Every shot starts with the cue: its line, how it moves through the white, where the tip meets the ball, and how steeply it points down. This first lesson covers a straight cue action, the follow-through, feathering and a pre-shot routine, chalk, tip height, and what "raising the cue" means, with the angle drawn for every case: normal shots, near a cushion and over a ball.

Series map. ★ Basics: 01 Cue action and elevation (this post) → 02 Aiming and potting → 03 Tip and power → 04 Where the white goes · ★★ Club: 05 Side spin → 06 Cut and side into pockets → 07 Cushions → 08 Doubles · ★★★ Advanced: 09 Escaping snookers → 10 Multi-ball shots → 11 Safety → 12 Position play · ★★★★ Hard: 13 Break-building → 14 Special shots · Reference: 15 Rules, tactics and practice · ★★★★★ Pro: 16 Cue-ball control.

Learning Outcome

Deliver the cue straight along the line, and follow through.
Use the same feather, pause and strike, and the same routine, on every shot.
Keep the tip chalked and inside the safe zone.
Hit high or low on the white with a level cue.
Know what cue elevation is, how much each shot needs, and why lower is better.
Find the angle the cue needs near a cushion and over a ball.

Chapter 1 — The cue action

1 · The cue on the line

Two top views. Left: the cue straight behind the white, the white runs along the dashed line to the red, tick. Right: the cue a little across the line, the white goes off the line and misses the red, cross

The white goes where the cue points at the moment of the hit. Line the cue up behind the white, on the line to where you aim, and keep it on that line from the back swing to the end of the stroke.

Watch out: a small turn of the cue, about 7° here, misses a red only half a table away.

2 · Follow through

Two top views of the cue and the white. Left, tick, three steps on one line: back swing, contact, and the follow-through with the tip past where the white was. Right, cross: the cue stops at the white and its back end swings off the line

Let the cue run on past where the white was, along the same line. A cue that stops at the ball usually turns at the last moment ✗.

3 · Feather, pause, strike

Watch the cue in the clip:

Feathers: a few slow practice strokes, the tip close to the white. They check the line and the tip spot.
Pause at the back of the last back swing.
Strike: speed up smoothly through the white.
Follow through, and hold still until the white has stopped.

Common pitfall: a quick, jerky back swing. The cue changes speed and line. Slow back, smooth through.

4 · A pre-shot routine

Six steps of a pre-shot routine in a row: chalk, see the line from behind the white, put the cue on the line, feather, pause at the back with the eyes on the object ball, strike through the white and hold still

Do the same steps in the same order on every shot. The point is repetition: the stroke stays the same under pressure as in practice.

5 · Chalk, and stay in the safe zone

The face of the white. A green circle half the ball's radius across, around the centre, marks where the tip is safe; five blue tip spots inside it are fine. Two red crosses outside it, near the edge, mark miscues

Chalk the tip every shot or two. A dry tip slides off the white: a miscue.
Keep the tip inside about half the radius from the centre. Further out, even a chalked tip miscues (post 03).

Chapter 2 — Tip height

6 · Hit high or low with a level cue

Three 3D side views of the white and the cue only. The cue stays level each time and moves down or up: tip low for screw, at the centre, and high for follow. A small face of the white shows each tip spot

To hit low or high on the white, move the whole cue down or up and keep it level. Don't tip the cue to reach the spot.

You want	Tip on the white	Post
screw (backspin)	below centre	03
stop / stun	centre or a little below	03
follow (topspin)	above centre	03

Common pitfall: lifting the back of the cue to reach a low spot. The tip then strikes down into the white (post 03), and any side makes it curve (section 8).

Chapter 3 — Cue elevation

7 · What "raise the cue" means

Four 3D side views of the white and the cue with a yellow wedge between the cue and the cloth. About 3 degrees: almost flat, every normal shot. About 12 degrees: the white near a cushion. About 20 degrees: swerve. About 60 degrees: massé, the cue nearly upright

"Raise the cue 20°" means lifting the back (butt) end of the cue, so the cue points down at the white. The tip still hits the same spot. The yellow wedge is the angle between the cue and the cloth.

