Stadium Squash CLUB

Advanced Skill Development For Elite Squash Players
Today I'm going to talk about some advanced skills that are required for playing at the highest possible level. Some of these are more vital than others and many take a high degree of skill and dedication to execute correctly and efficiently. If you have the basics down and are wondering what you can work on next, I've made this list just for you.

For me the basics include effective and efficient swing mechanics, early racquet preparation, a repeatable swing, control, shot selection, movement along with a moderate to high level of fitness. If you're still working on the basics you can bookmark this post and come back to it when you're ready. I will cover all areas of the game including some specific shots, tactics, sport psychology, training and other various tips.

Expand Your Volley Attacking Range: many amateurs get good at hitting a volley from their hip to shoulder height. Try and expand this so you can can the ball in short and attack even when the ball is higher, further or closer to you. Top players have a much larger window where they can attack from off the volley.


Learn to Adjust Your Grip: this can be choking up or down on the racquet as well as slightly adjusting the face (open or closed). I was taught never to rotate my grip side to side, which I agree shouldn't be done while learning how to play, but at a very high level it can help you hit the ball flatter when you want to really s***k the ball. You can also give your opponent some different looks by trying something tricky. I think moving your grip up and down on the racquet is more important, but I still like exploring different types of shots and swings.


Changing Your Swing Path: learning to hit the ball flat or even hit with slight overspin as this can make the ball skip and also die off the back wall faster. Learning to be more severe with your attacking shots gives your opponent less time to receive the ball. With the lighter racquets and high quality strings a lot more options exist with what you can do with he ball. You should also focus on being able to put a good amount of slice on the ball, especially when you want to take the ball short. The challenge is on the volley when you don't have much time and you have to keep your follow through high to keep the ball above the tin. If you have watched top players hit drops in live you will see that they are excellent at taking the ball short, even with a hot and bouncy ball.

Work on Your Lob: most people practice their length and attacking skills a lot more then they do their defensive skills. Ramy Ashour has the best lob in the game and this is why he is rarely under pressure for a number of shots in a row. Ramy will play a lob and look to go on an attack on the very next shot if possible.


Work on Your Counter Drop: this shot seems easy, but it is extremely challenging. You're so close to the front wall, but many people are poor at this shot. You are running full speed and while you're decelerating you are trying to play a shot that requires a lot of fines and touch. If you get good at this shot your opponent will have second thoughts about bringing you short and they will likely make more mistakes trying to cut the margins to thin.
*To be continued same day same time next week..

Nicol's tips contd..

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6. Match day
If I’m travelling to an event I arrive at least a day before my first match. Having checked all my kit before departure, I unpack and then familiarize myself with the hotel, venue, travel times, practice times, the courts and the match times. Then I make sure I eat well.
Now it’s time to switch off, stretch, watch a film and maybe get a massage.
Generally our matches are in the evening so there’s no rush to get up in the mornings. If I’m playing at 9pm I may get up at midday, practise at 2pm and relax. First I have a light breakfast and wait for my practice. I always practice on the court I’ll be playing on even if it means practising at strange times.
After practice I stretch, shower, eat (lots of pasta and water), relax and switch off. Sometimes I might havwe a nap.
Then I start thinking about the match, making sure I’m alert, aware, sprightly, heightened, but not tense. Mental preparation is crucial.
At the venue I sometimes watch the match before I’m on. Then I warm-up, stretch and do some explosive bounding so that I’m ready to play at full pace. I also do shadow work with the racket and practice turning and jumping.
On court in the knock-up I try to stay comfortable, hit the ball well, see it well and feel lighht on my feet. I give myself reminders by saying ‘On your toes’, ‘Keep away from the ball’, ‘Be aware’, ‘Focus on the ball’. Sometimes I try out different shots and angles to test my opponent a bit.
Then I’m ready to go!
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7. Having a game plan
Here’s little time to think during a squash match, so much of your thinking has to be done before you go on court. This is your gameplan. You should practise it in practice sessions and games and discipline yourself to stick to it during matchplay. But know when to change it if it’s not working.
My game plan is simple. I want my opponents in the back corners and I want to be in the T. Here are my four main game plan tactics:
a) Length.
b) Take the ball early.
c) Control the T, feel sharp and aware.
d) Take opportunites to attack.
To get my opponent in the back corners I hit low and hard so that they can’t intercept and have to scramble back for the ball. I hit flat with some cut which helps the ball stick in the back.
My strengths are to get onto the ball early, hit a good length and make my opponents work hard getting to it. This makes them concentrate on stopping me rather than getting on with their game.
Applying this kind of pressure forces opportunities for me to attack. My tactics are to get the ball deep, get my opponent stretched and force the weak ball or tactical error. Then I can attack or send an opponent back deep into the corners again.
This is the pattern of a rally. First I set up the rally with length, apply pressure to an opponent and look for opportunities to attack. Just one attack is not always successful so I don’t become rash and lose my tactical discipline when they get the ball back. I just set up the rally again and try to force the next opportunity.

