The backhand is performed by closing both shoulder and forearm to prepare it and by opening the shoulder and using the forearm to make the swing.
A simplified way to make a backhand consists of simply using the shoulder while keeping the arm extended.
To make a proper backhand you'll first of all learn to add the forearm rotation and then you'll prepare the shot by closing the shoulder and the forearm, as if you were hugging yourself, and to make the shot you'll have to also learn how to extend your forearm when making the shot.
Watch the video to better understand the backhand technique.
One more common mistake on the backhand
In the video i talk about using the wrist improperly and overextending your forearm as the most common mistakes players make.
Another common mistake consists of cutting the ball which is caused by the fact that you make the swing by only releasing the forearm in an oblique manner which causes you to cut the ball instead of pushing it.
To change this error you just need to tweak your shot by making sure that your forearm makes the racket head go downward as if you were drawing a semi-circle with the racket head.
If you have this kind of problem try to watch the video again and move as i move.
Squash have few simple rules. Let and stroke and the distinction between them is probably the most important.
I made three videos: A simple quickstart and two in depth on both Let and Stroke.
The Distinction between Let and Stroke
Here's a simple distinction that will help you better understand these two concepts:
Let is about restarting the rally because your opponent didn't Let you go for the ball or some interruption occurred.
Stroke has to do with impeding the shot, your opponent didn't allow you to make you shot by staying inside of your swing (which is a risky thing to do) or by placing himself inside of your ball's trajectory.
Watch the video to better understand these concepts
Video Tutorial
Extra: Bonus video. When Strokes look like Lets, when Lets look like No Let and when No Let looks like Let
As you've seen from this video is not always easy to decide, the purpose of the following articles will be to make it easy for you to understand the subtle differences
If you'd like to better understand squash and improve your game at a high pace you can download my free e-book by joining my newsletter. Click here
Moving on court is a skill that must be developed constantly.
Yet, especially for new players there is a controversy: "Which foot should they put in front of the in order to make a correct shot?" The answer depends on the level of the player.
Why a beginner must use the "correct" foot
The reason why I teach to always place the right foot in front of you when in the left side of the court and the opposite on the other side is that this way you are forced to rotate your body, this way, coherently with the comprehensive shot theory principle, you will make a drive which when you are a beginner is the most important skill to work on.
Now, when you are a skilled player you should simply stop caring about which foot to place. Especially when playing.
When playing you should not think about which foot are you using
What I mean is that when playing you will have already many other things to care about and the usage of your foot should be simply out of your conscious thoughts.
This is why I suggest you to train in order to be able to play all the shots with the same accuracy using both foot in front of you.
Learning to switch foots will help you for the following reasons:
You can use both feet
You can move faster by using the "wrong" foot
You can deceive your opponent
You are prepared for unusual situations
You can simply stop caring about which foot you use
Actionable exercises to work on your footwork
Make exercises in which you use both feet, for example you can make long drives that reach the backwall and at every shot you can change foot so that you are hitting one drive while having the left foot as your front foot and then switching and having the right foot as your front foot.
Otherwise you can simply make a series of shots in which you using the "correct" foot and another series with the "wrong" one.
To retrieve the ball from the backwall you must abide by many principles, such as:
Wait for the ball to bounce out of the backwall before moving for it
extend yourself to the maximum capacity
Bend your knees
Shorten the forearm to increase the space for your swing
Position yourself so that you can make a drive
The #1 mistake squash players make is that they move in a way that makes their body face the back corner, by doing so they cannot make a drive.
A huge problem when learning how to retrieve the ball from the backwall is that you need to stay far away, yet you have to be close enough to actually retrieve the ball.
A easy to implement solution I've found to this problem consists of making a side step toward the backwall.
The side step
Try this:
When moving for the ball (remember that you must move in a way that makes you stay in the center relative to the sidewalls and then eventually make a side step), when you are close to the backwall, make a side step toward the backwall so that you are really close to it, and then make a step toward the sidewall.
By doing so you will be able to make a drive which is the foundation of all of squash.
Here's the three step to follow:
Move for the ball
Make a side step toward the backwall
Make the final step toward the sidewall.
By following these three steps you will be closer to the ball and it will be easier to retrieve it.
