Bullseye Billiards

Cue the Experts S3 Ep 01 - Mark Finkelstein: A Three-Cent Stroke Is a Three-Cent Game

Mark Finkelstein was five years old when his father started taking him to a second floor pool room in Rockaway Beach, two subway stops from Aqueduct Racetrack. The best straight pool players in New York killed time on those tables before heading to the track, and Mark caught the bug watching men run fifty balls without ever hitting anything hard. Seventy years later he's a PBIA Master Instructor, winner of the 2020 Jerry Briesath Award, and the guy other instructors take clinics from. We discuss why a three cent stroke ruins a million dollar aiming system, where your feet actually go, the notebook exercise that exposes what you say to yourself, why he makes students play without chalk, and how to build a year long plan that peaks when it matters.

Book a lesson at Cue Master Pool School (https://www.cuemaster-poolschool.com), email Mark directly at [email protected], or find Pool Ramblings on Amazon.

Marcel Eckardt has refereed enough elite matches to identify the most common mistake top players make: breaking their routine when pressure peaks.

Great players walk the table, visualize every shot, plan cue ball position, and keep pre-shot routine completely consistent. That consistency is automatic until they're about to close out a match. Then pressure creeps in, they start thinking about things they shouldn't, and the routine breaks down. A missed shot or lost position follows. The match can slip away. Even the most experienced players fall into this trap when the moment gets biggest.

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Guest: Marcel Eckardt

Bobby Neues took lessons from players and instructors at every level. The result: he wants more lessons from more people, not fewer. Because everyone has something unique to offer.

Getting tied to one instructor isn't terrible, but reaching out to others will help your game significantly. Every person teaches something slightly different. That variety is incredibly valuable. No matter who someone is or what level they play at, if they have even a small tidbit to share, be all ears. People massively underestimate what they can learn from everyone around them. Stop limiting your growth to one source.

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Guest: Bobby Neues

Bobby Neues has taken lessons from players and instructors at every level. Every single one taught him something slightly different and valuable. His takeaway: he wants more lessons from more people, not fewer.
Sticking to one instructor isn't the worst thing, but it's limiting. Every person you learn from adds a unique perspective that another person can't give you. Level doesn't matter. If someone has something to teach, be all ears. People consistently underestimate what they can learn from everybody around them.

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Guest: Bobby Neues

April Erfman's pressure advice: remember to breathe. Because calm is where your best pool lives and breathing is how you get there.
When you're calm you think clearly, pick the right shot, and execute your pre-shot routine with intention. When pressure takes over you shake, rush, skip the plan, scratch, hit too hard. Bad things just happen. You control the pace of this game. Take the extra second. Look at the table. Make a plan before approaching the shot. Come to the table calm and execute deliberately. Breathe, plan, execute. Every single time.

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Guest: April Erfman

April Erfman has won multiple Scotch doubles championships with a variety of partners. Her secret: comfort, communication, and the ability to forgive.
Playing with someone familiar helps enormously. Know where you're at and know where they're at. When partnering with a much stronger player, accept that they're the pro, you'll miss, and that's okay. Let it go. The magic happens when you both sync up and see the same things, or when you do something surprising that even their high-level brain wouldn't attempt. Being able to forgive your partner might be the biggest key of all.

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Full episode on YouTube (link in comments)
Guest: April Erfman