TSG TGS07 169p Per Prac Routines 150dpi PDF

TSG TGS07 Copyright 2006 The Snooker Gym Ltd www.thesnookergym.
com 1
Training Guide Series.
Worldwide exclusive training materials for the
International Billiards & Snooker Federation
Perfect Practice Routines
Learn what pros practice, and how you can transform your game
whatever your standard.
155 beautiful computer aided diagrams!
Learn the Top Secrets of practice and how to able to play:
Brilliant Blacks
Perfect Pinks
Bionic Blues
Creative Colours
Blistering Break Building
Superb Straight Pots
Pin Point Long Pots
Sweet Safety Shots
Miscellaneous Magic
www.thesnookergym.com
Devised and introduced by Nic Barrow
TSG TGS07 Copyright 2006 The Snooker Gym Ltd www.thesnookergym.com 2
Copyright 2004 by Nic Barrow.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book, entitled The Snooker Gym Training Guide Series., may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or in any language, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by information storage and
retrieval system, or in any way used other than in strict accordance with the usage
permitted under the Copyright Act without the prior written permission of the
copyright owner.
The Snooker Gym is a trademark of Nic Barrow.
First Edition 2000
Second Edition 2002
Third Edition 2004
Design, layout, publishing by:
Nic Barrow
PO BOX 33 147
Dubai
United Arab Emirates
www.thesnookergym.com
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Welcome to
The Snooker Gym Training Guide Series.
The intention of this series is to educate players, coaches, journalists and others
who are interested in any or all of the departments of this fascinating sport.
For the Training Guide Series, snooker has been taken down into its main
constituent parts, each one of which has its own edition in the series.
Each guide will give you a stated objective on the front cover, letting you know
what you will gain from knowing and applying the information inside.
Within each guide, you will rst nd a list of headings for an overview of the
subject. Underneath each heading will be a rough description of what you will get from
each section.
Each section goes into the nuts and bolts of the game, so that anybody wanting to,
can derive a fully comprehensive understanding of the game from the ground up. This is
particularly useful for individuals studying to become a Snooker Gym Instructor, and
forms part of the coursework for that programme.
Youth, others learning the game and those still improving their amateur status will
also benet highly from understanding each part of the sport.
This level of detail is NOT, however, suitable for professionals and high level
amateurs about to play matches. While useful for pre tournament checks or pre season
study and performance development, the professional should always ask for what purpose
they need the detail. Their job is to concentrate on the business of winning, and taking
their game down to its nest components just before competition can take their edge off
the focus on results.
Other psychological and physical preparation methods found in other tools
available from The Snooker Gym are more suitable for players of this standard before
matches.
It only leaves me to welcome you to this bountiful garden of knowledge I have
been fortunate enough to discover, and wish you well in your quest for the kingdom of
snooker performance.
Nic Barrow.
Dubai.
July 14
th
, 2005.
Contents:
Introduction.
Learning better than listening, and a brief history of this
guide.
How to use this guide.
From sweetshops to bootcamps to single le, and a few simple
rules.
Height & Power & Side.
Code numbers and cheating.
Other H & P & S points.
My error and the four piece jigsaw puzzle.
Ways to practice.
Styles of practice, mistakes on purpose and OPP.
Other points.
NB, throw and New vs Old.
The practices.
Broken down into every area of the game, here is your ultimate
set of tests on the table!
Introduction.
Welcome to The Snooker Gym Perfect Practice Routines.
This guide will take you through the major practice routines in the
main areas of the snooker, in addition to a few that have been designed
through necessity to illustrate certain points to players. It is always better
for a player to feel they have learned something themselves, so it is better
to have the player gain the lesson by going through one of these routines,
rather than by listening to a long explanation.
Each practice is self explanatory in its own right, and does not need to
be used in conjunction with any other practice in the book, although some
of the practices do have a logical sequence that work well together.
It was always my dream to be able to answer a players question fully
when they asked me what to practice. This was partly so that I could give
them what they wanted, but also to give a player a sense of focus and purpose
every time they are at the table. It is only when time is utilised properly at
the table that maximum improvement can occur.
Finally, it remains for me to wish you well on your path of snooker
adventure, and I know that the practices featured here can keep you occupied
and fascinated for hours on end with this wonderful game we have both
chosen to play.
How to use this guide.
You can approach the book in a number of ways.
The Sweetshop Method would see you open the book in whatever
section or practice you feel like on the day, practicing for as long as you get
benet.
The Bootcamp Method would see you make a rigorous plan whereby
you set aside a certain amount of time each day to practice certain sections,
ticking off the practices until you have completed every single one.
Finally, The Single File Method would see you start at the beginning of
the book and gradually work your way through every practice until you get
to the end of the book.
I have given a brief outline later on of the various ways that you can
mix up your practice for best integration of the lessons to be learned in each
one. As in body building, it is always best to change the types of exercise you
do to prevent the law of familiarity and stagnation.
Some practices have a lot of information and a lot of lines on the same
diagram. This is to save you searching through pages and pages of practices
and also reduces the bulk of the book you have to carry around.
A few simple rules apply to each practice, with exceptions mentioned
on each practice:
-It is allowed to pot a ball into any pocket unless a restriction is
otherwise mentioned.
-Everything is to be played with centre cue ball striking unless
otherwise mentioned.
-No cannons are allowed with the cue ball onto balls other than the
object ball, unless otherwise mentioned.
You will nd it useful to practice these shots on both sides of the table
to be comfortable with dealing with rest shots and shots where the cushion
is obstructing your body and your balance.
When practicing positional play, it is assumed you make very small
chalk marks on the cloth so the balls are placed in exactly the same position,
to ensure repeatability of your scientic positional play test. There is a huge
difference in the position of the cue ball you will get if you play the shot in
exactly the same way, if there is even a very small difference in the starting
position of the cue ball. This is because we are not dealing with millimetres
or centimetres, but rather percentages. Moving the cue ball one centimetre
can reduce the angle of your shot by 30%. You would then have no chance
of replicating the same position with the cue ball unless you played the shot
in a totally different way.
Positional play in not an explicit practice listed here, as most of the
routines have been designed to incorporate positional play skills.
Height & Power & Side.
Throughout the guide you will see numbered codes on how to strike
the cue ball.
H
H applies to the Height you will strike the cue ball and is the rst value
you work out when planning how to strike the cue ball for your desired
position. There is a scale of 1-10 with maximum lowness on the cue ball
being H1, perfect centre ball striking H5 and the highest part of the cue
ball being H10.
An important point to know is that H1 means H1. Not H1.1 or H0.9
being ruthlessly accurate with this is the only way to guarantee accurate
feedback on the power of the screw shots you play. If the only variable in a
screw shot is the power you play, you will learn very fast. However, if you do
not know for sure if you are hitting where you are aiming on the cue ball,
your ability to equate how you play the shots to the results you get will be
greatly diminished.
P
P applies to the Power you will play the shot and is always the second
value you work out for your desired strike. The 1-10 scale starts with the P1
trickle shot that would push the cue ball only six feet or so without striking
any object ball. P5 represents half of the maximum power you feel you can
play while maintaining a degree of control over the cue. In reality, though,
even the top professionals reduce their accuracy when increasing power,
which is why you very rarely see them doing so. P10 is the most power you
can play whilst keeping your body more or less still!
L & R
L & R applies to the amount of Left or Right hand side required for a
shot. The ten point scale goes from L5 being the most amount of left hand
side you can play without miscueing, to L1 being the tiniest amount of left
hand side. R1 equates to the tiniest amount of right hand side and nally
R5 is the maximum right hand side you can play without miscueing.
A very important observation here is that R5 is less with H10 or H1
than it is with H5! The reason for this is that the cue ball is fatter at H5 than
it is at H10 or H1. Therefore, the scale R1-5 means the range of minimum
to maximum side spin available at any given cue ball height.
So for example, when you need to pot a straight black and screw back
off the side cushion with a lot of side spin, you can apply more side spin by
playing H2 than by playing H1. You will still get enough screw back to get
where you want with the cue ball, but this option of cheating extra side
spin is very useful if you know when to use it.
Other H & P & S points.
H10 will often be written into a routine, but in actual fact should be
H6 if a professional was playing the shot. This is done for a safety margin
of accuracy when striking the cue ball. Most people reading this will be at a
less than professional standard and when aiming at H6 may indeed hit H5
by accident or through a subconscious need to play a stun shot if they are
not certain about the reaction of the cue ball when striking H6. This is a
deliberate error from my side even though H6 gives you less chance of an
early unintentional swerve of the cue ball, and even though H6 gives more
chance of a solid hit due to the fact you are striking a fatter part of the cue
ball.
On long shots, though, H6 or H7 will often be written where you
need a follow through effect on the cue ball. This is to get you into the habit
of gaining a more solid hit in the fatter part of the cue ball on long shots,
although if you nd yourself getting a stun effect on the cue ball, do go a
bit higher on the cue ball to create a better reaction.
A stop shot means a straight pot where the cue ball remains in the
place it was when it contacted the object ball. It does not mean that the cue
ball should nish where the object ball was, as that would mean the cue ball
after contact would be rolling forward the diameter of one ball. Whenever
a stop shot is mentioned, your target is to leave the cue ball motionless after
it strikes the object ball even if the cue ball follows through or screws
back one centimetre, you may be satised with the shot and continue your
practice, but you will not be allowed to call it a stop shot.
H2/3 means height 2 or 3.
R5 applies to side of table shown, not the mirror image shot on the
other side of the table! In this case, you would need to use the mirror image
side spin which in this case is L5.
Power is not usually mentioned in these exercises. This is because you
usually have the three parts of a four piece jigsaw available to you. These are
the angle of shot, cue ball destination and height required on the cue ball.
The power will come to you by experimentation, and will vary according to
the table you nd yourself on.
Flicks of left or right hand side is a method that some professionals
use when playing angled pots, but in the practices contained here your goal
is to learn the art of playing centre ball. When you have mastered this, by
all means try this potting method of using a trace of side, and you will then
have the ability and exibility to do both. I suggest you wait until you are at
century break standard before trying this method of using a trace of side.

