I believe some instructors can actually ruin your game!

[buckshotshoey]

I used to think like you. The truth is that you can make it in the billiard industry by flat out lying to people and the lack of oversight and doing just enough to satisfy a percentage of the people you deal with is plenty enough to make a decent living in this industry. My "people skills" used to be along the lines of the customer is always right so I kissed everyone's ass trying to sell my stuff. Somewhere along the way I stopped working for everyone else and started working for myself. So today I don't have put my lips to anyone's ass in order to extract a few bucks from them. I don't have to lie, exaggerate or lay down the bullshit to sell my stuff. But I could make shitty cases and lie about them and make even more money if I chose to. That's the harsh reality that most consumers don't get. It is way way way easier to build shit and lie about it to maximize profit than it is to build good stuff that is truly dependable. And when someone does build good stuff then it's easy to knock them off with a shitty version and lie about the knockoff's quality.

In the instructor world it's easy to make a name for yourself even if what you teach is the same old tired stuff they were teaching in 1972. There are barely any recognized coaches in pool who not only can accurately assess ability but also who are known for producing championship caliber players.

The thing about lies is they tend to pile up... Kind of like in an outhouse. And the higher the pile gets, the easier it is to know what's there.

There is one advantage we do have today, and that's the many many different sources we can use to weed out the bullshit. That is if one is willing to do their homework.

 

[JB Cases]

The thing about lies is they tend to pile up... Kind of like in an outhouse. And the higher the pile gets, the easier it is to know what's there.

There is one advantage we do have today, and that's the many many different sources we can use to weed out the bullshit. That is if one is willing to do their homework.

I wish that were true as well but I have found that in the billiard industry lies are not as harmful to the liar as they should be and as they are in other industries.

In pool liars are celebrated and their fans will defend them rabidly.

 

[buckshotshoey]

I wish that were true as well but I have found that in the billiard industry lies are not as harmful to the liar as they should be and as they are in other industries.

In pool liars are celebrated and their fans will defend them rabidly.

 

[buckshotshoey]

I don't completely disagree with you. There are a lot of shysters out there in all walks of life. It's the consumers job to try to weed those out. Let the buyer beware.

I'm currently studying under Anthony Beeler. I'm using this paragraph out of his book without his permission, but I am giving him all the credit. This pretty much says it all....

"The first thing to remember when looking for a quality pool instructor is that there are no miracle workers. The Billiards industry is filled with instructors who advertise how their teachings will improve your game by two balls overnight. That's not going to happen, believe it!"

You could have the greatest teacher in the world, but you're not going to learn shit if you're unwilling to change. This sport, and this forum is filled with people who think they know it all, who think they are God's gift to pool, people who think they know everything there is to know about pool and have no inclination to learn anything new. These type of people we'll never be able to be taught anything. You can't blame that on the teacher.

 

[Scott Lee]

Sounds like that player may not have stuck with the changes the instructor had him doing for a long enough period. He may indeed have been a very good player, but if he had flaws in his fundamentals or stroke, that very possibly could ultimately make it very tough for him to continue to improve his game to higher levels, particularly if his game has already plateaued.

If you make the decision to go to an instructor, you should do your homework to make sure they are highly qualified. If you are already a good player, you are likely doing so because you realize there are some aspects of your game, either fundamentals, alignment or stroke that may be holding you back and need to be addressed, and your pool game is important enough a priority to you to seek out an instructor. You must be committed and trusting to stick with the changes that instructor is recommending, with the realization and acceptance that it might take six months or more of hard work to start paying off.

Most players are too impatient and are not willing to make that commitment and put in the months of work that may be necessary for these changes to work, particularly for players that have been doing it a certain way for years with some level of success.

Very true Chris. I have worked successfully with many players who are the best in their regions. EVERY one of them was most interested in developing a more accurate and repeatable stroke (which, as dardusm said, must be able to be performed at all speeds from a lag to a full out break)! Once they learned about themselves through extensive video analysis, then they were able to commit to making some changes in how or what they did, as a routine! Still looking to get to Boone!

Scott Lee