Pool instructors and their level of play??

[APA7]

Does it matter if someone can play or not 2 B an instructor?

I kno that U don`t have 2 play like a pro 2 B a good instructor, but don`t U have 2 play decent, at least??

Do U think NE1 that plays below a B level can B a good instructor 4 stuff above the basic stuff?

Brian

 

[devindra]

A good teacher is not necessarily a good player. Nor is a good player a good teacher. Keep that in mind.

 

[McChen]

i think a good teacher has to be a good player. they don't necessarily have to be a world champion, but they need to be pretty good. i mean how can they really know what is what if they haven't experienced and mastered it? you can't teach something you don't know. but many good players are not good teachers.

 

[mikepage]

Does it matter if someone can play or not 2 B an instructor?

I kno that U don`t have 2 play like a pro 2 B a good instructor, but don`t U have 2 play decent, at least??

Do U think NE1 that plays below a B level can B a good instructor 4 stuff above the basic stuff?

Brian

I think it's completely possible to be a phenomenal instructor and not be able to play a lick.

It's just not likely. Some of the more subtle aspects of being a good instructor have to do with being around the game a lot. Generally speaking, people who have spent enough time in and around the game to be a sophisticated instructor will also have played the game enough to be competent at it.

 

[StevenPWaldon]

I don't think they necessarily have to be a great player, but teachers often have acquired much of their knowledge through their own practice and experience.

I find it pretty rare that there is a qualified teacher out there who doesn't play at least B-speed or above, and this will most likely be due to simply being a part of the game for so long.

 

[SpiderWebComm]

I don't think you have to be a great player to be a great teacher.

BUT............

Since there are so many great teachers who are hammer players........


WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU GO TO A TEACHER WHO CAN'T PLAY???????????????????????????????????????????
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[tigerseye]

Does it matter if someone can play or not 2 B an instructor?

I kno that U don`t have 2 play like a pro 2 B a good instructor, but don`t U have 2 play decent, at least??

Do U think NE1 that plays below a B level can B a good instructor 4 stuff above the basic stuff?

Brian

It defintitely gives me piece of mind if the person teaching can play at least a 8-9 apa level pool....
For instance if Instrcutor A told you the same thing that Earl Strickland told you...which would give you more confidence in the lesson? I may be a lil shallow but i would totally feel more confident in what a World Champion told me.....just my opinion....

 

[AnitoKid]

Same thoughts here, buddy.
And I kid you not!

I kno that U don`t have 2 play like a pro 2 B a good instructor, but don`t U have 2 play decent, at least??

 

[JMW]

Coach Tom Landry was one of the greatest teachers and innovators in the history of professional football. But he was a punter when he played the game. A great teacher does not have to be a great player. Teaching and performing are totally different disciplines.

 

[Beware_of_Dawg]

"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." ~Chinese Proverb

 

[jrt30004]

i think it depends situation as well. i have taught my girlfriend in eight months to shoot at the level of a decent apa 5 which is about what i am. i can still teach her a little more but eventually i will have nothing left to offer. i think the teacher you pick should at least have skills greater than yours if for no other reason than to be able to demonstrate the theories he is trying to impart to you.

 

[dirtypool40]

I've seen this several times in shooting.

You have champions who can't teach, and instructors hanging out their shingle who are no where near the top level.

It's hard to criticize a champion, so sometimes you won't get an honest appraisal of someone's teaching ability if they are top notch.

On the other hand there are scores of instructors out there, in any discipline who make a solid living teaching newbies and inventing status.

We call them "Gun Store Commandos" but it would be like going in as a rookie to the local pool room, some guy telling them a $500 Mali was the be all end all of cues all the champions play with, and then offering lessons for $50 an hour when they can't break out of APA 4 level.



No, you don't have to be a champ, and being one does not mean you are a good instructor.

I've been a professional instructor in several different jobs, from teaching managers at a restaraunt, to flight instruction, to overseeing a variety of training programs and doing small arms instruction to military and compatition shooters.

When you really work at being a good instructor, you learn that there are many different learning styles, and you need several different teaching styles, and eventually you realize tyou cannot reach every one. Some student / instructor pairings just don't work.

Find someone that has techniques or theories you respect, and a style you can learn from. Otherwise you are wasting your money and time.

 

[Tom In Cincy]

Don't waste your time with an instructor that isn't certified or doesn't play well.

Go to a pool school.

 

[Eric.]

I'm in the same camp as those that said that an instructor HAS TO HAVE a certain level of play.