Ways to practice.
Plan your practice. This is the single biggest benet you will ever give
to yourself in your practice time. Remember, Proper Planning Prevents
Pretty Poor Performance!
Feel free to write notes and tips for yourself in the margins next to each
practice, or simply record your highest break on the page of the practice you
are playing.
Below are some of the key patterns you can employ in how you practice.
Mix these up so that you maintain interest and at the same time expand the
range of your concentration and experience with each type of shot.
Difculty to increase or decrease, that is the question.
On individual pots, you should be consistently getting between six
and eight out of ten of whatever shot you are playing. If you are getting less
than this, make the shot easier by reducing distance, power or complexity. If
you are getting more than this consistently, make it a little harder unless you
are a professional. In this case you should be good enough to pot some of
these shots nine or ten out of ten, and will be just conrming your accuracy
with them before moving on to the next routine.
Play until complete.
This requires discipline. A great example of this is a friend of mine in
Oxford who used to start playing in the morning and not stop until he had
made a century break even if it was elevenoclock at night.
Play until correct.
This would involve playing a routine until you are happy with the
accuracy of the pot and the position of each shot. An example of this would
be a player who is learning to clear the colours. They may well spend ve,
ten, twenty or minutes or more experimenting until they can play the yellow
to their satisfaction, but once they have would carry on until the next shot
was played properly and so on.
This is a great way to maintain a sense of accomplishment, and you
will often stumble across shots you must improve on, that you actually
assumed you were perfect at.
Mistakes on purpose.
This is a great way to break a pattern or habit, and by going more
deeply into a mistake you can often burn it out.
For example, if you are consistently missing on the left hand side of
the pocket your goal would be to miss even further to the left and then
differing degrees of striking to the left. If you know how to deliberately
repeat the mistake, you will nd it easier to play it correctly.
The OPP model
The individual components of the OPP model may also be used
throughout the practices as a proper noun. Thus, the proper noun Observe
or Predict or Plan may be shown, in which case you would know it is a
shot where you would get benet from applying the OPP model in more
depth.
Here is a description of the OPP model:
Observe
Play a shot and Observe the path the cue ball takes. Keep playing with
different height and power, and Observe where the cue ball goes. If you
have any targets for the cue ball at this stage, you are NOT in the Observe
phase and therefore NOT following instructions. Targets are not allowed
here!
Predict
Play the same shot again, and now that you have had a bit of experience
with it, commit to playing it a certain way and Predict where you think it
will go if you do so. Keep Predicting until your ability to tell the future is
improved.
It is very important here to have the awareness of whether you are
playing the shot as you intended or not. It would be vital to know that
you struck H4 when in fact you were aiming H5. You will then have very
accurate feedback between the result you have and how you played it, which
is the gateway to improvement and crucial for the next step.
Plan
In the nal phase, you will use the experience you gained in the rst
two steps to Plan where you want the cue ball to nish and work out the
way you think you need to play it to get this result. Keep rening the way
you play the shot until you get the result you want.
In order for you to get even more benet out of these routines, you
can read Improve Your Practice, Improve Your Game, as well as Positional
Play Prowess from The Snooker Gym Training Guide Series which both go
into these concepts in more depth.
Other Points.
NB
NB stands for Nota Ben (which in Latin means Extra note) or Nic
Barrow. I have sometimes included this extra information after the practice
explanation where there is a subtle point worth mentioning, or interesting
note to make on the shot.
Throw
The cue ball throw, or curved path it often takes after contact with
an object ball if played with top spin or screw back, is often not shown in
the diagrams for simplicitys sake. If the throw was shown, it could also be
misleading because every table, and different set of balls, will react slightly
differently. This produces a different throw effect. It will be up to you to
Observe and then Predict this phenomenon at different speeds on different
angles on different tables.
New vs Old
New cloths are different to play on and easier to pot on than old
cloths. If you are not used to it, you will nd on a new cloth that the balls
will seem to slide around as if on an ice rink. The pros who are used to this
would also nd your table will play as if it were covered in glue. It is all a
question of practice and familiarity.
In addition, most people think the pockets on the TV are bigger than
at the club because the pocket is usually the object closest to the TV camera!
What they would nd is that the cut of the rubber is much smaller and
this optical TV illusion is misleading. What the club player would notice
on their own table, though, is that the balls are accepted more easily into
a pocket when the cloth is new, and even more so if the balls are also new.
This is because the cloth and balls are more slippery when new and clean.
It only leaves me to wish you well on your journey into this path of practice
you are now on, and bid you ever lasting snooker improvement...
THE
SNOOKER
GYM
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A Hairs Breadth:
From the three cue ball positions, pot the black
into the right hand corner pocket.
Pot all three using no side spin at all and H6.
Yes - the pot from the green spot is possible!

