School Trip To The Pool Hall

You should have acted like a real player and talked them into gambling away their lunch money.

Now THAT would be a lesson!:thumbup:

Jeff Livingston
 
Just a quite write up to say how it went...it went great! The kids seemed to have a great time. It was tough going keeping them all together when there was 30 free tables but they were really well behaved. We ran through the 90 & 30 degree rules, and we used string as a poster mentioned rather than chalk. They picked it up fairly quickly, then we ran through some fractional overlaps, kicks, banks, why the balls draw and follow, how many diamonds difference a tip of side makes and all that kind of stuff and they did excellent!

One kid really stood out though. His name was Tom and he said him and his dad play quite often. At the end when they rest were just having a go at some trick shots I saw he had previous experience so I got him to stand correctly, bridge correctly and it was an instant improvement. He was incredibly smart, too. I went over some standard 3 cushion diamond systems for 3+ rail kicks and how to apply them to a pool table and he picked it up right away. They took me weeks to memorize but this kid got them within 30mins. To my suprise the kid had gone home and told his dad about the day and when his dad dropped him off for school today he asked my girlfriend if I'd give him and his son lessons! I've yet to decide if I'll accept the offer, but probably will.

I've just got the test papers to look forward to marking. Some of the questions I made were really tough, so I'm looking forward to seeing some of the answers.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

That's awesome, sounds like all had a great time & learned some things as well!



Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
 
I'd just like to add a little info on Tom, the kid that asked his dad for some lessons. I've been giving him hour lessons every week up until not. And his dad for that matter. Its worth mentioning its not a lesson as such, as no money swaps hands but his dad fetches him to the snooker hall every Saturday and we play and I offer him and his dad some pointers.

Today he made his first ever 50 break on a 9ft snooker table. I think that's absolutely amazing. He has over taken his dad and is really starting to understand the game. He is starting to understand when to play safe, when to go all in. His understanding of how the white reacts is fairly advanced for his age, but most importantly he friggin' loves playing.
 
The most important thing for any teacher is "what does the student already know?" Are you starting at ground zero? (very difficult) or do they have some knowledge of what a right-angle is?

I think the fun way to do it is to begin with the transfer of energy: body to cue to CB to OB and so on...but it all began with energy from the body. And them let them hit some balls and see/feel the transfer of energy for themselves. (Fun to note how an OB absorbs more energy (and the CB loses more energy) from a direct hit than a thin slice. Again, let them try it and see for themselves).

The way to keep their attention is to keep them involved. Also, make sure you don't go off on any tangents (excuse the pun). The rule is "only say what the student needs to know to move on to the next step." KISS.
 
Good post Sean. I agree.

I would also show them the 90 and 30 degree rules and how stun/follow/draw work with a straight shot. You can talk about the spin and friction drag on the cloth or just let them see it.

Definitely use an Aramith measles ball for everything so the students can see the spin on the ball.

Here are some resources to help:

90 degree rule one-page summary
30 degree rule one page summary
stun, follow, draw one-page summary
basic kick and bank shot aiming system 2-page summary
famous and fun trick shots

Have fun, and report back to let us know how it went. Maybe you will have ideas for what others can do in similar situations.
FYI, I recently created a resource page for teachers and demonstrators. It includes many ideas with supporting resources for showing kids at all levels math, physics, and fun stuff at a pool table. Here it is:

pool-in-school learning and teaching resources

I hope people find this stuff useful in the future,
Dave
 
2 hrs is nothing. You will barely have enough time to get them drunk.

You might need an assistant. I would suggest the forum's esteemed corvette1430.
 
FYI, I recently created a resource page for teachers and demonstrators. It includes many ideas with supporting resources for showing kids at all levels math, physics, and fun stuff at a pool table. Here it is:

pool-in-school learning and teaching resources

I hope people find this stuff useful in the future,
Dave

Bawdammit. Why do I even try.

How can I follow that? Why do I even try?
Cosby_inline.gif
 
2 hrs is nothing. You will barely have enough time to get them drunk.

You might need an assistant. I would suggest the forum's esteemed corvette1430.

What? You haven't noticed all the college math and physics majors on the "pro" tour. I'm sure a lot of parents will appreciate their kids talking a field trip to the local pool hall. It's almost like going to the planetarium.
 
Thanks for the advice Sean, I was going to draw some chalk marks on the table (line to pocket, line from ghost ball to rail, get them to measure the angle and draw a line as the 'angle out' and see if they can work out that the angle in is the same as the angle out. Then get them to do the same for 3 and 4 rails, banks, kicks etc. Then shoot the shots and see how they did, then get them to try shoot some. But that's really all I had! So thanks for the input, its appreciated :)

And of course...ill be watching a lot of venom trick shots from now until the trip!

Perhaps use masking tape instead of chalk marks. Use it for the CB and OB paths. It will click for them. Set up your first shots with the tape and then try some that they can guess on. I was about their age when I saw someone shoot the railroad shot with three house cues and the payoff in the side. I was hooked for life! Best of luck, and I hope you all have a great time!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top