training guide series. -...

TSG TGS07 Copyright © 2006 The Snooker Gym Ltd www.thesnookergym.com1

Training Guide Series.

Worldwide exclusive training materials for the International Billiards & Snooker Federation

Perfect Practice RoutinesLearn what pro’s 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 BlacksPerfect PinksBionic Blues

Creative ColoursBlistering Break Building

Superb Straight PotsPin Point Long PotsSweet Safety Shots

Miscellaneous Magic

www.thesnookergym.com Devised and introduced by Nic Barrow


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 2000Second Edition 2002Third Edition 2004

Design, layout, publishing by:Nic Barrow

PO BOX 33 147Dubai

United Arab Emirates

www.thesnookergym.com

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Welcome toThe 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 first find 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 benefit 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’ finest 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 14th, 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 file, 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 benefit.

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 find 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 ‘scientific 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.

HH applies to the Height you will strike the cue ball and is the first 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.

PP 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 & RL & 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 finally 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 find 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 finish 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 satisfied 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 find 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 flexibility 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 benefit 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.

Difficulty… 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 confirming 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 eleven’o’clock 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 five, 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 find it easier to play it correctly.

The OPP modelThe 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 benefit from applying the OPP model in more depth.

Here is a description of the OPP model:

ObservePlay 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!

PredictPlay 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.

PlanIn the final phase, you will use the experience you gained in the first

two steps to Plan where you want the cue ball to finish and work out the way you think you need to play it to get this result. Keep refining the way you play the shot until you get the result you want.

In order for you to get even more benefit 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.

NBNB stands for Nota Bené (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 simplicity’s 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 OldNew cloths are different to play on and easier to pot on than old

cloths. If you are not used to it, you will find 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 find 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 find 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...


THESNOOKER

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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!

The Snooker GymPerfect Practice Routines

Brilliant Blacks - Above The Black


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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 aspossible 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 otherside 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.


Brilliant Blacks - Below The Black


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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 thecue 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 pinkpast 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 thatyou 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 redin 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.


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 positionsuntil you know where to place thecue 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 intocorner 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 toextend the line the cue ball

takes when hitting each red of the pack. Play to cannon

the reds on the cushionswithout the pack of reds inplace. Then play the shotsin the same way, only this

time with the relevant edgered of the pack in place to

prevent the cue ball reaching your target red

on the cushion.

NB - this method helpsyour mind stay clearlyon the pot, and not onhow you are going to

make contact with thecorrect red in the pack.


Brilliant Blacks - Splitting Pack From Black


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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 thecue 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 clothyou 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 eachoccasion. 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 thecue 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 reactionsof 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.


Perfect Pinks - Corner Pocket


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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 betweenthese two practices. Both flavours of this shot arevery 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 redsinto 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 indifferent positions until you find

the right position for the sixin-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:Pot ten reds and ten pinks.

All pots into the top pockets.No cushions!

NB - you will soon see that this practice is less to dowith 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 differentpositions shown.

NB - keep persisting with this shot until you caneasily 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.


Perfect Pinks - Middle Pocket


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Double Jaws:Play pinks into the middle until you havestruck both jaws of the middle pocket -

without going in off.

NB - This is a good practice for ensuring you pot theball into the centre of the pocket.

Without that, you will not have consistent resultsin 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 youfind 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 andfollow 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 eachshot. This will give you an extra moment to check that your cue has followed through straight, andthat your head & shoulders have remained still.




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10 RPs:Pot ten reds and ten pinks.

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 thecue 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 getfeedback as to whether you have placed the cue

ball in the correct position or not.


Bionic Blues - Middle Pocket


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Cushion Cricket:Keep playing blues in the middle pockets only.

You cannot go for more than three shotswithout the cue ball touching a cushion.

NB - this is a very effective practice for masteringthe 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 potthe 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 cushionsare allowed, and you can only pot the blue into the

middle pockets.