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Cushions Repeats:
Start with the cue ball above the black, keep
potting the black into the same pocket,
every time leaving the cue ball above the black
to repeat the same shot.
Play to leave the cue ball on the line each time.
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Pot And Stick:
Pot ten blacks from the ten cue ball positions, H10.
After each pot, leave the cue ball as close as
possible to the line to practice your cue
speed control and knowledge of cue ball
direction.
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Red and Cushion Far Side:
Repeat red and black sequence.
When potting each black, cue ball must be above
black, hit the top cushion (two cushions not
allowed) and finish to pot the red in the opposite
pocket. After the red, pot the black in any pocket.
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Red and Cushion Same Side:
Repeat red and black sequence.
When potting each black, cue ball must be above
black, hit the top cushion (two cushions not
allowed) and finish to pot the red in the same
pocket. After the red, pot the black in any pocket.
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To And Fro:
Pot the black from one of the cue ball positions
shown, and continue to pot the black into
alternate pockets every time.
Follow through the cue ball to the other
side of the black each time, ideaaly landing on the
corresponding line on that side of the table.
If you do not land on the line, you will need a
combination of stun or side spin with follow
to get back to the line.
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Dead Weight Screw Tops:
Pot blacks from the six positions shown.
Play each one with H1 so that the black only just
reaches the pocket.
Repeat with H10.

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Pot and Slice:
From each of the ten cue ball positions, pot the
black, H10, and slice the table in half by letting the
cue ball finish resting on the centre line
of the table.
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Pushing The Pink:
Make a chalk mark for the cue ball, and from the
same place pot the black and cannon the pink
past the left of the blue, past the right of the blue,
and then onto the blue.
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Stun Repeats:
Play the red into either top pocket,
middle pockets not allowed.
Finish below the black into either corner pocket,
play a stun shot to the far side of the red so that
you always pot the red into the opposite pocket
that you just played the black.

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The Fence:
Make a chalk mark for the cue ball, and from the
same place pot the black and cannon each red
in sequence from left to right.
Play with little power so that the cue ball
delicately touches the red when making contact.
No points gained for power here!

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Bunch Of Fives:
Pot five reds and five blacks.
Reds can only be potted in the middle pockets.
For extra interest, put the colours on the spots
and clear the table with 67 to win your
imaginary frame by one point.

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Brilliant Blacks - Other Black Practices
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Cushionless Cricket:
How many consecutive blacks can you pot
without striking a cushion?...
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High and Mighty:
Pot six reds with blacks.
Pot the reds into any middle pocket.
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High Noon:
Pot eight reds and eight blacks.
Each red must be potted into the corner
pocket it is nearest to.

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Offset Red:
Pot a sequence of reds and blacks,
replacing the reds into their
position as you pot them.
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One Sided Pair:
Replacing the reds as you pot them,
keep the sequence of reds and blacks.
The black can only pot into one pocket.
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Sleeping Reds:
Place five reds slightly away from the top cushion.
Making no cannons, pot five reds and five blacks.
To make it a bit easier, use only three or four reds.
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The Ball:
Pot ten reds and ten blacks with no cannons at
any time. If ten is not achievable in the beginning,
start with three, and when you have
completed that play with four reds, and then five.
Continue this pattern until you complete The Ball!

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The Ladder:
Pot reds and blacks, always potting the red
nearest the black. Reds can pot in any pocket,
but to make it harder allow yourself to pot
the reds in the corner pockets only!
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The Six Pack:
Playing with H10,
pot the black from various positions
until you know where to place the
cue ball to get an in off into each
of the six pockets.
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Thin and Skinny:
Pot reds with blacks, each red must be potted
into a middle pocket, and after you pot each red
replace it into its same postion on the table.
This ensures you always have three possible reds
to play for in the middle pocket.
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Twin Towers:
Pot eight reds and eight blacks.
Each red must pot into the corner pocket it is
nearest to.
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Zig Zag:
Pot ten reds and ten blacks.
Always pot the red nearest the black, and into
corner pockets only. If you want, finish the
exercise by potting the tenth black, going up
for the yellow, putting the colours on their spots
and clearing the table for a107 break.
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A Slice Of Luck:
To make your own luck when
splitting the pack, you have to
be able to control the cue ball.
A great way to do this is to
extend the line the cue ball
takes when hitting each red
of the pack. Play to cannon
the reds on the cushions
without the pack of reds in
place. Then play the shots
in the same way, only this
time with the relevant edge
red of the pack in place to
prevent the cue ball
reaching your target red
on the cushion.
NB - this method helps
your mind stay clearly
on the pot, and not on
how you are going to
make contact with the
correct red in the pack.

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Double Top:
Place the cue ball just off straight with the black.
When below the black, keep testing until you can
place the cue ball in the correct location to play
H10 P8 and strike the pack.
When above the black, play H10 P8 R4. The right
hand side will help speed up the cue ball
around the two cushions to give a better pack split.
NB - your target is to pot the black. Have the
attitude that if you then strike the pack and open
one or two reds, it is a bonus.

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Face The Tiger:
Using the rest if necessary,
cut the black into the corner pocket.
Depending on the table you are playing on,
you may need to play with a little check side on the
cue ball to achieve your cannon on the end red.
NB - this is a nice little emergency shot that once
practiced, is always remembered for those
situations where you need it in a match.
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Popping The Pea:
Gently cannon the end red of the pack with a
thick half ball contact to throw out the
top red of the pack.
A usefull shot to know, it is all about
getting perfect at getting the perfect
contact on the red.

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Rising From The Deep:
Start on a very deep angled pot on the black, H10,
until you have found the angle from which the
cue ball will strike the end red of the pack.
Then play from progressively higher positions on
the black, lowering the strike height on the cue ball
as you decrease the angle of pot.
This practice is about potting the black,
and as the second priority striking the end red at
the correct angle to send the cue ball out into
the middle of the table -
a good investment for your matchplay.
To keep your accuracy while you practice this,
play not pot with more than P6.

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Running The Gauntlet:
H1 P8.
The two reds that are slightly open capture the
cue ball and force its energy to keep pushing
into the pack.
This leaves the pack nicely open and the
cue ball resting in the middle of the table.
NB - if the table you are playing on has a worn cloth
you will have to risk the difficulty of P10 to ensure
the cue ball escapes from the pack.
The same applies if the balls have not been
cleaned for some time.

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Screw Back Pyramid:
Play H1 P8 from the same cue ball position on each
occasion. Play L5, centre ball and R5 to produce the
pyramid of three different cue ball positions.

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Sliding Stun Scale:
Start with tehe cue ball high on the black so that
with H10 you pot the black and open red and pink.
Place the cue ball in gradually lower positions,
so that you need to strike gradually lower on the
cue ball to get the cannon on the red.
Play with just enough power to gently open the
red. The power required for this will naturally
increase as the potting angle decreases.

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The Double V:
From the same cue ball position each time,
play every shot of this routine H9 P8.
Start with R5 and gradually progress through
to L5. You will then see that even though
the cue ball strikes the cushion in the same place
each time, by controlling the amount of side on the
cue ball, you control its direction.
NB - this routine will show different reactions
of the cue ball when using tables with cloths of
different ages or thicknesses.

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The Double W:
From the same cue ball position each time,
play H10 at pocket weight to cannon the far red.
Gradually increase the speed of the pot with H10
until the increased speed distorts the angle.
Eventually with P8 the cau ball direction will
distort enough to hit the near red.
All from the same cue ball angle!

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Baulk Far Five:
Pot the five reds with pinks.
Pinks can go into any pocket.
All reds must be potted into baulk pockets.
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Baulk Simple Six:
Pot six reds and six pinks.
Pinks can go into any pocket.
All reds must be potted into baulk pockets.
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Blue Pink Repeater:
To give you extra familiarity with the blue/pink
area, pot the blue in either middle followed by pink.
Continue with your break as long as you can.

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Cushionless Cricket:
Keep repeating the pink,
without the cue ball touching any cushion.
Keep going for as long as your concentration
and cue ball control hold out.

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High Red Pink Repeater:
To give you extra familiarity with the blue/pink
area, pot the red in either middle followed by pink.
Continue with your break as long as you can.
NB - this is slightly easier than the
Blue Pink Repeater. The types of positional shot
you need to play are somewhat different between
these two practices. Both flavours of this shot are
very important to master as they both give you a
different type of edge in middle distance
positional play.

