Molding the young player?

JC

JC

Coos Cues
My daughter is almost 6 years old and has taken a real interest in pool lately. She loves to watch me and understands the rules and such but hasn't wanted to actually play until recently.

My question is how to proceed with her? She isn't tall or coordinated enough to have proper fundamentals. In order to stroke she needs to be side armed. Should I just let her do what she wants to do as she builds coordination knowing the fundamentals will need to be changed/developed later? Or would it be better to not let her play until she's big enough to execute a real stroke?

I was 12 years old when I played my first game and in my thirties before I seriously considered fundamentals. I feel I could have been much better had I started off with a more solid foundation. But all we had was a table and a desire at the time and it really stunted me.

Any input on this will be appreciated

Thanks,

JC
 
One way around the problem is to get a milk crate for her to step up on to better reach the table. But at that young age, I wouldn't go overboard on training fundamentals. Let her enjoy herself, and you provide the guidance as she shows more interest. Then just watch her development, and act accordingly.
Steve
 
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I'm not an instructor but started at 13.

I think it is more important that a young player is seeing a straight line, the shot line form along the line of the cue stick, as that will remain the same as a short individual grows & develops & THEIR fundamentals will probably change.

The subconscious mind is a powerful entity & can get the body to make many compensations in order to achieve success.... even one is looking at matter form a side view.

The thing is that road blocks that must be overcome should not be put up or allowed to develop if they can be avoided.

If you go the step up approach, long 'benches' on one or both sides of the table might be more convenient that a box that will need to be moved very often if She is going to actually play games.

Check out this lil guy...https://youtu.be/CniPRkwqteI
 
Find a decent children's pool table. Not a crappy toy, but something a kid can actually learn on.

You can always retrain somebody to fix their stroke at almost any age. What matters most to get into their heads young is the physics. Just let them practice banging balls around, a young mind will very quickly absorb how the balls behave and develop a level of intuition for the angles and how balls bounce off each other that is beyond what you can really learn if you come to the game later in life. That way she'll never need to ask about an 'aiming system' or whine about the things all the other people struggle with because the either were born without spatial reasoning and an intuition of physics and also never developed it when they were young either.

Same goes with other sports as well, you can always train technique later but when you put a ball/stick/whatever in a kid's hand at a young age and let them do whatever comes naturally to them, they learn the physics in a way that that only a growing brain can take in. Once the brain is done developing, the level of intuition you're capable of reaching is never going to be the same.


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If you don't get your daughter to stand at the proper height at the table, there's a good chance that she will create a series of unorthodox habits that will be difficult to break. Shooting with a side-arm is just one. Others can be: Tilted head, poor stance, poor weight distribution --- the list can be a long one.

So if you want to teach her a strong set of fundamentals as early as possible, your priority should be to do whatever is necessary to get her to the proper height at the table.
 
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FranCrimi said:
If you don't get your daughter to stand at the proper height at the table, there's a good chance that she will create a series of unorthodox habits that will be difficult to break. Shooting with a side-arm is just one. Others can be: Tilted head, poor stance, poor weight distribution --- the list can be a long one.

So if you want to teach her a strong set of fundamentals as early as possible, your priority should be to do whatever is necessary to get her to the proper height at the table.
Click to expand...

Including making her wait to play for a couple of years at the risk of her losing interest if that's the only way? I have tried to have her stand on stuff but she still can't reach the table bed on most shots as I have a 9 foot table. She loses interest quickly if I make her stand in one place and drill.

On another note, I came across a video with you, Charlie Rose and 3 legends from 2000 last night and enjoyed it immensely. You guys were having fun and it was great.

JC
 
JC said:
Including making her wait to play for a couple of years at the risk of her losing interest if that's the only way? I have tried to have her stand on stuff but she still can't reach the table bed on most shots as I have a 9 foot table. She loses interest quickly if I make her stand in one place and drill.

On another note, I came across a video with you, Charlie Rose and 3 legends from 2000 last night and enjoyed it immensely. You guys were having fun and it was great.

JC
Click to expand...

Yes, I remember the Charlie Rose thing. The Miz was really a funny guy. You never knew what he was going to do or say.

Back to your daughter --- I see your dilemma. Maybe get her a toy table to help keep her interest and occasionally let her take a few shots on the big table until she gets tall enough to make the transition. That's actually how I started. I had two toy tables before transitioning to a 7-ft table.
 
FranCrimi said:
If you don't get your daughter to stand at the proper height at the table, there's a good chance that she will create a series of unorthodox habits that will be difficult to break. Shooting with a side-arm is just one. Others can be: Tilted head, poor stance, poor weight distribution --- the list can be a long one.

So if you want to teach her a strong set of fundamentals as early as possible, your priority should be to do whatever is necessary to get her to the proper height at the table.
Click to expand...
What you say makes sense if the kid is willing to abide with whatever method is placed before her as far as making her tall enough for the table. If she feels restricted and loses interest though.......all I can say is I started playing in a regulation 8 footer when I was 11. I was the shortest kid in my class though, and the only way I could shoot was sidearm. As I became taller, my arm dropped to verticle. I never consciously changed. One day I noticed and said to myself, " Hey! Your arm's verticle! "
 
My son is 12 now and has been playing since he was old enough to see over the cushions. I just let him play with a side arm stroke. I figured it would straighten out naturally as he got older. I was right. At 12 he looks real nice at the table. Now if I could only get him more interested in the game.

Makes me kind of sad to watch this one from almost 5 years ago:
https://youtu.be/omRfpcusFgM

Here we run out together last year sometime. Arm just naturally straightened out.
https://youtu.be/HhWzu_r7EAg

I love playing with my kids.
 
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(not a billiard instructor, but a former ski instructor of youths)

1) kids are sponges! they will learn anything quickly, and in my experience naturally lose most, if not all, bad habits as they progress. I never met an adult skier who couldn't shake bad habits "because he learned it as a kid".

2) my grandkids want to play on the adult table, because they see me playing on it, they probably wouldnt want to play on a kiddie table....Just my experience.
 
JC said:
My daughter is almost 6 years old and has taken a real interest in pool lately. She loves to watch me and understands the rules and such but hasn't wanted to actually play until recently.

My question is how to proceed with her? She isn't tall or coordinated enough to have proper fundamentals. In order to stroke she needs to be side armed. Should I just let her do what she wants to do as she builds coordination knowing the fundamentals will need to be changed/developed later? Or would it be better to not let her play until she's big enough to execute a real stroke?

I was 12 years old when I played my first game and in my thirties before I seriously considered fundamentals. I feel I could have been much better had I started off with a more solid foundation. But all we had was a table and a desire at the time and it really stunted me.

Any input on this will be appreciated

Thanks,

JC
Click to expand...
Hi there,

in my club at the moment i have a 7yrs old little boy- he s really already addicted -lol.
I just try to let him have fun while his time he has at the table. ( at the moment 1 time a week for 60-90 minutes).
He started first just to try to put the balls directly into the pockets- but already 2-3 practice sessions later he started to pocket also balls the normal way- (meaning cb to ob :-) ).

Just let your girl play around. explain her what is ok and what not :-) (like banging around like crazy-- could happen as soon as she get s bored :p ).

To start to explain about fundamentals would go too far-- as steve stated already. But you will see it yourself as time goes by- how interested she is, how her timing is, how her coordination skills are- for some children in that age it s ok to start with some stuff...for some not.

but SHE will show you what s ok and what s not :-)

have a good time,

best from overseas,


Ingo
 
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