Break Building

The T Routine

The T routine is a break-building drill with reds laid out in a T shape around the pink and black, and all six colours on their spots. The shape forces you to play reds from two different directions, so you have to plan how to move between the stem and the crossbar of the T while keeping on the high-value colours.

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 T routine drill

Setup

  1. Place the reds in a T shape as shown in the diagram.
  2. Place the six colours on their spots.
  3. Start with the cue ball wherever you like for the first red.

Rules

  1. Pot a red, then any colour, as in a real frame. Re-spot the colours while reds remain.
  2. Once all reds are gone, clear the colours in order: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black.
  3. The attempt ends on a miss or a foul. Your score is the total points.

Targets by level

Beginner
15–30 points
Club player
40–70 points
Advanced
A full clearance

Tips

  • Take reds from the end of each arm of the T first, so you are never forced to split the shape.
  • Use the pink as well as the black. Some reds are much easier to reach from the pink.
  • If you are struggling with the colours at the end, finish the reds and practise the clearance on its own.

Common mistakes

  • Splitting the reds where the arms of the T meet and scattering them.
  • Staying only on the black and ending up the wrong side of the remaining reds.
  • Rushing the final colours after a good run of reds.

More drills

All drills