New snooker players think the game is about potting. It isn't. Frames between two amateurs are decided by who plays the better safety, who controls the cue ball, who forces the opponent into a bad shot. Three safeties handle most of what you'll see. Drill them and your win rate jumps before your potting improves at all.
Safety 1: The long deep return
When the reds are bunched and you have no clear pot, hit the pack thinly with backspin and bring the cue ball back behind the baulk colours. The opponent now has a long shot to a pack with no easy escape. Two-rail return if you can; even one rail beats nothing.
Safety 2: The shot-to-nothing
Pick a red on the edge of the pack with a low percentage but possible pot. Play it firm. If it goes in, great — you've potted. If it doesn't, the cue ball naturally rolls into baulk and you've left a long return. The shot-to-nothing is how pros open frames; it works in amateur play too.
Safety 3: The double-baulk
When the opponent is snookered or you need to swap pressure, play the cue ball off two cushions to leave it tight against the baulk cushion. Most amateurs cannot escape from there cleanly. You'll either get a free ball or a foul.
Drill it solo in 20 minutes
Set up the same shot ten times. Play the safety. If the cue ball ends up in baulk AND the object ball is no easier to pot than before, count it as success. Aim for 7 out of 10 across three sessions.
Find a club
Snooker venues across Portugal — pick one, book a table for an hour, drill these three. Your friends will think you've taken lessons.