Who taught you???
- Thread starter pulzcul
- Start date
Well, when I started playing back in the mid 80's there wasn't really one specific person that guided me. I would have to give credit to the players that were at Beechmont Billiards in Cincinnati, Ohio. Gary Spaeth showed me a lot about banking and one pocket, Rick Garrison showed me a whole helluva lot on stroke technique, drawing balls, cutting balls etc..., Brian Salyer gave me a lot of help using english. The list could go on and on.
MULLY
MULLY
So many people to thank.
Linda and Vicki Whitlock (when I was very young)
Tony Martino
Del, Stevie, and Pete Glenn
Dan Wallace
Louis Ulrich
Jimmy M
and a Huge Thank you to Glenn Bond, for not only teaching but traveling with me
Thanks to all of you
Linda and Vicki Whitlock (when I was very young)
Tony Martino
Del, Stevie, and Pete Glenn
Dan Wallace
Louis Ulrich
Jimmy M
and a Huge Thank you to Glenn Bond, for not only teaching but traveling with me
Thanks to all of you
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Several great players have helped with my game, but my biggest influence was and is Keith Seno. Taught me the higher level of one pocket and also taught me how to make people piss their pants with bank shots that most people dont see. This guy is not playing much these days but in the late 90's he used to have King Kong scratching his head very often playing 100$ a game one hole. He only plays now when he comes down to practice with me and still plays pretty damn strong for playing once or twice every 2 months. He banks like a bastard... seriously!!!!!!!!
Youtube.
(I don't really have friends that play pool... ;-; )
(I don't really have friends that play pool... ;-; )
nobody really!
You want me to tell you who taught me, or inspired me to play? Whether the ones who know me on this board are aware of this or not, nobody "taught me" to play...I learned on my own through trial and error, watched a ton when I was younger, and listened to some good and some bad, suggestions from anyone playing longer than myself. I began playing because my older brother Tim was playing the game and making money doing so, so naturally his younger brother (ME) wanted to do the same! I would go to the pool room he frequented and watch for a while, then speak to the older guys playing better than I felt I ever would, trying to "pick their brains". After a couple years of this I began to notice that the very guys that I thought were way out of my league were very attainable or below me anymore. I have many local "stories" of players still here or ones that have left for one reason or another, but nobody wants to hear those. The one story that really sticks out in my mind as my true beginning to REALLY WANT to get good, goes like this: Every other week at this pool room called Eastway Billiards was a 9-ball tournament where they would let anyone play called "shark week". While I really wasn't good enough to be playing tournaments, I played anyways to see what kind of skills I had or could have. In this particular week I had made it to the finals with a local player / gambler called "Whitey", or Ron S. I made it to the nine ball in our last game and ended up leaving myself a tough shot cause' I was really nervous, and Ron could see this! My cueball was about mid-table and my nine-ball was right near the foot spot, so I took my time and really looked at the shot before making up my mind on how I was going to play it. If I won this game I WIN, but if I lost I would get 2nd place. Either way it was the best I had ever done but I was determined NOT to look like an idiot and just blow my shot, so I looked over at him, shrugged my shoulders, and kept thinking about just how I wanted to miss it. lol Ron comes over to me after about 2-3 minutes and politely says to me " Jeff, what are you doing? I can see you're just nervous so make the shot and win already. You can't worry about who you're playing, only the balls left on the table". I was floored by his comment to just make the ball and win already because it made me think that he knew I could do it! So, I got back down, looked at the shot for another 30 seconds or so, set my shot and "pulled the trigger". I made that 9-ball in the lower left corner pocket and used low-right on my cueball to swing the cueball to the right cushion. I WON THAT MATCH!!! If I remember correctly I was 17 or 18 at this time and only having played for about 2 years with NO formal "teaching". I guess the "moral" to MY story is that it don't really matter why, or how you learn to play as long as you enjoy yourself in doing so. I know I started playing for all the wrong reasons, and I still play for wrong reasons sometimes when I actually get out to play, but all-in-all deep down I love this game and will probably never entirely quit. Hell, I'm looking forward to teaching this game to my son if / when he wants to learn to play correctly, and not just bang balls around. I'm looking for a house right now and my step-dad is wanting me to find a home with a basement big enough to put a pool table in cuz' he has one for me! It seems that those who know me well want to see me get back into playing this game, and I'd love to be able to do that if I find the time! I have the right equipment for ME, now I just need time to get my skills back before my son wants to learn in a couple years!
