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What is your aiming method? In the game of snooker & pool, different players have different ways to aim their shot. Such as 1. Visualising a ghost ball behind Target Ball 2. Imagining an overlap with Cue Ball/Target Ball 3. Aiming for the Point of Contact 4. None. Judge by experience Whichever method works best for you is normally the best option. But if you are after consistency & reliability, you need to be conscious on how angles affect the line of aim. Meet Snooker Potting Angle Calculator (SPAC). Help you Find that Sweet Spot & Line of Aim If you are an experienced snooker/pool player, you would probably agree that setting up a precise line of aim is an important part for good cue action and consistent potting. Buy SPAC	Welcome to the world of Pin-Point Aiming Snooker aiming is a delicated task. A subtle change in cue direction will make or break your shot (or game) quite easily. You have a very small target to aim at while you must make the target ball moves between 0 and 90 deg both way. This makes snooker potting so difficult to master. From the above picture, in order to make the object ball travels in the desired direction, the cue ball must travel towards the centre of the Virtual Ball (CVB) and NOT the actual contact point on the object ball, POC (except in a straight shot). The cue must travel along the correct cue direction in order to move the object ball towards the target (along Object Ball Direction). Practically it is not easy to visualize this cue direction on a table, but if this concept is well understood and applied, potting precision is sure to improve. To help snooker players visualize this cue direction (Line of Aim), Snooker Potting Angle Calculator (SPAC) was developed to illustrate this invisible Line of Aim and its relationships with POC and Object Ball Direction. By interacting with SPAC, users should be able to learn how these important lines are drawn in relation to the balls, and if they can apply the same principle into their game, that is, by developing a habit to look for and establish the correct Line of Aim, aiming improvement will follows.

About Snooker Potting Angle Calculator (SPAC)

Ideal for all levels of snooker players & coaches, SPAC is an useful tool for examining the relationship between cue direction (Line of Aim) and Object Ball Direction. By interacting with SPAC it is easy to see the exact cue direction (Line of Aim) that will pocket the object ball. Snooker aiming is difficult because the actual point of contact (POC, between Cue Ball and Object Ball) is usually not where you cue should aim at! That means your cue is theoretically aimed at a point which you cannot see with your eyes. SPAC takes the guesswork out of pin-pointing this invisible point and by training your brain to (mentally) draw the two most important lines like SPAC does, aiming improvement is sure to come.

SPAC allows users to find the correct potting angle and cue direction for any shot involving a cue ball, an object ball and a target. Because I found that the few traditional aiming methods do not provide enough accuracy to move my game forward, I decided to develop SPAC to illustrate the important aiming clues that are often misunderstood or ignored by snooker players. Users will find the way SPAC present the aiming clues are far more accurate than what are usually known as quarter ball, half ball, three quarter ball, etc. SPAC emphasizes pin-point aiming accuracy but for those who are familiar with Virtual Ball (VB) sighting they will find SPAC instantly familiar because VB is also illustrated in its user interface. The key to successful potting is to determine the correct cue direction (Line of Aim) and SPAC trains your brain to understand how the line is established so you can apply the same technique in your games.

SPAC is NOT a total solution to successful potting, because potting is not only about correct aiming, one also need a perfect cue action to make it happen. However, if you can aim with pin-point precision and you miss the pot, at least you know your aiming is not the cause and you have a better chance to locate the cause and fix the problem with the right solution.

Finally, SPAC is not a fancy simulator or a game of some sort, if you are looking for some true-to-life snooker simulation & animation experience you will be disappointed. SPAC is only an assistive tool to help you get into the habit of pin-point precision aiming by establishing the correct Line of Aim in all shots. You physically ability to perform good, straight cue action is as important as anything else. In this regards serious players should get a coach to address those techniques

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Using SPAC

Using SPAC is very straightforward:

1. Select a Table

Choose one of the four tables shown on bottom left corner. If a table is labelled as "Draggable" then you are able to "move" the table by dragging on its green area.

2. Move the Target / Object Ball / Cue Ball

Target is where the object will stop at (or pass through). It is the red-dot you see on screen. You would normally wish move the target to one of the pockets. Object Ball is the ball to be struck by the cue ball. It is one of the red/colour balls. You would normally move the Object Ball to somewhere near the pockets. Cue Ball is the white ball which your cue would strike on. Position the cue ball anywhere on the table.