NB - for invaluable feedback, watch exactly wherethe 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 ofthe cue ball - spots on club tables particularly are

rarely flat and will often push the cueball 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 toslice the table in half by landing on the line shown.

NB - apply the OPP model to this practice, andyou will eventually be able to accurately know

where the cue ball will finish from whateverposition 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 yellowto 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 yellowto 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 reachesthe pocket.

NB - this shot is perfect for illustrating thedifference 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 powerto 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 halfball contact on the pink is not good enough.

The lesson that you must have a full ball contacton 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 suchthat 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(L1ifneed

be)

H10R2

H10R2

H4/5L2


Creative Colours - Clearing The Colours


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The five major shots for getting on the yellow from

the black from the North West 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 five main shots.

Black To Yellow - North West Quadrant:

H10or if

you havea lower

angle on theblack, 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 fromthe black from the South East Quadrant Green Side.

Find the exact angles you need to have onthe black to get the positions shown.

The relevant height and side are mentioned on the cue ball path of the five main shots.

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 H6stun depending

on exact cue ball angle. H10R4/5

H3R2




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The six major shots for getting on the yellow fromthe black from the South West Quadrant.

Find the angles you need to have onthe black to get the positions shown.

The relevant height and side are mentioned on the cue ball path of the six main shots.

H1

H1

H1R4/5

H1/2

H10from verylow on the

black,or an H4-6 stun

shot from aslightly 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 aperfect 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 nearthe 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 withposition, 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 toplay a stun shot off the opposite side cushion or

if you prefer, a direct stun shot without use of thecushion, 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 - followor 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

H5R1H6R5




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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.

H10H10

H10

H4/5H2L3




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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 theopaque cue ball. A guide you can use is to aim for

the point halfway between the blue and the middlepocket - 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 tothe 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:You should be in perfect position when you come to

the final black. If you are not, however, it pays tohave practiced these shots previously.

Play these until you find a comfortable speed toplay 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:You should be in perfect position when you come to

the final black. If you are not, however, it pays tohave practiced these shots previously.

Play these until you find a comfortable speed toplay 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 alsocleanliness of this equipment, you will have varyingreactions 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 Fouldsfor showing me this shot.

Depending on the age and type of tablecloth 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 ispreferable 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 goodenough 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.Find the angles you need to have onthe 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.Find the angles you need to have onthe pink to get the positions shown.

The relevant height and side are mentioned on the cue ball path of the six main shots.

H10

H10

H3

H1

H1H1




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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.Find the angles you need to have onthe pink to get the positions shown.

The relevant height and side are mentioned on the cue ball path of the five main shots.

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 alsocleanliness of this equipment, you will have varyingreactions 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 endof the clearance.

NB - while the game may look easy in a match whenall 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.


Creative Colours - Other Practices


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Cushionless Colours:Clear the colours without touching a cushion.

NB - this practice makes it easier to clear thecolours when under pressure as you know youhave 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 theblack and make position

for yellow to repeatthe cycle.

Lines show ideal anglesto 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 strugglingwith 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 theyellow, 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 mustcontact not more or less than one cushion with

each pot.To make it harder, play every shot H10, allowingside 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.

The Snooker GymPerfect Practice RoutinesBlistering Break Building


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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, considermaking a separate practice for blacks and

reds near the top cushion as the line up is primarilyfor 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.


Superb Straight Pots


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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 strikeH8 or 9, the cue ball will not follow through

with any speed. Be sure to aim H10, and keep yourshoulders 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 distanceguide, 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 fewinches 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 aperfect 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 getobstructed by the side cushion

when playing the shots. This means you isolate the difficulty of the

straight pot without the variable ofside 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 foreach of the reds in case you need to replace them.

Keep Playing the cue ball into the mark, watchingvery closely where the cue ball hits until you can

notice a difference of one millimetre left or right ofthe chalk mark.

Keep playing until you can hit the mark directlywith 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 deliberatelystrike precise amounts left and right of the mark.

