Which instructional material

[OTB]

Cj Wileys Ultimate Pool Secrets Vol..13

I picked up his DVD a year or so ago....it was very imformitive.

His is the only one I have ever purchased......so I can not vote on the others.......... OTB

 

[Scaramouche]

Before you start spending a lot of money on stuff, much of which have deficiencies in production values and the method of presenting information, take a look at what is available for nothing on the web, both text and video.

For example

Mike Page, Fargo Billiards
http://www.youtube.com/user/FargoBilliards

Mostly snooker, but a wide variety of stuff
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=197343

Articles by Bob Jewett from Billiards Digest
http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/BD_articles.html

If you must spend money :grin:

Two cheap tools to train a straight stroke
a plumb bob - hang it from the light and put the cue ball under it, then see if your cue is going straight through the vertical axis

Joe Tucker's Third Eye gizmo - gives visual feedback before you make the stroke
http://www.joetucker.net/3rdeyeStrokeTrainer.htm

Two more expensive tools
A mirror at the end of the table
A video camera and tripod
Then you can see what you are doing :grin:

 

[Pushout]

If your last choice is an actual lesson from Jerry, then this is definitely the way to go.

 

[Jodacus]

Jerry Briesaths DVDs have my vote.

Strong on fundamentals.

 

[nzjase]

thanks all for your input. Is amazingly informative and useful

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.

Jodacus, in the OP I specifically mention that I was looking for instructional material to learn the fundamentals.

Coming from a very solid golf background I understand the value of grip, stance and swing plane and assumed it would be similar in pool.

Once again thank you all for your reviews, very informative and in case you haven't seen my other thread I live in New Zealand with minimal access to lessons so this material will be replacing lessons, at least in the short term.

 

[Pushout]

Jerry Briesaths DVDs have my vote.

Strong on fundamentals.

I agree, if the OP is in New Zealand and lessons are not an option I'd go with Jerry's DVDs.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

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.

All of your posts look like poems to me. I even read them with poetic rhythm.

 

[nzjase]

Turn of events, Dr Dave VEPP is now leading Jerry's DVDs 8 to 7.

I haven't heard anyone in this thread openly review or support VEPP while Jerry's are raved about.

Can someone who is an advocate of VEPP please explain why, in their opinion, this is a better selection than Jerry's DVDs?

Cheers

 

[one stroke]

I have yet to see a player improve much from 1 lesson so I would say from these choices ,, DR Dave ,, I would also consider Max Embere's power pool


1

 

[nobcitypool]

If you're local to Jerry Brieseth, by all means, take the lesson. His DVD set is the best I've looked. I highly recommend Dr. Dave's VEPP as well. Both are extremely well done.

If your into 8 ball, especially with bar boxes, 8 ball bible is absolute must reading. 99 critical shots in pool by Martin is must as well.

While not an option in the poll, I would vote for a lesson from Scott Lee above all the choices. If you're really serious about improving your game, and are committed, I don't think this is a choice of which one. It is choice of how quickly you can afford all of the above.

 

[nzjase]

If you're local to Jerry Brieseth, by all means, take the lesson. His DVD set is the best I've looked. I highly recommend Dr. Dave's VEPP as well. Both are extremely well done.

If your into 8 ball, especially with bar boxes, 8 ball bible is absolute must reading. 99 critical shots in pool by Martin is must as well.

While not an option in the poll, I would vote for a lesson from Scott Lee above all the choices. If you're really serious about improving your game, and are committed, I don't think this is a choice of which one. It is choice of how quickly you can afford all of the above.

Unfortunately I live in New Zealand so no lessons with those guys.

Secondly.... I would love to buy all the above but it is just not feasible but I agree, when I can afford it I will be getting as much material as humanly possible!

 

[nzjase]

Question - thoughts on "The secret art of pool" by Lee Brett?

How does this compare to the above, should I be considering this as a first purchase (it has only just come to my attention )

 

[3RAILKICK]

Tough to pick one.

That said, I would recommend Max Eberle's Dvds. Fundamentals are stressed.

After a layoff, or getting lazy-this is where I return. Good stuff.

