BCA Seal of Approval Program Potential "approved products" are reviewed by a panel of Instructor Academy experts, in a process that may take several months of testing and evaluation. The fee to have a product reviewed is $500 and 10 samples are required for academy testing.   Download a Seal of Approval Application or contact the BCA's Rob Johnson at 303.243.5070 for more information.     Instructor Training/Teaching Aid Seal of Approval: Quality Assurance from the Billiard Congress of America   The BCA Instructor Program has developed an innovative marketing and quality assurance program to assist billiard instructors and students. The Training/Teaching Aid Seal of Approval is designed to support the marketing, promotion and sales efforts of BCA members while setting standards of industry excellence.   With hundreds of products on the market that claim to improve a person's game, the program will recognize those that meet the high standards set by the BCA, so buyers will have confidence that the products are effective. The approval program is available to BCA Member companies who produce billiard training and teaching devices, and the seal has become a recognized and sought-after symbol of quality in the marketplace.     Making the Grade   by Alan E. Sanderfoot With all these new products on the market, dealers need to be more educated about what they're selling so they can guide shoppers to the instructional items that best meet their needs. "The market is being flooded with books, tapes, DVDs and gadgets," says Jack Koehler, an author and publisher with Sportology Publications." "Some are good and some aren't; the consumer is having a hard time distinguishing between the two."   To help differentiate the good from the not so good, the Billiard Congress of America recently created a program that allows manufacturers of instructional products to submit them for review by BCA Instructor Academies. "If the product meets standards of quality and effectiveness, the BCA will award it the BCA Teaching/Training Aid Seal of Approval," explains Amy Long, BCA's director of marketing. Recipients can display the seal on their packaging and in their promotional material, thereby helping customers make an educated decision. [Billiard Retailer - Feb. 2005] BCA-Approved Products The Total Shot Trainer   The Total Shot Trainer is a hands-on training aid that teaches the three parts of a pool shot all at one time: aim; cue ball path; and speed control.  The Total Shot Trainer stays on the table throughout the shot.  It will not move, and it does not interfere with action of the cue ball or the object ball.  The player will learn to see the aim line, predict the cue ball path (position route) and feel the speed of the cue ball to play exact position - all as parts of one total shot.    Reusable ball markers are used to reinforce learning and for freelance practice.  A game called “Hit the Zone” is included to make learning fun.  Also, “The 10 Steps to Consistency” are included to help the player develop a solid routine at the table.  Learn more about this new product online at http://totalshottrainer.com/.     Buddy Hall DVD Set/Buddy Hall Cue Guide   The Buddy Hall DVD Set has been endorsed to bear the BCA Seal of Approval, and includes two of Hall's greatest instructional videos, "How Do You Win From Here" and "Buddy Hall's Clock System" on a single DVD. A BCA Hall of Famer, Buddy explains "how to win, step by step" while demonstrating more than 50 safeties, in a video that you'll watch over and over again. Considered to have the greatest cue ball control in the world, he illustrates how to get cue-ball position through reference points off a rail in his "Clock System" video. The technique is a modified diamond system plus cue-ball spin system, based on where you hit the cue ball.   The Buddy Hall Cue Guide was developed in 1986 by Ruben Rodriguez, who came up with a simple device that lets you work on that aspect of your game even if you don't have a table at home. "I noticed that a lot of players don't improve," he said, "and at the same time I noticed that the best players all had clean, straight strokes. I tried the old pop-bottle thing, where you put a bottle on its side and stroked the tip into it. But after the opening, the bottle flares out, and it didn't really help the wobble in my own stroke. In 1986 I developed a tube, began using it, and noticed my game improved. So did others who used it. In 1988 I applied for a patent and began producing them."   Buddy Hall stopped at E.O.'s High Society Billiards in Salt Lake City to do an exhibition match with local Mark Tadd, a friend of Rodriguez's. "He thought the product was effective, and wanted to get involved. It's now called the Buddy Hall Cue Guide." Both of the approved Buddy Hall training aids can be found at www.BuddyHall.com.     Instructional Manuals   The two instructional manuals that currently bear the BCA Seal of Approval are The Billiards Workbook by Diana Elaine Sorrentino, Ph.D and Aiming on the Cutting Edge by Todd Leveck. Endorsed by WPBA Touring Pro Gerda Hofstatter, the Billiards Workbook is a comprehensive set of drills, exercises & practice routinesï following four preliminary chapters covering recommendations, personal goals and objectives, reporting and player profiles, and instructor's notes. The five-inch binder presentation allows for easy removal and duplication of the many tables and forms used to develop a long-term instruction program. The table drills themselves are organized into fifteen additional sections, from the fundamentals and speed control to exercises and personal drills. Learn more about the "determination, dedication and disciplineï" of billiards at www.billiardsworkbook.com.       Todd Leveck: Aiming on the Cutting Edge Reference Book   Todd Leveck's Aiming on the Cutting Edge reference book is a 574-page spiral bound text offering tips on "how to develop a precision aiming system for pocket billiards" organized into fifteen chapters. From "practical playing paradigmsï" and "the physics of aiming and shooting" to "the geometry of poolï", Leveck covers all the angles with this fully illustrated and easy-to-use text.