Elevation	When
about 3°	every normal shot: as level as the cushion allows
about 12°	the white near a cushion (section 9)
about 20°	swerve on purpose (posts 05, 09, 14)
about 60°	massé, a big curve (post 14)

8 · Keep it low

Top view of one white and five tracks, all aimed along the same dashed line with right-hand side at power 2. Level cue: straight on. Raised 10 degrees: 10 cm to the right after 1 metre. 20 degrees: 20 cm. 30 degrees: 32 cm. 45 degrees: 55 cm

The same aim and the same side, only the cue raised more each time (model, from post 14). With side, a raised cue curves the white: 10 cm off the line after 1 m at 10°, 55 cm at 45°.

So keep the cue as low as the table lets you. If normal long pots keep missing, check your elevation first.

9 · Near a cushion

Two 3D side views of the white near the bottom side cushion and the cue coming over the rail, a yellow wedge between the cue and the cloth. White 20 cm off the cushion: 12 degrees. White close to the cushion: 13 degrees

Near a cushion the cue has to pass over the rail, which is higher than the cloth, so it points down more (geometry of these set-ups):

White	Cue raised
20 cm off the cushion	about 12°
close to the cushion	about 13°

You can only reach the top half of the white. Keep the tip near centre, the stroke short and smooth, and let pace, not spin, do the work.

10 · Over a ball

3D side view of the white with a red 15 cm behind it. The cue passes over the red and comes down to the white, raised about 17 degrees; a yellow wedge shows the angle

When a ball sits just behind the white, the cue has to go over it. Here, with a red 15 cm behind, the cue must be raised about 17°.

Play it smoothly and not too hard.
Keep the tip near centre: with this angle, side curves the white (section 8) and screw is weaker.
Don't touch the ball behind: moving any ball with the cue is a foul.

11 · Out of reach: the rest, spider and swan

When the white is too far to reach, the club has long cue rests. The cue lies on the rest's head:

Tool	Use it when	Cue angle
rest (X-shaped head)	the white is far away, nothing behind it	as low as normal
spider (a tall arch)	one ball behind the white	raised, as in section 10
swan (a long curved neck)	a group of balls behind the white	raised, as in section 10

On all of them, keep the tip near centre and play a little softer than normal.

Try it at the table

Drill	Set-up	Look for
Straight line	the white on the brown spot, hit it up over the blue and pink spots, off the top cushion, centre ball, power 2	it comes straight back to the tip
Follow-through	the same, a coin 15 cm past the white	the tip passes over the coin, on the line
Routine	ten shots, the same six steps each	the same rhythm every time
Height ladder	a straight red, tip low, centre, high, the cue level each time	screw, stop, follow
Elevation check	the white 20 cm, then close to a side cushion	a smooth stroke, no miscue
Over a ball	a red 15 cm behind the white	a clean centre-ball hit

Cheat-sheet


Line	the white goes where the cue points at the hit
Stroke	feather, pause, strike, follow through, hold still
Routine	the same six steps every shot
Tip	chalked; inside half the radius
Height	move the whole cue down or up; keep it level
Elevation	lift the butt only as much as you must: about 3° normally
Cushion	about 12–13° to pass over the rail
Over a ball	about 17° with a red 15 cm behind

What's next

02 · Aiming and potting. The ghost ball, the classic red-dot miss, ball fractions, thin cuts, the pockets and long pots.

References

WPBSA, Official Rules of the Games of Snooker and English Billiards (2024-25): table and ball sizes, fouls for touching a ball. https://www.wpbsa.com/rules/
Dr. Dave Alciatore, "What effects does cue elevation have on a shot": swerve, hop and follow-through with a raised cue. https://drdavepoolinfo.com/?p=1979
Masters of Games, extended spider and swan rests: what each is for. https://www.mastersofgames.com/cat/snooker-pool-extended-spider-swan-rests
The pictures are drawn to scale with the cue only; the elevation numbers are the geometry of those set-ups, and the curve numbers come from the physics model. The follow-through and the routine are common coaching advice.