The Physics of Banking

Learn how to bank.Understand every shot.

Banking intelligence. Education you can bank on.

Bank Shot Buddy turns spin, speed, contact, and cushion geometry into a visual training language. Predict the shot, test it, change it, and learn why the result moved.

Try the Practice Table ↓
20 ShotsGhost Tip™Live PhysicsMove Every Ball
Bank Shot Buddy™ Simulator Training Mode
TB-01™ Training Ball
Touch · Drag · Ghost Tip™ stays on release
TB-01™ Training Ball CENTER GHOST TIP™
Ghost Tip™ Zone
Center Ball
H: 0.00 V: 0.00
Aim Adjustment 0.0°
ShorterRecommended lineLonger
Follow
Draw
L. Spin
R. Spin
Center Ball
Ball Speed Medium
Slow Fast
Slow Medium Fast
01 · Practice Table™ Build the shot. Then own the result.

Place the balls, choose your Ghost Tip™ contact, set the speed, and compare the projected route with the outcome—then rewind and repeat the exact setup.

Interactive working surface
0%
Bob Saint John's assembled Samsara cue with kielwood shaft
Lesson 1 · Zero to FourThe verified starting line is loaded. Adjust Ghost Tip™, aim, or speed and watch the projection respond—then pull and release.
ReadyDrag either ball, adjust the controls, then shoot.
Overlays
Choose a Shot20 scenarios
Scroll to explore
02 · The Idea

See it. Understand it.
Master it.

Pocketing balls is only the beginning. Winning comes from controlling the cue ball. Bank Shot Buddy turns invisible ideas — tip position, spin, speed, rebound angle, and route planning — into a visual training language players can use at the table.

03 · Interactive Training Ball

Choose a contact point.
See what changes.

Each color zone on the TB-01™ Training Ball corresponds to a specific spin type. Touch a color on the ball and its explanation will light up below. Then open Training Mode to feel how that tip placement changes the shot.

TB-01 Training Ball with blue, green, orange, purple, and red contact zones Touch a color
Follow

Strike above center to create forward rotation. The cue ball continues after contact, helping you move naturally into position.

Top zone · Blue · Tip above center
Draw

Strike below center to create backspin. The cue ball reverses after contact — essential for stop shots and pulling position back.

Bottom zone · Orange · Tip below center
Left Spin

Left english — running or reverse depending on direction of travel. Transfers through every rail contact and compounds over distance.

Left zone · Purple · Tip left of center
Right Spin

Right english — identical mechanics, opposite direction. Use cautiously on 3+ rail shots until you know how it compounds.

Right zone · Green · Tip right of center
Center Ball

Dead center contact. No spin. Pure geometry — the equal angle baseline from which all other contact points deviate. Master this first.

Center · Red · No spin applied
Stun / Stop

Strike close to center with the speed needed to reach the object ball while the cue ball is still sliding. The cue ball stops or travels along the tangent line after contact.

Near center · Speed-sensitive · Sliding cue ball
04 · Knowledge Bank

Why banks behave
differently.

Equal-angle geometry and diamond systems are useful references, but a real table adds cloth, cushion grip, speed, spin, cut, humidity, and wear. Learn what moves the result, then adjust by observation.

Principle 01

Geometry Is the Baseline

The mirror line and equal-angle idea give you a starting map, not a promise. Once a moving ball meets a real cushion, speed, friction, spin, and compression begin shaping the return.

Principle 02

Speed Changes the Rebound

The same visual line can return differently at different speeds. Practice a bank at soft, medium, and firm pace so you can see which changes belong to the table and which belong to your stroke.

Principle 03

Running and Reverse English

Running English generally encourages the rebound to lengthen, while reverse English generally encourages it to shorten. The amount depends on speed, contact, and the conditions in front of you.

Principle 04

Transferred Spin

A cut collision can pass spin to the object ball even when you address the cue ball near center. That transferred rotation helps explain why an apparently exact geometric aim can still miss.

Principle 05

The Cushion Is Not Flat

A ball meets the cushion nose above the cloth while the rubber compresses and grips. That brief interaction can rearrange slide and roll, making a living rail behave differently from a line on paper.

Principle 06

Watch for the Double Kiss

When a bank is shallow or the cue ball stays close to the object's return lane, the balls can meet a second time. Read both routes—not only the pocket line—before choosing the shot.

Principle 07

Every Table Has a Personality

Cloth, humidity, clean or worn balls, cushion condition, and age all matter. Begin each session with a few familiar calibration banks and let the results tell you how that table is playing.

Principle 08

Knowledge Becomes Feel

Use the simulator to predict, shoot purposeful repetitions, compare the result, adapt, and record what changed. The goal is not memorizing a diagram; it is building dependable recognition.

05 · Shot Library

Every shot.
Fully catalogued.

All 20 scenarios are unlocked. Click a category to expand, then load any shot directly into the simulator. Each includes Ghost Tip™ guidance for all four spin types.

