Pool Lessons from a Pro
PLEASE USE THE OTHER POLL - THIS IS A DUPLICATE (Sorry I dont know how to delete posts)
PLEASE USE THE OTHER POLL - THIS IS A DUPLICATE (Sorry I dont know how to delete posts)
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Lessons from a pro
- Thread starter SpiderWebComm
- Start date
Tony Robles.
If you could take a lesson from a touring professional, who would it be? I know there are many EXCELLENT non-touring instructors, so please don't respond with, "What about ____?"
If this were a golf forum, I'd be asking "Which pro would you like to play a round with and beat them up from knowledge?" (Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter and Jim Mclean are not options).
Think along the lines of overall game knowledge, strategy, how to compete, how to win, how to get better. Assume you have a good foundation of the fundamentals.
If this were a golf forum, I'd be asking "Which pro would you like to play a round with and beat them up from knowledge?" (Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter and Jim Mclean are not options).
Think along the lines of overall game knowledge, strategy, how to compete, how to win, how to get better. Assume you have a good foundation of the fundamentals.
It's kinda hard to answer this, because a lot of pros who are GREAT players are not necessarily good teachers. I've had three formal lessons, two from former world champions and one from a pro class road player who became a tournament promoter. Though the world champions taught me stuff that I thoght I wanted at the time, it really didn't work out the way I wanted it to. The best lesson of the three was from the road player and I think I can safely say that it MADE my 9 ball game.
I'm afraid I can't reccommend any current touring pros because I don't know their ability to pass on what they know.
Good luck.
I'm afraid I can't reccommend any current touring pros because I don't know their ability to pass on what they know.
Good luck.
Suggestion taken w/ Tony. There are so many good fits, but only 10 options on the poll. Keep your ideas coming!
JoeyA said:Right now, I would have to go with John Schmidt because of his communication skills. Many other professional pool players rival his skill level but few have the ability to utilize the English language as it relates to pool. I see MANY professional pool players regularly talking shop with John Schmidt so I know he knows. Besides, he is just a nice guy as many AZers have already reported.
Buddy Hall would be another favorite because of his unique insight into all games of pool as well as stroke perfection. Efren and I can't communicate well enough so he is out but he can get not-so-lucky and draw me in the next tournament.
JoeyA (been waiting years to give or get some a**-whup from the king of a**-whuppers.)
I chose Buddy too, Joey. Only because the option "No One" was not listed. If you can't pick up all you need by watching pros play, taking lessons will do you no good. Playing for money or in tournaments a player is going to empty out from his/her bag of tricks to win. The same does not have to be true when a player gives a lesson.
It use to be so easy. You would find a Buddy Hall when he had nothing to do and take the 5 and the break, or what ever you thought you needed, for $5 a game. You watched and you learned. Hell, you might even win a little. Buddy was in Jackson in 75 and had nothing to do. I told him I would play him for $1 a game, even. I told him I was only going to lose $20, which at the time paid his nut for the day. All the time we were playing Buddy, jokingly, kept asking me to raise the bet. I even won 3 or 4 games before he got my $20. After every game I won Buddy would again ask me to raise the bet. Finally I was $19 stuck and happened to win that game. Buddy, screams "You wont bet over a $1 a game. They ought to call you the $Bill." Well, it stuck and a couple of games later he had the $20 but I did get to watch the, in my opinion, greatest 9 ball player ever and it was a cheap lesson.
hemicudas said:
WHAT A GREAT STORY, BILL! I'm sorry I never asked about your nickname's details before.
I once played Buddy even one pocket for about two hours, playing for 32 oz diet cokes. While I would win a game every leap year or so, when the diet coke refill came up, Buddy turned up the heat. That man can drink a lot of diet cokes. LOL Thanks for stimulating that memory. I agree Buddy can make you laugh at yourself and not make you feel badly. He is another nice guy who is deadly on the table even today. If he lived in my town, I would "make" him go to the gym every day for 6 months and the people of today would see a rejuvenated Buddy Hall. After that he would be on his own.
JoeyA
on that list Grady is the best instructor, i never had formal lessions from him, but he was giving lessions to some strong one pocket players and i was on the rail, well at the table that time, i sweat 1 hole-dont play it much but thats a different topic, grady is VERY good at comminucation and describing and correcting people,
the greatness of ones game dosent make them a good teacher, would you want lessions from Efern? He is the over-all greatest player but I just cant see him giving lessions, and then theres Earl that could end up in a fight with-in 20 minutes if you catch him on a bad day-but all my encounters with him have been great and he one hell of a nice guy but I cant se him teaching, i could be wrong.
the greatness of ones game dosent make them a good teacher, would you want lessions from Efern? He is the over-all greatest player but I just cant see him giving lessions, and then theres Earl that could end up in a fight with-in 20 minutes if you catch him on a bad day-but all my encounters with him have been great and he one hell of a nice guy but I cant se him teaching, i could be wrong.
