Johnny Henson, Professor Pool
Players must consider hiring a coach, trainer and mentor if they want to improve their games over time. I feel that the destiny of millions of billiard players wanting to improve their games could improve if they would consider hiring a coach.
I have never believed in quick fixes. A quick fix is temporary, and doesn’t help the player improve, usually makes the player worse. We will discuss just a few quick fixes that many players fall victim to.
Getting tips from players. Even a really good player, most of the time is not a good instructor. To be a really good instructor requires a lot of training and dedication to instruction. I have over 18 years of teaching experience, and I have taught over 1,300 students. You get the point.
Getting a new cue tip put on your cue. Unless your tip is worn out and you are miscueing this may not help much. Buying a $20 cube of chalk. Proper cue tip maintenance and chalking before every shot with Master chalk (I have been using for 50+ years), does just fine for most players.
Buying a new cue or a new shaft. This may help players play a little better, but if a player is missing 3 or 4 times in a game, it is their stroke, and game that needs improving, not the cue stick.
Buying books on how to play pool. I recently had a player come to class after reading at least 15 to 20 books on billiard instruction. His stroke on film was 17% correct out of a possible 100%. He also could not draw the cue ball back at all, and had trouble making relatively easy shots.
Watching online videos on billiard instruction to improve your game. Well they usually don’t cost anything and you will most likely get what you paid for. I had a player come to class after watching 500+ billiard instructional videos online. He also had paid for online subscriptions for special billiard instruction videos and classes. His stroke was less than 25% correct and he could not pocket five balls in a row. He had trouble making simple shots, and had very poor cue ball control. With just two days of instruction, his stroke tested out at 96% correct, and unlike videos, this quick improvement is very common in class.
To truly improve your game, now and in the future, you really have only one choice. Hire a professional instructor to help you learn and improve. That is as honest and truthful as I can be. I feel proper instruction is a no brainer. Contact us for more information at [email protected] or call 623-377-0042. Visit the BilliardUniversity.com website to learn more about our classes and mentorship programs.