dquarasr
Registered
^^^^ THIS!!Reminds me of Bob's story of the guy who had terrible fundamentals and couldn't deliver the cue consistently but was getting lessons on off angle banks. Obv, it did him little good to know how to hit them since his technique was so bad he couldn't actually deliver the ball where he wanted. Don't be that guy.
Maybe I'm not remembering it correctly, but when I first moved to Central Florida and set up my table, I got serious about learning the game. I scheduled a lesson with a certified instructor. I explained that I wanted to learn how make balls and explained some of the challenges I faced. I had recognized early on in this renewed interest in the game that basic shot-making was the foundation upon which the rest of the game is built. Maybe that's not the right approach. I dunno. But innings end if the shot is missed, I figured.
Regardless, the lesson was scheduled for an hour. IIRC, we spent about 10 minutes on my shot-making. I don't specifically recall what we actually covered, whether it was stance, alignment, aim, or other stroke skills, but I do remember that the remaining 50 minutes followed a seemingly "one-size-fits-all formula": speed control drills, aiming systems, banking, etc. I also sort of remember that the instructor seemed uncomfortable in the first 10 minutes, then settled in when he covered the topics HE wanted to cover.
I so regret not taking advantage of Scott Lee while he was still with us. RIP, Scott.
Moral of the story: while it's true that a good instructor can ferret out what a student needs, it is equally important, if not more, to listen to what the student wants to learn.