1. Bring the tip of the cue forwards until it is almost touching the cue ball. At this point, the forearm of your cueing arm should be hanging almost vertically.

2. Get a feel for the shot by moving the cue back and forth a few times at the kind of the speed that you will need to play at, making sure that you do not accidentally touch the cue ball.

3. Once you are ready to play the shot, draw the cue back roughly six inches (less for more delicate shots and more for power shots), and stop momentarily. As you pull the cue back, loosen the grip of your middle, fourth and little fingers so that the cue stays parallel with the table and does not lift up at the back as you straighten your arm.

4. After a brief pause, begin to close your arm so that the tip of the cue moves towards the cue ball. As you approach the point of contact, start putting your fingers back onto the cue and resume your original grip at or just before impact.

5. Strike through the cue ball, focussing on achieving maximum acceleration at the point of contact and following as far through the other side of whether the ball was as possible.

6. After you have struck the ball, your forearm should meet your upper arm, thereby providing a natural end to the action. Where possible, try not to stop until you reach this point as this disrupts the flow of your cue action and leads to a worse contact with the cue ball.