FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/31/06
TO: ALL BILLIARD MEDIA
FROM: AMERICAN CUESPORTS ALLIANCE
CONTACT: JOHN LEWIS
EMAIL: jlewis@americancuesports.org
TELEPHONE: 920-662-1705
“PAT” Clinic Conducted in Wisconsin
Over the weekend of July 20-21, the Blue Chalk Club in Middleton, Wisconsin hosted the second North American PAT Examiner training clinic – sponsored by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS). Those in attendance included some of North America’s most highly regarded coaches: PAT Examiners Joseph Mejia and Ron Dobosenski, Jerry Briesath, Fred Fechter and Tom Simpson. They were joined by others moving up the ladder of certification with both ACS and BCA – Mike Fieldhammer, Fred Raper and Ben Swenson. PAT testing is being used in more and more coaching programs around the world.
What exactly is PAT?
PAT is an organized set of drills not unlike many you have probably devised for your own practice in the past, but the drills have been numerically identified by degrees of difficulty and organized in a logical manner of progression throughout the course so that results of a student taking the drills can determine a rating for that student on an internationally-standardized level. A rating is not used for handicapping a player in competition, but instead to give a player and his coach concrete feedback on which aspects of the player’s skills need improvement. Along with normal training routines between a player and his coach, feedback from PAT examination can help direct both coach and player on which skills to concentrate further instruction.
How was “PAT” devised?
“PAT” is short for Playing Ability Test.
The system of drills was devised by pro player Ralph Eckert, the national German billiard coach Andreas Huber and World Confederation of Billiard Sports President Jorgen Sandman (the WCBS is the permanent member for cue sports to the International Olympic Committee). The world-governing body for pool, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), has recently endorsed the program as well.
Who uses PAT? Thorsten Holman, Ralf Soquet, Jasmin Ouchan,and Thomas Engert have participated in the PAT.
Currently many coaches in Europe, and more recently a few coaches in North America. Player ratings and a list of current PAT Examiners are available at www.pat-billiard.com. California’s Joseph Mejia, an ACS Level 4 Instructor/Coach and BCA Master Instructor, recently became a Level 5 PAT Examiner and has begun training other accredited coaches to become PAT Examiners.
How does one become a PAT Examiner?
In North America, any person certified in a recognized instructor program under the ACS, BCA or VNEA is qualified to become a PAT Examiner. The individual must attend a clinic administered under the auspices of a PAT Examiner. There are currently three levels of PAT testing – PAT 1, PAT 2 and PAT 3 – and most clinics take the applicants through all three levels, so that the applicant can offer the test to players of all skill levels.
How does one purchase PAT Manuals and patches? PAT Manuals and emblems are exclusively distributed in North America by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS), and PAT Examiners who are ACS-certified Instructor/Coaches may purchase PAT Manuals from ACS at wholesale prices. Manuals and performance patches may be purchased from PAT Examiners by instructors, students or other interested parties.
How can a student take the PAT Test?
Tests must be conducted on 9-foot pool tables with equipment as similar as possible to those equipment specifications established by the WPA (listed at www.wpapool.com). Anyone can follow the drills within a PAT Manual and take the test for their own feedback. However, only accredited PAT Examiners can charge for administering the test to students, and only PAT Examiners can submit ratings to the www.pat-billiard.com website and provide to the student the various performance patch for each of ten skill levels that the student earns from the results of the test. The “patch” system works similar to the belt system in various martial arts courses – the student’s skill level is exhibited by the color of the patch the student wears, with pink identifying the highest skill level in the sport. Depending on the number of students and tables at the clinic, a test can take 2-4 hours to administer. Examiners typically charge each student $35 USD to administer a PAT 1 test, $45 for PAT 2 and $65 for PAT 3, and most often the tests are conducted for many students at the same time on accompanying tables – ideally two students per table. The PAT 1 test is intended for novice to intermediate level players; PAT 2 for advanced players; and PAT 3 for semi-professional and professional-level players. Typically an Examiner will not administer a test to a student more frequently than once every 3-6 months, so that a student is given ample time to improve in skill. Accredited PAT Examiners in North America are listed at www.pat-billiard.com and www.americancuesports.org.
How can PAT affect the future of the sport in North America
If the pool sport in North America is to keep stride with advancements in the sport in many countries in Europe and Asia over the past fifteen years, standardized programs for youth in education systems and the instructor/coach systems emphasizing standardized tests, nutrition and athletic characteristics shared in most physical sports will be necessary to project. Programs offered by the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF), American CueSports Alliance (ACS) and the Valley National Eightball Association (VNEA) are slowly working in this direction; and the use of the internationally standardized “PAT” system is the best formally established program to lead the way.
For more information on “PAT”, contact the ACS at 920-662-1705 or www.americancuesports.org.
