I had the opportunity to do the Boot Camp in mid-November. It was a great experience and I think it was well worth it. I waited a bit to post a review because I wanted to see how it would change my game after a little bit of time to work on the things we covered and do some of the drills Demetrius recommended for me. I noticed some changes and improvements right away, but still wanted a bit more time. I also think it will be interesting to see where I am in a year if I keep doing the things he suggests.
There is a good nonstop flight to MSP from where I am. The only downside is getting to the airport about 4:00 a.m. But that actually puts us at a good time to start the first day. We had a chance to discuss things in the car on the way to Demi’s house which has a 9’ Diamond to work on things. He watched me hit some balls and then some stop shots. He could tell a ton about my issues from this and we began working. As you may have seen or read, his approach isn’t just teaching a set stroke or certain fundamentals. That said, my stroke is now better and I think improving and he noticed something about my bridge that other instructors missed.
The main thing is work on controlling the cueball and how to approach the game and patterns. Things I need a lot of work on. The three day session is really good and I see why he says it is necessary. You have a chance to work on things while he is coaching you, which I found very valuable. Especially when a particular thing isn’t coming easy. And I know I was challenged on some things that didn’t come easy at all. Seeing how he approaches the game is also extremely valuable. One of the things we did was work through racks in scotch doubles. Talking through the rack then trying to execute is a great experience.
I can’t really give a minute by minute review and wouldn’t want to. The 3 days taught me a ton and gave me a path to improve. After getting home I got a review e mail and suggested drills. A couple drills were specifically recommended to work on things I most need and why. The why is significant to me. I am finding that one of the drills can be particularly frustrating. That tells me it is really needed. I have seen improvement so far, and know that if I stick with it I will see more improvement. My results in tournaments and league seem a little better. A couple games at the last league match showed me that, a good out and a blown break and run missing the 8ball. Didn’t get good enough on the 8,and while I know it is not good to get almost out, the run to get to the 8was probably one I couldn’t have done a month before. Aside from results, my approach is different and what I see other players do is different.
There’s that saying about poker, if you sit at a table and after a while don’t identify the weakest player.....Or said differently, you need to identify mistakes specifically. I find myself doing that better in pool now. Seeing mistakes by players above me and taking some games off them, that kind of thing. But need more time for more results as mentioned above. Also yesterday after I was done playing I was watching a good player practice and he was hitting them well. I noticed something he does well that I wouldn’t have noticed before probably. Reinforced what Demi was saying.
Anyway, if you have a chance to do the boot camp and don’t, you are missing out IMO.
There is a good nonstop flight to MSP from where I am. The only downside is getting to the airport about 4:00 a.m. But that actually puts us at a good time to start the first day. We had a chance to discuss things in the car on the way to Demi’s house which has a 9’ Diamond to work on things. He watched me hit some balls and then some stop shots. He could tell a ton about my issues from this and we began working. As you may have seen or read, his approach isn’t just teaching a set stroke or certain fundamentals. That said, my stroke is now better and I think improving and he noticed something about my bridge that other instructors missed.
The main thing is work on controlling the cueball and how to approach the game and patterns. Things I need a lot of work on. The three day session is really good and I see why he says it is necessary. You have a chance to work on things while he is coaching you, which I found very valuable. Especially when a particular thing isn’t coming easy. And I know I was challenged on some things that didn’t come easy at all. Seeing how he approaches the game is also extremely valuable. One of the things we did was work through racks in scotch doubles. Talking through the rack then trying to execute is a great experience.
I can’t really give a minute by minute review and wouldn’t want to. The 3 days taught me a ton and gave me a path to improve. After getting home I got a review e mail and suggested drills. A couple drills were specifically recommended to work on things I most need and why. The why is significant to me. I am finding that one of the drills can be particularly frustrating. That tells me it is really needed. I have seen improvement so far, and know that if I stick with it I will see more improvement. My results in tournaments and league seem a little better. A couple games at the last league match showed me that, a good out and a blown break and run missing the 8ball. Didn’t get good enough on the 8,and while I know it is not good to get almost out, the run to get to the 8was probably one I couldn’t have done a month before. Aside from results, my approach is different and what I see other players do is different.
There’s that saying about poker, if you sit at a table and after a while don’t identify the weakest player.....Or said differently, you need to identify mistakes specifically. I find myself doing that better in pool now. Seeing mistakes by players above me and taking some games off them, that kind of thing. But need more time for more results as mentioned above. Also yesterday after I was done playing I was watching a good player practice and he was hitting them well. I noticed something he does well that I wouldn’t have noticed before probably. Reinforced what Demi was saying.
Anyway, if you have a chance to do the boot camp and don’t, you are missing out IMO.
