Nick Varner, Johnny Archer, and bfdlad were kind enough to visit Betmore's Basement for a couple of days on their tour. I felt obligated to report, as it was in no way what I expected.
The feedback I get from these reports usually suggests that I am just flattering the pros...because they are pros. Nothing could be further from the truth. I call it like I see it; and this visit deserves special treatment.
They arrived in Indy; and had a very low attendance for their clinic (which has been VERY well attended in other cities). Most likely due to the last minute nature of the clinic (which did not allow for any broad advertising with the terrible ice storm here last week).
Nick and Johnny are 2 of the greatest players who have ever lived. I guess I just expected them to show up, do a perfunctory clinic and leave town. That is NOT what they delivered. They were extremely humble, gracious, and pleasant. They insisted on giving the clinic anyway (even just for 2 people), and also having a long, fun-filled dinner with us. They were quite anxious to make sure that the attendee's got close personal attention.
These guys are fun loving, yet still very professional. I was deeply impressed with the way they communicated their love of the game. They have a VERY special insight into what it takes to develop a pro quality game, and what it takes to give your best performance even under the most intense pressure. Their philosophy was that the pressure for all players (league hacker or pro) is very similar; and that their methods for combating the pressure and performing their best under that pressure are valuable for ALL amateur players.
These guys have competed (and successfully at that) at the very highest level, and their advice and analysis is tremendously valuable for the amateur player - the locals that did not attend missed it BIG TIME.
Both Nick and Johnny were extremely quick to spot the flaws in our fundamentals; and it is almost unbelieveable to me how much they helped me in a relatively short time. I can assure you that group or private lessons with these guys are well worth the time and money. I was unprepared for their obvious sincere commitment to teaching; but quite grateful now.
I have been around some of the best players and best instructors on the planet; and now that I have experienced a bit of their method I believe that Nick and Johnny are definitely in that upper echelon.
Though we all bemoan the fact that pool is a relatively obscure sport to mainstream America, and that it is a tragedy that there is little financial reward to be gained through it; we can ALL agree that we are VERY lucky that the situation allows us access (for a very reasonable price) to the thoughts and expertise of these legends.
Many thanks to the crew; it was an experience I will never forget.
The feedback I get from these reports usually suggests that I am just flattering the pros...because they are pros. Nothing could be further from the truth. I call it like I see it; and this visit deserves special treatment.
They arrived in Indy; and had a very low attendance for their clinic (which has been VERY well attended in other cities). Most likely due to the last minute nature of the clinic (which did not allow for any broad advertising with the terrible ice storm here last week).
Nick and Johnny are 2 of the greatest players who have ever lived. I guess I just expected them to show up, do a perfunctory clinic and leave town. That is NOT what they delivered. They were extremely humble, gracious, and pleasant. They insisted on giving the clinic anyway (even just for 2 people), and also having a long, fun-filled dinner with us. They were quite anxious to make sure that the attendee's got close personal attention.
These guys are fun loving, yet still very professional. I was deeply impressed with the way they communicated their love of the game. They have a VERY special insight into what it takes to develop a pro quality game, and what it takes to give your best performance even under the most intense pressure. Their philosophy was that the pressure for all players (league hacker or pro) is very similar; and that their methods for combating the pressure and performing their best under that pressure are valuable for ALL amateur players.
These guys have competed (and successfully at that) at the very highest level, and their advice and analysis is tremendously valuable for the amateur player - the locals that did not attend missed it BIG TIME.
Both Nick and Johnny were extremely quick to spot the flaws in our fundamentals; and it is almost unbelieveable to me how much they helped me in a relatively short time. I can assure you that group or private lessons with these guys are well worth the time and money. I was unprepared for their obvious sincere commitment to teaching; but quite grateful now.
I have been around some of the best players and best instructors on the planet; and now that I have experienced a bit of their method I believe that Nick and Johnny are definitely in that upper echelon.
Though we all bemoan the fact that pool is a relatively obscure sport to mainstream America, and that it is a tragedy that there is little financial reward to be gained through it; we can ALL agree that we are VERY lucky that the situation allows us access (for a very reasonable price) to the thoughts and expertise of these legends.
Many thanks to the crew; it was an experience I will never forget.
