Pool instruction review

M

mnShooter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was wondering if anyone here has gotten lessons from Scott Lee and/or Randy G? I am considering taking lessons from both. I know some instructors that aren't worth a crap and I don't want to pay a boatload of cash for nothing.

How would you rate them? 0-10 How much did you learn? What was covered? Did you see a noticeable increase in your level of play and if so how much? Or did they just tell you the "right" way to do things and it didn't really help much?

Thanks in advance for all comments
 
I've spent some time with Randy G out in Dallas and it was well worth the money and time. I observed marked improvements in my game and it helped develope some baselines when things get out of whack. The drills and practice routines are worth the money alone.
 
mnShooter said:
I was wondering if anyone here has gotten lessons from Scott Lee and/or Randy G? I am considering taking lessons from both. I know some instructors that aren't worth a crap and I don't want to pay a boatload of cash for nothing.

How would you rate them? 0-10 How much did you learn? What was covered? Did you see a noticeable increase in your level of play and if so how much? Or did they just tell you the "right" way to do things and it didn't really help much?

Thanks in advance for all comments
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Know nothing about Scott except what I read and you can read that for yourself. I have attended Randy's pool school and I think he is an excellent instructor. FWIW, Randy is of all the instructors I've had probably the best, but it's not like I've had 1000's of instructors. A year ago I was a weak 6 in APA 8-ball and a strong 5 in 9-ball, a year after his class I'm a legitimate 6 in both. My game may have elevated anyway, but I don't think so.

BTW, I'd be interested in some opinions of Scott Lee myself.
 
I have been in bot the Advanced and Expert classes that Randy teaches, and have taught with him as well. Even as an experienced player, I learned much more than I had expected to learn. It was most definitely the best money I ever spent on my pool game.

I have also spent a fair amount of time with Scott Lee. He is also an outstanding instructor. I would recommend either one of them to anyone who is looking to improve their game and gain more consistancy.

Either one of them would be an excellent choice.

Steve
 
I took the first 2 lessons from a BCA instructor planning on taking the last of the series soon. Here is my opinion.

What they show you will help you become more consistant and therefore a better player. Don't expect to take a lesson and walk away with a big improvement if any. It is like any lesson you take. You are shown the proper way to do things and then it is up to you to practice. My whole game was affected for about 3 weeks before I started to see any improvements. What really impressed me was when my game started to improve 2 players from another team aproached me and asked if I gave lessons. I laughed and told them that I was not that good or qualified to do that. They then said that I had the best looking form that they have ever seen. This was the very reason that I took the lessons. After seeing another player shoot I told him that he had the best looking and smoothest stroke that I had ever seen and he told me about the BCA instructions.

I have spent a lot of money thru the years on training aids, books, tapes, and etc. They all help to some extent but for the most part it was all hit and miss. I would have save tons of money and time if I had taken the lessons the first day I started to play pool and maybe one of the best amateur or semi pro players today.
 
mnShooter said:
I was wondering if anyone here has gotten lessons from Scott Lee and/or Randy G? I am considering taking lessons from both. I know some instructors that aren't worth a crap and I don't want to pay a boatload of cash for nothing.

How would you rate them? 0-10 How much did you learn? What was covered? Did you see a noticeable increase in your level of play and if so how much? Or did they just tell you the "right" way to do things and it didn't really help much?

Thanks in advance for all comments
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I've taken lessons from Scott and he is excellent. He is good at noticing the flaws in your stroke and showing you how to correct them. As you get better, he starts teaching you other things, as well. I would hazard a guess that regardless of your level, he would be able to show you how to improve your game.

I also took a 3 day course with Randy G. and Scott Lee and 3 other students. It was very intense and helpful and I am still working on things that were demonstrated to us.
 
Scott Lee came to my house a year or so ago. I needed help with my stroke and he came through with some nice ideas and techniques for me to work on (damn!...no magic button to push :( )

He's well worth the price, imho. I think of all the money I've spent on playing, books, tournaments, leagues, etc. (good investments, too, btw) and his costs were just a schmidgen of all those expenses. In that context, Scott is cheap as a $2 shirt. My buddy wouldn't consider paying an instructor (ego ego ego) and he's stuck where he was 10 years ago.

My stroke has improved 100%, imho. That adds a level of confidence that you can't get by yourself. It took me a long time to overcome old habits, but with a little work and thought about what Scott showed me, I've eliminated some critical errors in my fundamentals and am jumping up another level, a good thing.

The money you spend will soon be forgotten; the improved play will last forever, so don't confuse price with value...go for it asap.

Scott, send my commission check to me---just kidding!

Jeff Livingston
 
I just don't know if I can go through a month or two of "downtime" in order to change my stance and stroke. I really can't stand it when I'm shooting bad. I don't play good enough the way it is.:D
 
There should be a good instructor in almost every state; any BCA certified instructor with decent experience should be worth the time if you are looking to improve standard areas, i.e. fundamentals, shot selection, position play.

