.....I may have a safe available that I would not against a player I know has a good draw shot.....I call them "ball ahead" safes.

It is similar to what I would tell a Golfer without many "shots in the bag" so to speak that says...I want to break 100.......I would tell them...."keep it on the course"......Making mistakes like knocking it out of bounds, in the water, in the sand, in the trees, etc...balloon scores....Simply just playing smart and keeping it on the course will often times drastically reduce scores and get someone under 100 (or even 90)

The same applies in pool....especially a strategy game like 8-ball...."Run what your brung" so to speak as far as your physical talent.....but play smarter than your opponent and you may be surprised out how many games you can win that way.

 

[dendweller]

2 to 3 hours is plenty enough time for an instructor to highlight any fundamental flaws or poor habits you may've developed. The lesson should also provide ways to help you remedy the flaws, modify any bad habits. After that, you'll have to put in the work, following the instructor's advice.

Improvement relies on a big portion of solitary/self development. I mean, an instructor can show and describe what needs to be done, but YOU are the one that has to do it over and over and over in order to actually improve. So take the lesson, pick up a few pointers, a little knowledge or insight, and then practice what you've learned.

I would think 1/2 hour, 45 minutes is enough to give a D player plenty to work on.

 

[GoldCrown]

I'm sure I have a lot of weaknesses with really basic things like my stance and shooting motion, and I struggle to put draw on shots. It's an 8-ball tournament, and I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack.

With the “proper instructor” and hard work you will improve.
Your instructor will give the answers you are looking for. Practice quality drills and take them the game. Have fun. You’re doing the right thing seeking help. If you are not comfortable with your instructor look for a different one. They are not created equal. Myself .. I enjoyed the SPF instructor I had. After my first lesson I had him come back a few weeks later to review the lesson. And we went on 2x a year for a few years. RIP Scott Lee

 

[Bob Jewett]

I would think 1/2 hour, 45 minutes is enough to give a D player plenty to work on.

The instructor also has to make sure they know how to work on the problems.

 

[nine_ball6970]

Personally I would wait until after the tournament to take the lesson. Trying to incorporate everything from the lesson in a tournament setting is just the wrong time. Some say no competition until you no longer have to think about what you have been working on from a lesson.

Say you take the lesson and the instructor gives great advice on things to work on. You play terribly in the tournament and no longer have faith in what instructor told you because of the results in the tournament.

 

[GoldCrown]

Personally I would wait until after the tournament to take the lesson. Trying to incorporate everything from the lesson in a tournament setting is just the wrong time. Some say no competition until you no longer have to think about what you have been working on from a lesson.

Say you take the lesson and the instructor gives great advice on things to work on. You play terribly in the tournament and no longer have faith in what instructor told you because of the results in the tournament.

But then.... we play like crap and lose our confidence... or play like crap and learn from it. Playing does help, The op realizes they need an instructor and are moving forward. Something that I had to learn was Nobody is laughing at me... if I screw up nobody cares. We learn something every time. I commend the OP for wanting to compete. Why not. It's not their occupation...it's for fun.

 

[WobblyStroke]

Your instructor is wise to be wary of info overload. 4 great lessons combined form one awful lesson.

As others have mentioned, you won't need longer than 2-3hrs. you're really with the coach so he can assess you, help you fix what's wrong, show you how to wotk on it on your own, and make sure you understood your homework. then u grind it out on your own for a while a go see him for a checkup in a cpl months.

 

[Cameron Smith]

I'm a beginner player (probably D level) and there's a tournament coming up in a couple weeks that I want to prepare for. I've contacted a local PBIA instructor and I'm meeting up with him this weekend for a lesson. I'm sure there's a lot of basics and fundamentals that I have wrong, so he can help me with that. He told me he usually doesn't go longer than 2 hours because that would be information overload for a lot of people, but he agreed to give me a 3 hour lesson.

He's about 45 minutes from me though, so I was thinking getting more hours of lessons from him might be worth it. Like maybe I could get a few hours with him in the morning, take a break for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then go back for another few hours of lessons in the afternoon. Then during the week I could work on what he taught me. Then I'd go back for another lesson or two the following weekend before the tournament.

I know there are some courses/clinics out there that last for a full day, so maybe getting several hours of lessons in a day wouldn't be too much. Or would it be too much material for a beginner to realistically put to use in a tournament coming up in 2 weeks?

I agree with your instructor about info overload. In such a short time frame the best use of multiple lessons with your instructor would probably to have them act as a coach as you work through your exercises. Having someone there for a couple hours to make sure you are applying the advice properly and keeping you from getting lazy would be invaluable.

 

[tomatoshooter]

It's an 8-ball tournament, and I'm definitely not good enough to run a rack.

I play plenty of tournaments and see very few racks run. Maybe it happens on other tables, when I'm not looking, but there are not a lot of people stringing racks together on the regular.

You instructor may give you some strategy tips and moves that will win you games without having to "run" racks.

He/She may be able to show you how to identify racks that are and are not runnable....and also how to look for problems that would make your opponents racks non-runnable.....There are also strategies of making your opponents racks "non-runnable" while making yours runnable.

Yes. One thing I try to do is solve problems such as clusters and balls on the end rails. If you are smart, you can trap your opponent into breaking up a cluster. If I don't see a clear path out, I like to leave at least two balls on the table in accessible positions so at least one of them will be available when I get back to the table. It's better to have two targets than one. Don't run 6 if you can't run 8.

Another thing is that when you want to leave your opponent in a tough spot, you don't need to put most amateurs in jail. A long or thin shot, even if not tough enough to miss, can be enough to make you opponent miss position on his next shot. The harder they have to work, the sooner they are going to miss. It can be a game of attrition.