Go teachers who look at large samples of games

[jeromie]

Does anyone know of teachers besides Kaz (since he is not currently accepting new students) who will take a sample of recent games (say 5-10), identify strengths and weaknesses relative to my current level, and point to resources to help correct the most significant recurring errors? I'd like to be able to check in at some point in the future to see if I'm properly implementing the recommended changes, too. I think this methodology makes much more sense than individual teaching games, but I haven't seen it widely advertised.

As a 5k I'm likely to make big mistakes in every game I play, but some of those are more situation specific than others. It's the errors that occur regularly that offer the greatest opportunity for immediate, sustained improvement.

[oren]

Is there a reason not to do regular lessons with teachers on KGS or a school like Yunguseng Dojang? The longer you work with the teacher, the better. 5-10 games is a pretty small sample. If you have the ability to pay for it, regular lessons are better in my opinion.

[Kirby]

I agree with Oren, if you are interested in something long term. From the AYD, Inseong goes over your last several games and gives you a report at the end of the season. It has graphs indicating your relative strengths and weaknesses, along with advice.

[yoyoma]

I think the idea is jeromie wants the teaching sessions to be reviews of ~5 games he played beforehand. I reckon most teachers would certainly agree to this style of lessons if you just suggest it to them.

[Kirby]

I think the idea is jeromie wants the teaching sessions to be reviews of ~5 games he played beforehand. I reckon most teachers would certainly agree to this style of lessons if you just suggest it to them.

Sure. I still think you'd get a similar effect in the YD, since you get game reviews (granted, one game a time) along with directed advice on how to address the biggest weaknesses in your games (considering the past several games).

I suppose the biggest difference between that and what you are describing is that Inseong only looks at games you played as a part of the league, but that seems reasonable to me, given that those should be representative of serious games that you played.

[jeromie]

I agree that regular lessons with the same teacher would be an ideal way to learn. There are three main reasons I would look for this style.

First, I think it would make the first few lessons more helpful if the teacher had exposure to several of my games ahead of time. That way they can see the patterns in my game instead of catching me on a particularly good or bad night.

Second, this makes asynchronous lessons possible. I have a fair amount of time available in the evenings for study / play (my wife and daughter both go to bed earlier than me most nights ), but it's hard for me to consistently commit to lessons at a particular time. (I might have extra work to do, we could decide to entertain friends, or my wife and I might set aside time for a date night.) I've looked into the Yunguseng Dojang, but the league games are scheduled right in the middle of my daughter's bedtime routine. That's likely to be a distracting time to play on the best of nights, and it also eats into family time and puts extra pressure on my wife after I've been at work all day. (Incidentally, this is why I play most of my games online even though there are several go clubs in my city.)

Third, it would allow me to work through the suggested materials at my own pace and go back to the teacher when I feel ready. Sometimes I have a lot of time to spend on my hobbies, and sometimes I have a little. When I took mandolin lessons, I always felt like I was wasting the teacher's time (and my money) if I had a busy week and didn't adequately practice.

[Kirby]

I see. Regarding the timing of the league for the Yunguseng Dojang, this is totally flexible, since you can reschedule with your opponents to find a mutually agreeable time. For my first season, I don't think I played any of the games at the scheduled time, and rescheduled every single game.

That being said, with the YD, it's still expected that you play an average of at least one serious game a week, even if it's rescheduled. Based on what you wrote, maybe this isn't an option for you. Also, Inseong has over 100 students, so compared to a teacher with fewer students, the directed comments will be part of the organized schedule.

So if you can manage playing an average of one serious game per week, I'd recommend the AD, still. But if that seems like too much, yoyoma is probably right - you can probably find a more "1-on-1" teacher, and propose what you want to do - they'd probably be willing to comply.

[sparky314]

Like jeromie, I don't have a dedicated schedule I can guarantee (at the moment), hence why I chose to take Kaz's lessons. Also, social anxiety is a big issue for me (therapy in progress), so via email works best (least amount of pressure).

Couple of possible options:

1. Ask to be wait-listed via Kaz's site (what I did).
2. Breakfast (http://breakfast.go4go.net/?Go_lessons) does offline reviews of games.
3. Some teachers may be willing to work around a given schedule, or alternatively might offer offline reviews/advice?

AYD looks like a fun option too, if time permitted.

[RobertJasiek]

jeromie, I offer such teaching, have experience with more than 100 individual regular pupils and emphasise pointing out and generalising mistakes and identifying related progress. The fee is proportional to the time spent, i.e. depends on the quality of how detailed commentaries shall be. Please send me an email to jasiek@snafu.de to inquire details.

[jeromie]

Thanks for the feedback and recommendations, everyone.