Welcome to the National Billiard Academy
The Instructor
Tom has been a billiards player most of his life, and has been a professional pool instructor since 1994.Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson is a highly experienced pool instructor, having trained several thousand players and produced over 175 new instructors since 1995…
Pool School
12 Cities. Classes & Lessons for all levels. Play the best pool of your life, starting now!Welcome to the National Billiard Academy
Most players are stuck at some level because their fundamentals are not strong enough to allow them to progress. I am a maniac about developing & maintaining a solid foundation of good fundamentals.
Products
Excellent training, knowledge, and performance products. Perfect your game.Terrific products any pool player would love.
3-Day Weekend Intensive
The Intensive is our “boot camp” for billiard players of every level. After 20 years of refinement, we feel this is the best 3-day pool player training program available. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been playing. This is the true – and often surprising – billiards foundation every player needs, taught by highly experienced, full–time pool instructors.
We identify & correct your form flaws. We all have some, we’re typically not aware of them, and they are what’s holding us back. To play better pool, you need a simple, precise, consistent setup and stroke that works with your body. You need clear, physics-correct understanding of ball behavior, and practical methods for finding perfect aim.
You want to enjoy the game more, and play with dignity. I promise this, and more, will happen for you.
Visit the POOL SCHOOL page to learn more.
Tom Simpson by the Numbers
About Tom & The National Billiard Academy
Tom Simpson is a highly experienced PBIA Master Instructor (Professional Billiard Instructor Association), operating the National Billiard Academy (accredited by the PBIA since 2004).
With 50 years as a pool player and 20 years as an instructor, Tom also holds the highest level instructor/coach certification in the ACS Instructor Program (American CueSports Alliance) and is active on the Instructor Committees of both organizations.
Tom has trained over 3,000 pool players and 175 instructors. His pool school offers billiard lessons for every skill level. Tom is a Founding Professor at Billiard University, and has published 200+ billiard instructional lessons.
We’ve been evolving and refining the National Billiard Academy 3-Day Weekend Intensive for over 20 years now. It’s the real deal. Your pool school experience will give you the tools, skills, and knowledge to break you through whatever is holding you back.
You’re welcome to check out about 50 more Comments from Players here at the website. Keven Engelke (Vice President – PoolDawg.com) took the Intensive recently. Here is his personal review of the experience, with photos.
Read three Billiards Digest columns about the Intensive, as experienced by columnist and novice player Audra Quinn (please note that Audra’s errors in the Day 2 column diagram were corrected later): Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. Or read an older Review of the 3-Day Weekend Intensive by Erik Barzeski of BilliardDrills.com.
Tom was the founder of Elephant Balls, Ltd., and invented the Elephant Practice Balls and Ghostball Aim Trainer products, used worldwide since 1994. Practice Balls are available at this link, directly from the inventor. Tom’s newest training aid, the Stroke Groover, was tested extensively in pool school. See a video of this terrific product in action.
Tom’s book of 129 instructional columns is now shipping. Presenting 15 years of Tom’s best work, the Beat People With a Stick! billiard lesson book offers clear instruction & key insights for every player. Click for more info.
We are the exclusive distributor for the original Jerico Stinger Cues. The Pro Stinger is the world’s best jumpbreak cue. Stinger Pro Player Representative Shawn Putnam was selected in 2007 as the world’s best jumpshot artist. These cues are endorsed by seven PBIA Master Instructors, and are being used by top pros such as Kid Delicious, Mike Massey, Tony Robles, Buddy Hall, Jeanette Lee, Ewa Laurence, Tom Rossman, Stefano Pelinga, and Jennifer Barretta. Try one for 30 days. You’ll be astonished! Click for more info.
Tom was featured on the cable TV series “The Men’s Room.” On the show, he demonstrates & teaches one of the primary ball-jumping techniques used in pool: the Dart Method. Video footage teaching two methods of jumping is available for view here.
Click here for an article by Tom about how to become a better pool player. Click here for Tom’s article about finding your Pattern of Missing, and click here for the corresponding Excel worksheets.
Student Testimonials
“As soon as I got home, everybody I ran into at the table wanted to see what I had learned and they told me I am a way different shooter now. I have had a lot of people say they weren’t scared of my game before I attended your clinic, but they watch me now and they say I hope to not face you in the next tournament. You have greatly increased my confidence at the pool table. Next time you see me, you won’t recognize me as the same person who walked into your pool school.”
“Thank you for an absolutely fantastic weekend at your pool school. It was an extremely exhausting, rewarding experience. The mix of classroom instruction on the physics involved, combined with the intense, purposeful practice, personalized video & training, taught by masters of the craft make this a truly one of a kind, unique experience. Two days after the class and I am already seeing a positive difference in my game.”
“Your instruction has changed my game, my standing at the pool hall, my sphere of Influence, and my life in general. I still get ribbed when I miss a shot. There’s always someone who shouts out that he could have taught me that shot without the need to go to Pool School. Conversely, when I make a great shot someone else mumbles that I went to Pool School so of course I made that shot.The fundamentals you teach are such a good base. If I’ve had a bad day, or if I haven’t found my groove yet, or even in the pressure of competition, I always fall back on the fundamentals. I amaze myself with the shots that go in. What I like best is the level of acceptance I now enjoy with the great players in our area.”
“It has been over a year since I participated in your 3-day Weekend Intensive. I was a believer then, but I am a disciple now!I was a decent “average” player and had read a lot of pool books, trying to get better. I would always breeze through the “fundamentals” sections because “I already know all of that.” I am now convinced I knew NOTHING! I knew there were things about my fundamentals I needed to change, but every time I tried something I would get worse, so I would go back to my old ways.
The changes you made me do were painful, but I stuck with them and am now totally amazed at the difference I see in my game today vs. a year ago. All of a sudden, english makes sense, cue ball position makes sense, planning run-outs makes sense. None of that is possible without “Rock-Solid Fundamentals.”
“It’s taken two months, but everything I have been working on since the Intensive has become now second nature. I have endured a ton of wisecracks and ridicule about spending a lot of money to get worse at my game. Now it is paying off. I get better daily. I win 95% of my games and people are beginning to FEAR me. My stroke is so smooth and straight that I get rave comments all the time. I’m getting happier with my game by the day.”
“I enjoyed the Intensive so much that I am adding a pool room onto my home. My excitement over the techniques and fundamentals you taught me threw me over the edge. It is a lot to retain, but I don’t think that I have ever been to a class that totally kept my undivided attention every second like your pool lessons did. I am still awe-struck.The first time I shot in public after coming back home, I had two guys come up and tell me that I should film myself playing pool and sell the videos, that they had never seen anybody shoot and make it look so easy.”