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8. The T is the key
Movement to and from the T is the axis around which the game revolves. To recover the T and if possible dominate it is one of the fundamentals of the sport. Today you cannot play the game from the back of the court. The player in front wins. It’s as simple as that.
Recover quickly from your shots and get back to the T. But make sure you are steady and balanced when you hit.
As you finish your swing, start moving out towards the T. Try to keep it all as one smooth movement. If you play your shot in the front corners you’ll have to push back a bit more dynamically to reach the T, but if you’re at the back of the court you can turn out of the shot.
Once on the T you should be perfectly balanced and ready to go in any direction. If you’re anticipating a straight shot you should hang into the side a little and look to intercept it. If a crosscourt is a possibility you should take up a more central position. If a short shot is a possibility, move forward on the T to cover the front of the court.
For me, squash is like perpetual motion. I try to keep moving so I’m not stopping and starting all the time or using heavy lunging which will tire me out.

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9. Looking to attack
a) Straight volley drop: I play this off both the crosscourt and straight drive. At the top level, taking the ball on the volley is very important. Pros can cover most things but volleying cuts down their time.
b) Drop off the boast: A boast, especially a forced one, can provide a major attacking opportunity to drop or to hold and drive again to put more pressure on. Sometimes we get involved in drop exchanges where we are angling the drop to cling onto the side wall and it is difficult to get a full swing at them.
c) Interceptions from the front: After the drop I look to pick up the volley and punch it away straight for dying length. Often, all an opponent will be able to do with a tight drop is to hit it up straight or crosscourt.
d) Kills: One of the things you are trying to do when pressurising an opponent in the back is to force weak mid-court or three-quarter court balls that you can kill. An opponent has to stay behind to avoid being stroked and you have the opportunity to straight kill, fading it into the side so that it doesn’t rebound. If it is not a winner, it often forces a weak ball that can be hit away.
e) Short variations: Pushing an opponent deep can frustrate them so that they play short from the back corners. This can allow you to pounce from the T onto a short ball with a counter drop and then follow up looking for the intercept; or hold and hit deep again, perhaps with some deception, letting them come back to the T and then send them deep again.
f) Wrong-footing boast: Sometimes when I’m forced behind an opponent on my backhand and I can sense that they are hanging in looking for the volley because they have got in front of me I will throw in a surprise boast, if I can get the ball before the back. When they are committed to volley this is a difficult change of direction.