You want me to tell you who taught me, or inspired me to play? Whether the ones who know me on this board are aware of this or not, nobody "taught me" to play...I learned on my own through trial and error, watched a ton when I was younger, and listened to some good and some bad, suggestions from anyone playing longer than myself. I began playing because my older brother Tim was playing the game and making money doing so, so naturally his younger brother (ME) wanted to do the same!
I would go to the pool room he frequented and watch for a while, then speak to the older guys playing better than I felt I ever would, trying to "pick their brains". After a couple years of this I began to notice that the very guys that I thought were way out of my league were very attainable or below me anymore. I have many local "stories" of players still here or ones that have left for one reason or another, but nobody wants to hear those. The one story that really sticks out in my mind as my true beginning to REALLY WANT to get good, goes like this: Every other week at this pool room called Eastway Billiards was a 9-ball tournament where they would let anyone play called "shark week". While I really wasn't good enough to be playing tournaments, I played anyways to see what kind of skills I had or could have. In this particular week I had made it to the finals with a local player / gambler called "Whitey", or Ron S. I made it to the nine ball in our last game and ended up leaving myself a tough shot cause' I was really nervous, and Ron could see this! My cueball was about mid-table and my nine-ball was right near the foot spot, so I took my time and really looked at the shot before making up my mind on how I was going to play it. If I won this game I WIN, but if I lost I would get 2nd place. Either way it was the best I had ever done but I was determined NOT to look like an idiot and just blow my shot, so I looked over at him, shrugged my shoulders, and kept thinking about just how I wanted to miss it. lol Ron comes over to me after about 2-3 minutes and politely says to me " Jeff, what are you doing? I can see you're just nervous so make the shot and win already. You can't worry about who you're playing, only the balls left on the table". I was floored by his comment to just make the ball and win already because it made me think that he knew I could do it! So, I got back down, looked at the shot for another 30 seconds or so, set my shot and "pulled the trigger". I made that 9-ball in the lower left corner pocket and used low-right on my cueball to swing the cueball to the right cushion. I WON THAT MATCH!!! If I remember correctly I was 17 or 18 at this time and only having played for about 2 years with NO formal "teaching". I guess the "moral" to MY story is that it don't really matter why, or how you learn to play as long as you enjoy yourself in doing so. I know I started playing for all the wrong reasons, and I still play for wrong reasons sometimes when I actually get out to play, but all-in-all deep down I love this game and will probably never entirely quit. Hell, I'm looking forward to teaching this game to my son if / when he wants to learn to play correctly, and not just bang balls around. I'm looking for a house right now and my step-dad is wanting me to find a home with a basement big enough to put a pool table in cuz' he has one for me! It seems that those who know me well want to see me get back into playing this game, and I'd love to be able to do that if I find the time! I have the right equipment for ME, now I just need time to get my skills back before my son wants to learn in a couple years! Though I've only been playing seriously for about 6 or 7 years; I have been fortunate to work with a number of FABULOUS instructors; here they are:
George Breedlove - my first instructor, incredible stroke, great person. Shared the inside scoop on English, strategy, physics, power break technique, and thinking patterns of a champion player. Generous with his help.
Jerry Briesath and Mark Wilson - I can't separate them because they are basically the same person....generous, thoughtful, kind, with a TREMENDOUS passion (and aptitude) for teaching the game. They are the true guru's of pool in my view, and have dedicated their lives to making us better players. They have inspired me to continue my quest to develop a proficient game.
Jeanette Lee - She has been my friend, practice partner, road partner, coach/mentor/drill sergeant for several years. You will NEVER meet anyone who loves pool as much as she does. I certainly am one of the luckiest pool players on earth to learn the finer points of the game from such a person. Definitely an "old-school" straight pool player stuck in the body of a supermodel.
Danny DiLiberto and Grady Mathews - Old school pro's who've made a living at the game for 60 years; and helped reverse the trend of master players jealously guarding their secrets. These guys are gentlemen who will share their secrets and entertain you in the process. Their lessons are priceless in my view; their knowledge of straight pool and one pocket is far above anything you can buy in book or tape.
sjm - Opened my eyes to the defensive aspects of 9-ball and 14.1; and some of the intricacies of end-rack 14.1 patterns. Knows more about Charles Dickens and duplicate bridge than any other pool player I've met - a true student of the game, fan of the game, connoisseur of the game.
breakup and Mark Griffin - The nicest thing I can say is that they are both from Alaska, and occasionally use the leather end of the cue to strike the ball......just kidding... they are among the many AZB'ers who have enjoyed this great game as much as I do - they are the kind of people that inspire me to continue to play and study the game. Without AZB, the pool world would be a poorer place (and where the heck else could we have our feuds?????).
