Billiards and Pool Teaching and Learning Resources
for Instructors and Students

supporting the book: The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards
and the instructional video series: Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS) and Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP)

drills and exercises
summaries and handouts
templates and diagrams

forms for scoring and rating
references
rules

Instructors, schools, and others are welcome to link to or use any of the material posted on my website, as long as the materials are not repackaged in any for-sale items (e.g., books, DVDs, etc.), and as long as the source is clearly cited (and linked, if online). I post all of the material on my website so people can use it and benefit from it, not to keep it private. However, I do ask that no part of my books, DVDs, or CD-ROMs be copied or used directly without my permission.

Regards,
Dr. Dave

If you are looking for an instructor or a pool school, see:
list of experienced and well-known instructors and schools

Drills and Exercises

Many common and useful drills can be found on the drill resource page and in the Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP). Here are some useful drill resources:

centerline stroke drill (MOFUDAT: MOst Famous and Useful Drill of All Time)
speed control drill
ghost-ball aiming drill
3-ball run-out practice drill
stop/follow/draw drill
Dr. Dave's Draw Drill
- for more info, see my June '06 instructional article
English drill
PAT drill demonstrations by Thorsten Hohmann (many others by FastMikie)
progressive practice drills from San Francisco Billiards Academy (see also: Mike Pages's video)
player practice and rating drills:
- 9-ball rating drill ("playing the ghost")
- Colin's potting drill
- FARGO "straight pool" / "rotation" rating drill
  - video description and demonstration
  - rules summary and score sheet
- Hopkins Q Skills Challenge
- Pool Quotient ability test
ScratchBall (for carom/billiard practice, and as a fun game)

Summaries and Handouts

See also:

Templates and Diagrams

angle template (for visualizing and measuring angles)
Cranfield arrow (for ghost-ball aiming visualization)
CueTable (online visualization tool for drawing shots)
30-degree-rule angle templates (for visualizing cue ball angles and training your hand peace-sign)
- for more info, see my April '04 instructional article
cut angle template (e.g., for visualizing cut angles and for doing experiments)
- for example, see my September '06 instructional article
distance template (and another and one with combined, extra-fine scales) (e.g., for measuring stick and ball positions and speeds with video)
ghost-ball target discs (for marking ball target positions on the table or rail)
ghost ball template (for visualizing and practicing aiming, ghost ball center, line of centers, and tangent line)
kick and bank angles (approach angles into the rail, and rebound angles away from the rail)
rail and table ruler (for measuring throw, squirt, and swerve amounts and rebound angles)
squirt template (for measuring squirt with the help of a video camera)
table diagrams - blank and gridded for instruction, practice, or documentation:
- color version
- B&W versions
target (for marking desired CB position, for position drills, and for measuring position accuracy)

Forms For Scoring and Rating

Accustats Total Performance Average (TPA) player rating system
Arizona Pool Scene rating website
tournament elimination brackets (at the bottom of the page)
9-ball rating drill
check-list for video analysis

References

introductory tutorial for learning the basics of pool
glossary of definitions of pool and billiards terminology and lingo
- see also:
- for even more (including historical terms), see:
  "The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards" by Mike Shamos, Lyons Press, 2002.
history of pool and billiards
- here's another account of billiards history (from BSKUnion)
- and another (from Charlie Ursitti)
- and another (from Robert Byrne)
- and another (with Snooker focus)
- evolution of equipment (by Mizerak and Panozzo)
- see also: Chicago Billiard Museum
Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards (excellent teaching and learning references)
- book, DVD, and CD-ROM
instructional articles covering various pool and billiards principles and techniques
frequently-asked questions (FAQs) and answers covering various pool and billiards instructional topics
various Internet resources for learning pool and billiards
video demonstrations of various principles and techniques (see also: other online instructional videos)
Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS) (excellent teaching and learning references)
Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice (VEPP) (excellent set of drills and pool workouts)

Rules

concise rules summary for 8-ball and 9-ball (based on the WPA World Standardized Rules)
- 1-page summary for 8-ball (PDF version, editable Word version), suitable for posting in a bar (created by Nathan Rhoades, Newport RI)
WPA World Standardized Rules (all games)
APA rules
BCAPL rules
IPT 8-ball rules
TAP league rules
VNEA rules
one-pocket rules
"bonus ball" rules (a game played with nine balls involving a combination of snooker, 8-ball, one-pocket, and straight pool elements)
equipment specifications

referee quiz for testing your knowledge of the rules (based on the WPA World Standardized Rules)

Billiards and Pool Teaching and Learning Resources for Instructors and Students