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10. Variations and deception
As squash players we want the advantage of reading an opponent’s play, but we want to make it difficult for our opponents to read us. We want to keep our opponents guessing by using variations and deception.
Using variations can hold an opponent in position longer before they move or can catch them out with an unexpected variation they are slow to read and to move to.
Deception may wrong-foot an opponent and make them move the wrong way, necessitating a time-consuming change of direction.
In your game, work to develop the attacking side of your play and work on developing variations and deception. Be prepared to experiment a bit in your practice games and be prepared to mess up while you are learning.
Variations are really different alter-natives from the same positions on court. Try to set up the same way for a selection of shots as this helps disguise them.
Later you can add deception by holding the shot or by showing one shot and playing another. The idea is to keep an opponent guessing so they don’t know what’s coming next. There are two examples here. One shows a mid-court positon with some of the alternatives I look for. The other, in the front right corner, is my strongest attacking area; attacking a right-hander’s forehand where it is harder for them to get into the corner. In this second example from the same set-up position I have a whole range or shots and I can generate a lot of pace off a short swing which allows me a range of variations and disguise.
My front right variations
1. Straight drive
2. Crosscourt
3. Straight and crossourt kills
4. Straight drop and the flick crosscourt drop
5. The trickle boast
6. Lobs: deceptive lobs where you shape low for a drop and flick up for a lob. Attacking lobs where an opponent is up the court forcing a boast and then attacking
7. The narrow crosscourt
8. Full swing to drop
9. Short swing to drop

My mid-court variations
1. Short volley drop or volley kill
2. Shape early for a straight volley drop and flick it crosscourt
3. A low hard crosscourt angled to die through service box
4. Crosscourt volley hard in behind the service box for the floor, side and back
5. A higher crosscourt volley floated a bit more to the side floor and back then to die
6. Shape for a straight volley drop, hold it and then punch deep

Advanced Skill Development Contd..
Improve The Efficiency Of Your Movement: repetition of the proper movement will allow you to move around easier and use less energy. This gets better as you stay further from the ball and closer to the T, but to do this require you to lunge deeper so it takes a number of years to develop the leg and core strength to keep proper space while being able to maintain your balance while swinging with a high velocity. Try and use your follow thru for your drives to assist with you getting your body weight moving back towards the T.

Learn To Adjust Your T Position: the actual T line is rarely used as the area for returning to. Learning when to shift your T position takes time, but is essential to playing at a high level. To learn more check out this previous post: http://www.serioussquash.com/2015/02/altering-your-t-position.html

Learn To Hit Open Stance (Especially On The Backhand): many of us play 90%+ of our shots on our dominant leg (right handed player = right leg dominant). Not only does this fatigue our one leg and can cause injury problems down the line, but often it's quicker to just hit off your back leg. When you watch the top players hit they can hit off either leg from anywhere on the court. The advantage to hitting off your back leg when the ball gets behind you is that you can still see/sense your opponent through your peripheral vision and sometimes you can still crosscourt the ball. If you just turn around and hit it, your back will be facing the back wall meaning it is nearly impossible to go crosscourt, you won't be able to see where you opponent is plus it will be more challenging to keep the ball tight to the side wall. Train and practice with both legs to become more well rounded.


Shorten Your Swing: solo hitting helps this a lot. For me hitting with a shorter swing means you are disguise your shot. It is easier to hit deep or short from this shorter compact swing. A shorter set position also means that you are faster to contact once your swing starts. Most amateurs can't do this because they cannot generate enough racquet head speed (and pace). As people improve they are generally good at doing this on the forehand, but have difficulty doing this on the backhand. If you can have a short compact swing and still get power you will cause your opponents all kinds of problems from all over the court.


Put Conditions On Yourself In Practice Matches: instead of just going out and playing when you practice against a familiar opponent try and play some new shots. Maybe you need to focus on hitting it deeper, higher, straighter, volley more, etc. Whatever it is you are working on try and have a focus when you play. You need to practice the stuff your working on in math situations before you will likely execute it successfully in competition. Maybe you want to work on your deception or getting on the ball early. Maybe you want to play more lobs or counter drops. If you really want to improve a specific shot play it more in your practice matches.

Improve Your Crosscourts: if you've been reading my posts for a while you may recall this one: http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/07/crosscourt-talk.html Many people work so much on their straight drives (and for good reason) but don't know when or how or what a good crosscourt is. A good crosscourt depends on a number of variables (see post link). In summary, an effective crosscourt to most to least: it is unreturned, they have to boast, they can boast or hit straight drive but are under pressure and an ineffective crosscourt is one that they can return back to you crosscourt. The less options they have the more effective your crosscourt was.

