Break Building

Colours Clearance Routine

Clearing the colours is how many frames are won or lost. The order is fixed, so the challenge is pure positional play: every colour has to leave you on the next one, often with a specific angle. A clean 27 shows real control of pace and cue-ball direction.

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 Colours clearance drill

Setup

  1. Place all six colours on their spots.
  2. Take the cue ball in hand in the D for the first shot (see the diagram).

Rules

  1. Pot the colours in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
  2. Potted colours stay off the table.
  3. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points: 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7, a maximum of 27.
  4. Beginners can take the cue ball in hand in the D before each colour and work up to a continuous clearance.

Targets by level

Beginner
9 (yellow, green and brown)
Club player
18–27
Advanced
27, regularly

Tips

  • Think about the angle you need on each colour to reach the next one, not just the position.
  • The yellow-to-green and brown-to-blue shots decide most clearances. Practise them on their own if you keep breaking down there.
  • Leave the pink in a position where you can get on the black with a simple stun or follow.

Common mistakes

  • Getting straight on the brown and having no way up to the blue.
  • Over-hitting the blue and losing position on the pink.
  • Taking the black for granted after a good run.

More drills

All drills