What I mean is that if you move correctly, you will tend to make more accurate shots, if you make accurate shots you'll tend to use the proper tactics of squash and score points whenever you can.
Therefore the easiest way to work on your shot is to work on everything XD
Now, let's get to the meat of this game:
To increase the strength of your shots:
Create a stable base
Open way before the shot
Stay away from the ball
Create a stable base
If you place your legs in a way that makes you grounded you will be able to put more of your momentum and weight into the ball.
The best way to create a stable base consists of making a sidelong step and then bend your knees.
The most common error here is that many squash players tend to make their final step to the front of them, just like if they were on a balance beam.
Instead focus on creating a large base, like a circle.
Make sure to bend your knees and place as much of your weight on the front foot (the one you place in front of you when making a shot).
Open way before the shot i.e. prepare the racket soon
In fact I recommend opening the shot as soon as you know in which side the ball will go because by being ready to make a shot whenever you need you will be able to capitalize on the occasions that will happen during the rally.
As i said in my introduction to squash video you don't have to walk on half of the court.
That's because if you extend yourself by moving properly and extending your arm you can reach the side wall from the center with just one step.
Plus if you stay far away from the ball your racket will have more momentum and therefore your shot will be stronger.
This is critical because many of the mistakes squash players make in court are due to the fact that they stay too close to the ball.
There are 4 techniques that I want to share with you:
Vary the time in which you make the shot
Alternate the "correct" and the "wrong" foot
Use the wrist to change shot whilst making the same swing
Move your body in a "wrong-tale" way
Deception in squash can be used in many different ways.
In the video I'm talking about five techniques you can implement right now.
How to learn deception in squash
-Vary the time at which you make the shot.
If you watch the ball closely you will realize that you tend to hit it in the same time, what I mean is that you are used to hit the ball at the same height, if you focus on changing this habit you can gain a tremendous advantage.
That's because if hit the ball as soon as it bounces you will put an enormous amount of pressure on your opponent.
Instead if you wait for the last second your opponent will have probably already reached the T and since he will have his feet totally on the ground, it will be harder for him to start moving at a rapid pace.
-Alternate the left and right foot
This is a really interesting tactic because changing your stance in this game can also change the kind of shots you can make.
By alternating the left and right foot when you make a shot you will give your opponent a hard time in trying to read you.
Remember that when you are in the front of the court you should use as many shots as you can such as: -Drive -Cross Court -Boast -Drop Shot -Lob
By making so you assure that your opponent won't expect the same shot ans therefore it will be hard for him to forestall you.
-Use the wrist to make different shots using the same swing.
This is big and very effective.
You can change the shot you are going to make by simply tweaking your wrist.
It is easier done than said.
By using the wrist you will be able to make three different shots whilst making the same swing.
-Drive -> Don't use the wrist
-Cross Court ->Use the wrist at the end
-Boast-> Rotate the wrist so that the racket is facing the side wall (i.e. it's head is pointing to you)
Combine the usage of the wrist with this other simple tactic and you are going to score much more points!
When the ball is near the front court, raise the racket like you are going to throw a strong shot and then make a drop shot.
This works pretty often because your opponent will react as if you are going to make a deep shot.
-Move your body so that it conveys that you are going to make a different shot than the one you make.
This works great if you are going to make a drive, you can rotate your shoulders toward the center of the court and your arm on the opposite direction so that it creates the illusion that you are making a cross-court when you actually make a drive.
Check this tactics in the video for more information!
Enjoy!
Squash is a fast paced game and you must first understand this game in order to play it well.
The basic tactics explained in the video are:
-Always come back to the centre
The centre is the nearest point to all the corners, when you are playing such a good squash that you are leading the game you will find that you are in the centre most of the time.
Yet playing well is useless if you don't have the habit of always coming back to the centre no matter what.
You see, if you don't always try to come back to the centre, there will be a time in which your opponent (by seeing you) will capitalise on this occasion and score.
When i talk about coming back to the centre i don't necessarily talk about going in the T.
There are times in which staying in the T can be harmful, for example if you make a strong drive that bounces high off the back wall.
Anyway although you don't always need to come to the T you must always stay in the centre relative to the side walls.
This is because you are always just one step from the side wall. Instead if you stay in one side of the court you are giving aways a great advantage to your opponent.