A chalk mark on the cushion is a better target thana 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:For this series of practices, draw a thin chalk mark on the face of the top cushion directly underneath




Keep playing the cue ball into the mark, planningto 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 closeto the baulk cushion, apply the OPP model to the

speed of the cue ball.




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Up & Downs Part 3 - Sidespin:For this series of practices, draw a thin chalk mark on the face of the top cushion directly underneath




Keep playing the cue ball into the mark, H6 andbaulk cushion speed.

Play with varying amounts of side until you have hit all eight reds.

You should then know EXACTLY where the centre ofthe 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:For this series of practices, draw a thin chalk mark on the face of the top cushion directly underneath




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 youfind a true one.




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Hendrys Wall:Snooker legend has gone on record as saying hehas potted all twenty one of these straight stun

shots with the cue ball played from the baulk line.How many can you pot?

'


Pinpoint Long Pots - Straight


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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 withyour 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. In addition to the benefit of progressive practice,

this exercise will also get you comfortable withyour 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 backor forth one or two inches until you find this effect.You will then feel a shift in balance as your bridgingarm finds itself higher on some shots and lower onothers. It is your ability to be comfortable in any of

these positions that will lead to greater controland 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. In addition to the benefit of progressive practice,

this exercise will also get you comfortable withyour 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 linewith 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 ballinto the pocket. The moment when the backspin

wears off from the cue ball is the moment you willknow 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 asshown. 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 oneway 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 theimperfection 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 makeis to just strike the cue ball up the table slowly -

they will never know if they are hitting perfectcentre cue ball or not, thus disasterously influencing the result of their table test.

This practice has the title it does because thispractice 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 thepocket. Real snooker players can even play this

shot one handed - using the pocket leather as theirbridge 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 checkthat the cue ball is bouncing at exactly the samespeed off the cushions. If it is, it means you are

hitting centre of the cue ball on both shots.


Pinpoint Long Pots - Angled


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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 wayyou would in a match.

Repeat on the other side of the table.

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 everyshot and Observe where the cue ball goes.

Repeat on the other side of the table.




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Cushion Float Outs:Make small chalk marks to ensure repeatability.

NB - play the drag shot as low as possible withoutgiving a stun or stop shot to ensure that

if the cue ball will drift, it will do so as late aspossible in its path.

Play the two cushion stun shot with a view tostriking 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 modestin how far you want to come out for the black.

This means you will be playing with less power andthus increasing your accuracy as well as the ability

of the pocket to accept the ball. Alsoremember - if you can pot the red, you can pot the

black from anywhere so there is no need for you tobe 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.Repeat on the other side of the table.

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.Repeat on the other side of the table.




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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 ofside spin from L5 to R5.

Play with low power to make the swerve of the cuemore obvious.

Repeat on the other side of the table to test yourability 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 opinionof 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 feedbackon 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 todo with delicate positional play. If you have the

positional play, you will never have difficult bluesinto 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 goingand yielded position for the next red.

He cleared to win the frame, went on to winthe 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 hisfirst attempt and also screw the cue

ball back on the exact path shownto 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 cushionmatch 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.Repeat on the other side of the table.

NB - be particularly careful of table drift (from yourunintentional sidespin or the table being off level!),

especially as you get to the reds closer to thecushion.

Remember -The slower the ball goes, the more it throws.




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Catching The Tail:Playing H6, on alternate sides everytime to enforce equally good aimingon 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 lineand continue doing so until there

are no reds remaining.


Sweet Safety Shots - Back To Baulk


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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 framewith lots of reds open... you will

occasionally have the chance to playthis 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 enoughto play the snooker behind the green.




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Heavy Reds:Make a very small chalk

mark for white’ yellowand red nearest

the cue ball.The yellow is an aiming

guide only, such that if youwere to aim to hit the yellowfull ball, you would strike the

red nearest the cue ball aquarter ball contact.

Repeat this four times withH6P5, but each occasion

you play the shot, removeone red from the line of

four that are all touchingeach other.

