Just to reword a question???

Question

I messed up i should have said age for pro Instructions in stead of just to learn from Grand Pa

Thanks Johnny

Answer 1

This is a good question because as a teacher, I would have to completely change my approach to teaching children.  Honestly, I've never seriously taught anyone younger than 16 years old.  A lot of the analogies that I use to describe some of the concepts in pool involve automobiles, so that would be completely lost on a 12 year old.  Mickey makes a good  point, they do have to be "into it".  For instance, when I teach at Cue-U down in Rockford, IL, admittedly it's not cheap for a weekend course.  I can't say how much here, but there are definite reasons why it costs so much.  First of all, it's one of five certified BCA training academies in the world.  Second, it has absolutely incredible equipment to learn on.  Third, you're being taught by not one, but two of the current nine BCA Master Instructors as well as several other BCA Certified Instructors.  For these and other reasons, the price is well-justified.  This also serves another purpose.  It weeds out the people who aren't "into it".  Because a person has to pay a little more to go there, it forces them to take a closer look at the school and decide just how serious they are about improving their game.  If you're a teacher and you charge peanuts, that exactly the quality of instruction that the student expects.  They figure that if they aren't paying much for it, they don't have much to lose by being confrontational and challenging every little bit of information that they are presented with.  This is not to say that we instructors don't like to answer questions or argue our beliefs, we just prefer that our students keep an open mind and don't come for the sole purpose of trying to tear a hole in our teaching methods.  We do get those students from time to time.  They are the worst.  You just can't tell them anything because they've been playing this way for years and so-and-so taught them this, and they read this in this book by another so-and-so and it just gets to be a chore to try and teach them anything.  They look at you as a teacher and think "I can beat this guy, why should I listen to anything they have to tell me?"  Do you think any of Tiger Woods' coaches can beat him at golf?  Not likely, but Tiger listens to them anyway.  It's like they threw down a big wad of cash to have someone from the BCA tell them that they've been doing everything right and to keep up the good work.  I always have to point out that if they were satisfied with the way they were playing, they wouldn't be here in the first place.  I get really tired of people making such a strong corellation between playing and teaching.  Yes, most instructors tend to be above average players, but very few are professional level players.  Conversely, very few pro players that decide to teach can do so effectively.  What you usually find is a pro player putting on an exhibition and demostrating a bunch of concepts instead of working with you and helping you perform the skills.  So back to the original question.  If I had to pick a definite age, I would say 16.  I don't think that's completely arbitrary either.  If they can drive a car to the lessons by themselves, it's a sign of maturity in my opinion.  They have to be responsible enough to operate a vehicle and follow directions to find the teacher, so that's a good basis for learning new material.  It's going to be a case by case basis, but bear in mind that pool is a game and should be fun.  Beware of a young person who is too serious about pool.  You don't want to turn pool into the joyless pursuit of ultimate perfection.  M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Answer 2

Why would the answer be any different...."if he is really into it" and you are too($$)....then go for it....from a physiological standpoint just the fact that this next guy is a "pro" would mean a lot.....assuming that this pro  can "depict" the game or should I say "the stroke" to him...some people do not necessarily have this gift....they just know that the student has to picture or feel the stroke for the lesson to be effective...good luck for him!