TO: ALL BILLIARD MEDIA
FROM: AMERICAN CUESPORTS ALLIANCE
CONTACT: JOHN LEWIS
EMAIL: jlewis@americancuesports.org
TELEPHONE: 920-662-1705
“PAT” Clinic Conducted in Wisconsin
Over the weekend of July 20-21, the Blue Chalk Club in Middleton, Wisconsin hosted the second North American PAT Examiner training clinic – sponsored by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS). Those in attendance included some of North America’s most highly regarded coaches: PAT Examiners Joseph Mejia and Ron Dobosenski, Jerry Briesath, Fred Fechter and Tom Simpson. They were joined by others moving up the ladder of certification with both ACS and BCA – Mike Fieldhammer, Fred Raper and Ben Swenson. PAT testing is being used in more and more coaching programs around the world.
What exactly is PAT?
PAT is an organized set of drills not unlike many you have probably devised for your own practice in the past, but the drills have been numerically identified by degrees of difficulty and organized in a logical manner of progression throughout the course so that results of a student taking the drills can determine a rating for that student on an internationally-standardized level. A rating is not used for handicapping a player in competition, but instead to give a player and his coach concrete feedback on which aspects of the player’s skills need improvement. Along with normal training routines between a player and his coach, feedback from PAT examination can help direct both coach and player on which skills to concentrate further instruction.
How was “PAT” devised?
“PAT” is short for Playing Ability Test.
The system of drills was devised by pro player Ralph Eckert, the national German billiard coach Andreas Huber and World Confederation of Billiard Sports President Jorgen Sandman (the WCBS is the permanent member for cue sports to the International Olympic Committee). The world-governing body for pool, the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), has recently endorsed the program as well.
Who uses PAT? Thorsten Holman, Ralf Soquet, Jasmin Ouchan,and Thomas Engert have participated in the PAT.
Currently many coaches in Europe, and more recently a few coaches in North America. Player ratings and a list of current PAT Examiners are available at www.pat-billiard.com. California’s Joseph Mejia, an ACS Level 4 Instructor/Coach and BCA Master Instructor, recently became a Level 5 PAT Examiner and has begun training other accredited coaches to become PAT Examiners.
How does one become a PAT Examiner?
In North America, any person certified in a recognized instructor program under the ACS, BCA or VNEA is qualified to become a PAT Examiner. The individual must attend a clinic administered under the auspices of a PAT Examiner. There are currently three levels of PAT testing – PAT 1, PAT 2 and PAT 3 – and most clinics take the applicants through all three levels, so that the applicant can offer the test to players of all skill levels.
How does one purchase PAT Manuals and patches? PAT Manuals and emblems are exclusively distributed in North America by the American CueSports Alliance (ACS), and PAT Examiners who are ACS-certified Instructor/Coaches may purchase PAT Manuals from ACS at wholesale prices. Manuals and performance patches may be purchased from PAT Examiners by instructors, students or other interested parties.
How can a student take the PAT Test?
Tests must be conducted on 9-foot pool tables with equipment as similar as possible to those equipment specifications established by the WPA (listed at www.wpapool.com). Anyone can follow the drills within a PAT Manual and take the test for their own feedback. However, only accredited PAT Examiners can charge for administering the test to students, and only PAT Examiners can submit ratings to the www.pat-billiard.com website and provide to the student the various performance patch for each of ten skill levels that the student earns from the results of the test. The “patch” system works similar to the belt system in various martial arts courses – the student’s skill level is exhibited by the color of the patch the student wears, with pink identifying the highest skill level in the sport. Depending on the number of students and tables at the clinic, a test can take 2-4 hours to administer. Examiners typically charge each student $35 USD to administer a PAT 1 test, $45 for PAT 2 and $65 for PAT 3, and most often the tests are conducted for many students at the same time on accompanying tables – ideally two students per table. The PAT 1 test is intended for novice to intermediate level players; PAT 2 for advanced players; and PAT 3 for semi-professional and professional-level players. Typically an Examiner will not administer a test to a student more frequently than once every 3-6 months, so that a student is given ample time to improve in skill. Accredited PAT Examiners in North America are listed at www.pat-billiard.com and www.americancuesports.org.
How can PAT affect the future of the sport in North America
If the pool sport in North America is to keep stride with advancements in the sport in many countries in Europe and Asia over the past fifteen years, standardized programs for youth in education systems and the instructor/coach systems emphasizing standardized tests, nutrition and athletic characteristics shared in most physical sports will be necessary to project. Programs offered by the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF), American CueSports Alliance (ACS) and the Valley National Eightball Association (VNEA) are slowly working in this direction; and the use of the internationally standardized “PAT” system is the best formally established program to lead the way.
For more information on “PAT”, contact the ACS at 920-662-1705 or www.americancuesports.org.