Polish Your Finishing Shots: you have to be able to put the ball away or apply a lot of pressure eon your opponent every chance you get. You have to be able to do this without thinking, it's instinct. To develop great touch you need to constantly work on your short game. Also spend time working on your nicks. Nicks don't happen by accident. Nicks are all about angles. Nicks can be hit with a high level of accuracy if you really work on them. Also as I mentioned above it takes a lot of practice to be able to put a lot of cut on a drop when the ball is hot and bouncy.

Use Targets: I believe targets is an effective way to monitor your improvements and it also keeps yu focused on the task at hand. If you want to know where you need to improve try and set up a variety of targets for different shots and see how many you can hit in a minute or 2. You can also use targets in your condition games, drills and practice matches to see just how accurate your shots are. If you want to know more about targets have a look back to this prior post: http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/07/target-practice.html

Solo Hitting: some people actually get to a high level without solo hitting, but I feel it so important to your progress. Solo hitting is a good way to strengthen your forearm, work on your accuracy, consistency, spin, swing plane, racquet prep and pace. If you want to know some of my favourite solo hitting exercise you can check out this previous post: http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/06/solo-hitting-drills.html


Watch Video: of top players and yourself. How do you envision yourself playing as you develop and your game matures.

Always Have a Plan: I have been guilty of this and find that most people go on court and just play. Even having a simple game plan can be quite effective. Having a plan is a way to help you refocus and gives you something to concentrate on during the match. If you don't know your opponents game go and have a plan to feel them out and play towards your strengths. As you get to know your opponent better you can adapt and adjust your strategy as necessary. Always go in with a plan when you step on court and learn to make notes about your matches.

Keep a Journal: I always encourage my students to keep a journal. Sometimes we use journals for writing down goals, tracking training and progress and also as I discuss above, writing notes about specific opponents and matches. You may learn something that worked well or didn't and you can make a new and superior game plan when you get a rematch. Keeping a journal is a good way to monitor your nutrition, sleep, rest days and organize your thoughts. If you want to know more about this topic click on the following link: http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/06/keeping-journal.html

Get To The Ball Early: this will likely tire out many of you when yo'r first trying it, but your body will adjust as your fitness increases. Getting on the ball mean early means you have options, you can hit it right away or delay your shot. This makes life extremely tough on your opponent.

Deception: and disguising your shots is crucial as you improve. Skilled players can anticipate a regular struck shot extremely well if there is no disguise or deception. If you can keep your opponent uncertain about where you are going to hit the ball until as late as possible (to contact) they will have less time to react (rather than anticipate) to your shot. This tires out your opponents legs faster and is often the only consistent way to win rallies at a high level. If you telegraph your shot it has to be struck with extremely high precision or it will be returned with interest. If you want to learn more about deception have a look back at this previous post: http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/07/how-why-to-disguise-your-shots.html


Mental Skills Training: I believe that working with a sport psychologist can make a big difference for your game. This can be expensive and is not always possible. So if you want to know what else you can do I suggest reading books about focus, the zone, mental performance and sport psychology. As you improve I believe the mind is the most important tool you posses. You need to be able to stay confident after disappointing losses and stay humble after having success. Getting into and staying in the zone is a unique experience that allows you to play your best squash. It's about not listening to the negative thoughts that we all hear when things get tough or when the finish line is within reach. Learning to stay in the moment is the challenge. Learning how to manage your nervous energy is another important area for playing your best squash. Goal setting is also an important skill that we all know about, but any don't utilize properly. While staying positive after an injury is always a major challenge. The number of ways our mind can impact our long term development is just about endless. You need to have a strong and positive mindset to endure all of the challenges and countless hours of training, that allows your body to continue pushing itself even when your body wants you to ease up. If you're interested to learn more in this subject you can check out this previous post http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/12/dont-think-do.html

Get The Right Team In Place: you can't reach your potential on your own. Find opponents, training partners, coaches, trainers, sport psychologists, phsyiotherapists and so on to keep you motivated and help you achieve your goals. Your environment has a lot to do with your success. Often as coaches we don't like to admit that maybe one of our players is better suited for another program or coach. Sometimes changing a coach isn't even that the coach is better, but about stirring things up and getting a fresh perspective. I know anytime I haven't watched someone play in a month or more I always notice different things as opposed to when I'm working with them on a regular basis.