I use an open bridge 99.9% of the time, and I put my chin on the cue. I'm too poor to pay for lessons, but if I was going to take lessons I would seek out a top player who uses an open bridge and gets down on the cue like I do.
By the way, you should add Danny Harriman to your list since he gives lessons (I think) and he posts here.
By the way, you should add Danny Harriman to your list since he gives lessons (I think) and he posts here.
John Schmidt - The Communicator
Right now, I would have to go with John Schmidt because of his communication skills. Many other professional pool players rival his skill level but few have the ability to utilize the English language as it relates to pool. I see MANY professional pool players regularly talking shop with John Schmidt so I know he knows. Besides, he is just a nice guy as many AZers have already reported.
Buddy Hall would be another favorite because of his unique insight into all games of pool as well as stroke perfection. Efren and I can't communicate well enough so he is out but he can get not-so-lucky and draw me in the next tournament.
JoeyA (been waiting years to give or get some a**-whup from the king of a**-whuppers.)
Right now, I would have to go with John Schmidt because of his communication skills. Many other professional pool players rival his skill level but few have the ability to utilize the English language as it relates to pool. I see MANY professional pool players regularly talking shop with John Schmidt so I know he knows. Besides, he is just a nice guy as many AZers have already reported.
Buddy Hall would be another favorite because of his unique insight into all games of pool as well as stroke perfection. Efren and I can't communicate well enough so he is out but he can get not-so-lucky and draw me in the next tournament.
JoeyA (been waiting years to give or get some a**-whup from the king of a**-whuppers.)
I guess I'm the only one who wants lessions from one of the top three s--- talkers in the game today
JoeyA said:
you nailed it, buddy hall would be great, he simplifys things down to its basic elemanents. its too earily for me to spell correctly sorry. i takink lessions from someone who is great and were breaking things down in a logical way to move foward. its good, man i said it in other threads, lessions are the way foward,
When Mr. Wilson or Mike deleted the duplicate thread they deleted the wrong one. The one they deleted had Buddy Hall on the list. This is my reply to JoeyA that was deleted.
I chose Buddy too, Joey. Only because the option "No One" was not listed. If you can't pick up all you need by watching pros play, taking lessons will do you no good. Playing for money or in tournaments a player is going to empty out from his/her bag of tricks to win. The same does not have to be true when a player gives a lesson.
It use to be so easy. You would find a Buddy Hall when he had nothing to do and take the 5 and the break, or what ever you thought you needed, for $5 a game. You watched and you learned. Hell, you might even win a little. Buddy was in Jackson in 75 and had nothing to do. I told him I would play him for $1 a game, even. I told him I was only going to lose $20, which at the time paid his nut for the day. All the time we were playing Buddy, jokingly, kept asking me to raise the bet. I even won 3 or 4 games before he got my $20. After every game I won Buddy would again ask me to raise the bet. Finally I was $19 stuck and happened to win that game. Buddy, screams "You wont bet over a $1 a game. They ought to call you the $Bill." Well, it stuck and a couple of games later he had the $20 but I did get to watch the, in my opinion, greatest 9 ball player ever and it was a cheap lesson.
I chose Buddy too, Joey. Only because the option "No One" was not listed. If you can't pick up all you need by watching pros play, taking lessons will do you no good. Playing for money or in tournaments a player is going to empty out from his/her bag of tricks to win. The same does not have to be true when a player gives a lesson.
It use to be so easy. You would find a Buddy Hall when he had nothing to do and take the 5 and the break, or what ever you thought you needed, for $5 a game. You watched and you learned. Hell, you might even win a little. Buddy was in Jackson in 75 and had nothing to do. I told him I would play him for $1 a game, even. I told him I was only going to lose $20, which at the time paid his nut for the day. All the time we were playing Buddy, jokingly, kept asking me to raise the bet. I even won 3 or 4 games before he got my $20. After every game I won Buddy would again ask me to raise the bet. Finally I was $19 stuck and happened to win that game. Buddy, screams "You wont bet over a $1 a game. They ought to call you the $Bill." Well, it stuck and a couple of games later he had the $20 but I did get to watch the, in my opinion, greatest 9 ball player ever and it was a cheap lesson.
