BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR TODAY!

Level 1 - $35
Level 2 - $50
Level 3 - $75
Level 4 - $100

Level 3 or Level 4 instructor/coach typically will charge $700-$1000 in training fees for a 3-day course 

"To promote the Sport of Billiards by developing educational resources for players, Instructors/coaches and businesses, and to promote knowledge and training as integral components for the growth of our great sport and for the success and enjoyment of the players." 

The aim of the American Cuesports Association (ACS) is to train and certify well- qualified Instructors/Coaches to serve the Billiard public. As the sport grows at record pace, there continues to be a need for qualified, personable Billiard teaching professionals.

Objectives of the American Cuesports Association (ACS) training program:

• To develop & certify qualified instructors.
• To provide training techniques and requirements for becoming a Professional Billiard/Cuesport Coach accredited by the ACS and satisfying the World Confederation of Billiards Sports (WCBS) standard.
• To develop instructional expertise and training techniques to run Instructor Certification clinics and standards for using the tools to perform Instructor evaluations.
• To identify and recommend opportunities to attend a sports-minded (sports psychology) accredited performance coaches training program, as outlined by the ACS (professional development in mental and emotional skills training for ACS instructors). As an applicant for the ACS National Level of accreditation, this could include the educational training and techniques required for training other professional coaches.
• If you are an existing instructor, adding to any existing tools and techniques to allow you to efficiently train players (and possibly other instructors) to an ACS accredited standard.
• To encourage the study of cue sports and its profession.

Upon successful completion of the course, candidates will be offered the opportunity to become an ACS certified instructor.

Experienced Billiard instructor/coaches will bring in-depth knowledge and additional expertise to the program. During the ACS course, it is hoped we will learn from each other, melding together our ideas and methods so that we end up as a team of professional instructor/coaches.

•  No student paperwork requirement. Accredited ACS Instructor/ Coaches are not required to submit student feedback forms to the national office.
• No restrictions on where you teach or in what type of facility. An ACS Instructor/coach is encouraged to use or construct any training environment he/she chooses with no restrictions on the environment.
• The ACS Program respects your experience. In the early stages of administration of the ACS Instructor/ Coach program, instructor/coaches with documented experience may be “grandfathered” into the ACS program by the ACS Instructor/Coach committee.
• Enter the ACS Program at the equivalent level to where you are in another certification program. Instructors accredited at various levels in other instructor programs may enter the ACS program at the equivalent level of accreditation.
• All ACS instructor/coaches – by using the Performance Ability Test (“PAT”) testing system, recognized by the world-governing body for the pool sport, the World Pool-Billiard Association - will gain accreditation recognized on an international level.

To attain full certification, all five areas must be passed during the course:

1. Playing Ability Test (PAT): This takes place on the first day of certification or through a prior score. This world standard test documents and evaluates the candidate performance skills. Exceptions: 1). For aspiring Level 1 Instructor/Coach candidates, PAT testing is optional and PAT score requirements are a guideline/recommendation. 2). For aspiring Level 2 Instructor/Coach candidates, PAT testing is required, but candidates may self-test on the buddy system. This means (if they can’t arrange to be formally tested), they buy the PAT Manuals and do their (honor system) best to conduct & score the test, working with a friend/player/instructor/or similar witness. The other witness must sign off on the submitted score. Level 1 and Level 2 candidates should be aware that Level 3 upgrade may only be obtained through official PAT testing (see PAT Program for more information).
2. Written Test: Includes explanations of cue sports concepts (e.g., squirt). The written test includes rules questions.
3. Verbal Test: This test evaluates the candidate’s ability to communicate billiard concepts to players and/or coaches
4. Physical Teaching Test: This test focuses on detection and correction of billiard stroke errors, bio-mechanics, etc., as taught during the course.
5. Application Teaching Test: This test is based on directly teaching and running Billiard clinics/classes to instructor candidates and/or students under the supervision of an ACS accredited instructor/coach.

NOTE: A professional Billiard Manual may be used as the guideline for coaching criteria.

[All instructor/coach requirements must be fulfilled before a certification/upgrade is issued by the administering instructor/coach. This means, for example, someone could take their Level 2 upgrade course, send in their written test a week later, and send in their informal PAT score a month after that to the administering instructor/coach. Once all requirements have been met with the administering instructor/coach submitting a completed upgrade form to the ACS, ACS issue the new certificate. The Instructor/Coach remains at their current certification level until that time. There is no time limit on these qualifying requirements.]

 the basic requirements for the ACS Instructor/Coach are that they have knowledge of fundamentals, billiard stroke instruction, basic billiard bio-mechanics, ball behavior, etc., and can transfer this knowledge to candidates and students.

The ACS permits Instructors to use specialization clauses after their title, for example,

”Professional Instructor/Coach Level 2 - Specializing in Artistic Billiard discipline (e.g., Artistic Pool, Artistic Snooker, etc.)”, or Specializing in fundamentals, or the discipline of Snooker/Billiards, or 3-cushion Billiards”, etc.

The ACS Board reserves the right to select ‘Honorary’ Instructor/Coaches based on the ACS Instructor/Coaches committee recommendations.

The ACS recommends that instructor/coaches in the program be titled “Professional Billiard Instructor/Coach”.

Four levels make up the structure of the program, with the levels designated as Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 respectively.