The question of whether or not pool instructors can demonstrate the techniques they attempt to teach their students is often brought up in social media.
I had just gotten back from a brutal weekend at White Diamonds where I won 2 matches and lost 2 matches and I was visiting Lacy's Cue in New Orleans with my good friend DocHutch.
Mark Finkelstein and Mark Powell were conducting a pool school for about a dozen students and I told DocHutch that it was remarkable that every one of the students stayed down on the shot although it was evident that they were relatively new students of the game. Their form was exceptional by most pool standards and it was evident that they were all learning new skills hour after hour.
DocHutch and I slipped in on the 10 foot diamond table (after getting permission from Mark Finkelstein and Shawn Putnam who was there as well) to play some one pocket.
After the school day had ended, the two Marks came up and we started talking about food and one of the local players Sam the Barber, suggested a local restaurant that I had never been to, called Crave. He had recommended the Shrimp & Grits which I also had never had. MarkF invited me to go to Crave's with he and MarkP and I thought that it would be interesting to have dinner with the two Master Pool Instructors so off we went.
At the dinner table, I asked them to tell me a little about their pool school which they did and I was very impressed with how the both of them articulated the ins & outs of Pool School with rapid-fire information. I asked a couple of questions to see if the guys really had their act together and to say that I was impressed is an understatement. Their knowledge of the techniques and fundamentals was vast and I could tell that they knew what they were talking about. However, I really didn't know if they could demonstrate the principles that they teach.
After dinner, the two Marks (don't laugh) went back to their hotel and I went back to talk to the owner of Lacy's Cue and stayed their for an hour and then decided to hit some balls before going home. After hitting a few balls, I heard this voice, "Nice shot!" and turned around to see MarkF. He had returned to Lacy's Cue to pick up an extension cord that had been left behind and I saw the opportunity so I went for it. I asked Mark Finklestein if he had his pool stick and would like to play a little and he immediately said "Sure" and off he went to grab a cue stick off the racks and I told him he could play with my Perfomance Cue. Since it kind of unique I suggested MarkF warm up by shooting a few shots. Immediately, he started pocketing balls on the 4 1/8" pocket Diamond 9 foot pool table and I could tell that his ball pocketing skills were quite nice. The cloth was well broke in and the front tables are intimidating for most people but MarkF pocketed the first few shots without a miss and said he was ready. MarkF knew I liked one pocket so he was gracious enough to offer to play some one pocket. I used my spare Performance Cue which I normally use for breaking and won the first game. The next game MarkF startled me by winning the second game and when I miscued in the third game for the second time, I immediately dug into the pool case for my PC spare playingshaft. My break cue has a rather hardtip on it and when applying side spin, I would sometimes miscue. MarkF was amused in a good way that he forced me to pay attention to the game and resort to my playing shaft. We played a couple of more games and MarkF impressed me with his knowledge of one pocket even though it is not his best game.
I don't know how it got started but it was probably when Mark made an unsual shot that I hadn't seen before and I asked him to tell me how he had made the shot and before I knew it, he showed me SEVERAL shots that I had never been able to make. In fact, one of the shots he showed me was so ridiculous that I quipped that it was impossible and MarkF immediately shot the shot, making it on his first attempt. After showing me and telling me how to make the different shots, I was able to make them all consistently, even though they are not shots that I would previously had even attempted.
While Mark Powell was back at the hotel while MarkF and I were playing, I did notice during the day that MarkP had a very smooth stroke and was pocketing balls VERY WELL, while talking with his students.
So just in case if you were wondering whether or not Mark Finklestein or Mark Powell can demonstrate the techniques that they teach, the answer is unequivocally YES.
JoeyA
I had just gotten back from a brutal weekend at White Diamonds where I won 2 matches and lost 2 matches and I was visiting Lacy's Cue in New Orleans with my good friend DocHutch.
Mark Finkelstein and Mark Powell were conducting a pool school for about a dozen students and I told DocHutch that it was remarkable that every one of the students stayed down on the shot although it was evident that they were relatively new students of the game. Their form was exceptional by most pool standards and it was evident that they were all learning new skills hour after hour.
DocHutch and I slipped in on the 10 foot diamond table (after getting permission from Mark Finkelstein and Shawn Putnam who was there as well) to play some one pocket.
After the school day had ended, the two Marks came up and we started talking about food and one of the local players Sam the Barber, suggested a local restaurant that I had never been to, called Crave. He had recommended the Shrimp & Grits which I also had never had. MarkF invited me to go to Crave's with he and MarkP and I thought that it would be interesting to have dinner with the two Master Pool Instructors so off we went.
At the dinner table, I asked them to tell me a little about their pool school which they did and I was very impressed with how the both of them articulated the ins & outs of Pool School with rapid-fire information. I asked a couple of questions to see if the guys really had their act together and to say that I was impressed is an understatement. Their knowledge of the techniques and fundamentals was vast and I could tell that they knew what they were talking about. However, I really didn't know if they could demonstrate the principles that they teach.
After dinner, the two Marks (don't laugh) went back to their hotel and I went back to talk to the owner of Lacy's Cue and stayed their for an hour and then decided to hit some balls before going home. After hitting a few balls, I heard this voice, "Nice shot!" and turned around to see MarkF. He had returned to Lacy's Cue to pick up an extension cord that had been left behind and I saw the opportunity so I went for it. I asked Mark Finklestein if he had his pool stick and would like to play a little and he immediately said "Sure" and off he went to grab a cue stick off the racks and I told him he could play with my Perfomance Cue. Since it kind of unique I suggested MarkF warm up by shooting a few shots. Immediately, he started pocketing balls on the 4 1/8" pocket Diamond 9 foot pool table and I could tell that his ball pocketing skills were quite nice. The cloth was well broke in and the front tables are intimidating for most people but MarkF pocketed the first few shots without a miss and said he was ready. MarkF knew I liked one pocket so he was gracious enough to offer to play some one pocket. I used my spare Performance Cue which I normally use for breaking and won the first game. The next game MarkF startled me by winning the second game and when I miscued in the third game for the second time, I immediately dug into the pool case for my PC spare playingshaft. My break cue has a rather hardtip on it and when applying side spin, I would sometimes miscue. MarkF was amused in a good way that he forced me to pay attention to the game and resort to my playing shaft. We played a couple of more games and MarkF impressed me with his knowledge of one pocket even though it is not his best game.
I don't know how it got started but it was probably when Mark made an unsual shot that I hadn't seen before and I asked him to tell me how he had made the shot and before I knew it, he showed me SEVERAL shots that I had never been able to make. In fact, one of the shots he showed me was so ridiculous that I quipped that it was impossible and MarkF immediately shot the shot, making it on his first attempt. After showing me and telling me how to make the different shots, I was able to make them all consistently, even though they are not shots that I would previously had even attempted.
While Mark Powell was back at the hotel while MarkF and I were playing, I did notice during the day that MarkP had a very smooth stroke and was pocketing balls VERY WELL, while talking with his students.
So just in case if you were wondering whether or not Mark Finklestein or Mark Powell can demonstrate the techniques that they teach, the answer is unequivocally YES.
JoeyA