3. Experimentation & Observation

Randomly position the Cue Ball/Object Ball/Target to reveal the actual angles & cue directions required to make the Object Ball travel in the intended path (towards the target). Don't move things around aimlessly - Set up different scenario and train your brain to "think" & "draw" lines like SPAC does. Learn to find the Line of AIM by visualising the Virtual Ball Centre (CVB). This is the point where your cue must aim at.

While moving the balls around you should also observe how the virtual ball re-positions, and how the coloured lines are drawn on the table:

Red Line: Object Ball Direction: the path which the Object Ball will travel on. Normally you would want the object ball to travel towards the Target.

Purple Line: Cue Ball direction: the path the Cue Ball will travel on. It is commonly referred to "Line of Aim". This is the exact direction which you cue should slide along.

Yellow Line: Points of Contact (POC) - the exact point where the collision happens on the Cue Ball/Object Ball.

You will also note the value of the acute angle (in degrees/radians) being updated on top part of the screen as you move any of the three objects on the table.

If words like "Full Ball", "Quarter Ball" are in your dictionary then you should also study the graphics on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen - there is an interactive illustration showing the projection of the Cue Ball onto the Object Ball. It demonstrates the overlap required to pot the Object Ball. While perspective error makes Cue Call and Object Ball appears difference in size in actual games, one thing that doesn't change is the Virtual Ball centre (shown as Centre of the semi-transparent call) in the graphics and this is where the cue should aim at. The yellow vertical line illustrates where the impact actually happens on the Object Ball.

Finally, note that SPAC is only an aid and it only calculates the answer for you, but it does not teach you what to do to make a perfect shot. Users of SPAC should learn the technique by observation (i.e. position of contact point with respect to cue direction, acute angle value between balls, and so on). Carefully watch the relationship between balls with an open mind will help eliminate any pre-justice that was accumulated by personal experience learnt from a combination of wrong sighting, cueing, cue action, etc. To those who expect SPAC to turn them instantly into a great potter instantly they will be disappointed - Unless they develop a habit of establishing a correct Line of Aim (as SPAC does for you) otherwise SPAC will not be of help.

A good way to use SPAC is to interact with it a few minutes everyday, so as to develop a habit of Line-of-Aim searching. Apply this principle on your next game, the game after, and so on, not too far in the future you will feel comfortable with working with these invisible lines in your game. Remember, a correct Line of Aim on every shot will improve your potting ability.

SPAC is not designed to be a full snooker simulator or game or anything fancy. It is a simple but inspiring tool that conveys the subtleties that are required to play your shots in precision. Frequent reference to SPAC will help gaining better potting accuracy only if you understand and apply the aiming technique illustrated in SPAC. SPAC is an ongoing development and more features may be added upon users' feedback. Please continue to support SPAC. Thank you.

  Sample Screen Captures of SPAC

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Snooker Potting Angle Calculator (SPAC)

Purchase Instruction

Snooker Potting Angle Calculator (SPAC) can be purchased for £10 (Single PC). After purchase is made a download link & instructions of obtaining a serial number will be provided to the buyer. We accept popular payment methods such as Paypal, Credit Cards, bank transfer, etc. To order online please click the "buy now" button below (credit card/paypal) or use the following contact form (for other payment methods).

Note: SPAC runs on Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP. Compatibility with Vista is not yet confirmed. SPAC is guaranteed to be free from virus, spyware, malware and all sorts of nasty things. By purcasing SPAC you also have read and agree to the license agreement.

Questions?

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License Agreement

SPAC (SNOOKER POTTING ANGLE CALCULATOR) IS PROVIDED AS SHAREWARE FOR NON-COMMERCIAL, PERSONAL USE ONLY. CONTACT AUTHOR ABOUT LICENSING FOR COMMERCIAL AND PROFIT-MAKING PURPOSES.

SPAC (SNOOKER POTTING ANGLE CALCULATOR) MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.

SPAC (SNOOKER POTTING ANGLE CALCULATOR) MAY NOT BE PACKAGED OR BUNDLED WITH COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS.

THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING, THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU, AS A SOFTAWRE USER, FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF THE DELIVERY, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES HAVE BEEN ADVISED AND/OR NOTIFIED, BEFORE OR AFTER, OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES TO ANY EQUIPMENT MACHINERY OR HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE OR ALIKE. IN NO EVENT WILL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF LIABILITY, EXCEED THE LICENSE FEE PAID BY YOU, IF ANY.