I agree that you don't need to be a world beater to be a good teacher, and many of them aren't. At the other end of the spectrum, I would never consider an instructor that can't play at a "high amateur" level either. Why? Simply put, you can't teach what you don't know. Period.


Eric

 

[leehayes]

Don't waste your time with an instructor that isn't certified or doesn't play well.

Go to a pool school.

Agreed. I'm an APA/BCA level 6 and can teach some basics to beginners. But I could never advance the skill of a player who is better than me.
You need to work with someone who knows how to perform.
But, just because someone can play and says they can teach doesn't mean they can.
I took a lesson from a great player and was so confused by the time I was done that I regretted ever asking for a lesson.
But when I took lessons from someone who could teach and knew the basics because she could do them I learned alot and my game greatly improved.
I agree that pool school is a good idea, or find a good certified instructor who comes highly recommended....like Scott Lee

 

[ShootingArts]

real world instructors

I have had more instructors than I can remember over the years. Ignoring the ones that were teaching things I would never need to apply, every other quality instructor except one walked the walk when they wanted or needed to. I suspect that one instructor could have done just fine had he hit the real world. He had far better abilities to learn from his students than any other instructor I have ever met and he passed on what his students encountered in the real world to his other students.

A person with a good stroke can probably teach you a good stroke. If he is a C player or less he isn't likely to teach you the things you need to know to make you an A player. Talking about instructors that can't and never have been able to do what they are trying to teach, I would say that less than one in a hundred can do a good job of teaching complicated tasks. Again, this only applies to real world activities.

How an instructor has done in competition is almost a non-issue however unless I want to learn the mental game from them. As general rule, top competitors do not make top instructors and top instructors do not make top competitors. Two different sets of personality traits are needed for the two activities and in some areas they are almost mutually exclusive. Top competitors can be decent teachers, top teachers can be decent competitors but the person that can do both at the very top level is extremely rare because he or she has to be able to totally stifle some parts of their personality depending on what they are doing to do both at a very high level.

Hu

 

[PIRANHA]

Good Teacher,Not playing

I have had more instructors than I can remember over the years. Ignoring the ones that were teaching things I would never need to apply, every other quality instructor except one walked the walk when they wanted or needed to. I suspect that one instructor could have done just fine had he hit the real world. He had far better abilities to learn from his students than any other instructor I have ever met and he passed on what his students encountered in the real world to his other students.

A person with a good stroke can probably teach you a good stroke. If he is a C player or less he isn't likely to teach you the things you need to know to make you an A player. Talking about instructors that can't and never have been able to do what they are trying to teach, I would say that less than one in a hundred can do a good job of teaching complicated tasks. Again, this only applies to real world activities.

How an instructor has done in competition is almost a non-issue however unless I want to learn the mental game from them. As general rule, top competitors do not make top instructors and top instructors do not make top competitors. Two different sets of personality traits are needed for the two activities and in some areas they are almost mutually exclusive. Top competitors can be decent teachers, top teachers can be decent competitors but the person that can do both at the very top level is extremely rare because he or she has to be able to totally stifle some parts of their personality depending on what they are doing to do both at a very high level.

Hu

Some of you will have to take in the matter of age. I learned One Pocket for a local named Eddie Ryan.Eddie played a lot of road men and when I was playing him I spotted him a ball. His stroke was not as good and didn't draw as in his younger days, I'm finding that out now. But his knowledge of the game was worth it all. I can teach young players the basic of pool , diamond system and my insight on one pocket ,.although my eye sight is not as sharp as went I too was younger . Wish that when I was drilling ball back then I had the understanding as I do now.

 

[George Fels]

And those who can't teach, teach gym. I find it interesting that nobody has cited Hal Mix, who was consistently sought out by Nick Varner and other top players yet couldn't play a lick. Mike Sigel has always said that the late Irving Crane helped him very little when they were both still in Rochester; Mosconi taught nobody I know of except Paul Newman. Playing ability does not ensure teaching ability in the least, and the reverse of that is also true. GF

 

[highrun55]

I believe their is the difference in showing them something or teaching them something.
I play pretty decent but just can`t teach, but I can show you what to do.
And I dont have the patience to teach either


highrun55

 

[androd]

Coach Tom Landry was one of the greatest teachers and innovators in the history of professional football. But he was a punter when he played the game. A great teacher does not have to be a great player. Teaching and performing are totally different disciplines.

tom landry was bobby's lane blocking back at texas and a defensive back with the giants. his rep was no one in the league hit you harder. he also coached the defence while playing and vince lombardi coached the offense. he could play and was well qualified to teach.