When I was younger, I took lessons with Mark Maryo, a former pro player. He told me everything correct and gave me great advice on my stroke. However, I couldn't get comfortable with his suggestions and it got to the point where I couldn't make a ball and literally stopped playing for a bit. Years later my fundamentals have evolved and I've realized everything that Mark told me was correct and fantastic advice; however, to make use of it (even in terms of things like fundamentals) I had to come around to it myself. Any sort of changes in your game will require time to integrate them, but even having a month of off time can give you the ability that you would otherwise have taken years to acquire.
 
mnShooter said:
I just don't know if I can go through a month or two of "downtime" in order to change my stance and stroke. I really can't stand it when I'm shooting bad. I don't play good enough the way it is.:D
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Although I don't know either Scott or Randy, I expect that if you're going to have them build you a new stroke and "fix" your stance, that it won't take you all that long to see some improvemnts, and probably really quickly.

There are all sorts of other stuff that can mess with your head and so on, but stance and stroke are so fundamental that once you put into practice what they'll show you, and make that practice perfect, you'll reap real benefits.

While you're at it, if you haven't already done so, you may wish to check out Joe Tucker's website, and watch his free online video. He changed my thinking about some very important aspects of vision, stroke, shotmaking, and so on. Even though I haven't had my 3rd Eye Stroke Trainer for quite a time now, using it for several hours, probably 20 hours all told, over a 3 week period, helped me groove a specific stroke, with a specific stance, with a specific sighting method, to pretty consistently shoot straight in stop shots. When I miss, I know what I did wrong, and Joe's device and video helped fix some of my stroke and sighting and vision flaws.

I say, take those lessons! You'll be glad you did!

Flex
 
Amen to all that's been said already. Scott is a great instructor and I'm sure Randy is, too. Go for it. You will not be disappointed.
 
pool school

I have attended randys classes and i would rate them a 10 out of ten, Not only are randy and jerry powers (jerico cues) very good instructors they are great people also. I could not tell you how many times in the past i have called both of them with questions regarding lessons instruction, advice on my game and many cue questions to jerry, they were more than happy to answer any questions. When they first came to S.D. i was a little worried about laying out cash for pool lessons because i thought i was a pretty good player before, like i told my friends xxx amount for 21/2 days of instruction would it be worth it, after the first four hours i would have been o.k. if they said thats it thank you, the information was great but remember there is alot in 3 days. It takes alittle while to soak in, about 2 weeks or less for me, but like anything you have to work at it. There is no magic or smoke and mirrors alot is fundamentals, maybe yours are good but the video tapes dont lie. It was the best pool money i ever spent. I see you are from mn, maybe you are thinking of the August class in Sioux Falls, if so you will see me there (remember if you pay for a class you can always go back for a refresher for free) break that down to a hourly rate and see how cost effective it is 50 plus hours of instruction for xxx amount. If you want to pm a phone number we can talk in person and i will tell you exactly what it has done for my game, or better yet give randy a call and see what you think, i doubt you will be dissapointed SPF
 
mnShooter said:
I just don't know if I can go through a month or two of "downtime" in order to change my stance and stroke. I really can't stand it when I'm shooting bad. I don't play good enough the way it is.:D
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Well, if you don't change, where will you be in a month or two?

Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
Well, if you don't change, where will you be in a month or two?

Jeff Livingston
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excellent point.

My game basically stayed the same for 2 years, constant roller coaster from playing like a pro to playing like i just started. Within 4 months after attending Randyg's school, ive passed all the guys i used to play even with, now i have to give them the 8 if i want a game, and i won enough in december alone to pay for the school 2 times over. Pool school is the single best thing ive ever done for my game, im already signed up for the expert course this fall, cant wait.
 
I have spent some time with both Randy and Scott and both are excellent, but different.

With Scott, you get individual instruction and the session is video taped for your future reference.

With Randy, it is a pool school setting, with other instructors and students.
This only means you receive the benefit of other peoples questions and answers. I spent 3 days in Randy's pool school and they were long days. We went from 8 in the morning until 6 or later in the evening, with very few breaks. IIRC, there was an instructor for every two students.
You will learn everything you always wanted to know about pool. :D

In my experience, neither Scott nor Randy will try to rip apart what you are currently doing. They will help you smooth out the rough spots and analyze what you can improve on.
They will also give you drills which will help improve your game. I must honestly say, I am not a drill person, however, I do apply what I was taught to my play and my game improved substantially after my sessions with each of them. I would be willing to bet, my game would have improved much more quickly, had I been more ambitious in doing the drills.

I highly recommend trying both, if you get the opportunity.
 
Thanks for responses guys. Great stuff. I know change is necessary to get better. I can't wait to get these lessons.
 
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