So as i teach you in my court movement tutorial: Always come to the centre relative to the side walls, and eventually come to the T.
-Use the Drive efficiently
The drive is the meat of this game.
By properly using this shot you will always force your opponent on the back of the court.
What you must understand is that the drive is not necessarily a shot made to score a quick point, it is a shot used to build your game.
Use it as a foundation.
The drive works like this:
You always make a drive, no matter what your opponent makes.
This way your opponent will have to go into the back corner and you will be able to control the centre of the court.
When you are in control of the T and therefore in control of the game you just have to keep using the drive until your opponent makes a bad shot.
Then it is time for the long short alternation tactic.
-Alternate long and short shots
The most basic tactics of squash states: Throw the ball in the corners, always where your opponent is not.
I'd change this tactic and suggest that you make many drives and whenever your opponent makes a shot that is not good (check my triangle theory for in depth explanation of the geometry behind a good or a bad shot) you simply make a drop shot.
This is the most simple yet most consistent tactic in the game.
Use the drive -> force your opponent in the corner -> make a drop shot. Wash/ Rinse/ Repeat.
The way squash works is that you and your opponent are on what is called PAR in golf until one of you makes a shot that is better than the one of the other.
Whenever this happens one player will be in disadvantage, he will actually have a little delay on the ball in respect to the player in advantage.
The way the delay gets managed depends on both players.
As a general rule if one player makes a great drive that is aimed at the back corner the game returns to a par or the table gets turned.
What i suggest to you is that every time your opponent is in delay you speed up the game a little so that the delay will actually cause an error.
-Watch your opponent
Watching your opponent is really crucial in two important ways:
To understand what shot will he be doing
To decide what shot you want to do
When playing at a low-medium level you can watch the body of your opponent, in fact the body is a accurate indicator of which shot is going to be played.
Instead when you play at an advanced level i suggest that you only watch the ball. That's because one of the pros's aim is to always fake their body communication.
So, whenever you are on court:
Always watch the ball, when you have to play it and when you have already played it.
When your opponent is going to make a shot always be aware of where the ball will go.
This is the crucial point. After your opponent makes a shot, you just need a millisecond to understand where the general direction of the ball is. As i suggested in the court philosophy article you should move in an way that leaves no room for error.
The great new tweak i suggest you add is that when you are moving for the ball, you should turn your head to watch where your opponent is.
This ways you will know which is the best shot for the occasion.
-Be unpredictable
Easy said, hard done.
To be unpredictable is hard to explain, i suggest that you make sure to alternate some shots at specific points.
For example when you are near the front corner the standard moves are the drop shot and the cross court. But you can also do an attacking boast or a lob.
As a general rule do two of the standard shot and then change to something else.
This way your opponent won't be able to read you as an open book.
If you always watch your opponent and mix things up you will find it pretty easy to dominate on court.
Another shot that i love is the attacking boast when your opponent makes a cross-court or a drive.
There are situations in which your opponent makes a shot that is not good enough to force you in the back and you can make the boast in the meantime when your opponent is recovering to the T.
If used with moderation it usually gets an easy point.
Another shot that is surprising is the cross-court from the back wall done at the last second.
If you wait to retrieve a ball from the back wall your opponent will generally assume you are going to make a boast or a drive. If you instead move your body at the last second and make a cross-court you will surprise your opponent.
To wrap up i recommend you to play with consistency and always do in game what you practise in training.
Don't try to be a phenomenon, because the best is the one that has all the fundamentals down.
To perform a lob you first have to make sure that your racket plate is facing upwards, then proceed to aim at the highest point on the front wall and make a feeble shot.
The lob is well known for the fact that if it is not retrieved with a volley it will typically score a point.
In fact you have to make sure that the ball reaches the far end of the back of the court and doesn't bounce from the back wall.
When Should I Make A Lob?
The lob is a funny shot, and it is also lethal is properly executed.
You should make a lob in two particular situations:
When you are near the front wall and should make a drop shot, you can opt for a lob to mix things up
When your opponent makes a drop shot and he is behind you, in order to avoid getting a stroke, you can make a lob. This will force your opponent on the back of the court.
Extra: Only for readers: Exercises for working on the lob.
