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Squash Training Drills

Many people hate the idea of doing training drills for squash. This is silly. Drills can rapidly improve your game at almost any level and can be good fun.

Hundreds of drills can be found on the Internet (see links page) but here are some pointers to getting the most from drills sessions and some especially useful and unusual drills I have come across:

One drill at a time

It may seem monotonous, but to really get shots ingrained enough to see an improvement in your game, you need to focus on one drill for an hour and a half. After that, it will be with you more or less foreever and you will never make the same mistakes again (well, almost).

Boasts and drives

Boasts and drives are the first thing most people think of when they hear the words squash and drills together. Don't do them. They are bad because they encourage you to stand at the back, or front of the court and wait for the ball to arrive. The purpose of drills is to mimic and reinforce the natural movements of the game, while allowing you to focus on a select number of shots. Traditional boasts and drives teach you how not to play squash.

Two-Player Drills

A:boast or boast/drop B:straight/cross-court drive A:boast or boast/drop

A much better routine to start off with is boasts and drives with an option to hit straight or cross-court from the front. This means that the player at the front is trying to out-fox the player at the back and the player at the back has to return at least some way to the T to carry on retrieving the ball. Better players can take this further by giving the player at the back the option to hit a straight drop from the back, meaning that the front player is them kept on his toes as well. This makes for a much better routine and demonstrates the basic concept that should be applied to squash drills.

A:boast B:drop A:cross-court lob A:boast

The best drills force both players to move through the T. That way both shots and court movement can be worked on. This drill also practices the lob, one of the most effective and under-used shots in squash.

A:boast B:straight drive A:straight drive B:boast

A good all-round drill. If you get bored, try adding a drop in after the boast.

Three-Player Drills

A (T):always hits to back left B (left box):hits anywhere C (right box):hits anywhere

The aim of this drill is to last as long as you can under ridiculous pressure. One rally each until knackered. Whoever wins the fewest rallies (or keels over) buys the pints. Don't do this one if you are 90 or have recently undergone major surgery.

A (left box):boast B (on T):straight drive C (right box):straight drive B:boast C:straight drive A:straight drive C:boast A:straight drive B:straight drive A:boast...

This is a great drill taught to me recently. It is hard to get your head round, but great fun when you do and it takes all three players in rotation through the T to all corners of the court.

If you know a really outstanding drill or one you think we should include here, send it in!