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High Zig Zag:
Pot ten reds and ten pinks.
To make it tougher, allow yourself to pot the reds
into middle pockets only.
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Not Pretty In Pink, Part Two:
This practice is not pretty, but it will
help your cue ball control.
Playing H10 on all shots,
keep placing the cue ball in
different positions until you find
the right position for the six
in-offs shown.
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Pink Power Throughs:
Pot the pink, H10 P8/9, to open the reds up with
the cue ball. Repeat succesfully ten times.
NB - there are a number of key points on this shot:
1. Keep in mind your target is to pot the pink.
2. Have the attiude that if you open two or three
reds, it is a bonus.
3. Keep your body down well after you play to
check you have delivered the cue properly and
kept your head still.
4. Do NOT play P11! Firstly P10 is the maximum
available. Secondly, you will not
pot your pink as often.
5. Ensure that your cueing fingers are high enough
above the cushion rail such that when you
follow through, your knuckles do not
(painfully!) hit the cushion, but rather follow
through just above the cushion.

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Ten To Top:
All pots into the top pockets.
No cushions!
NB - you will soon see that this practice is less to do
with potting and everything to do with fine cue ball
positioning.
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Close Quarters:
With the cue ball one ball travel to the pink,
pot the pink in the middle from the five different
positions shown.
NB - keep persisting with this shot until you can
easily aim and make the pot. It will help you to
continue breaks when you play matches,
as you will be familiar with these unusually
close up shots.
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Double Jaws:
Play pinks into the middle until you have
struck both jaws of the middle pocket -
without going in off.
NB - This is a good practice for ensuring you pot the
ball into the centre of the pocket.
Without that, you will not have consistent results
in the direction of the cue ball.

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Down to a T:
Pot the ten straight reds, H10, to make position
for the pink into opposite corner.
NB - this is a great practice for ensuring you are
striking centre of the cue ball, aiming into the
correct part of the pocket and staying still
on the shot.
For maintaining improvement, encouragement
and confidence, the distance of the cue ball
from the cushionshould be such that you pot
over five out of ten balls you go for.
If not confident on pinks in the middle,
this practice helps ease you into them until you
have them Down to a T.
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Lo Zig Zag:
Pot six reds in the corner
with six pinks in the middle.

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Middle Pocket Anchor:
Using black as the anchor for this exercise, play
alternate pinks and blacks with pink being
allowed only into the middle pockets.
See how many points you can score doing this,
keeping a record of your highest break.
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Not Pretty In Pink:
This practice is not pretty,
but it will help your cue ball
control.
Playing H10 on all shots,
keep placing the cue ball in
different positions until you
find the right position for
the six in offs shown.
NB - with in off into green
pocket, you may need
running side depending on the
age of the table cloth.
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Perfect Pink Trio:
Pot the pink and leave the cue ballin the
jaw of the middle pocket, H10.
Pot the pink, leave the cue ball in the
jaws of the corner poecket, H1.
Pot the pink, H1, and screw back to land so
straight on the black that you pot the black and
follow the cue ball into the corner pocket!
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Pink Slams:
Time for power!
From any five cue ball positions of your choice,
play the cue ball P9 to develop your confidence
with playing at pace into the middle pockets.
NB - keep your body down well after you play each
shot. This will give you an extra moment to check
that your cue has followed through straight, and
that your head & shoulders have remained still.
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10 RPs:
All pinks must be potted into the middle pockets.
Use of cushions is allowed!

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The Clock:
Start with the cue ball in any of the four positions.
Pot the pink and leave the cue ball in the next
clockwise position.
Using no cushions at any stage, keep rotating the
cue ball around the clock and see how many pots
you can make.
NB - this is a great practice for concentration,
correct shot planning before you play, and
delicate cue ball control.

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Toeing The Line:
Pot ten pinks in the middle from the cue ball
positions shown, H10.
Play with the necessary power to leave the cue ball
on either of the two yellow lines shown.
With the cue ball positions on the top cushion,
the cue ball is to finish on the baulk cushion -
using the side cushions where necessary.
With the cue ball positions on the side cushion,
the cue ball is to finish on the side cushion -
using the top cushion where necessary.
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Blue Cushion Pack Split:
Pot the blue and split the pack from three
different positions.
First, H10 no side.
Second, H10 with running side.
Third, H10 with running side off two cushions.
NB - striking exactly H10 is the only way to get
feedback as to whether you have placed the cue
ball in the correct position or not.
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Cushion Cricket:
Keep playing blues in the middle pockets only.
You cannot go for more than three shots
without the cue ball touching a cushion.
NB - this is a very effective practice for mastering
the stun shot off one cushion,
and the follow through shot off two cushions,
to get back to the blue line.
It will teach you the geography of the table.
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Fishing The Deep:
Play ten reds and ten blues. Blues in the middle
pocket only. No cannons with any ball.
The blue represents the waters surface.
The reds represent the fish you have to
go down and catch.
NB - the ultimate version of this practice is to pot
the ten blues in the middle pockets only,
not go into baulk once,
and then clear the colours for a break of 87.
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Mirror Image:
H10, pot the blue into the middle pocket,
and keep repeating the process. No cushions
are allowed, and you can only pot the blue into the
middle pockets.
NB - for invaluable feedback, watch exactly where
the blue ball lands in the pocket. Millimetres left
or right can mean losing position and end of break.
Also watch for the spot itself deviating the path of
the cue ball - spots on club tables particularly are
rarely flat and will often push the cue
ball to one side or another...
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Pot And Slice Blues:
H10, pot the blue from different angles.
Play with the correct speed for the cue ball to
slice the table in half by landing on the line shown.
NB - apply the OPP model to this practice, and
you will eventually be able to accurately know
where the cue ball will finish from whatever
position the cue ball starts in.
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Punching The Traffic Lights:
Play a three quarter ball pot,
and from the same position of cue ball each time.
Keep playing until you have punched each colour
directly onto the baulk cushion.
Play any speed as long as each traffic light makes
contact with the baulk cushion direct.
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Screw Threading The Traffic Lights:
Play from selected cue ball positions below the
blue. Playing with varying degrees of screw and
side, thread the cue ball through brown and yellow
to make position for the red.
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Stun Threading The Traffic Lights:
Play from selected cue ball positions below the
blue. Playing with varying degrees of stun and
side, thread the cue ball through brown and yellow
to make position for the red.
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Ten Dollys:
Pot ten blues from the positions shown.
Play each one so that the blue only just reaches
the pocket.
NB - this shot is perfect for illustrating the
difference in cloth nap behaviour depending on
the direction the cue ball is travelling.
From which cushion do you need to aim the
blue a little thicker, and from which cushion do
you need to aim the blue a little thinner?..
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Ten In The MIddle:
Pot ten reds and ten blues, with all pots in the
middle pockets.
To make it even harder, use no cushions.
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Third Party In Offs:
Here, the objective is cannon the pink and go in off.
Pot the blue, cannon the cue ball into the pink,
such that the cue ball strikes the pink half ball.
Repeat on both sides of the pink until you get
an in off into both corner pockets.
Playing more slowly will make control easier,
but you should also practice this shot with power
to acquire the control you need on this shot
when palying with power in a match.
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Third Party Pink:
Here, the objective is to control the pink.
Pot the blue, cannon the cue ball into the pink,
such that the pink strikes only the top cushion
before going past the blue line,
or to make it harder, the baulk line.
NB - this practice forces you to realise that a half
ball contact on the pink is not good enough.
The lesson that you must have a full ball contact
on the pink will help you avoid an in off into corner
when opening the pack from this
position in a game.
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Three By Three:
Play the blue into the middle pocket, H10.
Keep adjusting the position of the cue ball until you
can place the cue ball in the correct position such
that when you play H10, the cue ball strikes baulk
cushion, then side cushion, then top cushion,
then your desired colour.
Your target is to make three successfull shots:
make a cannon with the blue,
then make a cannon with the pink,
then make a cannon with the black.
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Touching The Traffic Lights:
Play a three quarter ball pot,
and from the same position of cue ball each time.
Keep playing until you have landed touching ball,
or at most one centimetre, from all three colours.
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The four major shots for getting on the yellow from
the black from the North East Quadrant.
Find the angles you need to have on
the black to get the positions shown.
The relevant height and side are mentioned
on the cue ball path of the four main shots.

