Questions about instructors, pt. 1 - ROY YAMANE

T

TheCrankyMouse

Professional Amateur
I’d like some information about Roy Yamane.

I hear he is a BCA Master Instructor, but since I’m not really sure what that compares to, I thought I’d ask around for some information.

How effective is he as a teacher?
Has he trained any current and/or previous professionals?
What individual titles has he won?

I’ve heard his rates are pretty steep, so I just wanted to make sure I was making a good investment before I signed up. I hear he’s in Southern California, but does anyone know where exactly in Southern California?

I’ll be asking about some other instructors in future threads… thanks in advance for everybody’s input!
 
I don't know how good his instructional abilities are but I overheard a Southern Cal player who used to play on the camel tour say " I have to get certified by someone I can give the seven ball to" meaning he needed to pay Yamane to help get BCA certified but he didn't seem too impressed with his ability to play.

Some instructors may not be great players but that doesn't mean they can't help you. High rates don't help, though. Maybe consider saving your money for a Mark Wilson or Scott Lee lesson; people seem to give them very high marks and don't have a problem paying their rates.
 
I have heard too about some guys "buying" their certification. It turned me off to the whole BCA thing. Especially when a guy I met who couldnt run 4 balls was a BCA instructor. This guy goes around and poses as a teacher and a referee. I heard he just got certified by a BCA Master because the Master needed some cash.
 
His home page is here:
http://www.billiardinstructor.com/

His school is in Garden Grove, but I've seen him travel to other Pool Halls in the So. Cal area to give lessons. As he is a BCA instructor I'd imagine this means he will follow their ground-up long-term curriculum rather than helping you tweak a some specific aspects of your existing game in a few hours.

I'm sure if you call and discuss what you are trying to achieve with him he can give you a better idea how well his school would help you.
 
Roy's a nice guy, and an excellent instructor for beginning players, but I highly suggest that if you've ever broke and run a rack on purpose (not through flukes and slop) that Roy Yamane is not your guy.

If you're not sure what they call that little white piece between the tip and the shaft wood, you should certainly consider going to see Roy, he can bring up your game quite a bit.

He has done some instruction for some women Pro's....I believe Darlene Stinson has taken a lesson or two from him.

And, yes he does basically follow the BCA "long term" guides.

Roy hit's them alright, and he certainly isn't a bad player, is he going to take off with a major Hard Times tourney anytime soon....probably not...
 
Roy Yamane is an excellent teacher of the game. He is also a very good player, despite what was written earlier.

As far a certification goes, I am not BCA certified, nor do I aspire to be. That being said, I would hold my instruction up against any certifed instructor, regardless of their instructor "level". The true test of any instructor is whether or not what they teach is practical. Can their students absorb the information (the planted seed), put the work in that is needed to develop (nourish the seed), and then can the seed sprout (show noticeable improvement in the area concentrated on). Then, can the student become successful by utilizing what was learned from the instruction (does the seed produce a tree that bears fruit). Those are the questions to ask yourself.

Never make your decisions based on the success (or lack of success) of other people in regards to a particular instructor. I can rattle off some very famous names of pro players male and female that have sought and received my instruction, but if you don't have the same type of commitment as was utilized by the pros, you will not get anywhere near the same result.

Another thing - any student that judges the teacher on anything other than the quality of instruction given and received needs to go back and look at their motives for seeking out instruction in the first place. It all comes down to attitude. If you want to learn, develop and succeed, you will. If you just want to judge, compare, put down, scoff at what is being taught, then you will stay exactly where you are at with your game - deservedly so.
 
Make no mistake about it, Roy Yamane can play some.
Ask Jimmy M. here.
He might not be a pro but he can play. I've even seen him play 3-cushion.
Scott Lee does not charge that much to teach at all. Problem is, he's a travelling instructor. He will be in SoCal this May. Scott is an excellent teacher.
 
BCA Certification?

Ok, so the BCA certification... is that a certification of skill(s) or a certification of teaching ability?

I recently heard someone say that Allison Fisher received BCA certification sometime last year. I don't know how good Roy Yamane plays, but if he is a BCA Master Instructor, then I guess he probably plays better than Allison.

If the certification is for teaching ability (which is fundamentally important), then how does one measure who is a better teacher? Do they have student reviews or something like that which could quantatively measure teaching ability? I think it'd be easier to measure skill level than teaching ability.

I might be getting slightly off-track, I know, but I'm relatively new to this kind of stuff so bear with me... :D
 
Pool Teachers

Blackjack said:
Roy Yamane is an excellent teacher of the game. He is also a very good player, despite what was written earlier.

As far a certification goes, I am not BCA certified, nor do I aspire to be. That being said, I would hold my instruction up against any certifed instructor, regardless of their instructor "level". The true test of any instructor is whether or not what they teach is practical. Can their students absorb the information (the planted seed), put the work in that is needed to develop (nourish the seed), and then can the seed sprout (show noticeable improvement in the area concentrated on). Then, can the student become successful by utilizing what was learned from the instruction (does the seed produce a tree that bears fruit). Those are the questions to ask yourself.