Other than the lame exercises that you can do by yourself by making a boast and then making a lob, you can find a partner and do this amazing exercise:
Both players have to start from the T:
One player will make the lob (and therefore play in the front side of the court)
The other will make the volley
You can do this exercise and practise both a drive lob or a cross-court lob.
The player that does the volley will have a fun and hard time trying to catch your balls, he can do both a volley boast or a drop-shot (both on the same side of the court and in the opposite side of the court).
I suggest you try this exercise, it will be a lot of fun!
The bachand swing can be pretty tricky when starting out.
Note that in order to make a drive you will have to face the side wall hence it can feel a bit strange because you are not watching the front wall directly.
An important factor is that you rotate the wrist so that the racket plate is facing upwards, i say to my student that when they open the backhand is like they are accellerating on a moped.
When starting out you can prepare the shot by simply closing the shoulder and make the swing by opening the arm-pit.
Instead to make a great backhand swing you must also bend your elbow.
A great way to understand how to make the backhand swing consists of hugghing yourself, then remove the arm without the racket and just let the swing go.
The greatness of this technique is that by reducing the space your racket occupies you will be able to retrieve the balls from the back wall in an easier way.
This is a 4 minutes video introduction to squash, in this video are explained the basic concepts of Squash's:
Rules
Service
Shots
Court movement
Tactics
Introduction to squash
Squash is a fast paced game in which two or four players with rackets and non-marking shoes come into court to play.
Whenever the ball hits the front wall it's the opponent's turn to hit the ball.
To achieve the goal of making the ball reach the front wall you can use all the walls.
The ball can bounce on the floor once, but if you can/want you can use the volley.
How to score points in squash
For you to score a point your opponent has to:
Let the ball bounce twice on the floor when it is his turn to hit it
Throw the ball against the floor
Throw the ball Down (under the lower line called the Tin)
Throw the ball Out (over the highest line)
Get hit by the ball
Extra: Let and Stroke
There are certain situations in which the two players find themselves to be stuck.
It can happen that a player prevents the other to reach the ball.
For this reason two important judgements that can only be decided by the referee have been created.
The let and the Stroke.
A let is played when one opponent's prevent the other player to reach a ball that he would otherwise retrieve without complications.
Instead if the player would make a shot that goes directly into the front wall and by doing so the ball would hit his opponent, then if the player stops the referee would call a stroke and assign a point to the player.
The serve, how to make the rally start.
The serve is a crucial shot in squash because you have total control over it.
Court movement is done in a way that always let you make a drive and eventually choose not to.
Whenever you have done a shot you must come back to the T.
Stay in the centre relative to the side walls.
To efficiently move on court you will have to do a lot of ghosting, an exercise in which you move around the court by following a specific step by step pattern.
Squash Tactics
When playing squash you must understand that the best shot you can make is a perfect drive that goes near the side wall with the ball that dies in the corner.
A rally in squash is usually made of many drives that are used to force the opponent in the corner, and when the response of the opponent comes to the centre you typically make a drop shot to score.
Is the shot that scores the most points, both for you and your opponent.
This shot is crucial because failure to use it in the right moment (explained next) will result in you not taking advantage of your opponent's mistakes and therefore reduce the chances of you scoring a point.
Basic Tactics with the drop shot
Applying the long-short shot alternation tactic you should make a drop every time your opponent fails to make a drive that is good enought that forces you to move to the corner. (i.e if you hit the ball while standing in the T probably the best shot you can make is a drop shot.)
Of course you can make drop shots every time but it is harder to make it when the ball is in the back and it is easier when the ball is near the front wall.
As a general rule you should never counter a drop with another drop unless you are absolutely sure to score the point because the position you will be in will make it really hard for you to recover to the T.
Make it a habit to use the drop when near the front wall, there are a lot of players that because they are afraid to miss the shot they don't do it.
Instead just do it and learn to do it by practicing. Exposure to failure will make you grow faster.
Try to always mix the sequence of your shots so that your game is not obvious.
Characteristics of a great drop shot
To make a drop simply:
Open by placing the racket up so that you are ready to make the shot,
the drop is done by gently hitting the ball while mantaining a firm grip
with the plate facing upwards
aiming as low as possible and close to the corner (not in the corner).
The best drop shot goes just above the Tin and then bounces in the nick never to be retrieved again.