Black To Yellow - North East Quadrant:
H10
(L1if
need
be)
H10R2
H10R2
H4/5L2
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The five major shots for getting on the yellow from
the black from the North West Quadrant.
on the cue ball path of the five main shots.

Black To Yellow - North West Quadrant:
H10
or if
you have
a lower
angle on the
black, play
the H6
stun shot.
H10
H10
(R1/2 if
required)
H4R2
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The five major shots for getting on the yellow from
the black from the South East Quadrant Green Side.
Find the exact angles you need to have on

Black To Yellow - South East Quadrant Green Side:

H1/2
H1
H2L5
H2/3
H1L4
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The four major shots for getting from black to
yellow from the South East Quadrant Yellow Side.

Black To Yellow - South East Quadrant Yellow Side:

H10
H10, or an H6
stun depending
on exact cue
ball angle.
H10R4/5
H3R2
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The six major shots for getting on the yellow from
the black from the South West Quadrant.
on the cue ball path of the six main shots.

H1
H1
H1R4/5
H1/2
H10
from very
low on the
black,
or an H4-6 stun
shot from a
slightly higher
angle.
Black To Yellow - South West Quadrant:
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Ideal Clearance Angles - BPB:
Having played position
from the brown, there is more chance of keeping a
perfect angle on the blue if you strike the side
cushion. That way the cue ball is always moving
toward the blue, and more or less on the potting
angle you need for the blue.
For a margin of error, leave yourself slightly high
on the pink. Also leave yourself slightly high on
the black to prevent the cue ball landing near
the corner pocket, as this may hamper your
bridge hand, comfort and balance.
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Ideal Clearance Angles - YGB:
The mistake a lot of players make is to play to be
straight on yellow or green. A small error with
position, and they are on the wrong angle to make
position, so a small margin of error as shown is
preferable.
From brown, the half ball angle makes it easy to
play a stun shot off the opposite side cushion or
if you prefer, a direct stun shot without use of the
cushion, to leave position for blue in the middle
pocket.
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The Blue Corner Keys:
The six major shots for getting on the pink from
the blue in the corner are below.
Find out the angles you need to have on the blue
to get the positions shown.
The relevant height and side are mentioned on the
cue ball path of the six main shots.

H10
H10
H10 - follow
or depending on angle
H6 - stun
H5
H3/4
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The Blue Middle Keys:
The four major shots for getting on the pink from
above the blue in the middle are below.
Find out the angles you need to have on the blue
cue ball path of the four main shots.

H10
H10
H5R1
H6R5
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The Brown High Keys:
The five major shots for getting on the blue from
above the brown are above.
Find out the angles you need to have on the brown
cue ball path of the five main shots.

H10
H10
H10
H4/5
H2L3
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H2/3
H4
H5L4
H5L4/5
The Brown Low Keys:
The four major shots for getting on the blue from
below the brown are above.
Find out the angles you need to have on the brown
cue ball path of the four main shots.
NB - the main shot to get on blue is indicated by the
opaque cue ball. A guide you can use is to aim for
the point halfway between the blue and the middle
pocket - and just leave the cue ball six inches
short of that point.
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The Final Black - 100% Shots:
You should be in perfect position when you come to
the final black. If you are, it helps to have practiced
the shot previously.
This is to ensure that you have planned where you
want to leave the cue ball and are comfortable with
the speed you have selected to play the stroke.
NB -
Bringing the cue ball just a few inches closer to the
cushion than is perfectly comfortable will get you
used to potting the black with your forearm
resting on the cushion, rather than resting on
the table bed.

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The Final Black - Close Quarters:
the final black. If you are not, however, it pays to
have practiced these shots previously.
Play these until you find a comfortable speed to
play them, leaving the cue ball in a defensive
postion should you not pot the black.
NB -
Playing with screw back will help you to control
the direction of the cue ball toward a safe
locationnear a cushion, as well as keeping
a reign on the speed of the cue ball.

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The Final Black - From The Cushion:
the final black. If you are not, however, it pays to
have practiced these shots previously.
Play these until you find a comfortable speed to
play them, leaving the cue ball in a defensive
postion should you not pot the black.

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The Green Keys:
From the angle closest to brown, play H8-10 to land
on the ideal brown angle.
From the second angle, you will need H8-10 L2-5 for
position depending on the exact angle.
From the third angle, sidespin with follow will not
gain you position, so you will need a stun shot to
come off the cushion.
From the last angle, you can make a direct screw
shot without needing to use a cushion.
NB - depending on the table, cloth, balls and also
cleanliness of this equipment, you will have varying
reactions for these same shots from table to table.
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The Pink - by Neal Foulds:
Credit goes to cue power legend and
former world number three Neal Foulds
for showing me this shot.
Depending on the age and type of table
cloth and balls, you need about
a thin half ball angle for this shot.
Play H1P10 to create this
magnificent stroke.
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NB -
the cue ball position
shown directly below is
preferable to trying to
play with check side to
bring the cue ball closer
and lower to the black:
K eep I t S imple S illy,
and you should be good
enough to pot the black
from here anyway.
The Pink Follow Keys:
The six major shots for getting on
the black from the pink, using H10.
the pink to get the positions shown.
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The Pink Middle Keys:
The six major middle pocket shots
for getting on the black from the pink.
on the cue ball path of the six main shots.

H10
H10
H3
H1
H1
H1
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The Pink Stun, Screw & Side Keys:
The five major stun, screw & side spin shots
for getting on the black from the pink.

