Billiards is a sport many people can learn and participate in. For the most part the game of pool is all about angles. At least, the beginner should first learn how to properly aim and figure out the correct angles to make a particular shot before trying to do any of the fancy moves you might see on television or in your local pool hall. People of any age can learn as long as they have patience and good eye-hand coordination. If you don’t get frustrated easily, before you know it, you are doing well and having fun. Then when you get together with friends or family and someone says, “let’s go play some pool”, you can join in on the fun times and laughter to be had around the billiard table.

There are really two different angles that you need to consider when starting out. Once the ball is in motion there is the angle at which it bounces off the side of the table and then there is the angle at which a ball moves after it is struck by another ball. We will begin with the table angles as they are easier to understand and figure out. The key here is to realize that when a ball strikes a straight surface it behaves in a very predictable way. Begin by visualizing a line perpendicular to the edge that the ball is about the strike.

Then, the angle that the ball will go in after it hits the side of the table will be exactly the same as the angle that it struck the wall with respect to the reference line. For example, suppose the ball is coming towards the side of the table and the angle between the line along which the ball is moving and the reference line is thirty degrees. Then, after the collision the ball will continue to move along a line that is also at 30 degrees to the reference line but is on the other side of the reference line.

The angle that a ball moves in after it is struck by another ball is a little trickier. It isn’t necessarily more difficult to understand, it’s just difficult to judge when you are playing. The quick answer is that when a stationary ball is struck by a moving ball then it will move in a straight line away from the ball that hit it. This line can be visualized by connecting the center points of the two balls that are colliding, through their point of impact.

To visualize this it is sometimes easier to imagine a phantom ball that moves along the path that the moving ball will be going along. Trace the movement of the phantom ball until it comes in contact with the ball that you are hitting. You want the point where the phantom ball just touches the ball you are hitting. Then, imagine a line through the center point of the ball you are hitting and the phantom ball that goes through the point of impact. This will be the trajectory of the ball after you hit it.

Watching the sport of billiards on television can be entertaining and quite an educational experience also. As difficult as this may seem in theory, in practice it becomes much easier the more you do it. As a fun exercise to get used to this it will be useful to line up a bunch of balls and make the same shot over and over again until you develop a feel for how the balls will behave. This is how the pros are able to pull of the amazing shots that they do.  Almost anyone can play pool.