Squash Tips & Tactics
The following is a selection of squash tips and tactics I think are particularly relevant to players playing at the level I play at ie. county league squash and amateur tournaments. They are a mixture of observations of the most common mistakes I see all the time at this level, and points I have been taught by various coaches and other players over the years (many of which I am still trying to work into my game!)
- Serve well
Professional players say it doesn't make any difference how they serve because no matter where the ball is returned to, they can retrieve it - all they are doing is putting the ball into play. That may well be so for the pros, but for the rest of us it makes a lot of difference if the serve is good. It is one less ball to go and retrieve for one thing. Whether it is forehand or backhand, make sure your serve is tight to or into the sidewall so that it is more difficult to volley. Aim to hit highish up the sidewall so that it is still more difficult to volley and your opponent may be forced to let the ball bounce. If you can get the ball past your opponent, they have to begin the rally with a good defensive shot down the line or maybe resort to a boast, which gives you an immediate advantage in return for almost no effort. Vary the serve too. Try backhand and forehand serves to find out which causes your opponent the most trouble and which is working best for you that day. Use mainly lob serves to conserve energy but throw in the occasional hard serve to try and catch your opponent out. Try a body line serve and lift it so that it stands a chance of falling in the backwall nick - your opponent has got to move out of the way and let it fall. Practise the serve. It can make a big difference to the outcome of a match and unless you are very sure of yourself, don't go for a Champion's Serve at 9 all in the fifth!
- Return the serve straight
A basic objective of squash is to keep the ball as far away from your opponent as possible, making them work as hard as possible on each shot and tiring them out more quickly (hopefully) than you. Aim to play the first shot of the rally away from your opponent instead of hitting the ball cross-court into their quarter of the court. If the serve is tight this isn't always possible, but your first choice should be to get the ball to the back of the court down the wall on the return of serve. Once there, the ball is safe and you can move to the centre of the court to a position of control, having forced your opponent to move from the T to retrieve the ball.
- Long before short
Don't take the ball in short until you have forced your opponent to the back of the court. A good rule is unless you are in front of you opponent on the T, don't play a drop shot. A surprise boast can be effective, but only when you notice your opponent standing too far back from the T waiting for the next shot. Going short too early gives your opponent an easy opportunity to get in front of you and use the counter drop or short boast against you. In fact, there is a wide range of shots they can play and you have given your opponent control and put yourself out of position. If you can't get in front of your opponent just keep driving the ball to a length and maintaining position on the T until the opportunity presents itself.
- Take the ball in short with a margin for error
In the above scenario, what you are looking for is the right time to go short, either with a straight volley drop or a volley boast. If you get a loose shot, take it in short with a margin for error. In other words, play the shot successfully, don't go for a winner and put it down.
- Keep drop shots tight to the sidewall
When playing a drop shot, make sure it bounces close to the sidewall. Split the angle between your racket and the sidewall to do this and allow your margin for error - as long as the ball lands tight, it will be difficult to play and the shot will have served its purpose: to force your opponent to the front of the court.
- It's harder to go front to back than side to side
A successful short shot played at the right time puts pressure on your opponent for two reasons: He must now retrieve the ball after his loose shot and he is under more physical pressure because it is harder to retrieve a ball from the front of the court than from the back, coming off the back wall. The reason for this is simple: you have to get down lower and once down there, you have to get back up again. Focus on moving your opponent from the back of the court to the front and back again, rather than hitting lots of cross-courts.
- It ain't over till your opponent runs out of puff
Always expect another shot from your opponent and don't stand around admiring your shot (everyone has done this at some stage). After you have got your opponent under pressure, look for the next shot to increase it. This may involve driving the ball long again to the corner furthest from your opponent or across the direction he is running in; or it may be a counter drop. Whatever it is, look to apply the pressure shot on shot, until it becomes too much for your opponent to handle. Resist the temptation to go for riskier shots or hit the winning shot extra low or hard, just keep going with the same level of pressure until your opponent gives up. This keeps errors over the course of a match to a minimum and is a much more effective strategy than going for winners. It will also drain your opponent's energy as the match progresses.
- Choose when to volley
It is best to take the ball as early as possible as this takes time away from your opponent. But it is important to be in a good position to volley the ball. A bad volley will end up putting you under pressure instead of your opponent. If you don't have time to get properly in position, leave the ball and take it off the back wall.
- Vary the pace
When driving the ball to the back of the court, varying the pace can be very unsettling to your opponent. Throwing in a slower shot in the context of a medium pace or fast rally can produce the loose shot you are looking for in order to take the ball in short, or give your opponent cause for thought which will prevent them getting back to the T quite in time. You should always try to stay in control of the rally by dictating what is going to happen next. One way of doing that is to vary the pace.
- Watch your opponent
It seems obvious, but it is very easy to forget to watch what your opponent is doing and just rely on where you expect the ball to be going. You should be watching your opponent's racket, not their body as they can shape their body to mislead you. Keep your racket prepared, try and anticipate where the shot is going, but wait until the shot has been played and then move from the T. Many quite good players don't do this and it can be the key to beating people you never thought you could.
- Arrive at the T as the shot is being played
People say get back to the T as quickly as possible. In fact you should time your journey back to the T to coincide with your opponent striking the ball, while watching all the time. This maintains your momentum and gives you a substantial advantage because you can arrive at the ball quicker and expend less energy doing it. When you see players feigning shots, what they are trying to do is get their opponent flat-footed on the T so that they can create pressure. If this happens, moving your weight from one foot to another while on the T can help to maintain momentum.
- Every shot 2 or 3 steps from the T
When you opponent's shot has been played, you have much more time than you think to get to it and play your shot. Watch where the ball is going and anticpate where it will end up in relation to you. Allow yourself room to play the ball with the weight of your body going forwards. This is difficult to get right but it is one of the major differences between advanced and intermediate players. If you master your movement, it will give you control over your opponent and, crucially, conserve energy: You will be saving one or two steps per shot over the course of a match, which adds up to a lot of mileage!
- Get behind the ball
Maintaining distance from the ball also gives you scope for deception. If you are parallel to the ball, there is really only one shot you can play and your game becomes totally predictable. Good players are able to maintain a position from the ball which allows them to a) play the ball straight b) take the ball slightly early and play it cross-court or c) take the ball slightly late and play a boast. If your opponent always has three shots to contend with you are at least three times as difficult to play than players who present one shot and then play it.
- Use the upper court
People don't lob enough. It is one of the most effective shots in squash for two reasons: Firstly, if (ceilings, beams and court heaters permitting) you get enough height on a lob, the ball bounces low and is difficult to dig out of the back corners; and secondly, the only other place on the court where the ball is completely unplayable, besides the nick, is in the air out of reach.