H5R5
H8R4
H4L3
H1/2
H3/4
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The Yellow Keys:
From the angle closest to green, play H8-10 to land
on the ideal green angle.
From the second angle, you will need H8-10 L2-5 for
position depending on the exact angle.
From the third angle, sidespin with follow will not
gain you position, so you will need a stun shot to
come off the cushion.
From the last angle, you can make a direct screw
shot without needing to use a cushion.
NB - depending on the table, cloth, balls and also
cleanliness of this equipment, you will have varying
reactions for these same shots from table to table.
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Colours Crucifix:
Pot fifteen reds and fifteen colours.
You may pot pink and black only once - at the end
of the clearance.
NB - while the game may look easy in a match when
all the reds are open in baulk, it does require care
and concentration to clear the balls to win.
Remember, you need to pot a lot more balls
to make a frame winning break at this low scoring
end of the table.
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Cushionless Colours:
Clear the colours without touching a cushion.
NB - this practice makes it easier to clear the
colours when under pressure as you know you
have an extra margin of error you do not allow
yourself in the routine.
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Repeating Colours:
Clear the colours.
After potting the pink,
replace colours, pot the
black and make position
for yellow to repeat
the cycle.
Lines show ideal angles
to finish on each colour.
The higher angle on the
black is the position
for the cue ball to strike
top cushion only in
making position for the
yellow.
The lower angle is for the
cue ball to strike top and
side cushions.
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Reverse Colours:
Clear the colours in reverse order.
NB - this can be a good practice if you are struggling
with clearing the colours or in your game
generally.
Doing something, anything, different to normal
often kicks you back into the right path.
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The Yellow Anchor:
Playing off the side cushion every time you pot the
yellow, leave the cue ball on the same angle of pot
for the yellow.
Then keep repeating the pattern.
Stun shots are allowed, but the cue ball must
contact not more or less than one cushion with
each pot.
To make it harder, play every shot H10, allowing
side spin to be applied to the cue ball if required.
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A Dime A Dozen:
Make a twelve red break of 84.
Pot the four reds nearest blue with blues,
pot the four reds nearest pink with pinks,
pot the four reds nearest black with blacks.
If you wish, add the colours for a nice111.
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Colour Tennis:
Pot alternater reds and baulk colours.
You can pot any ball in any pocket.
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Line Up Options:
Clear the table, keeping a note of your highest
break in each configuration.
Below, the reds are spread in the 2,6,7 pattern.
You can also play with 3,6,6 or 4,6,5 although if
you want to put four reds under the black, consider
making a separate practice for blacks and
reds near the top cushion as the line up is primarily
for building concentraion on simple pots with the
object ball away from cushions.
Other variations are blacks only, pinks only,
blues only, yellows only - although here you can put
most of the reds in baulk and the others between
brown and blue! Also try using no cushions,
a cushion on every shot, reds in sequence from
bottom red up (or from top red down), or even top
red bottom red top red bottom red etc.
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Pink Tennis:
Pot five reds and five pinks.
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The Christian:
Pot pinks and blacks with all reds.
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The Fan:
Pot twelve reds and twelve colours.
No cannons!
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Control Screw Backs:
Pot the red into the corner pocket, H1.
Play until you land with straight potting position
for all six colours.
NB - isolate the variables in this practice so that
you are only practicing the speed of the shot.
Do this by ensuring you srike H1 on every single
shot you play even if you are not comfortable
doing so - it is important as a good player to aquire
this flexibility of control with H1 only.
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Rabbit Chase:
Pot the four colours, straight pots, H10.
Follow the rabbit, or cue ball, into the same pocket.
NB - particularly with blue or brown, if you strike
H8 or 9, the cue ball will not follow through
with any speed. Be sure to aim H10, and keep your
shoulders and cue still after you play
to confirm your cue has struck the correct height.
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Space Invaders:
With the yellow on the side cushion as a distance
guide, see how many reds you can pot out of ten.
Play perfect stop shots on all, sending the space
invading reds into the corner pockets.
Once you can make 7/10 at this
distance, bring the line of cue balls back a few
inches until you can get 7/10 and so on,
gradually increasing the distance.
NB - another interesting way to do this practice is
play H10 until you pot the red and follow the cue
in off from all ten positions.
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Step By Step:
Pot ten straight reds, with a
perfect stop shot on each to
leave position for the black.
Move each red so that it is a
perfectly straight pot.
NB - The line of cue balls finishes on
the green spot to ensure that your
bridgning arm does not get
obstructed by the side cushion
when playing the shots. This means
you isolate the difficulty of the
straight pot without the variable of
side cushion difficulty coming
into the equation.
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Up & Downs Part 1 - Aiming:
For this series of practices, draw a thin chalk mark
on the face of the top cushion directly underneath
the black spot.
Then place two reds either side of this mark for
the imaginary cue ball,
allowing an inch margin on both sides of the
imaginary cue ball. Make a mark on the cushion for
each of the reds in case you need to replace them.
Keep Playing the cue ball into the mark, watching
very closely where the cue ball hits until you can
notice a difference of one millimetre left or right of
the chalk mark.
Keep playing until you can hit the mark directly
with H6 at varying speeds.
NB - if you do not yet find it easy to strike the
mark directly, apply the OPP model to it.
In addition, keep playing until you can deliberately
strike precise amounts left and right of the mark.
A chalk mark on the cushion is a better target than
a ball or a piece of chalk on the cushion, as it is
easier to get very precise feedback on your aiming.
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Up & Downs Part 2 - Speed:
the black spot.
Keep playing the cue ball into the mark, planning
to leave the cue ball touching the baulk
cushion, having travelled two lengths of the table.
NB - if you do not yet find it easy to land very close
to the baulk cushion, apply the OPP model to the
speed of the cue ball.
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Up & Downs Part 3 - Sidespin:
the black spot.
Keep playing the cue ball into the mark, H6 and
baulk cushion speed.
Play with varying amounts of side until you have
hit all eight reds.
You should then know EXACTLY where the centre of
the cue ball is!
NB - if you do not yet find it easy to strike one
of the reds, apply the OPP model to the
amount of side on the cue ball.
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Up & Downs Part 4 - The FInal Frontier:
the black spot.
Keep repeating this until you have sent the cue
ball three, and then also four, lengths of the table
using H6.
On each of these two shots, the cue ball must
hit the top cushion between the two reds!
Continue until you can play three lengths
of the table using H1.
NB - this practice is all about keeping your
shoulders still, taking the cue back smoothly on
the backswing and following through smoothly -
letting the cue do the work of pushing the cue ball
to its target.
It is also a great way to reveal how imperfectly
straight your table is. This will reveal itself when
the cue ball is slowing down on its final length -
often scuppering your perfect shot!
If this is the case, keep changing tables until you
find a true one.
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Hendrys Wall:
Snooker legend has gone on record as saying he
has potted all twenty one of these straight stun
shots with the cue ball played from the baulk line.
How many can you pot?

'
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Progressive Blues:
Pot ten blues on each side of the table from the
positions shown.
In addition to the benefit of progressive practice,
this exercise will also get you comfortable with
your body and bridging arm being in different
positions relative to the cushions. The
cushions can sometimes push you slightly off
balance without us realising it.
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Progressive Reds:
Pot ten reds on each side of the table from the
positions shown.
your bridging elbow being in different
positions relative to the baulk cushion. This
cushion can sometimes push you slightly off
balance without realising it.
You will notice on this practice that the
elbow rests either in front of or on top of the
baulk cushion depending on the side of the table
you are playing from. If not, bring the cue ball back
or forth one or two inches until you find this effect.
You will then feel a shift in balance as your bridging
arm finds itself higher on some shots and lower on
others. It is your ability to be comfortable in any of
these positions that will lead to greater control
and enjoyment in the game.
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Progressive Whites:
Pot seven reds on each side of the table from the
cue ball positions shown.
your bridging elbow being in different
positions relative to the baulk cushion.
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The Basis Of Everything:
Selecting a straight angle, play from the baulk line
with H1, slowly enough that you play a drag shot -
ie the backspin has worn off before it reaches the
red, thus allowing the cue ball to follow the red ball
into the pocket. The moment when the backspin
wears off from the cue ball is the moment you will
know if you have played sidespin or not. That
moment is when the cue ball will turn left or right,
or carry on perfectly straight according to exactly
where you struck the cue ball.
Then play H6 with the cue ball near the cushion as
shown. As you are playing higher on the cue ball,
you will be punished by any unintentional side with
the cue ball turning away from the line earlier than
with the drag shot.
Also look out on this shot for the table drifting one
way or the other. Due to the nap and the tendency
of the slate to bow toward the middle of the table,
this drift will almost always be toward the top
cushion. The only way to be sure if a drift is the
imperfection of you or of the table is to play to
pot the brown off its spot very slowly into each
top pocket. The mistake I see most people make
is to just strike the cue ball up the table slowly -
they will never know if they are hitting perfect
centre cue ball or not, thus disasterously
influencing the result of their table test.
This practice has the title it does because this
practice will confirm your ability to strike centre
of the cue ball, and aim a long straigt pot properly -
the basis of everything in - long potting.
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Two For The Crowd:
The stop shot down the cushion I saw
Ronnie OSullivan pot at the age of twelve in
a match where he demolished world number
three Neal Foulds.
Secondly play the cue ball from the jaws of the
pocket, pot the red and follow the white into the
pocket. Real snooker players can even play this
shot one handed - using the pocket leather as their
bridge hand! Go on, try it...

