Break Building

Last Three Colours: Blue, Pink, Black

Blue, pink, black is the finish of every clearance and a common frame-deciding position. With only three balls, you can play it many times in a session and focus entirely on the two key positional shots: blue to pink and pink to black.

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 Last three colours drill

Setup

  1. Place the blue, pink and black on their spots.
  2. Take the cue ball in hand in the D for the first shot (see the diagram).

Rules

  1. Pot the blue, then the pink, then the black.
  2. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points, a maximum of 18.
  3. Vary where you place the cue ball in the D so you learn different routes onto the blue.

Targets by level

Beginner
5–11 points
Club player
18 in half of your attempts
Advanced
18, nearly every time

Tips

  • Pot the blue into a middle pocket with an angle that sends the cue ball towards the pink.
  • From the pink, aim for a slight angle on the black so you are not left dead straight.
  • If you keep breaking down at the same ball, set that shot up and practise it on its own.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving a straight blue that makes the pink hard to reach.
  • Over-hitting the pink so the cue ball goes into the cushion and out of position.
  • Taking an easy-looking black for granted.

More drills

All drills