What is the best way to learn how to play pool; from a teacher or by oneself with a book?

Answer 1

I do agree with some people with the answer given, but this is individual preference, i have gone thru the hard way of learning how to play pool, Meaning no coaches, no instructor and no Videos. To be honest don't want to spend the extra cash on it.

I went to the pool parlour, pool hall, pool anything you name it, i've been there, my learning curvature is always on the kinesithetic side. So i learn fast, I just started asking people at the pool hall and they are really friendly, they tough me how to play and i was hook. played it for a bout a month of so.

Decided to get my own pool cue, guess what practiced with people of all skill level, ask and talk more, read up and observed what people do (ball placement).

I have added the a few pool tournament trophy to my wall, and all this is thru my own self inspiriation. So if you are really interested, you would want to think about the pro's and con's of hiring a instructor and also learning it by yourself.

are you a person that likes to run into a wall and fall down and tell your self dont do that again, or are you those that run and pay someone to remove the wall and keep running ? Which individual are you ? Cheers

Answer 2

The best way to learn pool is to play as much as possible, preferably against many different opponents! Although a teacher could show you different types of shot, show you where you go wrong and maybe help your confidence in making the shots at the end of the day pool is a simple game that just takes a little patience and a lot of practice! People have different styles of playing and while a teacher or a book could tell you how to hold your cue or how to a hit a ball so that it swerves nothing can be as good as playing and becoming comfortable in your own game so that you become a natural player rather than just someone copying something else- think of it like football; you can see a team that is doing everything 'by the book'- as if they have read the laws of the game and had a little coaching and so know the basic skills and then you can see teams that play with real flair and passion and their skill comes from within rather than something that has been taught. Pool is not a game you can learn from a book- you can learn the rules from a book but that is all. You can learn most of what you need to know from playing, especially if you play against different people- which is something that should help you improve your game.

Have fun and good luck! (And remember that a lot of this game is in the mind! And don't think so much about HOW to make the shot, just MAKE it!)

Answer 3

Can you LEARN... YES! If you are into a martial art in order to learn the philosophy and explore yourself, books may work just as well -- if not better -- than a lot of dojos these days. Whether or not you can learn how to do everything PROPERLY is a different question. Many books teaching a martial art were explicitly written for people who do not have access to any martial art teachers. Having a school that teaches a martial art in just about every town is a very new phenomenon. There was a time when commitment to learning a martial art meant that you had to leave home to do so. This vast explosion in the number of schools has, sadly, meant that the quality of a lot of teachers has decreased. Learning from a book is an absolute last resort. You would never be able to defeat a person who learned from a live teacher if you ever sparred. QUESTION: Can you learn better from a good book or a bad teacher? That's one you'll have to decide for yourself!

Answer 4

I think this question was tailor made for me. I've been a nationally certified instructor for the BCA (Billiards Congress of America) for the past two years. I got my certification from BCA Master Instructor Bob Radford at Cue-U: The College of Pool and Billiards in Rockford, IL. I first went through Cue-U as a student and I can tell you that the difference between quality instruction and learning from a book is like the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it. I did the same thing that everyone else did before taking lessons. I read the books (which I still do), I watched the videos, and I tried to learn from people who seemed to be more successful than I was. My game improved about 150% after my first weekend course at Cue-U. Having a qualified instructor to explain the "why" as well as the "how" is invaluable. You just can't ask a book questions and have it clarify points of confusion. I feel so lucky to see new students all of the time, because I've been were they are. When I see that look of discovery in their eyes, it makes me feel absolutely wonderful. A word of caution. I know that I may seem biased, but you really want to find an instructor who is "currently" BCA certified. There are some instructors out there who may claim to be certified, or used to be certified, etc. Do some research on them before spending your money. Still, I can't stress enough the advantage of taking lessons over learning from a book. Books can be food for thought and give you some good ideas, but only as a supplement to formal instruction. Best of luck. Let me know if you'll be in the Wisconsin area. M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

P.S. Yet again I feel the need to clarify a few points. First of all, a good instructor will work with your natural abilities and style of play. When I teach, I don't tell people "you have to stand this way, your bridge has to be this long, you have to have this many practice strokes, you need to have your head this far from the cue", etc. A good teacher knows that everybody has different body types and natural tendencies and the goal is to give the students the tools to find their own game. For my students, I have defined what a good pool stoke is, and if what they are doing fits the definition, then it's all good. A quality teacher is not trying to crank out a bunch of robots. I really don't know where this misconception of formal instruction stems from. On the other hand, a teacher may ask you to try something that may at first feel stiff and unnatural. Many times, the new technique quickly becomes second nature and you wonder how you ever got by doing things the old way. I'd also like to comment on the idea of playing people that are "better" than you. Playing against more successful players is a good way to improve your focus and to make you more competitive. But that in itself won't do anything to help you understand your own game. Sure you may find a few ways to improve through trial and error but that's such an inefficient way to go about learning pool. By trying to play completely by feel and instinct, you are going to hamper your progress. It has to be a combination of natural talent and a solid understanding of what you are doing at the pool table. You have to use both sides of your brain.

Answer 5

Nothing would ever replace an actual teacher.....especially one that not only tells/shows you how but make your feel or depict the shot in your mind to do it......all in all you still need books and maybe some videos....would recommend the Bert Kinister Video line....."point" is that don't stay a "dog that can't learn new tricks.......I am now 60 and an "ole" dog but I am always looking....especially the better players...and read anything I can find on pool.....always..always pay attention and learn.......stay ahead of the game...especially your opponent's game!!

Answer 6

Both have their pros and cons.. An instructor may be able to correct your mistakes real time, but he/she's only human and might miss out on some important points. A book might be dead, but pretty much about everything one needs to know about pool is written on books. Both these methods should be used to aid your PRACTICE. Cause PRACTICE should be the best way to learn and improve ur pool!

Answer 7

It's always best to learn by physical experience. Try going out in the middle of the day to a bar so you can practice by yourself. Or have people help you that know more about pool than you.

Answer 8

instructors, books and videos are all a plus for learning how to play pool. i found that going to a BCA certified instructor myself for lessons really improved my game about 30% better in just a 1 hour session. so what i sugest is look up in your local area for a BCA certified instructor and get set up with some lessons. not all random people know how to play pool the correct way. so dont waste time trying to learn from somebody that just mite make it worse for you or confusing. iv shot pool for 18 years now, so take my advice i know what im talking about. if you choose to do it like i said and get lessons from someone that knows, you will be 100% more satisfied with your results. GL with learning how to play the game and most of all have fun doing it.

Answer 9

I learned how to play pool from a man that didn't have arms, just hands. He taught me every angle, left and right. I actually make pretty good money on bets because no one expects a women to be so good at pool.

Answer 10

Practice, practice and more practice. An instructor would help, I find it easier to learn by example than from a text. Ther eare so many different techniques that can be used, the book wouldn't be able to show you that.