Which instructional material

Which instructional tool


  • Total voters
    48

nzjase

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok time to spend some hard earned money on instructional aides. So I need some feedback.

I have just recently started taking pool seriously, I am a beginner and I am attempting to dedicate 2 hours a day minimum to practice (which is working out well so far).

I now need to get a resource to show me some good drills to focus on in my practice sessions that will teach me the various pool fundamentals (just too much to trawl through on youtube)

I don't want to spend too much right away so these are what I am considering:

1) Mika Immonen - Mastering Pool Instructional DVD Trilogy - $79 (3 DVD)

2) Dr Dave - Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP) - $129 (5 discs)

3) Bert Kinster website - www.bertkinister.com/ - $35 per month <-- can you download the videos to play later, offline?

4) Bob Henning - The Pro Book: Maximizing Competitive Performance for Pool Players - $49.95

5) Phill Cappelle - Play Your Best 8 Ball - $29.95

6) A pool lesson with Jerry Briesath - $70

EDIT: Poll added
 
Last edited:
Jerry Briesath's last DVD set is the best all around set out there. For a beginner or advanced player, anything from Jerry is top notch.
 
where to spend $

I am a Guy who normally does well in tournament play win some loose some and am a 9 in NCAA. The best money I have spent so far was a lesson with gene, genomachino of the perfect aim. There are a lot of people who don't understand what he teachers because they haven't spent any time with him. Don't listen to people who speak of something they know nothing about give gene a call he will help you over the phone because he is that kind of guy:) . Than set up a lesson you will be vary happy, I wish I had learned his way right off. I will be a favorite to win a lot of tournaments soon and a lot of that is what I learned from gene and application of this through practice. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
I am a Guy who normally does well in tournament play win some loose some and am a 9 in NCAA. The best money I have spent so far was a lesson with gene, genomachino of the perfect aim. There are a lot of people who don't understand what he teachers because they haven't spent any time with him. Don't listen to people who speak of something they know nothing about give gene a call he will help you over the phone because he is that kind of guy:) . Than set up a lesson you will be vary happy, I wish I had learned his way right off. I will be a favorite to win a lot of tournaments soon and a lot of that is what I learned from gene and application of this through practice. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thanks mate, I am based in New Zealand so time zones and costs are a bit of an issue unfortunately.
 
LOL OK banking with the beard would be my choice of a book. Vary informative in many areas. Will go well with any set you choose and ad a lot of info and understanding on a lot of areas. And the NCAA was supposed to be BCA my smart phone out smarted me.
 
SEE system from Ekkes

Ok time to spend some hard earned money on instructional aides. So I need some feedback.

I have just recently started taking pool seriously, I am a beginner and I am attempting to dedicate 2 hours a day minimum to practice (which is working out well so far).

I now need to get a resource to show me some good drills to focus on in my practice sessions that will teach me the various pool fundamentals (just too much to trawl through on youtube)

I don't want to spend too much right away so these are what I am considering:

1) Mika Immonen - Mastering Pool Instructional DVD Trilogy - $79 (3 DVD)

2) Dr Dave - Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP) - $129 (5 discs)

3) Bert Kinster website - www.bertkinister.com/ - $35 per month <-- can you download the videos to play later, offline?

4) Bob Henning - The Pro Book: Maximizing Competitive Performance for Pool Players - $49.95

5) Phill Cappelle - Play Your Best 8 Ball - $29.95

6) A pool lesson with Jerry Briesath - $70

EDIT: Poll added


All your options are good but I definately reccomend you to invest 50usd in Ekkes's (he's nicknamed theUBC on this forum) SEE system - it will be the best 50usd you ever spent! There is more great information in his new updated material than anywhere else...
 
NEW SEE system from Ekkes including training program

All your options are good but I definately reccomend you to invest 50usd in Ekkes's (he's nicknamed theUBC on this forum) SEE system - it will be the best 50usd you ever spent! There is more great information in his new updated material than anywhere else...

I agree with all of the above!!

His new material is a COMPLETE training system, not just an aiming system (a great one by the way), really for arround 50 bucks that the price will be, you get A LOT MORE!

I got to get a peek at the videos, aiming and drills, using english, everything is covered, well described and precise, just great.
 
3) Bert Kinster website - www.bertkinister.com/ - $35 per month <-- can you download the videos to play later, offline?

It's possible, though I don't know if bert would like it, I'm guessing he doesn't provide direct download links so you'd have to use a capture program.

But if you choose to do that, you get 92 videos for 35 bucks. That's a great deal, some of them are really good.

So, Bert got my vote. Mika would be my second choice.
 
Videos are nice as they visually show you what they are talking about. If you are a beginner and still learning what draw,follow, and side spin will do i would pass on the play your best 8ball as i have it and feel it is more strategy and not a how this happens book. Play your beat pool would be better.i am a huge phil fan and have a few of his books.
 
I realize you don't want to spend a lot but at this stage you would be much better off getting a hands-on lesson from an instructor. It would be worth two or three times what you'll spend on books/videos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My advice is to buy "Pleasures of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards" before doing anything with anyone. This book will teach you how to learn, giving you a better opportunity to maximize any training program you choose. I bought it off Amazon for under $14 USD.

Good luck!

Ken
 
A different starting point

You said you are a beginner so here
is what you may not know.

The single most important aspect of
playing good pool is your mechanics.

Good mechanics means repeatable &
predictable stroke. Think about it.

If you can not hit the cue ball exactly
where you aim then how do you learn
what the cue ball does?

To put it another way. If you can shoot the
cue ball dead straight then it is much easier
to learn where to hit object balls in order to
make.

So maybe your question should have been;
What sources are available to teach me good
fundamentals?

Good luck and never forget that playing is first
and foremost about having fun.
 
I see that you have some really good choices for instructional material in your poll. What I may suggest, as mentioned before, is since you're a 'beginner' is to focus on your basics/fundamentals. Back in the mid '60's I was getting help from an older retired pro and a younger flashy 'hustler'. Both advised me to go up to the counter and purchase Mosconi's red book. I was instructed to follow his advice on basics for 6 months and then go from there. They wanted me to get my basics in order and then to relax and get into my own comfort zone with them. So, before you get too far down the road take that to heart.

With that in mind, I lean towards Briisath. I don't have his latest set of instructional videos but have heard nothing but good about them. I do have his original video 'How To Play Pool Right'. I also have other videos at the same level and consider Briesath's head and shoulders above the others.

I also have Kinister's '60-Minute Workout'. That has really helped! Remember that the shots will come but controlling the CB is essential, as previously mentioned.

Good Luck With Your Quest

Gerry S
 
I would agree, the first step is a lesson to learn repeatable mechanics. No ifs ands or buts about it. Scott Lee does a nice job of teaching those mechanics.

After that, there is a ton of information on Kinister's site. Some of his videos are really excellent. Well worth a month or two.
 
It would be for sure a great benefit to start right at the beginning with a great instructor like Jerry- this is something you can benefit for your life.

And Bert has some really great vid online. Good stuff to learn for the amount of bucks. Or take lessons from Bert also :) He s one of the greatest for sure :-)
 
I do not think I would spend the money on the 99 critical shots in pool, I recently bought the book and it is basically just a common sense approach telling you that bank shots, kick shots, combos, & etc. are all shots you should be looking at if needed, maybe its just me and but I was expecting more. Im not sure what stage you are at in your game, but I have been playing about a year and the toughest thing I have come across as far as instructional material is finding info on cue ball posistioning.
 
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