Would you let your 7 year old have a side arm stroke?

Apocalypse2017

Apocalypse2017

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How can I build a temporary platform for my son to play pool?! Someone patent a solution for this.

He will NOT stand and move a milk crate. Maybe a skateboard with a small box?

Being from America and I began playing pool at 5 years old. Do to these circumstances I have a horrible stroke at 37 (think Keith M). I do play well with a repetitive stoke.

So what say ye AZB. How can I build solid fundamentals for my son who is eyeball high with the Brunswick table??
 
Apocalypse2017 said:
How can I build a temporary platform for my son to play pool?! Someone patent a solution for this.

He will NOT stand and move a milk crate. Maybe a skateboard with a small box?

Being from America and I began playing pool at 5 years old. Do to these circumstances I have a horrible stroke at 37 (think Keith M). I do play well with a repetitive stoke.

So what say ye AZB. How can I build solid fundamentals for my son who is eyeball high with the Brunswick table??
Click to expand...
Didn't bother Keith or Willie Hoppe. If you can deliver the tip on a straight path who cares.
 
Actually you should not let him develop a really poor stroke delivery which will not serve him well
as he gets older. Stcik to the basics and get a wooden crate for him to stand on or build him one
but make sure you teach and reinforce the proper techniques from the very outset of his training.


Matt B.
 
I suggest that you just wait a few more years to introduce the game. Both my sons, as did I, started around age 11 and by age 14, if he enjoys the game and is trained properly, he will be a very good player. I am 64 and they are late 20's and any of us can play with just about anyone and compete just fine. It all has to do with their love of the game, and a little later start will help keep their mechanics more in line with the table for life. guys like Mosconi and Hoppe are the exception - not the norm. Yea, Mcready played real well at a young age- doubt that you want THAT life for your son, though, better go to school or learn a good trade, life is just slightly more competitive than pool these days!
 
Simple solution.......

Build some boxes/removable platforms to go around the table. Remove them when he is not playing. Cheap and easy............. Doc
 
If he can shoot well on stilts, he will be a lights out player later on. Try some creative search terms. There were many good suggestions a short time ago. Remember those rolling kitchen helpers? So the wife could reach the upper shelf. Spring loaded, step on and it sits on floor. Step off and it pops up and rolls.
 
He is 7 now and has been playing for 2 years as we have a table in our living room. He is a decent C player for shots he can reach. He will NOT pursue a career in billiards. He loves all sports, Football and Baseball are his favorite.
 
Tough to have a platform to move around big enough to get a proper stance on.

Let it go and work on what fundamentals he can do right. Teach him how good fundamentals open doors and that his stroke just can't follow fundamentals until he gets older. If he wants to work on solid stroke fundamentals you'll have to build a platform big enough to do that and most likely that will be for practice shots from one area.

I've seen kids at that height develop into solid players later. I can't see him using that side stroke once he's tall enough.
 
I am no expert by any means, but I would wait till he is a little taller and older to really push fundamentals. Let them learn how to pocket balls. Make sure it is fun for him to play. That is the main thing at that age is that they enjoy it. If they like the game then they will enjoy learning later on. Goodluck!
 
Apocalypse2017 said:
How can I build a temporary platform for my son to play pool?! Someone patent a solution for this.

He will NOT stand and move a milk crate. Maybe a skateboard with a small box?

Being from America and I began playing pool at 5 years old. Do to these circumstances I have a horrible stroke at 37 (think Keith M). I do play well with a repetitive stoke.

So what say ye AZB. How can I build solid fundamentals for my son who is eyeball high with the Brunswick table??
Click to expand...
https://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-SER...y57826_pcrid_74079610853907_product_100645164 ~~~~ OR ROLLER SKATES !!!
 
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I am under the opinion that Mosconi had a side arm stroke

whats the worry?

I would be more concerned with his reading and math
 
I'm not knowledgeable about ramps and kid players. Maybe that's the right way to go. I started playing the summer I was eleven. I forget how tall I was; but, I remember I was 4 foot 10 the summer when I was 14. :)

I shot sidearm. It didn't stick with me like it did with Keith McReedy. ( sometimes while watching him on YOU TUBE, I wish it had stuck) It straightened out. I didn't consciously straighen it. One day I noticed my arm was straight and I said to myself, "Hmmmm!...must be because I got taller!"

As for your "Bad form"..... I suspect you have an upright stance and you consider this to be a flaw. Maybe you attribute this to having an upright stance as a kid. I have an upright stance. An upright stance is NOT a flaw.....not if the balls go in!
 
Apocalypse2017 said:
How can I build a temporary platform for my son to play pool?! Someone patent a solution for this.

He will NOT stand and move a milk crate. Maybe a skateboard with a small box?

Being from America and I began playing pool at 5 years old. Do to these circumstances I have a horrible stroke at 37 (think Keith M). I do play well with a repetitive stoke.

So what say ye AZB. How can I build solid fundamentals for my son who is eyeball high with the Brunswick table??
Click to expand...
At that age, be thankful he has an interest in playing and I just let him go at it and have fun. Too many rules or expectations will ruin his enjoyment of the game. If his bridge and hand/eye coordination are good enough that he can hit the CB solidly, which it sounds like is the case for shots he can reach, he'll be just fine. As he grows, he'll make the necessary adjustments if he has the interest and passion to work at it.
 
My son started side stroke at age 5. Once he was tall enough I simply instructed him to keep his forearm vertical - no big deal. I took him 5 minutes to adjust. The important thing is just getting used to stroking a cueball.
 
Watch craigslist and pick up a beat up old bar box for a couple hundred and lay it on the floor somewhere with the legs off. If it's too low shim with blocks of wood until it's perfect and raise it as he grows until he's tall enough to play on your table. If there isn't room push it against a wall. He won't care that he can't get all the way around it.

Then put the legs back on and put it back on CL and get all your money back. Ramps and stilts and crap around the table are not the answer. It's an accident waiting to happen.

JC
 
For the record, the sidearm stroke worked pretty well for:

Willie Hoppe

Jake Schaeffer

Keith McCready

Any questions?

All the best,
WW
 
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