Try Different Serves: I know this seems like a small thing, but even most top players hit the same serve every time. Some opponents will have more difficulty with one serve over another and sometimes you can catch an opponent napping and set up a quick and easy point by varying the type of your serve.

Experience: there is no substitute for experience. You need to play a variety of opponents under various conditions (courts, humidity, round of tournament, ref, crowd, ball, etc).

Take Care of The Little Things: many people overlook the little things that they can do to keep their body and mind fresh, fit and healthy. They train and play hard, but that's where their training end. If you want to play at the highest level this will not cut it. Be sure to make time for a proper cool down, warm up, rest, nutrition and hydration (regardless of the outcome). Are you refuelling properly? Do you get enough carbs and protein? Oh and of course don't forget to read my blog ;)

Training Like a Pro: this is a tricky one. Everyone is different and it takes years to build up your fitness to a point where you can train as frequently and as rigorous as top professionals do. There is a more than 1 way to train. I like to mix it up but here are a few things you can try: spinning, running/wind sprints, circuit training, yoga, court movement/ghosting and court sprints. You can do boot camps or find a personal trainer that can help asses where you need to become more strong or flexible or maybe it's your endurance, agility or speed that need a boost. This is something that you will have to discuss with your coach and/or trainer. It's no secret that you need to be in top physical shape to play this game at the highest level. Plus squash is a lot more enjoyable when you're not exhausted. Here's some ideas for some off court offseason training http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/07/off-season-training.html

I know this is a pretty comprehensive list. Some of the things (like a journal or having a cool down) are simple to implement into your training plan, while others take months or even years of practice to learn and refine. I suggest making a checklist of which areas you would feel improve your game the most; maybe the top 3 to start. Work on these areas and then resist this post later on when you want to add a little something extra to your game. One concern for coaches is overreaching, which is possible if you try and focus on all of the areas above. If you want to be successful in each task you need to dedicate a proper amount of time for each area. I very well could have (and may one day) write a post about each and every subject I've discussed here today. Have fun with this, enjoy the challenge and good luck!

Altering Your T Position I know it's been over a week, but I'm back with another post. Today I'm going to talk about how to change your T position. I find most men's...

Nicol's Top Ten Tips
1. Plan to play well

My advice is to start your preparations four to six weeks before you start playing matches. During the first two weeks you should do lots of on-court routines and off-court aerobic fitness work (eg: on the bike). Every other day you should be doing a bit of weights work. I do a lot of leg work to give me power around the court and upper body work to keep me symmetrical.

Over the next two weeks you should play conditioned and normal games. Concentrate on what you want to improve rather than on winning the games. Also do some quick ghosting (20-30 seconds, no more) and keep up the weights sessions (light weights, more reps).

Before you actually play a match you want to make sure you’ve hit plenty of balls but at the same time that you’re well rested.

But what about the mental preparation? The key is to set yourself goals and have a clear idea of how you want to play tactically in your matches.

Don’t just wander through your training routines. Every shot is important, even in practice, and needs your full energy. Even when you’re in the gym you should be concentrating on the good it will do you on court.
If you play practice matches before real matches, don’t worry if your game isn’t as polished as you’d like it. Be patient. You goal should be to play well when it counts.

Once I actually start playing in a tournament I let myself go onto auto-pilot. I try to play within “the zone”. This means I’m completely relaxed and I let all the practising and training speak for itself.




