Finishing on the black: how to close out a frame
Frames are not usually lost in the middle. They are lost on the last two balls, when a player who has cleared beautifully arrives at the black from an impossible angle.
The black is rarely a hard pot. Getting to it properly is the hard part, and it is entirely practisable.
Practising the finish specifically
Both are from the Black Ball pack. Few balls, all open, and the black must go last — which makes them pure position drills disguised as potting drills.
Three or four balls is the right number. Enough that you have to plan a route, few enough that you get many repetitions of the thing that actually matters: arriving on the black correctly.
Three balls, black last — a clean finishing drill.
Four balls, still open, more position to plan.
Decide where you want to be on the black first
Work backwards. Look at the black, decide which pocket you want it in, and decide where the cue ball should be to make that pot comfortable. Only then plan the balls that get you there.
Most players plan forwards from the ball in front of them and discover the black situation when they arrive at it. Planning backwards from the finish is the single biggest improvement available on this shot.
Leave an angle, not a straight
Dead straight on the black is a worse position than a slight angle, for the same reason it is worse anywhere — you have no sideways movement, so any error in pace leaves you nothing.
A ten to thirty degree angle is comfortable, keeps the pot easy, and gives you a tangent line to work with. See position play.
The pressure part
The black is the shot most affected by tension, because it is the only one where the frame ends either way. The physical faults are the familiar ones — tighter grip, rushed backswing, head lifting early to watch.
The fix is to practise it with consequence rather than without. One attempt per session at a genuinely awkward black teaches you more about the shot than fifty comfortable repetitions.
A finishing drill with teeth
The reset condition is what makes it work. By the third clearance you will feel something close to real pressure, which is the state you are trying to train.
- Set a three-ball black layout. Clear it. If you miss anything, reset from the start.
- Three consecutive clearances to pass. Not three attempts — three in a row.
- Stop when you pass, or after ten minutes, whichever comes first.
Common questions
- Why do I keep missing the black?
- Usually position rather than potting. Arriving straight or at a very thin angle turns a simple pot into an awkward one. Plan the position on the black two shots earlier.
- Should you pot the black into the nearest pocket?
- Into the pocket you have position for. Choosing the pocket after you arrive is a sign the position was never planned.
Stop choosing your own drills
CueCards deals you a randomised drill at your level, tracks whether you made it, and moves your skill rating accordingly. Free to start, no ads.
Deal a drill