Two great exercises to do right now
You can practice the drop shot alone by implementing in your practice this two exercises.
Exercise-1
Make the best drop you can and then try to retrieve it by extending yourself bouncing the ball very high so that you can easily start again by making another drop shot.
Exercise-2
Go in the opposite back corner in respect to the side where you want to make the drop
Make a Boast and move to the front corner, then make a drop.
Try to retrieve the ball.
Go back again in the corner and repeat.
To come back to the corner try to make some volley while walking back.
You can then choose to play the next combo: Boast/Drop in the same corner or in the opposite.
This exercise is more effective but it requires more time.
In the past months I've been publishing videos about how to make different shots.
I want to define the underlying principles behind every shot in squash
The swing is always the same
Preparation of the shot makes it easier
The position of your body determines which shot you will make
This last concept is so important i want to explain it in depth.
Since we make a stereotyped swing that goes from up to down and we hit the ball in the same place relatively to us, the only definying factor for where the ball will go is how we orient our body.
If we face the side wall we will make a drive.
If we face the front corner we will make a cross-court
if we face the back corner we will make a boast.
Therefore you now can undestand how to forestall your opponent's shots by simply watching him play.
In the video there is also a great exercise called the 4 corners.
The boast is a shot that bounces on one side wall before reaching the front wall.
There are two tipes of boast: normal and reverse.
The reverse boast is a typically useless shot because it leaves space for your opponent to attack you, but if done at the proper time can work magic. To make a reverse boast means to throw the ball on the opposite's side of the court side wall and make it so that the ball reaches the front wall.
The boast can be done by simply orienting your body so that you are directly facing the back corner.
The ball will bounce on the side wall and then reach the front wall.
If the angle of the shot is too large the ball won't reach the front wall.
Instead if the angle is too thin the ball will bounce on the third side wall and that will make the ball come to the center and that is not good. always aim for the front corner when making a boast.
You can do both a high and a low boast. The purpose of the first is tipically for defense when you need time to recover to the T. The low bost can be tryed when late to make a drive, but tipically it's best done if you are in advantage to break the rhythm risulting in him getting surprised and you scoring.
The attack boast is better to be done once in a while to make it unespected and score a point.
Instead the defensive boast should be your last resort shot
The boast comes naturally when the ball surpass you. As a general rule use it only in that case.
When doing the boast to attack, make sure you are in the proper position (the ball must be nearer to the back wall than you) and use as much strenght as possible while lowering the plate of the racket.
Instead if you need time to recover to the T do a slow high boast by rotating the plate so that it is facing upwards, this boast generally gives a huge advantage to your opponent but if you manage to come back to the T it is worth trying.
To make a cross court simply orient your body so that your belly button is directed near the front corner.
The ball must bounce in the back corner and stay there.
It is better to use it when in an advantaged position (when you are in front of your opponent)
To make a good cross court you can aim at the center of the front wall, this way the ball will go straight into the opposite side's corner and if your ball has good depth it will stay there.
Use the cross court a few times every rally but not too much, instead make drives all the time. This is because if your opponent get used to you doing cross court he will forestall them and make you pay.
Instead if used sparingnessly you will surprise your opponent and therefore score a point.
The drive is the shot that stays in the side of the court where it has been made and it is best executed when it is the closest to the side wall and bounces near the backwall.
Best practice
The best drive, after hitting the front wall, bounces on the floor in the 3/4 of the back of the court in a way that makes it bounces near the backwall which makes the shot hard to retrieve.
The purpose of the drive is not necessarily to score points, it has the objective of forcing your opponent away from the T giving you the chance to dominate the rally.
The player on the T that most probably is defining the rythm of the rally.
So in order to obtain and keep control of the T you can use the drive.
Your body positioning and the shots you make
The way you make your swing defines the way you make every shot.
The position of your body determines where you will direct your shot.
To make a drive simply turn your body so that your belly is directly watching the side wall.
What i mean is that instead of making rapid start/stop movements between the ball and the T and back again, i suggest to always keep your body in movement, so that your feet are never stale.
That's because to start and stop consumes more energy than it would if you move slower and keep your momentum going.
So the next time you make a slow shot don't rush to the T, take the time to slowly go there this way when you get there you will quickly move away from it with less effort.
Ghosting
Ghosting means exercising as if the ball was there without using a ball.