2. Get into a Routine

This is my training day. Whatever training you are doing try to get into a routine. It will help a lot. I wake around 7.30am and have a large breakfast (a smoothie or milkshake with fruit plus six pieces of toast and cereal. During a training period I normally feel tired and stiff. This is normal. It’s important to get motivated and work out what you want to achieve in a training session.

On arriving at the club I warm up by running for five minutes and stretching. I then hit alone on court for a while and stretch for another 15 or 20 minutes. Then I start on a session with some of the guys in our squad. Physically we work hard. Nearly all the movement is from the T, exploding off and pushing back to it again. Our routines are based on what we want to do in a match situation and we are aware of this mentally. We’re not just practising shots, we’re training and disciplining the mind.

Then we start condition games (games with special rules that let us concentrate on something we’ve been practising. Just before lunch we do abdominal exercises and a good warm-down and stretch. After lunch we might have a little nap.

The afternoon session might consist of interval training on the bike. I try to think of hard rallies in a match when that extra push is needed. Again I will stretch before and after the session and do some abdominal work.

I eat early in the evening and try to relax for a couple of hours with something totally unrelated to squash.

Later in the evening I stretch for about an hour, preparing myself for the next day. I get to sleep early. I deserve a rest and my body needs to recover.



3. My basic practices

Use basic practices to groove and improve your shots. Make time for this perhaps before you play. It can have a big impact on your game in the longer term. Concentrate on doing a few practices well. My basic practice is the boast and drive routine. Starting at the front of the court I concentrate first on striking the ball, turning my shoulders, staying away from the ball and making sure I open the racket face and hit the ball sweetly just in front of my front leg.

After hitting, movement back to the T is crucial so that you can practise your positioning for the next shot. Practise getting in the right place for your shot and try to eliminate casual shots.

Drives should be hit flat and you should be always trying to beat your opponent with the shot just as you would in a match. When boasting, position is all important. To get the ball up consistently under pressure, you have to be back with the ball and far enough away from it to get a full swing in. Make sure you get behind the ball. Under pressure I tend to hit the safer three wall boast, but when I’m in a more attacking position I move my opponent up the court with a two wall shot.



4. My solo practice session

Take opportunities to hit by yourself to improve and groove your skills. This is what I do. Develop your own routine.

a) Easy hitting: I start with easy hitting to the service box. I warm the ball with volleys, then drive and volley to warm myself up, get my eye in and get some consistency. I move my feet for each shot so that I’m in the best position. After easy hitting on both sides I move to the back corners.

b) Full length driving: It’s better to be longer than short. Step in and out of the shot, turn the upper body to face the back, get the racket up and try to be ready and waiting for the ball. Get a rhythm, use medium pace and concentrate on getting the ball right through and straight.

c) Low drives and kills: From the back of the service box I practise short kills with cut and low drives angled to bounce and cling and which come back three-quarters the way down the court.

d) Volley kills: From behind and at the edge of the service box I hit hard volley kills with a bit of cut, but with a short and controlled swing.

e) Drops and volley drops: From around the short line I hit volley drops (softer with touch) and drops (with more cut). If I have an angle I go for the nick. If not I play it to bounce on the floor and cling.

f) Short shots: Short drops I practise by feeding it short and moving in from the T; counter drops I feed short with controlled movement, concentrating on getting the ball tight on the side.

5. Volleying

Volleys are the key to playing squash at pace, pressurising your opponent and creating time for yourself. They let you keep the middle and get in front of your opponent. The player in front wins.

Always look for volleying opportunities during a match. If your opponent makes it back to the T you should look to follow up with a second volley to get him out of position. Don’t just whack the ball around on the volley or speculate with volley nicks. Use the volley to dominate the T and use variation to avoid being predictable - various paces of straight drives, crosscourts and boasts.

Think about using combinations and think ahead. Look to follow up your short shots by intercepting and making opponents scramble back for dying length volleys. If you’ve gone short try to intercept and play long.

To be continued same day same time next week..