Never make your decisions based on the success (or lack of success) of other people in regards to a particular instructor. I can rattle off some very famous names of pro players male and female that have sought and received my instruction, but if you don't have the same type of commitment as was utilized by the pros, you will not get anywhere near the same result.

Another thing - any student that judges the teacher on anything other than the quality of instruction given and received needs to go back and look at their motives for seeking out instruction in the first place. It all comes down to attitude. If you want to learn, develop and succeed, you will. If you just want to judge, compare, put down, scoff at what is being taught, then you will stay exactly where you are at with your game - deservedly so.
Click to expand...

Some years ago, I thought I could benefit from taking some lessons from some local professional level players. I guess I should have known better, but my first inclination was to assume that a PRO-level player would be a good teacher.... Well, you guessed it.....I paid for a few lessons from 2 different people, and I was rather disappointed because I didn't feel like I was getting good instruction...Later I heard raves about some teachers that were not Pro-level players; not even close....So I guess you have to do some checking around to get good quality instruction....
 
Roy Yamane is a friend of mine. Roy plays Billiards (Pocket & 3C) very well. Roy is a Professional Instructor and he is certified by the BCA. BCA is not in the business of certifying anyone as an instructor, that cannot instruct a student very well in the art of the game & benefit the student in learning to play the game.

In the game of Golf, the highest paid teacher in the game, can't break 80, 3 days in a row, with good weather. These teachers are very much respected & their remuneration is far above what the top Pro Pool Player makes.

There are more than several 10 Speed players around the country, but 99% of them couldn't teach you a 3 rail bank shot. That also have no reason to teach you anything, that might be used against them.

Being a great teacher & playing like GOD, might be 2 different things. There are several facets of learning. Student & Teacher rapport is very important. If the student & the teacher cannot communicate, the lesson may as well be given to a post, by an automatic program.

Any lesson, for the game of pool or tiddlywinks, should first address the student's needs. If the student can already play well and their mechanics are very functional, there's no need for the instructor to insist the student stroke the ball like Bustamante, which by the way is a miracle.

Communication is the key to teaching & learning. I know Roy Yamane is a communicator.
 
JoeyInCali said:
....Scott Lee does not charge that much to teach at all. Problem is, he's a travelling instructor. He will be in SoCal this May. Scott is an excellent teacher.
Click to expand...

Cranky Mouse, I can second the Scott Lee recommendation. I took a 4-hour lesson from him and it helped my game a lot.

I'm not sure how much he charges now but you will get your money's worth.
 
BCA Instructor Certification Program

In the early 90's the BCA Board of Directors initiated an Instructor's Program set up with Committee members. Before that time a person could actually "buy" a certificate.

Since 1992 any person choseing to become certified into the BCA Instructor Program has to follow a set of guidelines.

All candidates are required to attend a three day school.

They must pass written and teaching principles examinations.

If completed satisfactoraly, the candidates are then placed in the entry level teaching catagory known as a "Recognized" Instructor. It is the first step of a very long journey.

Not all "Recognized" Instructors are perfect products, yet. Over the next six years they may (or may not) strive to obtain these other levels of compentance.

RECOGNIZED= Entry Level

CERTIFIED= Good Instructor

ADVANCED= Excellent Instructor dedicated to our sport. This level Instructor also has the ability to officially "Recognize" other candidates into the program. Most Advance Instructors are working toward the final level.

MASTER=Top Level Instructors who also share their beliefs and knowledge with all level BCA Instructors. Most "Master" Instructors have dedicated school facilities to teach from. A "Master" has at one time or another studied under three different "Master" Instructors. All levels of upgrades are done under the supervision and guidance of "Master" Instructors.

Hope this helps.
Randy Goettlicher
BCA Master Instructor
Owner of CUE-TECH
a BCA Master Academy
Dallas, Texas
 
TheCrankyMouse said:
...Do they have student reviews or something like that which could quantatively measure teaching ability? I think it'd be easier to measure skill level than teaching ability.
Click to expand...

After a lesson the BCA instructor will give you a feedback form which you can fill out and send to the BCA national office.
 
Is there a listing anywhere of BCA certified instructors? How would a person go about finding one in his area? When I feel the need to take lessons, I know one of the touring Pros and I just set up a time with him and take lessons from him...I'm more than satisfied with the results and not looking to change, but if someone were looking specifically for a BCA Certified Instructor, how would they find out if there's one in their area?
 
GeraldG,
Go to www.bca-pool.com. Click on Play and then Intructors. There are a couple hundred BCA Intructors around the country with contact info on this site.

Cranky Mouse,

Roy is a great teacher, regardless of your skill level. As previously mentioned, it is all about communication skills, not just playing skills. With a little common sense and some practical understanding about your game, you can know by simply talking with an instructor for a short time whether or not they can help you with your game.

As far a the cost goes, if the instructor passes your common sense/prractical understanding test, then there is a good chance this person will help you save allot of time, money and frustration (in the long run).

Give Roy a call. You can get his contact info at the BCA site.
 
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