Tuesday 27 November 2012

Squash Tips - BASIC TACTICS OF SQUASH EXPLAINED

Always go back to the center

Staying in the center is very important because you're in the position in which you're closer to every corner of the court.

When going back to the T the first step you should be making is toward the ''vertical'' line of the T this way you are in the center, compared to the side walls. Then you should  go to the T.
Being able to get to the T is possible only when


Throw the ball in the corners

This is the one thing that can make you win just by playing a good serve, if you always throw the ball in the corner of the court your opponent will have to run. (Which is the name of the next tactic, as you realize everything in this game is intertwined). To throw the ball in the corner you don't need a huge amount of strength (even if it's fun/useful), what you need is just to rotate the racket-plate in a more ''positive'' way so that the ball will go deeper in the court.


You walk he runs

Running means that you're reacting to your opponent always walk

This is achieved by understanding that the latter you arrive on a ball the better. To better understand this read this article about moving toward the ball.
The other skill to improve is your anticipatory skill which can be improved by watching your opponent closely, he's body language will tell you where the ball will go. Look at how he rotate his torso, how he places his feet and how he swing his racket, if you watch carefully you'll always know where the ball will go.


Make him pay for his mistakes

This game is about consistency,the one who fails the less will inevitably win

As i said before the drive is a way to achieve PAR, whenever your opponent shot's quality is lower than yours you can always think about some shot that will force him to run.
For example a cross court, a boast and a drop shot.
A good paradigm to use when playing is the Deep/short alternation.


Deep short alternation

Every time your opponent is behind, drop the ball in the front

To make your opponent run, whenever he does a shot which you easily retrieve, make him pay for his mistakes by making a drop shot/ attacking boast, so that he has to run.
Everytime he retrieves that, make a long shot so that he has to run, if you keep the control of the center, you will make him consume a lot of energy while you'll be fresh.

In order to learn this tactic fully you have to stick to it even when you feel like it's better to do something else.

If you get yourself controlled by the emotions while in a game you'll loose focus and it will result in you making mistakes.


Play with equilibrium both in the body and in the mind

Every failure is a brick in your palace of glory

Everytime you make a mistake it is a natural way to tell you what you need to improve.
You shouldn't be angry at this because the only way through which you can understand yourself is by trying and the more you try things, the easier you'll understand how they works.
So not only focus on having a center of balance (which is the fulcrum of your strength) when you make a shot, but also focus on the process of improving your skill instead of just obtaining new trophies!

The basic tactics of squash here explained must be merged toghether since they are intertwined.

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