The line up is the classic snooker drill for a reason. It requires you to bring together all everything you know about potting and position. It helps you get used to running balls and putting together a big break. Some form of the line up should be included in most of your practice sessions, usually at the end after you have isolated other parts of your game to work on.
Variations
Beginner
Start with just 2 or 3 reds above the black. Slowly add more as you become more confident with potting and positional play. At this stage focusing on other drills that offer more isolation, such as Carom off the Black or running the Colours might be more beneficial.
Intermediate
Use this drill to put together bigger breaks than you could in a match. If your high break is around 50, you should be aiming for a 50 every time you get to the table here.
Record every attempt as a win or a loss, a win is a run of 50 or greater, a loss anything under 50.
If you are comfortable clearing most of the standard line up regularly or can run the whole thing, try some different setups like the ones shown below to focus on different areas of the table.
Advanced
If the line up starts feeling too easy, add restrictions. No cushions, only one side of the table, only blacks, reds in order. There are endless ways to make it harder. At this level you should also have a good idea of your own problem areas, pick a pattern that focuses on the area of the table you struggle most with.
Same as the intermediate, count each frame as a win or loss, but try for a run or 75 as a win.
Tips
The number one thing that will help you score more points in this drill is, keep the white off the cushion. If you can keep the white within a foot of the balls you will almost always have a relatively simple pot.
If your high run is 32, setting up all 15 reds might be too ambitious. Start small and build consistency.
Track every single attempt that you make to get a really accurate idea of what your average break is when you’re in the balls.
Don’t run the line up for more than 20 minutes at a time. The time limit forces you to focus and keeps you from banging away at the balls.
Snooker Drills
- Continuous Blacks
- Carom off the Black
- Shot to Nothing
- Colours
- Pot Quiz
- The Lineup
- Zipper
- Long potting
- Up the Cushions