'
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Around The Houses:
Do not put the cue ball in the pink spot
in case there is a slight ditch in the cloth.
Place the cue ball just in front of the pink
spot so you get a clean strike.
Play H2/3 and play off two cushions to make
position for the red on the side cushion.
Then play again but this time to land off three
cushions for the red on the top cushion.
Then repeat with the green.
NB - It is very important to alternate your shots
between yellow and green so that you can check
that the cue ball is bouncing at exactly the same
speed off the cushions. If it is, it means you are
hitting centre of the cue ball on both shots.
The Snooker Gym
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Baulk Cushion Sweep:
Playing H6/7 depending on the exact distance of
cue ball to cushion, pot the red and play to leave
the cue ball as close as you can to the baulk
cushion. Or, to try something different, leave the
cue ball as close as you can to the baulk line.
Repeat on the other side of the table.
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Black Red Sweep:
Pot five reds from the cue ball positions shown.
On each one, make position for the black in the way
you would in a match.
NB - this is not a shot that comes up that often,
but it givs you an extra dimension to your aiming
when you complete the exercise.
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Blue Sweep:
Pot five long blues.
Make position for pinks from each position,
or for blacks from each position,
or simply play the same height and power on every
shot and Observe where the cue ball goes.
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Cushion Float Outs:
Make small chalk marks to ensure repeatability.
NB - play the drag shot as low as possible without
giving a stun or stop shot to ensure that
if the cue ball will drift, it will do so as late as
possible in its path.
Play the two cushion stun shot with a view to
striking the cue ball into a certain part of the top
cushion. This will help you clarify exactly what
strike you need on the cue ball before you play.
When you play the soft screw shot above the black,
play in your mind to follow the cue through all the
way to the red, giving maximum acceleration of
the cue just AFTER the cue ball.
Remember - your target here is to pot the red.
Everything else is secondary, and a
bonus if you get it perfect.
H1
H2/3
H2 - drag shot.
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Cushion Push Outs:
Make small chalk marks to ensure repeatability,
and play H6 to come off two cushions out for the
black.
Then play H2 to stun off one cushion.
NB - when stunning off one cushion only, be modest
in how far you want to come out for the black.
This means you will be playing with less power and
thus increasing your accuracy as well as the ability
of the pocket to accept the ball. Also
remember - if you can pot the red, you can pot the
black from anywhere so there is no need for you to
be over ambitious with the cue ball.
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Pink Sweep:
Pot five long pinks.
H6 to leave the cue ball on the baulk cushion.
NB - if you fancy a great test of aiming with side,
play H6L5, playing to leave the cue ball on the
baulk cushion until you pot each fo the five pinks.
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Shot To Nothing Sweep:
Keep playing the outside red until all five
reds have been potted.
Play all of them H6, leaving the cue ball as close
to the baulk cushion as possible.
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Side Spin Sweep:
Placing both balls in the same position each time,
play ten pots with H5 and the ten levels of
side spin from L5 to R5.
Play with low power to make the swerve of the cue
more obvious.
Repeat on the other side of the table to test your
ability to see the angle of this long shot from the
four quadrants -
sending the red to the right with L5 & R5,
sending the red to the left with L5 & R5.
NB - Leave the cue in the line it was on when cueing
up on the ball. Remember, contrary to the opinion
of a lot of snooker players arms, moving the cue
in the direction you want the cue ball to go AFTER
you have played the shot DOES NOT help the
direction of the cue ball!
Commit to leave the cue where it finishes whether
you pot or miss - you will get much better feedback
on how you played the shot and how that led to the
result you got.
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Six Recovery:
Play six reds and six blues.
Reds can be potted in any pocket, blues can only
be potted in the baulk pockets.
NB - this practice is less to do with potting than to
do with delicate positional play. If you have the
positional play, you will never have difficult blues
into the baulk pockets to recover your position.
This is because your cue ball will always be close
to the blue and as near to straight as possible.
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The Higgins Blue:
1982 World semi final.
Versus Jimmy White.
15-14 down, 59 behind.
First to 16.
Potting this blue kept the break going
and yielded position for the next red.
He cleared to win the frame, went on to win
the match and the title by beating
Ray Reardon 18-16 in the final.
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The Joker Green:
I, Nic Barrow, do hereby attest that
UAE professional Mohamed Joker did,
on Monday March 21st 2005 AD, duly pot
green from the position shown at his
first attempt and also screw the cue
ball back on the exact path shown
to land above the brown.
I also testify that the white and green
balls were of match weight and size,
the table was a Riley steel block cushion
match table, and the cloth was an average
club cloth with an age of two months.
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Thinning Sweep:
Playing H6, pot each red once, leaving the cue ball
as close as you can to the baulk cushion.
NB - be particularly careful of table drift (from your
unintentional sidespin or the table being off level!),
especially as you get to the reds closer to the
cushion.
Remember -
The slower the ball goes, the more it throws.
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Catching The Tail:
Playing H6, on alternate sides every
time to enforce equally good aiming
on both sides of the table, catch the
tail end red of each line and return
to the baulk cushion.
When you have contacted the end
red, remove it from the line
and continue doing so until there
are no reds remaining.
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Cushion Hugger:
Play the cue ball H8, varying the exact
position of red and cue ball to see what
speed you need on different angles, and
just as importantly whether the red will
end up safe or in a potable position.
Play to cannon the yellow
with the cue ball.
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Emergency Services:
When there is no other option,
usually at the beginning of the frame
with lots of reds open... you will
occasionally have the chance to play
this wonderful shot.
H10, no side, and make you play
with enough power...
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Figure Of Eight:
Playing H6R4, OPP the shot
until you feel confident enough
to play the snooker behind the green.
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Heavy Reds:
Make a very small chalk
mark for white yellow
and red nearest
the cue ball.
The yellow is an aiming
guide only, such that if you
were to aim to hit the yellow
full ball, you would strike the
red nearest the cue ball a
quarter ball contact.
Repeat this four times with
H6P5, but each occasion
you play the shot, remove
one red from the line of
four that are all touching
each other.
You will then see the
difference in cue ball angle
from the red when it has the
wieght of extra reds behind
it. This is why it is important
to inspect a tight pack
of reds before you
play a safety shot
off them - you may
have to adjust your
aiming according to
how many balls are
touching your target ball.
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Missing For A Purpose:
If you know what it
looks like to miss the
red by one millimetre,
then in a match you
will know if you are
aiming to miss the ball.
You will then have no
fear of missing the ball.
The only way to get this
knowledge is to play
to miss the red - but
do not let your
enemies see you
practice this!
Apply OPP to the shot
if it helps you fine tune
your aiming.
Play alternate sides
until you have missed
each red ten times
by no more than two
millimetres.
NB - the only way you
will know if you have
missed by two
millimetres is by
watching - very
carefully!
Only when you watch
this carefully
will you have
perfect feedback
of what you are doing
relative to the results
you are getting.
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OPP Back To Baulk:
It does exactly what it says on
the tin...
Play all shots H6.
First, play any angle you want -
OBSERVE the cue ball path.
Second, play any angle you want -
PREDICT where you think the cue
ball will go before you strike.
Third, PLAN where you want the
cue ball to finish, and using
what you learned in the first two
steps, aim accordingly.
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The Trampoline:
Strike H6/7, perfectly full ball on the red.
If you do so, and judge the speed properly,
the cue ball will come back between the yellow
and green goal posts.
NB - it is best to play this shot with follow at all
times so that you get used to judging the speed
with that kind of spin only.
You will get very different cue ball speeds off
the red if you play different hieghts. Try it and see.
Also experiment with placing the red different
