Break Building

The Snake Line-Up Routine

The snake line-up is a harder variation of the classic line-up, used in professional academies. Instead of a straight line, the reds wind across the table, so the cue ball constantly has to move sideways as well as up and down. It rewards careful planning and punishes lazy position.

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 Snake line-up drill

Setup

  1. Place all six colours on their spots.
  2. Place 15 reds in a snake-shaped line from near the blue towards the black (see the diagram).
  3. Take the cue ball in hand in the D for the first red.

Rules

  1. Pot a red, then any colour, as in a real frame.
  2. Re-spot the colours while reds remain.
  3. Once all reds are gone, clear the colours in order from yellow to black.
  4. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points, a maximum of 147.

Targets by level

Beginner
15–30 points
Club player
40–70 points
Advanced
100+ points or a clearance

Tips

  • Clear the reds at the bends of the snake first. They block the most angles.
  • Use the blue and pink for reds in the lower half of the table.
  • Always know which red you want next before you play the colour.

Common mistakes

  • Following the line of the snake mechanically instead of picking the easiest red.
  • Kissing reds into each other at the bends.
  • Staying only on the black and ending up far from the lower reds.

More drills

All drills