George Breedlove - my first instructor, incredible stroke, great person. Shared the inside scoop on English, strategy, physics, power break technique, and thinking patterns of a champion player. Generous with his help.
Jerry Briesath and Mark Wilson - I can't separate them because they are basically the same person....generous, thoughtful, kind, with a TREMENDOUS passion (and aptitude) for teaching the game. They are the true guru's of pool in my view, and have dedicated their lives to making us better players. They have inspired me to continue my quest to develop a proficient game.
Jeanette Lee - She has been my friend, practice partner, road partner, coach/mentor/drill sergeant for several years. You will NEVER meet anyone who loves pool as much as she does. I certainly am one of the luckiest pool players on earth to learn the finer points of the game from such a person. Definitely an "old-school" straight pool player stuck in the body of a supermodel.
Danny DiLiberto and Grady Mathews - Old school pro's who've made a living at the game for 60 years; and helped reverse the trend of master players jealously guarding their secrets. These guys are gentlemen who will share their secrets and entertain you in the process. Their lessons are priceless in my view; their knowledge of straight pool and one pocket is far above anything you can buy in book or tape.
sjm - Opened my eyes to the defensive aspects of 9-ball and 14.1; and some of the intricacies of end-rack 14.1 patterns. Knows more about Charles Dickens and duplicate bridge than any other pool player I've met - a true student of the game, fan of the game, connoisseur of the game.
breakup and Mark Griffin - The nicest thing I can say is that they are both from Alaska, and occasionally use the leather end of the cue to strike the ball......just kidding... they are among the many AZB'ers who have enjoyed this great game as much as I do - they are the kind of people that inspire me to continue to play and study the game. Without AZB, the pool world would be a poorer place (and where the heck else could we have our feuds?????).
Boy Club of Miami outside Coral Gables.
So you played at the YMCA, were you the Indian, The Cowboy, or the Cop!!!!
I was the defensive back on the Boy Club Football team who could justabout run anyone down, and tackle there butts to the ground.
I came back after a 17 year layoff and found out what pool really is... I was amazed at how little I knew, as a former bar banger. I'm grateful to have joined a league with a bunch of old farts that really knew the ropes and taught me a lot. Thanks Tom Ball, Mike Scholl, Bill Jagdmann, and my non-league mentor and daily nemesis, Eric Von Koons, former roadman, Indiana state champ, personal friend of Jimmy Moore, and other nefarious and legendary types!
"The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will.' Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities."
— David Copperfield
With respect to mastering pool, Mr. Betmore, you have embraced this idea, and your development as a player is, in large part, because of it.
Thanks for your kind words.
The best bar table player ever Doug Smith.
Think he moved to Texas to manage one of CJ's places a few years back.
Think he moved to Texas to manage one of CJ's places a few years back.
Special Thanks to Tony Robles, your position system is the best in the world. Also my fundamentals are so sound now.
Ron Vitello, you opened my eyes to the possiblities in this game. Aiming, Kick, and bank shots are a no brainer now.
Hal Houle, where do I begin?? I just met you the other week but your aiming system is awesome. Thanks so much Hal.
And the next person I want to thank is someone I've never met before, but is a very nice person always willing to share info with someone. From the info he shared with me I was able to kind of understand CTE before I met Hal Houle. So I just want to thank Dave Sigel AKA SpiderWebComm. Hopefully we can meet one day and have a few beers.
Ron Vitello, you opened my eyes to the possiblities in this game. Aiming, Kick, and bank shots are a no brainer now.
Hal Houle, where do I begin?? I just met you the other week but your aiming system is awesome. Thanks so much Hal.
And the next person I want to thank is someone I've never met before, but is a very nice person always willing to share info with someone. From the info he shared with me I was able to kind of understand CTE before I met Hal Houle. So I just want to thank Dave Sigel AKA SpiderWebComm. Hopefully we can meet one day and have a few beers.