You will then see thedifference in cue ball angle

from the red when it has the wieght of extra reds behindit. This is why it is important

to inspect a tight packof reds before you play a safety shot

off them - you may have to adjust your aiming according tohow many balls are

touching your target ball.




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Missing For A Purpose:If you know what it

looks like to miss thered by one millimetre,

then in a match youwill 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 playto miss the red - but

do not let your enemies see you

practice this!Apply OPP to the shot

if it helps you fine tuneyour aiming.

Play alternate sidesuntil you have missed

each red ten timesby no more than two

millimetres.

NB - the only way youwill know if you have

missed by twomillimetres is by watching - very

carefully!Only when you watch

this carefullywill you have

perfect feedbackof 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 thecue ball to finish, and using

what you learned in the first twosteps, 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 thereaction of the cue ball and red changes.




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Half Ball From The D:Half Ball H10.

Play until you can controlthe speed of the cue ball.

NB -Depending on the table and balls you are using,the cue ball may need tobe in a slightly differentposition to convert your

half ball contact into an in off.

After you have gotthe angle, play it

100 times!


Sweet Safety Shots - Billiards


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Half Ball From Top Pocket:Half Ball H10.

Keep playing this shot until you can controlthe speed of the red.




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Half Ball Into Top Pocket:Half Ball H10.

From the jaws of the middle pocket, a gentleshot 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 greaterthrow 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 followthrough 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 goesoff 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 thein off, you will be able to

avoid it in a snooker matchwhen you have the sameshot - 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 cushiondepending on the power required.

In this instance, play the shot H5/6.


Sweet Safety Shots - Black Ball Game


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The Re-Spot Classic:Your target on this

shot is to make asnooker behind theimaginary yellow.

Do this and the black will

automatically besafe.

NB -Do not put the cue

ball on the gren spot.Firstly, the spot may

be very slightlyoutside the D, in which

case you will play aand lose the frame.

Secondly, there maybe a slight lump or

ditch in the spot,in which case the cueball may be diverted

from its intendedpath.




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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 strikewith no side spin,

and that you knowif 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 itdue 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 baulkcushion. 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 hittingcentre of the cue ball, play H1

with a perfect half ball contactto put your opponent in a spot

of bother.By playing this shot, it is

assumed you have observedthis part of the table duringthe game, know if it is leveland if not be able to adjustyour aiming accordingly.




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The Re-Spot Risky:Another option for the re-spot

is to play H6L3 to give theresult shown.

NB - even if you play this shotwell, your opponent will always

have a chance of at leasttwo easy safety shots, andalso the obvious pot chanceinto corner. That is why youdo not see this shot at the

professional level.




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The Cushion Slice:A favourite of UAE professionalMohamed Shehab, use this as

emergancy solution when it looks like you dont haveany good safety options.


Sweet Safety Shots - Other Shots


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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 morechance of striking without side,

and a more natural reactionfrom 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 morechance of striking without side,and a

more natural reactionfrom 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 bridgehand 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 intothe 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 forthe cue ball to land touching the

second cushion it touches - as wellas speed control, this will help you

learn the geography of the tableinside out.


Miscellaneous Magic - Cue Ball On Cushion


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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 usingyour cue as a guide. Replicate this distance by

placing a chalk mark on the top cushion that samedistance 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 thelength of the table which means that the shadowson 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.


Miscellaneous Magic - Cue Ball On Cushion


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Cushion Pickings:Whenever you pot any of the open reds, replace

them. Your target is to make position on a colourto 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.


Miscellaneous Magic - Object Ball On 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 aiminguntil the balls drifts off line but still goes in.

If the table is still drifting off too much, you willhave 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 endsof 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 hasof 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 blackso that the gentle screw and stun shots played

between H1 - H4 give the positional play wewould expect. With the cue ball any further thanthis from the black, and with P3, any backspin applied would evaporate and turn to top spin

before reaching the black. This would mean youwould be playing a drag shot, and not really

learning where the cue ball can be placed by usingdifferent 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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