Break Building

Make a 32 Break on the Black

This is the black-spot version of the first-break drill. Four reds are placed around the black spot, so every colour you take is the most valuable one on the table. It is where most break-building at the top level happens, and this drill trains the short cue-ball movements it needs. Four reds and four blacks make 32, the target for the drill.

Snooker table top viewTop-down view of a full-size snooker table at 1mm = 1px scale.100 mmFull-size snooker table · 3569 × 1778 mm · 1 px = 1 mm
Table layout for the 32-point break on the black drill

Setup

  1. Place the black on its spot.
  2. Place four reds around the black: one on each side of it, one between the pink and the black, and one between the black and the top cushion (see the diagram).
  3. Place the cue ball as shown in the diagram.

Rules

  1. Pot a red, then the black, then a red, then the black, until all four reds are gone.
  2. Re-spot the black after each pot.
  3. If it gets easy, re-spot four reds and continue from wherever the cue ball finished.
  4. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points.

Targets by level

Beginner
8–16 points
Club player
The full 32, regularly
Advanced
Two or more sets of reds in one break

Tips

  • Keep an angle on the black after every red, so the cue ball can move off the black towards the next red.
  • Use the reds in an order that keeps the cue ball close to the black spot.
  • The red behind the black is often the trickiest. Plan when to take it.

Common mistakes

  • Going into the pack area too firmly and pushing reds onto cushions.
  • Getting straight on the black after the last remaining red near the cushion.
  • Over-using screw when a simple stun would leave better position.

More drills

All drills