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Hi all
Yes, in fact I used to play years ago on the WPBA - my first WPBA Pro event was in 1993 at The Bicycle Club in Los Angeles - I won my first match, played Jeanette Lee in my second and - won 9-7. I went on to play Gerda Hofstatter and I totally yipped in the 12th game, up 7-5 I missed the dang 8 ball in the side and never recovered, losing 9-7. Shoulda, Coulda... Woulda!
Anyway, I digress - My first real teacher were actually two teachers, one was a guy known as R.D, the other JJ. at the House of Billiards in Sherman Oaks, CA. I started playing there when I was 19 and as typical of the sport, it got under my skin so much I played from 10am until 2am, almost every day to the exclusion of just about everything else.
R.D. and JJ both took me under their wing and taught me the fundementals of the main disciplines in pocket billiards; 9 ball, Snooker (yes there were two Brunswick 5x10's in the place - gorgeous 100 year old tables), 14:1 and one pocket. I became the little queen bee of the room, too.
I met Ronnie Rosas a few years later. Known as "Baby Jesus", he'd already had problems, similar to Keith McCready, by the time we met, but he saw talent in me and agreed to teach me. I had a 9' AMF table at my home, and worked very hard with him to establish a stronger game. He, above everyone else, taught me how to cut a ball so thin, I could slice a molecule! Unfortunately, his path took him down a road I couldn't follow, so I moved on to find a new coach because by that time I was truly serious about wanting to play professionally. I'd known Steve Itule for years, and finally approached him to take me on as a student. He agreed and to be honest, after a short time under his tutelage, I played better than I ever had from thereon-in. In 1997, Steve passed away unexepectedly (I still miss his Ross Perot-like voice telling me "Annie, it don't matter, if you don't miss!". That, combined with getting married, having surgery, well, I lost my heart for the game - I had been traveling every weekend, playing all the time and finally got burned out.
Out of all my teachers, Steve was my favorite - he was calm, kept me focused, pushed me harder to play better than anyone else. But I appreciate all the people that took the time to teach me about this wonderful sport, and I am forever indebted to them.
It's amazing how walking into a pool room at the age of 19 has translated into a full time position for the WPBA, almost 25 years later.
As the Grateful Dead sing "What a long, strange trip it's been!"
Yes, in fact I used to play years ago on the WPBA - my first WPBA Pro event was in 1993 at The Bicycle Club in Los Angeles - I won my first match, played Jeanette Lee in my second and - won 9-7. I went on to play Gerda Hofstatter and I totally yipped in the 12th game, up 7-5 I missed the dang 8 ball in the side and never recovered, losing 9-7. Shoulda, Coulda... Woulda!
Anyway, I digress - My first real teacher were actually two teachers, one was a guy known as R.D, the other JJ. at the House of Billiards in Sherman Oaks, CA. I started playing there when I was 19 and as typical of the sport, it got under my skin so much I played from 10am until 2am, almost every day to the exclusion of just about everything else.
R.D. and JJ both took me under their wing and taught me the fundementals of the main disciplines in pocket billiards; 9 ball, Snooker (yes there were two Brunswick 5x10's in the place - gorgeous 100 year old tables), 14:1 and one pocket. I became the little queen bee of the room, too.
I met Ronnie Rosas a few years later. Known as "Baby Jesus", he'd already had problems, similar to Keith McCready, by the time we met, but he saw talent in me and agreed to teach me. I had a 9' AMF table at my home, and worked very hard with him to establish a stronger game. He, above everyone else, taught me how to cut a ball so thin, I could slice a molecule! Unfortunately, his path took him down a road I couldn't follow, so I moved on to find a new coach because by that time I was truly serious about wanting to play professionally. I'd known Steve Itule for years, and finally approached him to take me on as a student. He agreed and to be honest, after a short time under his tutelage, I played better than I ever had from thereon-in. In 1997, Steve passed away unexepectedly (I still miss his Ross Perot-like voice telling me "Annie, it don't matter, if you don't miss!". That, combined with getting married, having surgery, well, I lost my heart for the game - I had been traveling every weekend, playing all the time and finally got burned out.
Out of all my teachers, Steve was my favorite - he was calm, kept me focused, pushed me harder to play better than anyone else. But I appreciate all the people that took the time to teach me about this wonderful sport, and I am forever indebted to them.
It's amazing how walking into a pool room at the age of 19 has translated into a full time position for the WPBA, almost 25 years later.
As the Grateful Dead sing "What a long, strange trip it's been!"