Our lessons explain the shot here. This library lets you inspect the research, methods, and official rulebooks behind specific details.
Read the Science of the Shot →These are short reading notes, not reproduced articles. Author-hosted papers and public preprints are identified below. The diagram and interactive cloth experiment on our science page are original constructions.
Rod Cross · American Journal of Physics 76, 205–212 (2008) · doi:10.1119/1.2825392
Measured and calculated off-center cue impacts connect tip grip and deflection. Suspending the ball helped isolate the cue collision from cloth effects.
Read it with: The apparatus and cue were specific to the experiment; its measured angles are not a specification for your shaft.
Author-hosted full text · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperS. Mathavan, M. R. Jackson & R. M. Parkin · American Journal of Physics 77, 788–794 (2009) · doi:10.1119/1.3157159
High-speed tracking of snooker-ball centers distinguished sliding, rolling, and collisions and allowed equipment parameters to be estimated.
Read it with: Center tracking is not a complete spin measurement. The reported precision belongs to their calibrated apparatus.
Public full text · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperS. Mathavan, M. R. Jackson & R. M. Parkin · Proceedings of the IMechE, Part C 224, 1863–1873 (2010) · doi:10.1243/09544062JMES1964
A frictional cushion-impact model predicts rebound speed and angle from the incoming motion and spin, with comparison against experiments.
Read it with: The model assumes small cushion deformation and has a tested speed range. Its fitted constants do not describe every table.
Public full text · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperHyeong-Chan Kim · New Physics: Sae Mulli 72, 208 (2022) · doi:10.3938/NPSM.72.208
A theoretical treatment follows linear and rotational motion through cue contact and examines off-center deflection and cue flexibility.
Read it with: A model analysis is not a measured calibration of a particular cue and tip.
Public preprint; journal publication identified · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperHyeong-Chan Kim · New Physics: Sae Mulli 74, 621 (2024) · doi:10.3938/NPSM.74.621
The analysis examines how restitution, ball-to-ball friction, and table contact modify an ideal collision between equal-mass balls.
Read it with: Fine contact effects extend beyond the frictionless 90-degree construction and our simplified grounded lab.
Public preprint; journal publication identified · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperEvan Kiefl · Journal of Open Source Software 9(101), 7301 (2024) · doi:10.21105/joss.07301
Pooltool provides an open research tool for constructing and simulating billiard systems with explicit physics models.
Read it with: It is a comparison reference. Rackabout uses its own implementation; software publication does not validate our table predictions.
Open-access software paper · checked 2026-10-27
Open the paperEveryday mechanics is explained in our own words. The register identifies specialist instruction, named methods, and governing rulebooks. An official rules link identifies the authority for that format; it does not establish which rules your room has adopted.
Solid-sphere angular impulse, offset/spin relationship, and a conservative approximate half-radius contact range.
Checked 2026-10-26Cue/ball mass, speed, restitution, and off-center angular impulse; the site uses a simplified grounded rigid-body impact model.
Checked 2026-10-26Translation, sliding, natural roll, and simultaneous sidespin.
Checked 2026-10-26Natural roll versus overspin and the limits of tip-position shortcuts.
Checked 2026-10-26Cut- and spin-induced transfer, opposite object-ball sidespin on a direct hit, and later bank effects.
Checked 2026-10-26Raised cushion contact and its effect on rebound; includes the WPA nose-height reference.
Checked 2026-10-26Approximate ball mass/radius, inertia, friction, restitution, and spin-decay ranges. Model settings are nominal, not measurements of Dave’s table.
Checked 2026-10-26Primary derivation of cloth slip/roll and rigid-body collision considerations. The site implements its own bounded model and does not claim to embed pooltool.
Checked 2026-10-26Stun and stop definitions; distinguish spin at collision from initial tip contact.
Checked 2026-10-26Spin loss and control of the draw/stop outcome; May 2024 instructional article.
Checked 2026-10-26Stroke advice and practice; do not pull the cue backward to create draw.
Checked 2026-10-26Beginner draw progression and demonstrations.
Checked 2026-10-26Running/reverse and inside/outside relationships.
Checked 2026-10-26Sidespin teaching demonstrations and context.
Checked 2026-10-26Stun/tangent-line instruction; not all collision conditions.
Checked 2026-10-26Natural roll and approximately quarter-ball to three-quarter-ball hit range.
Checked 2026-10-26Approximate calibrated landmark aiming; no universal fixed distance.
Checked 2026-10-26Named three-rail system and associated demonstrations.
Checked 2026-10-26Primary instruction index; follow the specific system before authoring a recipe.
Checked 2026-10-26Comfort, alignment, and repeatability rather than a single mandatory pose.
Checked 2026-10-26General fundamentals including relaxed grip and stable bridge.
Checked 2026-10-26Bridge selection and open-bridge advantages.
Checked 2026-10-26Mechanical bridge technique and demonstrations.
Checked 2026-10-26Bridge forms and supporting demonstrations.
Checked 2026-10-26Separate initial cue-ball deflection, path curvature, and object-ball throw.
Checked 2026-10-26Detailed effect relationships and primary references.
Checked 2026-10-26Two-stage aiming and throw considerations.
Checked 2026-10-26Candidate demonstrations; not a license to reproduce assets.
Checked 2026-10-26Distinguishes legal jump instruction from under-ball scoop shots.
Checked 2026-10-26Terminology reference; definitions in this package are short original paraphrases.
Checked 2026-10-26Film identification and date.
Checked 2026-10-26Calibration workflow and connection to the film.
Checked 2026-10-26Current reference found during preparation; not Jackies confirmed league rules.
Checked 2026-10-26Regulations 15–16: random positions other than 1 and 9, three-ball break requirement, incoming-player choice, push-out eligibility, and spotting the 9 on an insufficient break.
Checked 2026-10-26APA nine-ball diamond with the front 1 on the foot spot; differs from the dated WPA reference.
Checked 2026-10-26Nine-ball break results and no push-outs in APA handicapped competition; Masters has separate provisions.
Checked 2026-10-26Handicapped nine-ball point scoring: 1–8 worth one point, 9 worth two, with a player-specific match target.
Checked 2026-10-26Version-aware APA rules source; 2026/27 through 2028/29 cycle displayed.
Checked 2026-10-26Specific time-out and assistance requirements depend on format and edition.
Checked 2026-10-26Equipment care, drinks, space, and house etiquette.
Checked 2026-10-26We write the explanations, examples, and diagrams for this guide. Specific studies get identifiable references; quoted or licensed material gets its required attribution. Routine facts and general mechanics do not interrupt a lesson with repeated author credits.
The papers are evidence to examine, not endorsements of this site. A plausible model, a software test, and a repeatable shot on your table answer different questions. Research notes reviewed 2026-10-27.