Mark Wilson Experience

DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
about to head west to St. Louis for the lesson with Mark Wilson. gonna drive over tonight and find a hotel somewhere. just thought i would start a thread regarding my "Mark Wilson Experience" in case anyone out there would be interested in sharing their thoughts or hearing of mine on the "MWE."

right now, as i am about to head out, i hope the snow stays away. plus i am a little worried i might be getting some of the same type of instruction i have received from Tom 'Dr Cue' Rossman over the years. its about a 3 and 1/2 hour drive for me, so i am leaving tonight, getting a hotel, and probably just watch the NFL game on ESPN.

i'm excited about going, hoping he can help me get started towards that "Next Level" since it appears i probably wont get there without some help. the main areas i hope he can elevate my game in are my mechanics and my "mental toughness" that i lack so much.

if my hotel has a computer i might try and log on later tonight once i find a hotel. in the meantime, time to head out.

regards,
DCP

p.s. no, dont worry, i wont throw any balls through his walls.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
about to head west to St. Louis for the lesson with Mark Wilson. gonna drive over tonight and find a hotel somewhere. just thought i would start a thread regarding my "Mark Wilson Experience" in case anyone out there would be interested in sharing their thoughts or hearing of mine on the "MWE."

right now, as i am about to head out, i hope the snow stays away. plus i am a little worried i might be getting some of the same type of instruction i have received from Tom 'Dr Cue' Rossman over the years. its about a 3 and 1/2 hour drive for me, so i am leaving tonight, getting a hotel, and probably just watch the NFL game on ESPN.

i'm excited about going, hoping he can help me get started towards that "Next Level" since it appears i probably wont get there without some help. the main areas i hope he can elevate my game in are my mechanics and my "mental toughness" that i lack so much.

if my hotel has a computer i might try and log on later tonight once i find a hotel. in the meantime, time to head out.

regards,
DCP

p.s. no, dont worry, i wont throw any balls through his walls.

DCP,

Thanks for sharing your experience, I will look forward to hearing how it goes.

Sincerely,
Regas
 
:eek: DCP... You didn't tell us you had lessons with The Dr. Cue!!! Oh well, let us know if Mark is a better teacher...I bet not! jmo.. Have fun & keep warm & let us know..ok? Did you remember to pack the glove/powder? :D
 
well, i have just arrived in O'Fallon i think, and have a room here at the Sleep Inn. just thought i would log on, and see whats up with the Mosconi Cup and my email.

yes, i have had lesson from Tom Rossman. several for that matter. his wife grew up about 20 miles away from me and when they are home over the holidays visiting he would always come down and instruct me. every year, starting in 1998, on December 26 he has been down to my place. last year was just to play on the Gold Crown as he doesnt give individual lessons anymore. perhaps i can coax him down again this year, dunno.

gotta get back to the room now, and catch the Panthers/Falcons game on ESPN. due at Mark Wilsons at 9:00 tomorrow St. Louis time, hope i have a bad day so he can see all my flaws and help me correct them.

stay tuned.
DCP
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
hope i have a bad day so he can see all my flaws and help me correct them.

stay tuned.
DCP


More than likely it'll be like having a toothache for a few days and as soon as you sit in the dentists chair, it goes away and you can't even tell him where it hurts. You'll probaly shoot lights out, he'll be so impressed that he ends up asking YOU for lessons in the end.
 
I saw Mark for a lesson on Friday the 10th. Nice person to be around. Good vibes, relaxed, fun, personable.

He's very knowledgeable and I thought he was an excellent teacher. I've been an alcohol/drug counselor for 20 years and counseling is essentially teaching or hoping to pass information on to those who want it, so I have some knowledge regarding how to get through to people and I thought that Mark did a great job with me. I've had lessons before and Mark did a better job of getting information across to me than my prior teacher.

