Billiards is a game of skill. Pocket billiards the game of choice for so many in the US and worldwide. Players invest in nice cues that sometimes cost thousands of dollars. Some types of tip chalk costs twenty-plus dollars a piece. Sure, it’s great to have nice things, but ultimately pool is about how well one plays the game. Respect is earned by a players skill, ability to run out, make shots, win — not by how much his or her pool cue cost.
Some say, “the game is the teacher,” but wouldn’t you want to kick start your game if you could, and get the most out of your practice table time?
In martial arts, upcoming martial artists learn their skills in dojos around the world, and hone their craft in hand to hand combat; Anthony Beeler’s “Dojo” is in his house where his pool table resides — but anyone can train there virtually through the internet at www.poolteacher.com and learn the skills and “secrets” only road players and pros were privy to in the past. Elements of a solid stroke, the foundation of any poolplayers game — these fundamentals, and others are what you get with Beeler’s instruction & wealth of pool knowledge. All aspects Beeler covers, down to the mental side of the equation. With his book, ‘Unstoppable,’ you can elevate your mental game to a new level, wrap your mind around the game, avoid choking under the pressure, and free your mind’s eye from the limits and constraints many players place upon themselves. Get it on Kindle format and read on your phone, tablet, or computer if you like. Check the link here: https://www.amazon.com/Unstoppable-Positive-Thinking-Pool-Players-ebook/dp/B015D6EH0O
Also, you can contact Anthony himself for a hardcopy, signed version of his ‘Unstoppable’ book, which is a must read for any tournament player, league player, or any player that wants to play with the mentality of a true champion; I personally feel that even professional players can gain something from this excellent read. The brand of positive, affirming, empowering, mental-muscle-building examples Beeler navigates you through will have you playing to your fullest potential. Enter the the center of your mental, and realize a level of play you never imagined possible. Rack em!
This article is about Beeler, but I’d like to take a moment to give thanks to a great billiards teacher. As an APA sl7 in 8 ball (the highest skill level) since about 1999, I felt as though my game had hit a plateau, I had reached my personal best, and could improve no further. Then, I met Beeler a few years back, and took his online instruction, and improved levels beyond what I thought I could achieve. So, that is to say, his courses have something to offer players of any skill level, and reach your own individual best. Yes sir! Yes Ma’am! It’s great to have great pool gear, and people spend lots of money on that kind of thing, but isn’t your game the most important aspect of the game? Beeler has a program of personalized instruction that will help you reach any level you want, including going all the way pro if you have that kind of commitment and can live that “on the road” lifestyle. Some can’t, like me, which is why I just devote as much time as I can to my game.
I’ve owned many different pool cues in my time, and pool cues come and go, but my game had remained the same — until I took Beeler’s courses, and read his book on the mental game. That made me go up a few levels above a regular sl7. So many levels of game. How far do you want to take yours? Give Beeler a try at his website for just $100 for the basic level. Or pay $350, for 6 months of continued, personalized instruction, where students submit videos of themselves playing, and he critiques every element of their game — helping them fine tune it, until it’s textbook, like SVB. Or you can really take it to the next level and commit to the full year of personalized, internet instruction, where you get Beeler’s feedback throughout the training process for $500 — as he helps you weed out the flaws in your technique, and develop a strong mentality to competition.
In Japanese, Dojo means “place of the Way” and Beeler’s online instruction will have your game on “the way” it needs to be headed to achieve your personal best — and reach the Apex of your personal potential in the sport. “I started around 2011, and I’ve had hundreds of students, and people wonder why can an internet version be as effective as a face-to-face platform. We found out over time, It’s really the only way you can get long term instruction. And so that’s one of the main benefits to the online program. Most of the times, when you go to a face-to-face instructor, you may see them two or three days, and then you may or may not ever see them again. Or you may go back to them a year or so later. But with the online platform, you can get instruction every day for a full year, or whatever you want to do.” — Says Beeler in a recent Facebook live interview we conducted about poolteacher.com and what it’s all about.
The ideal combination I like is that you can also choose to go to Kentucky, and train personally with Beeler, and also, have sustained daily follow-up lessons over the internet to complete the billiards curriculum and attain “Jedi” pool playing status with the online instruction. So many levels of play, and Beeler is of the Master Class, and can help anyone attain pool prowess, black-belt level pool. Unfortunately not everyone can train in person, or fly out to Kentucky.
However, Anthony Beeler’s online instruction isn’t just as good as face-to-face, it’s better in so many cases. He has players record their games and submit videos to analyse weaknesses and flaws in their technique, which many instructors do not do. The sustained, daily training if desired, or work-at-your-own-pace style of the online courses are what make it the perfect way for players to maximize their practice time, and improve their games exponentially. Pool ultimately requires muscle memory, and that requires table time. Using Beeler’s methods however, can help players get there faster than the competition.
This isn’t some kind of gimmick or “short cut,” as you have to become active in the courses and follow the course outline, but if you adhere to what Beeler teaches, then I guarantee results. I’m a hard head. If I can gain something, and advance my game as a result of just a bit of his instruction, then I can only imagine the level of play an individual can attain following the time tested methods of billiards instruction Anthony instructs his students on. Put in the work, however, and get results fast…or you can go old school and just play for hours and hours and so forth, but I digress. To continue, “You can watch all the videos and have lifetime access for a hundred dollars. You can watch those as much as you like. For three hundred and fifty dollars, you can get 6 months of instruction (interacting with Beeler online, as he guides you every step of the “way” towards improving your game.)” — Beeler. He then continues to explain more about how it works. Students log in and are granted access to instructional videos. They then take their cell phones, etc, and record themselves playing, performing the lessons, and Beeler gives them feedback on their games. But you only get the video access to the instructional videos for $100, so it depends on what level you want to reach.
“The online platform is a great way for players to see their flaws, and then once we point those out, then I will give them a solution to the problem they might have.” — Anthony. “It targets each part of their game, and it’s long term.” Sure, buy a thousand dollar cue if you like. Get the best chalk money can buy. But don’t forget to invest in the most important part, your game. You can’t go wrong learning “the way” of billiards in Beeler’s Dojo. Keep on hitting them balls.
P.S. — For a more in depth perspective and descriptive look at the type of champion pool player Anthony Beeler is, check out this article from 2016: http://www.sneakypetemafia.com/anthony-beeler-pool-teacher-patrick-sampey/
Author: Patrick “The Tallahassee Squirrel” Sampey Editor: Chris Freeman
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