So... I had a lesson with Rafael Martinez

Guerra Cues

Guerra Cues

I build one cue at a time
Silver Member
Hey folks,
Yesterday, I had the pleasure to work with Rafael Martinez.
Not going into many details, but just wanted to say he noticed some flaws on my stroke that he corrected immediately as well we worked on some drills that will help me with what he found wrong with me.
It is incredible but I had lessons with a couple of Pro-Players and Rafael was the first person that I true feel that found what the hell was wrong with my game.
Now is up to me to practice and I was taught.
Rafael Martinez is not just an incredible player but an awesome person as well. And if you get his trust he will share a lot of cool stories with you.

mw2w3012_std.jpg
 
BENFICA said:
Hey folks,
Yesterday, I had the pleasure to work with Rafael Martinez.
Not going into many details, but just wanted to say he noticed some flaws on my stroke that he corrected immediately as well we worked on some drills that will help me with what he found wrong with me.
It is incredible but I had lessons with a couple of Pro-Players and Rafael was the first person that I true feel that found what the hell was wrong with my game.
Now is up to me to practice and I was taught.
Rafael Martinez is not just an incredible player but an awesome person as well. And if you get his trust he will share a lot of cool stories with you.

mw2w3012_std.jpg
Click to expand...

I saw him playing for the first time at the Mezz Tournament. I like watching him play because he's so positive in his cueing action.

He hit a couple of pure stroke shots that were breathtaking. He has one of the best strokes I've ever seen - no hesitation at all - and accurate too.

Chris
 
Watched him play deep into the us open nineball tourney last year. His wide open game and shotmaking was a thrill to watch.
 
Really admire the way Rafael plays the game. If more people played the game like he does, it wouldn't be boring to watch. He is a true Brent Frave gunslinger, win or lose, shoot for the hole.:thumbup:.

Maybe, we will cross paths and I will ask him to give me some lessons. :D
 
He reminds me of a Hispanic Robert DeNiro. Straight up, 'dont mess with this guy' style.
 
cleary said:
He reminds me of a Hispanic Robert DeNiro. Straight up, 'dont mess with this guy' style.
Click to expand...

Cleary,

Off topic - but what I want to really know is - how much can you bench press? My guess is 300. And no, I don't want to bet against you doing pushup's.

Chris
 
Dead Money said:
I like watching him play. He makes some amazing shots look easy and he plays very fast!
Click to expand...

Depends what you mean by fast. Raphael certainly doesn't waste any time but it usually takes about a minute for the cue ball to come to rest on most shots, and another 2 minutes before it stops spinning in place. :smile2:

I like watching him play too. He has an unreal stroke and he's a brawler. It doesn't matter who he's playing, he's not a afraid of anyone. Any match he's in, even against a world beater, is a knife fight.
 
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TATE said:
Cleary,

Off topic - but what I want to really know is - how much can you bench press? My guess is 300. And no, I don't want to bet against you doing pushup's.

Chris
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHA To be honest, I haven't bench pressed since high school football practice over 10 years ago. I was around that number back then but I was about 50 lbs lighter and more in shape. Now, I honestly have no idea what I could do.
 
Yes, but how many of you has he cooked for? :-)

Once upon a time in a land far far away we sponsored Rafael when he lived in Germany. We had him over for a weekend to give two clinics attended by 8 people per session and gave him all the money. (note: this is a really good way to put some cash in your favorite professional's pocket)

Rafael was a great great teacher and he not only handled all the technical questions but he also taught game strategy and the mental game.

One question that stands out is that he was asked how he deals with it when his opponent is running a lot of games. Rafael said that he sits there and just waits for his turn to run a lot of games back at the other guy. He said that he knows he is jsut as capable if he gets the chance so he focuses only on what he needs to do and not what they other guy is doing.

He also taught us a bunch of different "hits" this means different speeds and bridge distances for different needs. Very very good information. The videotapes we did of those sessions are long gone sadly.

If you look on YouTube you can find a tournament that we sponsored in Germany where Rafael demolishes Ralf Souquet and Bustamante. Busty asked me after losing 13:2 what he did wrong and I said "you lost the lag". :-) For two or three events there Rafael was unbeatable, his firepower was unreal.

If you watch the Ralf match, you will see a push to a kick that Ralf gives back and Rafael punishes Ralf by showing him a standard kick-safe that Ralf didn't know. Ralf told me later he learned something there.

I am sure you had a good lesson Tony.
 
cigardave said:
Here's a link to a trick shot that Rafael did on my new Diamond 9-footer just a couple of days after I bought it and RKC set it up inside my garage. At the time Raffy was staying with my buddy Jeff in Everett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj__WLDGL0g


Select 480p for the hi-resolution version.
Click to expand...

That shot took one heck of a stroke which Rafael has for sure. I love to watch him play 9 ball especially some of the older matches when he played awesome (not saying that he doesn't play awesome now).

James
 
My Favorite Player, for certain ... and a good friend also.

I see him most everyday at The Jointed Cue in SacTown and
he regularly critiques my game and how to improve it.

He is a veritable Encyclopedia of Shots, Moves, & Strategies
in ALL of the Pool disciplines.
 
Str8PoolPlayer said:
My Favorite Player, for certain ... and a good friend also.

I see him most everyday at The Jointed Cue in SacTown and
he regularly critiques my game and how to improve it.

He is a veritable Encyclopedia of Shots, Moves, & Strategies
in ALL of the Pool disciplines.
Click to expand...

So, the rooms to stop and visit in Sacramento are Hard Times and the Jointed Cue? I'm going to be headed up that way in December if any tournaments are going on.

Chris
 
Video

cigardave said:
Here's a link to a trick shot that Rafael did on my new Diamond 9-footer just a couple of days after I bought it and RKC set it up inside my garage. At the time Raffy was staying with my buddy Jeff in Everett.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj__WLDGL0g


Select 480p for the hi-resolution version.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the video.
I fully expect to see a video of Tony making that shot while on his IPhone in a week or so.
 
Rafael is a great guy to be around with and a phenomenal player as well. i am glad that he is a friend of mine. you really should check out those videos against Ralf and Francisco that were mentioned before. Rafael was deadly there, i have never seen someone destroy Bustamante that way !
 
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