I'd definitely recommend him.
 
got back around 8:00 tonight, in time for the Colts game. geez, sure is cold out there tonight.

had a great time, very interesting. Willie and Woody were right, looks like i pretty much have to alter my stroke. mark says my aim is good, but the reason i miss is because i am not hitting the cue ball where i want to consistently. as a result, on longer shots, i miss. have to work on getting that "Repeatable Stroke" i believe.

also learned some other interesting things, such as how to determine the tangent line by hitting the object ball in with the wrap of your cue, keeping the "cup of coffee" from spilling when you make your stroke, and the fact that my break shot wasnt as fast as i thought. my quickest was around 19 MPH, i would have guessed more. oh well.

will try and post more later, about to fall asleep now.

regards,
DCP
 
After a week of working on the changes that Mark made to my stance, grip and elbow positioning my game is better than it's ever been. Significantly better.

"Show me a man with a quick backswing and a wad of cash and I'll go get my clubs." Lee Trevino.
 
Mark Wilson was the commentator on ESPN the other day. I am surprised that no one mentioned it. He is a big boy with a pretty good voice.

Not counting time, travel, expenses, what did the lessons cost you? How long were they? And will you go back for more?

Jake
 
Lesson was $200, he doesnt set a time on it, its just a matter of when he feels like he's gotten most of his thoughts across to you.

he videotapes your swing, documents where you are hitting the cue ball on some shots, and you can check your break speed on his Jugs Gun. i was really surprised at my speed here, guess i am not hitting them as hard as i thought. although its my understanding Jugs Guns will vary somewhat, but i am sure it was pretty close.

the main things he changed were my stance and stroke. i was apparently in to close to my body, and couldnt swing freely. he had me turn my hips and shoulders, getting me more "open", and thus allowing for a more unrestricted swing of my forearm - not arm. the arm would hopefully stay level, so you wouldnt spill the cup of coffee.

would i go back?
yeah, probably, why not? since pros will take a lesson from time to time why wouldnt i? but considering all the various expenses i am sure it wont be anytime soon. the lesson, hotel, gas, food, and cigars for the drive over and back, it ran well over $300.

regards,
DCP
 
We were together for about 5 hours. I won't discuss the cost of my house or my cars, or my South West cues or my pool lessons or tell you my income etc, etc. Sorry but I just see those details as confidential. Just remember: Show me a guy with a fast back swing and a wad of cash and I'll go get my clubs...Lee Trevino. :)

Oh...almost forgot.... I will most assuredly be going back! MOST ASSUREDLY!! Marks lessons, judging from my first experience, are well worth the expenditure and time invested. Read his column in BD and you'll get a good idea of what he and his lessons are like. He's a pool purist.

"Complete every stroke of the cue to perfection, regardless of how simple or difficult the shot may be. Make no distinction between the difficult or less difficult shots, but apply yourself completely to each opportunity to strike a pool ball." from BD November Mark Wilson's column ....my kind of pool thinkin!
 
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DrCue'sProtege said:
looks like i pretty much have to alter my stroke. mark says my aim is good, but the reason i miss is because i am not hitting the cue ball where i want to consistently. as a result, on longer shots, i miss. have to work on getting that "Repeatable Stroke" i believe.

DCP,
I would be interested to know whether you are changing because Mark told you to, or because he convinced you of the need to change (and of the need for ULTRA-precision in the stroke and hit)?? In my case, he convinced me in about 5 minutes that I needed to scrap my previous stroke.

For the others who have asked: I won't comment on the cost - that is an individually negotiated thing. I WILL say that each lesson I've tried to pay him twice what he thought was reasonable, and he refused to take the extra both times (he's bigger than me, so there's no bullying him). I also plan on more lessons within the next month or two (hopefully a 3 day extravaganza so I'll have time to meet some of the St. Louis players like Zim, OHB, and Rackin' Zack).

I'm fairly certain that Mark Wilson is going to be at the DCC this year (I know he did commentary last year), and I would encourage anyone even thinking about lessons to discuss it with him there - he might change your ideas a little about the value of lessons (or he might not, and you'll save yourself some cash).