distances from the cushion and see how the
reaction of the cue ball and red changes.
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Half Ball From The D:
Half Ball H10.
Play until you can control
the speed of the cue ball.
NB -
Depending on the table
and balls you are using,
the cue ball may need to
be in a slightly different
position to convert your
half ball contact into
an in off.
After you have got
the angle, play it
100 times!
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Half Ball From Top Pocket:
Half Ball H10.
Keep playing this shot until you can control
the speed of the red.
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Half Ball Into Top Pocket:
Half Ball H10.
From the jaws of the middle pocket, a gentle
shot will leave the red in the area just above
the blue spot.
If the cue ball is higher up the table than this,
more power will be required to generate a greater
throw on the cue ball before the H10 top spin takes
effect, as shown. Without this extra power and
throw, the cue ball will simply fall into the top
cushion.
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The Billiards Brown In Off:
This is a good shot for learning the thick follow
through required when you sometimes have to
lay a snooker in the baulk area.
Here, the pocket is a good target, and you will
also learn a lot by watching where the brown goes
off the various angles of playing this shot.
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The Billiards Brown Snooker:
If you dont fancy potting the brown,
just play a snooker on the pack of reds!
Thanks to billiards world champion Robbie Foldvari
of Australia for teaching me this shot via the
method of playing it perfectly against
me in a match!
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The Cushion Hugger:
H7L5.
Play the red straight,
or depending on the age
of the cloth, a bit thinner.
If you know ow to get the
in off, you will be able to
avoid it in a snooker match
when you have the same
shot - by playing stun or
RIGHT side.
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The Cocked Hat Double:
Depending on the exact placing of the cue
ball, you can play this shot as a safety
or as a pot.
H10 to send the cue ball to the top cushion,
although sometimes this may send the
cue ball back off the top cushion
depending on the power required.
In this instance, play the shot H5/6.
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The Re-Spot Classic:
Your target on this
shot is to make a
snooker behind the
imaginary yellow.
Do this and
the black will
automatically be
safe.
NB -
Do not put the cue
ball on the gren spot.
Firstly, the spot may
be very slightly
outside the D, in which
case you will play a
and lose the frame.
Secondly, there may
be a slight lump or
ditch in the spot,
in which case the cue
ball may be diverted
from its intended
path.
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The Re-Spot Creative:
Not often seen, this
is another way to
play the re-spot.
H5, thick half ball.
Ensure you strike
with no side spin,
and that you know
if the table is
level or not!
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The Re-Spot Drag Shot Reply:
OPP different thicknesses of contact on the black.
The exact contact you require will depend on the
table and cloth you are playing on.
NB - if you play to put the black in the centre of
the top cushion, the cue ball will have speed on it
due to the thinner contact. There may then be a
risk of an in off in the middle pocket.
Your opponent will also find it easy to send the
black up and down the table onto the baulk
cushion. This will not be possible if the black and
white are more or less in a parallel line to the
side cushion. To achieve this effect, play the black
slightly beyond its spot as shown.
You can also pot the black by doubling it!
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The Re-Spot Drag Shot:
If you are confident of hitting
centre of the cue ball, play H1
with a perfect half ball contact
to put your opponent in a spot
of bother.
By playing this shot, it is
assumed you have observed
this part of the table during
the game, know if it is level
and if not be able to adjust
your aiming accordingly.
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The Re-Spot Risky:
Another option for the re-spot
is to play H6L3 to give the
result shown.
NB - even if you play this shot
well, your opponent will always
have a chance of at least
two easy safety shots, and
also the obvious pot chance
into corner. That is why you
do not see this shot at the
professional level.
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The Cushion Slice:
A favourite of UAE professional
Mohamed Shehab, use this as
emergancy solution when
it looks like you dont have
any good safety options.
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The Three In Offs:
H6, go in off three times as shown.
Play s l o w l y. This will give you more
chance of striking without side,
and a more natural reaction
from the cushion than if
playing with more power.
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The Three Zig Zags:
H6, go in off three times
as shown.Play s l o w l y.
This will give you more
chance of striking
without side,and a
more natural reaction
from the cushion
than if playing
with more power.
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Bridge Hand Sweeps:
This practice gets you comfortable
with all the variations of bridge
hand relative to different angles
of play off cushions.
Pot the cue ball along the cushion,
then in sequence into the three parts
of the side cushion shown, then into
the middle and then into the baulk
pocket. When striking into the side
cushion, you can double this practice
into helping your snooker escape
skills. Just play enough weight for
the cue ball to land touching the
second cushion it touches - as well
as speed control, this will help you
learn the geography of the table
inside out.
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Cue Ball Up & Downs:
Draw a chalk mark on the cushion where the cue
ball is resting. Then measure the distance from
the cue ball to the baulk pocket, perhaps using
your cue as a guide. Replicate this distance by
placing a chalk mark on the top cushion that same
distance from the top pocket.
End up with at least three positions to play the
cue ball from.
Play H10, the target being to get the cue ball to
finish touching the baulk cushion in the same
place that it started its journey.
NB -
This is a great way to test if the table is level.
It will also test your ability to easily find the centre
of the cue ball from different lighting positions.
The lamp shade is (usually!) central along the
length of the table which means that the shadows
on the cue ball are slightly different when the cue
ball is in different positions on the table.
It is finding the centre of the cue ball despite these
various shadows that makes a good player.
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Cushion Pickings:
Whenever you pot any of the open reds, replace
them. Your target is to make position on a colour
to then pick the reds off the cushion with the cue
ball. Do not open a red when potting a red.
You are permitted to pot any red along a cushion.
To make it even harder, take two of the open reds
and put them on the baulk cushion.
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Cushion Test:
Roll the reds slowly into the four pockets.
As the red travels toward its pocket,
observe if the table is level or not.
If it is not, you will have to adjust your aiming
until the balls drifts off line but still goes in.
If the table is still drifting off too much, you will
have to resort to playing with a bit more speed
so that the red does not have the chance to roll off.
Repeat the exercise, but from the opposite ends
of the four cushions and therefore playing the
red in the opposite direction along each cushion.
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Touching Rail Practice:
NB: To pot the black the professional secret is for
the cue ball to hit the cushion one millimetre
before the black, to play no side spin and
H6 on the cue ball...
H6, play the black so that it just drops
into the pocket. The black will then have,
assuming the table is level, the greatest chance of
dropping into the pocket. This is because the
slower the black ball goes, the more chance it has
of simply sliding off the jaws into the pocket if it
was not aimed perfectly accurately.
By playing slowly, you will also gain valuable
feedback on where the cue ball will finish with a
given angle of shot down the cushion. This will be
useful information for positional play in
your games.
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Untouching Rail Practice:
Pot the black with the full range of cue ball strikes.
Ten pots from H10 down to H1.
Ten pots from H5L5 across to H5R5.
Also pot with H2L3 to learn an extra shot that is
sometimes required in this position.
Play the black ball with P3 so that the cue ball
stays around the black area.
The cue ball is placed quite near to the black
so that the gentle screw and stun shots played
between H1 - H4 give the positional play we
would expect. With the cue ball any further than
this from the black, and with P3, any backspin
applied would evaporate and turn to top spin
before reaching the black. This would mean you
would be playing a drag shot, and not really
learning where the cue ball can be placed by using
different heights on the cue ball.
The reason for playing no more power than P3
is because the slower the black ball goes,
the more chance it has of simply sliding off
the jaws into the pocket if it was not
aimed perfectly accurately.
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