The conditions and features are given concerning the degassing of outburst-prone coal seams by wells drilled from the underground workings in the plane of the mined seam. Technological schemes for the location of wells in the mining areas during the preparation and development of the coal seams prone to sudden outbursts of coal and gas were substantiated taking into account the coal strength determined using the method of M.M. Protodyakonov. The scheme of coal seams degassing by wells oriented to the working face line is recommended with a coal strength factor f ≥ 1.3, the degassing scheme with crossed wells — at f < 1.3. The wells are drilled parallel to the working face line and oriented to it. The schemes are implemented in the shallow mines of Karaganda (Kazakhstan), Ukraine and China. Degassing of coal seams not unloaded from the rock pressure by crossing wells ensured an increase in methane production from 1 ton of coal by 0.4–4.8 m³ in the conditions of seams with different coal strength. The highest indicators were achieved in the powerful outburst-prone seams with a coal strength factor of f = 0.3–0.8 in the conditions of the mines of Karaganda Basin, where the volumes of methane extraction by crossing wells were 5.0–5.6 m3 per ton of the degassed coal reserves in the working areas. In the conditions of the outburst-prone shallow seams of Ukraine, the volumes of methane extraction from 1 ton of the degassed coal reserves on the  medium density seams amounted to 2.5–4.4 m³ with a coal strength factor of f = 0.6–1.1. 2-2.3 m³ of methane was removed from 1 ton of coal at the Dziulishan mine (China) at a strongly crushed coal layer II1 with a strength factor f = 0.3–0.6. The use of degassing schemes for gas-bearing and outburst-prone coal seams ensures an increase in the productivity of working faces and, as a result, high economic indicators.