I'll state another less obvious benefit of lessons, and that is potential financial reward. I have made about $120 so far on the following proposition: line up 13 balls along the line of the 3rd diamond (between the foot spot and the side pockets). Take ball in hand in the kitchen, and shoot each object ball STRAIGHT IN (no angle at all, dead straight). You get ball in hand each shot (in the kitchen). The wager is $20 that my opponent can't do it without missing more than once, and once he fails I bet $20 that I can do it. I've tried it with 3 players so far on fairly tight equipment (all 3 better players than me I think) - total winnings so far = $120. I think it is deceptively difficult if all shots are dead straight, and unless you practice this sort of thing regularly (or unless you are a pro), or unless you have a really precise, repeatable stroke; you will have trouble. If you have a "Mark Wilson stroke" it's a piece of cake (only took me 1 year of shooting about 30-45 a day to get good at it, but I'm a little slow). If your opponent is any good, then you can add the following restriction: no stop or draw shots, after pocketing the ball, the cue ball must stop within 1 diamond (6 inches if you are really good) forward of the position of the object ball. In other words, the cue ball must creep forward after impact at least a little bit, but not more than the designated distance. This will be substantially harder than just stopping or drawing the cue ball.
 
Williebetmore said:
line up 13 balls along the line of the 3rd diamond (between the foot spot and the side pockets).

Are the balls to be frozen to one another or spaced slightly? Just curious :)
 
Rackin_Zack said:
Are the balls to be frozen to one another or spaced slightly? Just curious :)

RZ,
Spaced slightly. That's why its 13 instead of 15, because 13 is about the most that fit comfortably without crowding. The point is to shoot 13 dead straight shots from at least 3 diamonds away (and for the balls in the middle of the line you may even need to use a rail bridge - the opponents don't usually realize this until they are halfway into the challenge). I do this EVERY DAY I play or practice (it's one of the warm-up drills I do before playing a match). I will, when practicing, do 2 or 3 sets of 13. The strokes vary from day to day, but I try to get good at stun, draw, power draw, creep forward to replace object ball with cue ball, creep forward 4-12 inches, follow, power follow, and slow roll. I'll pick 2 or 3 of those strokes and do 13 balls with each. It will definitely tell you how precise and repeatable your stroke is if you do it on a tight pocket table. I know my instructor's like me to just shoot the standard "cueball from spot to short rail and back to the end of the cue" shot to check my stroke; but jeez Louise that's deadly dull - I like to pocket the pretty balls. I will also tell you that when one of these shots comes up in straight pool (considered a tougher shot than you really want in this game) I feel very relaxed and confident with them (sure couldn't say that last year). Though I occasionally miss them, it has been very good for my game to practice them daily.
 
Williebetmore said:
I will also tell you that when one of these shots comes up in straight pool (considered a tougher shot than you really want in this game) I feel very relaxed and confident with them (sure couldn't say that last year). Though I occasionally miss them, it has been very good for my game to practice them daily.

When you come to the STL area for your next set of lessons you'll definitely have to kick my arse in a couple of 14.1 games! I'm hoping that I will be able to make the trip to STL consistantly enough to play in the 14.1 league that Mark has in the spring!!
 
i did it.......once

I did this drill using 9 balls and did it three times. This was in the presence of Scott Lee for my first lesson. He said I was only the 7th student he has had that has made all 27 balls on the first try..........I was totally concentrating. Dont ask me to demonstate this as I have only done it a couple of times since. This requires attention and concentration that should be held troughout a match. I have bet many great players and no one has yet to get past 18. If you practice it alot it is easier but, try doing this the first time you see it set up and i gaurantee you wont get past 18
 
i might try doing this tonight.
only using my Elephant Ball, and checking the chalk mark on each and every shot to see if i am getting close to where i am wanting to hit the cue ball.

one thing i didnt know that i learned yesterday was that Jeanette and Vivian were on the first Mosconi Cup team. Allison and Francisca Stark (sp?) were on the European team.

DCP
 
T-dog said:
I did this drill using 9 balls and did it three times. This was in the presence of Scott Lee for my first lesson.

T-dog,
It is interesting that to start my first lesson with Mark Wilson, he set up probably 10 or 15 shots for me to take while he observed (about 1/3 were somewhat tough on a tight pocket table). I made every one and was very pleased with myself until he then told me, "We've got a lot of work to do building you a new stroke, but I think I can help you." I went in thinking I would just need a little tune-up, when what I really needed was a Monster Garage overhaul. He was right, I was wrong.
 
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