Junior Pool

ratcues

Theewen Custom Cues
Silver Member
Are there any good reference book or lessons specifically for young players? I'd like to create a lesson plan for 6-12 year old kids and would like some help. I want to base it on a 16 week season, meeting once a week.

OR

Would any of the wonderful instructors here be willing to help me?
 
Are there any good reference book or lessons specifically for young players? I'd like to create a lesson plan for 6-12 year old kids and would like some help. I want to base it on a 16 week season, meeting once a week.

OR

Would any of the wonderful instructors here be willing to help me?

Make it fun, not work. Your problem is, pool is an acquired skill, it takes practice. Where are they going to practice and what will it cost them? It is not like learning an instrument where you sit home and practice.
 
I have not seen any instructional material specifically for kids for pool (unlike say tennis or baseball where kids leagues are huge), but I've been around junior players and leagues for years.

The start is always boring to the kids who expect to be taught how to shoot jump shots their first day LOL.

For beginners, once you get though how to hold the cue and the stance, it's just shooting a line or a circle of balls directly without the cueball.

Once they can aim that way to get the majority of shots in, you can start with the cueball. Same basic drill, a simple line of balls around the foot spot (for younger players you'd want to go across the short side of the table, say the middle going side to side pocket, cueball a diamond away, shoot with ball in hand down the table.

After about 4-5 repetitions of this, you'd need a break, maybe get them in a huddle and explain things like contact points, why you need to line up the right way (show them what happens when you hit the ball off center by accident or wave the tip around during the shot), go back to the drill for a few more times after going over some corrections with them.

Speed control (or at least teaching the awareness that it's important to hit soft at times, medium at times, and hard at times) can be started early, otherwise the kids will either hit too soft because they are afraid, or the boys will be hitting everything at full speed to show off. Have a lag game with the winner getting a case or a cheap cue or break cue, or chalk holder, etc... Lagging the ball will also help them see what happens when you hit on the side of the ball as I'm sure they will send the balls all over the table hehe.
 
We already have an existing program that has been in place for years. We practice at the two pool halls here in Lincoln. The kids are split up by age so the older kids are at one location and younger at the other. The guys in charge of it had a plan but somewhere along the way, it lost it's structure. I'd like an actual lesson plan so we know what to practice each week so we can track the progress of each kids and maximize our time.

We do have 'fun days' that the kids love. It tests the kids skill but in fun ways.
 
I'm not aware of any pool books specifically for kids, although that doesn't mean they don't exist. ( hey that's a good idea for a book)

But, a good idea might be to get Ewa Lawrence or Nick Leider's book since they both are guides to the basics.

Not to suggest that kids are stupid...they just explain everything in simple terms.
 
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I could be remembering wrong, but I think Hopkins' ex wife had published a pool book specifically for kids about 5 to 10 years ago. If it wasn't her, it was someone else on the wpba.
 
I could be remembering wrong, but I think Hopkins' ex wife had published a pool book specifically for kids about 5 to 10 years ago. If it wasn't her, it was someone else on the wpba.

Yes, Dawn Hopkins. I talked to her about that a few years ago but that was before I had any involvement in the youth program. Maybe I'll reach out to her again.
 
Ryan...I've had quite a bit of experience working with kids in the age group you mentioned. IMO the Mother Drills would work great for your junior players. I could send them to you, but you really need someone like randyg or I to show you how to use them correctly, to best benefit the kids. PM me with your number, and let's talk. BTW, there was a book for teaching kids years ago, called Rack'em Daddy. I have a copy of it somewhere. I'll see if I can dig it up and send it to you.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Anyone? Anyone have any shot drills in mind?
 
Ryan...I've had quite a bit of experience working with kids in the age group you mentioned. IMO the Mother Drills would work great for your junior players. I could send them to you, but you really need someone like randyg or I to show you how to use them correctly, to best benefit the kids. PM me with your number, and let's talk. BTW, there was a book for teaching kids years ago, called Rack'em Daddy. I have a copy of it somewhere. I'll see if I can dig it up and send it to you.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Your help would be greatly appreciated. PM sent.
 
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