Break Building

Clock Around the Pink Routine

With eight reds in a ring around the pink spot, every red is close to the scoring colours but no two shots are the same. The drill trains short, precise cue-ball movement and the habit of planning which red to take next to keep the break flowing.

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 Clock around the pink drill

Setup

  1. Place the pink and black on their spots.
  2. Place eight reds in a circle around the pink spot, about 24 cm from it (see the diagram).
  3. Place the cue ball as shown in the diagram.

Rules

  1. Pot a red, then the pink or the black.
  2. Re-spot the pink or black after each pot while reds remain.
  3. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points.
  4. Potting all eight reds with blacks scores 64.

Targets by level

Beginner
10–20 points
Club player
30–45 points
Advanced
All eight reds

Tips

  • Use the pink as often as the black. Some reds are much easier to reach from the pink.
  • Avoid disturbing the remaining reds. Short, gentle positional shots work best.
  • Take reds that are about to become awkward early.

Common mistakes

  • Cannoning into the ring and scattering the reds.
  • Getting stuck on the black side of the table with reds left below the pink.
  • Playing too firmly for the short distances involved.

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