Some spots need an unusual shot. This lesson covers cue elevation and how much it curves the white, swerve and massé, cueing over a ball, the two fouls to know (the jump shot and the push stroke), a touching ball, a ball in the jaws, and how to choose when a spot has several answers.

Series map. ★ Basics: 01 Cue action and elevation → 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 (this post) · Reference: 15 Rules, tactics and practice · ★★★★★ Pro: 16 Cue-ball control.

Learning Outcome

  • Know what "the cue raised" means, and how much each angle curves the white.
  • Play a swerve and know what a massé is.
  • Cue over a ball at the right angle.
  • Avoid the jump shot and the push stroke.
  • Play from a touching ball and pot a ball in the jaws.
  • List every answer to an awkward spot before you choose.

Chapter 1 — A raised cue

1 · How high is the cue?

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

"Raising the cue" means lifting the butt (the back end), so the cue comes down at the white. The yellow wedge is the angle to the cloth.

About Used for
3° every normal shot (as low as the rail lets you)
12° the white near a cushion (post 07)
20° swerve
60° massé

2 · More elevation, more curve

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 side (right-hand, 0.6 R), power 2, only the cue raised more each time (model, squirt switched off to show the curve alone):

Cue raised Off the aiming line after 1 m
level 0
10° 10 cm
20° 20 cm
30° 32 cm
45° 55 cm

The white curves towards the side you use, and most of the bend happens early, while it is still sliding. More pace means it slides further before it bends (post 05).

Watch out: a raised cue makes a clean hit harder and the tip more likely to slip. Raise it only as much as the shot needs.

3 · Swerve round a ball

Clip from behind the white with the cue raised and the tip on the right of the white. The white starts to the left of the blue, curves back to the right after passing it, and hits the red

Post 09 showed the swerve escape: aim past the blocking ball, side towards the ball you want, butt raised about 20°, power 3. Only about 1° of aims made it round (model), so use it when the cushions are shut.

4 · Massé: a big curve from close range

Two views. 1: from above: the white, a blue only 20 cm in front of it and a red behind and to the left of the blue. The dashed aim goes to the right of the blue; the white's track bends sharply left round the blue and into the red, tick. 2: from the side: the cue nearly upright, a wedge shows 60 degrees

When the blocking ball is too close for a swerve, a massé curves the white much more. Here the blue is only 20 cm in front (model):

Cue The same aim (13–17° to the right of the blue's centre)
level hits the blue ✗
raised 60°, left-hand side, power 2 curves round the blue into the red ✓

About 5° of aim worked. Massé is hard to control and hard on the cloth; many clubs do not like it. Learn it on a practice table, and prefer any cushion route that is open.

Watch out: at 60° the tip must hit the white down and to the side, not into the cloth. A miscue can mark the cloth.

5 · Cueing 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. With a red 15 cm behind, the cue rises about 17°, so the tip meets the white from above: expect a little swerve if you use side, and less screw. Out of reach, the spider or swan holds the cue over the balls at a similar angle (post 01).

Chapter 2 — Two fouls to know

6 · The jump shot is a foul

Two side-view sketches. Left: the white leaves the cloth and passes over a red: a jump shot, a foul. Right: the white almost touching a red; the tip still on the white when it meets the red: a push stroke, a foul; a very fine edge is allowed

A jump shot is the white passing over any part of a ball (WPBSA, simplified; it is allowed only when the white first hits another ball and then jumps). The penalty is the value of the ball on, at least 4.

Unlike pool, snooker has no legal jump shot over a ball in the way. The answers are a cushion, a swerve or a massé.

7 · The push stroke and the fine edge

A push stroke is the tip still touching the white after it starts moving, or when the white meets the ball (picture above, right). The penalty is the value of the ball on or the ball hit, at least 4.

When the white is almost touching a ball, a normal stroke is a push. The rule allows one way out: a very fine edge, so thin that the tip has gone before the contact. Otherwise, play a different ball, or away.

8 · A touching ball

Close top view of the white touching a red. A large green area on the side away from the red shows where you may play; a red area on the red's side shows where you may not

If the white stops touching a ball on (or one that could be on), the referee calls "touching ball":

  • play the white away from it (green) without moving it; moving it is a push stroke;
  • if that ball is on, you do not need to hit any ball at all;
  • if it could be on (a colour after a red), declare it, then the same applies.

So a touching ball is often a gift: play away to a safe place with nothing to hit.

9 · A ball in the jaws

Two top views of the white and a red near the top right corner. 1: the red hangs in the jaws of the pocket; a wide green wedge from the white shows every aim that pots it, 5.4 degrees. 2: the red 50 cm out on the same line; the wedge is a thin sliver, 1.0 degree

Red Room in the aim (model)
in the jaws (power 1) 5.4°: almost any contact pots it
50 cm out (power 2) 1.0°

Common pitfall: the white follows it in. At power 1 no aim went in-off; at power 2 the fullest hits did. Play it soft, or a little thin, so the white goes away from the pocket.

Chapter 3 — Choosing

10 · Many answers: how to choose

Spot Answers Choose by…
a ball blocks the red one cushion, two or three cushions (09), swerve, massé the most room; curve only when cushions are shut
a ball right behind the white cue over it (or the spider) the lowest cue that clears it
white almost touching a ball a very fine edge, or play another ball no push stroke
touching a ball on play away to safety, or pot another red what is safest for you afterwards
red in the jaws pot it soft or thin; use it for a plant (10) the white's path after
red near a cushion cut it, double it (08), or play safe (11) the double kiss risk (08)

Trick: say the options out loud before you get down. Players who see only one answer often miss a better one.

Try it at the table

Drill Set-up Look for
Elevation ladder the white, a coin 1 m away; right side, cue level then 10°, 20°, 30° how far right of the coin it ends
Swerve a colour 60 cm in front, a red 80 cm beyond curve round, then hit the red
Massé (practice table) a colour 20 cm in front, a red behind and to the side a soft, controlled curve
Over a ball a red 15 cm behind the white a clean centre-ball hit with the cue raised
Fine edge the white 2 mm from a red a thin hit with no push
Jaws a red over the corner pocket, the white 1 m away ten pots without an in-off

Cheat-sheet
Raised cue the butt lifted: 3° normal, 12° cushion, 20° swerve, 60° massé
Curve grows with elevation: 10 / 20 / 32 / 55 cm after 1 m at 10 / 20 / 30 / 45° (model)
Swerve aim past, side towards the target, about 20°
Massé blocking ball close; about 60°; practise first
Over a ball the cue raised about 17° with a red 15 cm behind
Jump shot always a foul in snooker
Push stroke foul; a very fine edge is allowed
Touching ball play away without moving it; no need to hit a ball if it is on
Jaws soft or thin to stay out

What's next

15 · Rules, tactics and practice. The rules you meet most, frame tactics, and practice routines to build all of this into your game.

References

  • WPBSA, Official Rules (2024-25): push stroke and jump shot (Section 2 Rules 19, 20), touching ball (Section 3 Rule 8), penalty values (Section 3 Rule 11). https://www.wpbsa.com/rules/
  • Dr. Dave Alciatore, swerve, massé and cue elevation; pocketing balls in the jaws. https://billiards.colostate.edu/
  • Curves, the massé and the jaws come from the physics model (raised-cue swerve, ball-cloth friction). Real curve depends a lot on the cloth and your cue; learn yours with the drills. The views on massé in clubs are coaching advice.

Note: this post is in progress. Planned additions: a ball in the jaws of the middle pocket, and the swerve with screw.