Mark Wilson's Way Wont Work For Me

Are Instructions Enough?

IMO - Good instructions MUST be followed up with COMPETITIVE Play and re-enforced as you go. - JMO
I don't & can't give instructions because; I wouldn't know what the hell I'm doing. I have always told players that the ONLY way I know to instruct is to play cheap with them (only in the afternoon when & if things are slow) and for them to go play with their peers. I don't know why this works so well but I have seen it work many times. THEY IMPROVE!
I think the reason is because if I see something drastically wrong, I will mention it and tell them what to do instead but also, I am starting to realize that the biggest benefit to them is because IF they can stand up against me and learn to play their best game against me, playing their peers will be easy.
I realize - This is the way I learned years ago.
There is a local policeman playing almost everyday in the poolroom. We play sets for $20 and I give him games on the wire. I would say I'm about 11 or 12 for 15 so that makes me about $225 ahead over a 2-month period. I know he has won over $500 playing his peers and won a few local (closed) tourneys that made him over $300.
SO FAR THIS IS TRULY A WIN, WIN & IT'S WORKING!

TY & GL
 
OldHasBeen said:
IMO - Good instructions MUST be followed up with COMPETITIVE Play and re-enforced as you go. - JMO
I don't & can't give instructions because; I wouldn't know what the hell I'm doing. I have always told players that the ONLY way I know to instruct is to play cheap with them (only in the afternoon when & if things are slow) and for them to go play with their peers. I don't know why this works so well but I have seen it work many times. THEY IMPROVE!
I think the reason is because if I see something drastically wrong, I will mention it and tell them what to do instead but also, I am starting to realize that the biggest benefit to them is because IF they can stand up against me and learn to play their best game against me, playing their peers will be easy.
I realize - This is the way I learned years ago.
There is a local policeman playing almost everyday in the poolroom. We play sets for $20 and I give him games on the wire. I would say I'm about 11 or 12 for 15 so that makes me about $225 ahead over a 2-month period. I know he has won over $500 playing his peers and won a few local (closed) tourneys that made him over $300.
SO FAR THIS IS TRULY A WIN, WIN & IT'S WORKING!

TY & GL
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even though i haven't been playing all that long, this is the way i first learned how to play. i'd always go to the better players and ask them to play. they said they couldn't play me for free, but they'd play me cheap. we didn't really do the sets like you are talking about, we'd play 9 ball for a few bucks a game, or one pocket for 5 or 10 a game.

at first i was losing a couple hundred a month and felt like these guys were just trying to take advantage of me cause i didn't know how to play..........but after a while i began to see myself improve and make money of other guys. basically i learned to feed off the little fish to feed the big fish if you follow me. i learned the fundamentals from playing them and didn't even know it. i've been to several "real" instructors since, and none of them have changed my basic stroke............so that tells me that those cheap games paid off in the long run.

VAP
 
No offense DCP, I'm sure you are just speaking from your perception of what is not working and why. However, I agree with Blackjack, you need to work these issues out with Mark first and after you've exhausted that effort, then if you still can't work things out, then you should expand your search for solutions. I think you should give Mark every chance to help you out. After all, you sought him out didn't you? Your thread seems unfair to Mark imo.
 
OHB, I would say that most of us that started playing over 10 or 15 yrs ago learned to play just like you have suggested. I would also say there are some things that cant be learned any other way. You cant develop heart by doing drills LOL. It pains me to see the number of people that dont want (insert name here) playing in a tournament because they cant win. Cheap tournaments are a cheap way to get to play better players, and the advantages of that have been lost on people getting spoiled by handicap tourneys.

How well it works though depends on the individual. If they dont pay attention when they are not at the table, or if they dont have a clue as to what it is they should be watching, it wont help them that much.

On a side note, my game needs some work, and with enough games on the wire I might make a drive over to "study" under you :p
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
... too much pressure/stress/tension/weight on my front (left) leg, and i just absolutely cannot get comfortable. he has my stance so open ...
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What specific leg position did he recommend? I have no idea what you mean by "open stance." Does it mean that your legs are far apart? Are your hips turned towards the shot? Away from the shot? Feet turned apart or together? I've looked for a definition and can't find one -- I just get things like "not square."

What does "open stance" mean to you?

Also, I suspect he didn't absolutely demand that you use exactly the precise stance he suggested. I hope he explained the goals of the stance and why his suggested position was one way to achieve those goals.

As for the other comment someone made about each player finding what he's comfortable with, I think that's only partly true. If the goals are met, how they are met are unimportant. Many players are not willing to put in the time and effort -- and sometimes temporary discomfort -- to meet the goals.

Do you have a clear idea of the goals of the stance?
 
Time

It takes time for the medicine to work!!!!!!!! When I went to an instructor, he wanted to change a few things. I made the adjustments and my game went to hell. Over time, it fell into place. Determination and desire are the best motivators to improve your game. Perhaps DCP's way won't work with Mark. Give it some time. Bad habits are hard to break.
Purdman :cool:
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
i know you folks will think i am crazy, but the way mark wilson changed my mechanics just puts too much pressure/stress/tension/weight on my front (left) leg, and i just absolutely cannot get comfortable. he has my stance so open that my left leg just cant handle the weight. when i use his stance all i seem to be concentrating on is holding my left leg still, not letting it move, and i just cant do it. i dont have the build of an offensive lineman, my leg is unable to withstand the weight, and as a result i can feel my body moving just oh so slightly when i shoot. as a result, i miss.

the snooker stance possibly might be the better way for me to go. or else a middle of the road stance. but the mark wilson stance just doesnt work for me.

just thought i would ramble on during this rainy sunday afternoon.
DCP
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LIke Bob Jewett's response I can't figure out what an "open" stance means to you. In golf it means moving your front foot off line so that your body faces the target more. I suspect that you mean making your stance wider.

Just place your feet so that the front foot is about 45 degrees off line, or open to the shot line, and place your back foot so that the toes are under your grip hand. That's all Mark instructed me to do....stance-wise.

You don't have to spread your feet any prescribed distance apart but adjust them for a firm, solid foundation for your shot. A wide stance (wide within reason) make a more firm foundation.

The next step is to ask Mark about the right way before posting stuff that tends to make him look bad. Is that your goal?....to make him look bad? Several of your posts in which you whine and complain about "I can't do it!" appear to be intended to make Mark's teaching methods appear to be faulty. I think maybe you are just a pain in the ass complaining whiner who wants to blame his problems on something other than his own incompetance. That's the impression your posts leave with me.
 
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JimS said:
The next step is to ask Mark about the right way before posting stuff that tends to make him look bad. Is that your goal?....to make him look bad? Several of your posts in which you whine and complain about "I can't do it!" appear to be intended to make Mark's teaching methods appear to be faulty. I think maybe you are just a pain in the ass complaining whiner who wants to blame his problems on something other than his own incompetance. That's the impression your posts leave with me.
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i think you're taking his post the wrong way. he never said that he thought mark wasn't a good teacher. he never said anything derogatory about mark. he simply said that he couldn't get comfortable with the stance that mark showed him. does this make him a bad student? NO.........does this make mark a bad teacher.....NO. i'm sure mark showed him a generic stance that works for most of his students. as much as mark teaches, i'm sure he's had this problem with other students, and has a different way for him to stand.

i agree that he should contact mark, as i'm sure that he would be more than happy to talk about other options with him. i think his post was more in the line of asking people on here what they thought he should do about it.

mark's way may not work for everyone, just as another instructor's way may not work for everyone.

anyone that thinks just because mark is a great teacher, that his way will ALWAYS work for EVERYONE is the incompetant one.

VAP
 
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