The AimGeometry Blog
Long-form articles on the geometry, physics, and tactics behind pool, 9-ball, and snooker. Each post pairs with one or more of the interactive lessons in the app.
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Fundamentals
The Geometry of Pool — A Complete Visual Guide
Every pot is a geometry problem with a knowable answer. The ghost ball, cut angles, fractional aiming, the 90° tangent, the 30° rule, throw, and banks — the whole system in one map.
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Pool Basics
How to Play American Pool — Complete Beginner's Guide
Zero to first competitive game. The table, balls, rack, break, 8-ball + 9-ball rules, common variations, and the 5 mistakes every beginner makes.
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Snooker
Snooker Stance — Feet, Weight, Alignment
Stance is the foundation under cue action — get it wrong and nothing else works. The 4 parts of a proper stance, the alignment test, and the 5 mistakes that wreck potting.
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Snooker
Snooker Screw Shot — How to Bring the Cue Ball Back
Essential for break building and positional play. The 3 levels of screw (stun-back, medium, deep), the 5 mistakes that kill it, and a 4-week drill plan.
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Snooker
Snooker Side Spin — Running vs Check Side Explained
The most-misused tool in club snooker. The 3 effects of side, when to use running vs check, and how to manage squirt and swerve without wrecking your aim.
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Snooker
Snooker: Opening the Pack of Reds — 4 Cluster-Splitting Techniques
Most amateur breaks die because the pack never opens. Four techniques to split reds without losing the cue ball, ranked by control.
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Snooker
Snooker Chalk & Cue Tip Maintenance — Stop Miscueing
Most miscues trace to a worn tip or wrong chalk. The 4 tip-care habits, the difference between major chalk brands, and when to re-tip.
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Snooker
Snooker Cue Action — The Pendulum Stroke Explained
The single biggest gap between club players and tournament players is cue action. Four-phase anatomy, six common mistakes, and five drills to groove it in 30 minutes a day.
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Snooker
Snooker Long Potting — 5 Drills to Build Confidence
Long pots win frames; missed long pots wreck them. The three reasons most miss, and five progressive drills that turn the 12-ft table from intimidating to routine.
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Snooker
How to Use the Snooker Rest — Cross Rest, Spider, Swan & Half-Butt
The rest is needed on 20-25% of snooker shots — but most amateurs treat it as the awkward backup. The 4 rest types, the 4 stance changes, and 3 drills.
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Pool Variants
English Pool vs American Pool — 8 Key Differences
The UK pub game and US pool look similar but play very differently. Table, balls, rules, foul penalties, safety play — what crosses over and what doesn't.
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Snooker
Snooker Break Building — How to String Your First 30+
Getting from "one ball, then I'm done" to a real 30 break is the threshold that separates pub players from snooker players. Four habits that get you there.
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9-Ball Tactics
9-Ball Push-Out Scenarios — 5 Real-Game Examples
The rule is one thing; using it well is another. Five concrete after-break layouts: when to push, when to play safe, when to jump, when to just shoot.
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Aiming
Ghost Ball Aiming: 7 Practice Drills (Beginner → Pro)
Learning ghost ball takes 5 minutes; making it automatic takes 7 days of drills. Seven progressively harder setups that build it into a reflex.
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Aiming
How to Aim in Pool: Ghost Ball vs Contact Point vs Fractional Aim
The three methods every pool player should know, what each one is actually doing geometrically, and which one to use when. With diagrams.
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Cue Ball Control
The 30° Rule: Why Your Cue Ball Doesn't Always Follow the Tangent
The 90° tangent rule is what tutorials teach; the 30° rolling-ball rule is what pros actually use. The difference, in detail.
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Banks
Pool Bank Shots Made Simple: The Diamond Midpoint Formula
One arithmetic shortcut — (start + target) ÷ 2 — that turns 1-rail bank shots from black magic into geometry. With worked examples.
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9-Ball Tactics
The 9-Ball Push-Out Rule: When to Use It and When Not to
WPA Rule 2.4 — the most under-used legal rule in 9-ball at the amateur level. The strategic theory and decision math.
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Snooker
Snooker Safety Play for Pool Players: 5 Patterns to Steal
Pool players rarely play safety. Snooker players play half a frame of it. Five safety patterns every cue-sports player should have in their toolkit.