Enjoy your voyage.

 

[bigwillo]

3 day pool school with Randy G best money you will ever spend on pool

 

[Pushout]

3 day pool school with Randy G best money you will ever spend on pool

He's in New Zealand.

 

[alstl]

Other - 99 critical shots by Ray Martin. If you master shot number 22 that alone is worth the price of the book.

 

[ceebee]

In your location, away from lots of instruction & instruction material... I would suggest Gordy VandeVeers Strike Line Aiming Tools.

See http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=276761

This is a great program for helping yourself get off on the right foot.

I like Bert Kinnister's videos, Jerry Brieseth's videos & Freddy's Banking with the Beard. There are a lot more, these will keep you busy for a year.

I would also suggest my book, "The GREAT Break Shot", so you can learn a great deal about the first shot in every game. It is 180 pages in a 8.5 x 11 format & is written by
myself & Joe Tucker.

Learn something new, then learn the application of that new found information.

 

[CreeDo]

Turn of events, Dr Dave VEPP is now leading Jerry's DVDs 8 to 7.
I haven't heard anyone in this thread openly review or support VEPP while Jerry's are raved about.
Can someone who is an advocate of VEPP please explain why, in their opinion, this is a better selection than Jerry's DVDs?
Cheers

Haven't seen Jerry's DVD's. But I can tell you why Dave's VEPP is generally a great resource.

What Dave does is teach you in a way that is very accurate and scientific, with plenty of proof (including ultra high speed camera recordings) to back up any claims he makes.

Sometimes you will learn something from a better player, and even though that player can execute it... you'll think to yourself "I have no idea why that should work. It makes no sense. I'm not even sure if it works the way he thinks it does."

Dave explains exactly how everything works, why it works, and how you can use it to your advantage. He understands the physics behind everything and can explain it to you in a clear way. By the time you finish you will know pretty much everything there is to know about english, throw, jumped balls, spin off rails... all the little details of how the balls react with each other and with the table and with your cue tip (which is all more important than you'd think).

After going through the set, you will rarely find yourself surprised by anything the cue ball or the object balls do. You'll know why the cue ball went here instead of there. You'll never be baffled about why a certain shot went in when it shouldn't or why you can't make certain shots though they look possible.

Along the way, you'll find plenty of material on fundamentals, the different types of bridges, aiming methods, safety play, banks, kicks, and so on.

What I like about these videos is that there's no silly superstition, no guesses, no voodoo tricks. Anything you see, you can repeat yourself and practice. It's never a matter of "just do what I tell you, nevermind why". And there's no chance he's gonna teach you some bad habit that you'll just have to unlearn later.

 

[Ghosst]

Response above sums it up

 

[nzjase]

Haven't seen Jerry's DVD's. But I can tell you why Dave's VEPP is generally a great resource.

What Dave does is teach you in a way that is very accurate and scientific, with plenty of proof (including ultra high speed camera recordings) to back up any claims he makes.

Sometimes you will learn something from a better player, and even though that player can execute it... you'll think to yourself "I have no idea why that should work. It makes no sense. I'm not even sure if it works the way he thinks it does."

Dave explains exactly how everything works, why it works, and how you can use it to your advantage. He understands the physics behind everything and can explain it to you in a clear way. By the time you finish you will know pretty much everything there is to know about english, throw, jumped balls, spin off rails... all the little details of how the balls react with each other and with the table and with your cue tip (which is all more important than you'd think).

After going through the set, you will rarely find yourself surprised by anything the cue ball or the object balls do. You'll know why the cue ball went here instead of there. You'll never be baffled about why a certain shot went in when it shouldn't or why you can't make certain shots though they look possible.

Along the way, you'll find plenty of material on fundamentals, the different types of bridges, aiming methods, safety play, banks, kicks, and so on.

What I like about these videos is that there's no silly superstition, no guesses, no voodoo tricks. Anything you see, you can repeat yourself and practice. It's never a matter of "just do what I tell you, nevermind why". And there's no chance he's gonna teach you some bad habit that you'll just have to unlearn later.

Fantastic review, thanks mate