R1
1-Rail Banks — 6 Shots
Equal angle rule · Foundation of all bank play
▼
R2
2-Rail Banks — 5 Shots
Two-cushion routes · Geometry and angle control
▼
R3
3-Rail Banks — 4 Shots
Corner Five system · Diamond system in full effect
▼
R4
4-Rail Banks — 3 Shots
Advanced position play · Compounding angle control
▼
R5
5-Rail Banks — 2 Shots
Full table circuits · Deep pattern and positional mastery
▼
06 · Atlas Cue Academy™

VIP™ — Visually Intelligent Practice
for cue sports mastery.

Atlas Cue Academy™ combines training, physics, history, and AI-powered coaching into one unified system. Bank Shot Buddy™ is the Training Engine at its core — the most visual way to master every shot from 1-rail foundations to 5-rail circuits.

Knowledge Carried Forward™

Training Pavilion™

Bank Shot Buddy™ Engine

Practice. Analyze. Improve. The most visual, physics-validated way to master every shot — powered by the Ghost Tip™ system and the full 20-shot bank library.

Enter Bank Shot Buddy™ →
Wisdom Hall™

Books · History · Systems

The living library of cue sports knowledge — a curated collection of the game's greatest insights, systems, and breakthroughs. Includes the Golden Seed Archive™.

Explore Wisdom Hall →
Hall of Masters™

Honor the Past.
Build the Future.™

Celebrates the legends of cue sports — the players, coaches, and innovators whose contributions elevated the game for generations.

Enter the Hall →
Founders Plaza™

Dedicated to Those Who
Built the Foundation.

Honoring the pioneers who shaped cue sports: Willie Hoppe, Minneapolis Fats, Rudy Ensink — and the players who followed in their tradition of mastery.

Visit Founders Plaza →
Atlas Trophy™

7 Levels of Mastery

Student → Scholar → Practitioner → Master → Mentor → Steward → Legacy. Every level earned through knowledge, practice, and dedication. The Training Ball™ is the first treasure.

Explore the Trophy →
Knowledge Exchange

Golden Seed Archive™

Insights that changed the game — a curated archive of breakthrough ideas, systems, and discoveries. The Golden Seeds are the living intellectual foundation of the Academy.

Enter Knowledge Exchange →
Enter Atlas Cue Academy™
07 · Diamond System

Read the table.
Don't guess at it.

Every point on the table has an exact coordinate. Long rails run 0→8 with side pockets at diamond 4. Short rails run 0→4. Bank Shot Buddy makes this geometry visible and learnable.

System One

Equal Angle Rule

For a straight one-rail bank, entry and exit angles are equal. Object ball at diamond 3 rebounds to diamond 3 — when struck with center Ghost Tip™ contact.

Object ◈N → aim opposite ◈N
System Two

Corner Five System

Assign your cue ball a short-rail number. Subtract the object ball's long-rail number. The result is the first-rail target diamond. Bank Shot Buddy layers spin on top.

Aim = Cue# − Object#
08 · The Full Ecosystem

One brand.
One system. Every shot.™

Bank Shot Buddy™ is the training engine at the heart of Atlas Cue Academy™ — the VIP™ system — Visually Intelligent Practice for cue sports. Every shot you master here connects to a larger journey of knowledge, recognition, and legacy.

Atlas Cue Academy™ — Full Ecosystem
Atlas Cue Academy™
Click to explore · Tap again to visit
Atlas Cue Academy™ Knowledge Carried Forward™
Atlas Cue Academy™
Atlas Cue Academy™
The VIP™ Visually Intelligent Practice system for cue sports — combining training, physics, history, and AI-powered coaching. Bank Shot Buddy™ is the Training Engine at its core.
Enter Atlas Cue Academy™ →
Training Pavilion™

Bank Shot Buddy™ Engine

The simulator, shot library, Ghost Tip™ system, and diamond geometry you're using right now — this is the Training Pavilion, powered by Bank Shot Buddy™ and available inside the Academy.

Enter Bank Shot Buddy™ →
Wisdom Hall™

Books · History · Systems · Archives

The living library of cue sports knowledge. Curated books, breakthrough systems, and the Golden Seed Archive™ — the intellectual foundation of everything the Academy teaches.

Explore Wisdom Hall →
Hall of Masters™

Honor the Past. Build the Future.™

Willie Hoppe. Minneapolis Fats. Rudy Ensink. The legends who built the game live on here. Every lesson in the Academy carries their fingerprint.

Enter the Hall →
Atlas Trophy™

7 Levels of Mastery

Student → Scholar → Practitioner → Master → Mentor → Steward → Legacy. The Training Ball™ is the first treasure. Every level is earned — and mailed to you.

Active Build →

Bank Shot Buddy™ · Training Pavilion™ · Wisdom Hall™ · Hall of Masters™ · Atlas Trophy™ · Founders Plaza™ · Knowledge Exchange

Enter Atlas Cue Academy™
Train With Purpose

Ready to see the table
differently?

Use the simulator to predict the shot, test the result, make an adjustment, and build a more dependable visual language at the table.

Enter Atlas Cue Academy™
◈
Partner With Bank Shot Buddy™

We welcome conversations with billiards rooms and retailers, cue and equipment manufacturers, leagues, tournaments, instructors, content creators, and exceptional pool players. Fort Worth and the wider Texas billiards community are a natural starting point, but participation is open nationally and internationally.

Explore sponsorship, advertising, contribution, and player collaboration →  ·  saintjohnbob@gmail.com  ·  (817) 301-7316