If you can't explain it simply......

[ShootingArts]

If you explain something five ways and still get a blank stare it may be time to tell the student to take up bowling.

My favorite instructor taught short courses to maybe fifteen or twenty people, sometimes as many as thirty. With one to four days to teach a lot of material there wasn't much time to spend with one student that disagreed with the way things worked or was like a small child that will just ask "why" over and over no matter how you explain something. Tony might spend five to ten minutes with someone if he felt others in the class might be gaining too but after explaining a few different ways and failing to satisfy someone his final explanation was "Magic!" I learned that and when all else fails I just tell people it is magic!

In fairness to Tony, if he did think somebody was genuinely lost concerning something that they needed to understand he would tell them to catch him at break time or lunch.

Hu

 

[GentlemanJames]

Best simple explanation on how to play pool I ever heard-
take the easy shots to get to the hard shots to make the hard shots easy.

Yes, but; telling a person 'What To Do' is one thing; whereas, teaching them 'How To Do It' is often another matter altogether.

Most people who can do a thing can usually tell someone else 'What To Do' in simple terms; however, transferring the concept accurately and completely requires a highly knowledgeable person in the area of interest, who is ALSO skilled in communicating the 'How To Do It' methodology in multiple way, until the right mode of understanding is communicated and understood - and, the light in the student's head finally turns-on.

Big difference between a Teller of What, and, a Teacher of How. - GJ

 

[measureman]

My favorite instructor taught short courses to maybe fifteen or twenty people, sometimes as many as thirty. With one to four days to teach a lot of material there wasn't much time to spend with one student that disagreed with the way things worked or was like a small child that will just ask "why" over and over no matter how you explain something. Tony might spend five to ten minutes with someone if he felt others in the class might be gaining too but after explaining a few different ways and failing to satisfy someone his final explanation was "Magic!" I learned that and when all else fails I just tell people it is magic!

In fairness to Tony, if he did think somebody was genuinely lost concerning something that they needed to understand he would tell them to catch him at break time or lunch.

Hu

Back in Jersey in the '80's I would give one on one lessons to people of a certain skill level,they at least had to be able to draw and follow with a fair degree of skill,I had no patience for rank beginners.
Needless to say but we worked on some high level stuff and sometimes I would show them a tricky position shot and they would ask why does the cue ball do that?
A lot of the time I would say I dont know why but if you hit the shot like this thats what will happen.
Sometimes people try to make a relatively simple game way too complicated by over analyzing it.
This one of the reasons I seldom watch instructional videos online ,too much tech talk and slo mo.
Do this and this happens,thats all I need to know.

 

[tomatoshooter]

there wasn't much time to spend with one student that disagreed with the way things worked

When I pay for lessons I put my faith in the teacher and try my best to do what they say. If I can't have enough confidence in the teacher to do that, why am I taking lessons from him? After I learn the teacher's way I may adjust it to fit me a little better but even if it doesn't work for me, there is value in learning it.

A lot of the time I would say I dont know why but if you hit the shot like this thats what will happen.
Sometimes people try to make a relatively simple game way too complicated by over analyzing it.

I feel like understanding the why can help you apply it to other parts of the game. I don't fully understand why a double reverse bank shot works but if I did I might be able to hit them in different positions on different tables.

Then again, if I didn't know how my truck worked, it would probably still get me to the pool hall...until it broke.

 

[ShootingArts]

Back in Jersey in the '80's I would give one on one lessons to people of a certain skill level,they at least had to be able to draw and follow with a fair degree of skill,I had no patience for rank beginners.
Needless to say but we worked on some high level stuff and sometimes I would show them a tricky position shot and they would ask why does the cue ball do that?
A lot of the time I would say I dont know why but if you hit the shot like this thats what will happen.
Sometimes people try to make a relatively simple game way too complicated by over analyzing it.
This one of the reasons I seldom watch instructional videos online ,too much tech talk and slo mo.
Do this and this happens,thats all I need to know.

When I pay for lessons I put my faith in the teacher and try my best to do what they say. If I can't have enough confidence in the teacher to do that, why am I taking lessons from him? After I learn the teacher's way I may adjust it to fit me a little better but even if it doesn't work for me, there is value in learning it.

I feel like understanding the why can help you apply it to other parts of the game. I don't fully understand why a double reverse bank shot works but if I did I might be able to hit them in different positions on different tables.

Then again, if I didn't know how my truck worked, it would probably still get me to the pool hall...until it broke.

Two seemingly different approaches and at times both are equally true. We often have no need to know why something works, sometimes knowing can let us advance from a new baseline.

A simple rule, when a ball hits adjacent rails it tends to keep whatever sidespin is on it. If it hits rails across from each other the spin reverses. A basic rule worth knowing. Speed kills the effects of spin. So does keeping a ball skittering in the air more than it is on the table. Simple rules but they have helped me make countless banks. I jack the back of my cue way up when I am shooting a cross side bank with the cue ball and object ball close together. A very good player asked me why I did that. Truth is I don't know why I started doing it, I have done it for decades and it works!

Understanding or the "black box". Each has merit at times!

Hu