Basically I'm moving around the court while making shots in all the four corners while always coming back to the T.
This is a great exercise to improve your stamina on court and it is pretty heavy on the legs.
The basic principles that are implied in this practice are:
I tend to move in the center in respect to the side walls and then i make a step to the side,
I always come back to the T,
I open the racket before moving,
I face the front wall when going back to the T.
What are the basics of ghosting:
You must act as if there was a ball
You can focus on various things
You will enhance your stamina and movement patterns
It builds reflexes to come back to the T
It is a pillar of squash skill
The structure behind court movement
The idea is that you should be moving the less and getting the most, therefore you need to know:
All these theoretical concepts will be very useful after you take a grasp on the basics.
In this video i provide you with all the step by step explanation you need to learn the movement patterns NOW.
Here is an extract of the concepts contained in the video:
You must always move in a way that makes you do a drive and eventually choose not to.
The movement pattern are 2, one for the right side of the court and one for the left side.
These are just schemes to start working on this skill, when you'll be good at those you will be able to change them according to your preferences.
The basic scheme is that you walk in semi-circle way so that you are facing the side wall when you reach the ball, this forces you to make a drive and it is great for a novice player.
Movement patterns
The movement patterns requires you to make 3 steps and are as follow:
The first step is toward the front/back wall
The second is diagonal toward the corner in which the ball is located
The last is a side step toward the side wall
The order of the feet involved changes depending on the side of the court.
The volley is the most important shot in squash that is because provinding you move correctly and your accuracy is good, the timing of your shot is the most important factor to win a match.
As a general rule you should be using the volley as much as possible especially to obtain and mantain control of the center.
A great thing when using the volley is that if you are much faster than your opponent you won't even need too much accuracy to score a point, obviously you should focus on precision more than on strenght.
How to make a volley
To make a volley you simply must follow the principle of how to make a good swing and change the impact point up in front of your face.
The swing must be fluid so focus on using the shoulder while mantaining the arm extended.
Try to always hit the ball when it is at should height even if it is okay to hit it in a lower position.
When making the volly you should be extending as much as possible and remember to face the side wall (if you are making a drive)
When to do the volley
You should be using the volley as much as possible, that is becaue it requires less effort and most of the time provides better results.
Where on court
As a general rule it is useless to make a volley when you are near the backwall, that is because the ball will bounce out of it. Anyway you should use the volley everytime you feel comfortable to make it.
How to train the volley
Start by simply facing the front wall and start bouncing the ball, have your arm relaxly extend and hit the ball as much as you can by using the shoulder.
Don't worry about strenght it will come with time.
The ability to retrieve the ball from the backwall is the milestone in the great path to mastery in squash.
In order to be able to retrieve the ball from the backwall you must have already learned:
The Proper Grip
How to Open the shot
How to make a great swing.
Technical explanation
These are the two new skills you will need to add to the 3 mentioned before in odrder to retrieve a shot from the backwall:
Stay as far away from the corner and the ball as you can.
Hit the ball after it has bounced from the backwall
1)Stay in the center and keep your distance
Extending the arm and hitting the ball as far as you can is a great way to move less, this habit must be implemented when working on your shot. The less you move the better.
To stay as far as possible from the backcorner make it a habit to stay in the center in respect to the side walls, simply keep a feet on the T line. This way you're sure to keep the distance from the ball and if needed you can extend yourself.
2)Wait for the ball to bounce before moving
Learning the proper timing to hit the ball requires a ot of practice, but with time you will be ablr to predict correctly the bounce of the ball and therefore you will be able to act accordingly to it.
As a general rule, always hit the ball at the last moment after it has bounced from the backwall.
This technique has many advantages:
It makes you stay away from the corner untill the last moment
The later you make the shot the farer the ball will be from the backwall
The farther away the ball from the backwall, the less you will have to move.
Step by step how to
You will need time to get used to how the ball bounces off the wall.
To start throw the ball with your hand against the backwall and try to hit the ball with the simplest shot you can make.
When you are comfortable in doing so, begin to stay on the T line and make the step toward the side wall only when the ball is bouncing off the side wall.
Learning the proper timing will require a lot of practice, but if you conciously work on it you'll soon realize that you can reduce the size of the court on which you actually have to walk on.