Play squash like a pro

Jenny Duncalf, British number one, in training at the National Squash Centre in Manchester

British squash, both at professional and amateur levels, looks healthier than ever. In the world top 10 rankings we boast four men and three women. And across the UK more than 50,000 players regularly sweat it out in the nation’s 2,000 or so clubs and sports centres. According to a survey by Ipsos/Mori and Sport England, squash is one of the top 10 most popular sports among adults.

The problem is, few of us ever progress above the level of weekend warrior. Follow the advice of our six experts and all that could change.

How to serve

“For beginners, the serve is the only shot they have 100 per cent control over,” says Mike Harris from the Mike Harris School of Squash (mhssuk.co.uk). “Get it right and you can win four or five easy points a game.”

Harris says a lob serve is the most effective start to a point. To get the correct angle, he recommends standing with one foot in the service box and one in front of the service line, legs slightly apart. “Your shoulders should be at 45 degrees to the front wall, facing away from your opponent when you’re in the right-hand service box, and towards your opponent when you’re in the left-hand service box. Throw the ball up just in front of your left leg, hit it high and central on the front wall.”

The idea is to hit the side wall, and place the ball close to the back wall. “Essentially, you’re trying to ace your opponent, just like in tennis,” Harris explains. “Many beginners try to hit the ball as hard as they can but soon learn that placing the ball is much better than sheer power.”

How to “boast”

A “boast” is a strike that sends the ball against the side wall before it connects with the front wall. Play it as an attacking, rather than as a defensive shot, and it can be very effective.

“Try to hit the ball quite hard, around 2ft in front of your leading leg, and aim no more than 3ft high up the side wall,” suggests David Pearson, national coach at England Squash. “This will give you the correct angle and power.”

Pearson says the most effective boast is a two-wall boast. “Ideally you want the ball to eventually come off the front wall very low, very short and very close to the opposite side wall. This makes it difficult for your opponent to return well. It also opens up the court and allows you to get back into the T [the central area of the court where the lines form a T] from where you can dictate the rest of the point.”

The perfect boast will land right in the nick of the opposite side wall (where the floor meets the wall) and then drop dead. You’ll be very lucky to achieve this.

How to play into the corners

Place the ball in the back corner and your opponent will be forced to return a weak ball which you can then attack. It also moves your opponent out of the T and places them in a restricted position at the back of the court.

“To send the ball into one of the back corners, use the height of the front wall,” advises Ian McKenzie, editor of Squash Player magazine. “Swing under the ball with the racket face turned back at around 45 degrees to the vertical. Angle your cross-court shots wide and your straight shots close to the side walls so your opponent can’t intercept them with a volley. Retrieving the ball out of the back corner is one of the most difficult shots in squash.”

With your opponent now right at the back of the court, your next shot could be a drop shot, soft and low, into the front corner. “First get your opponent out of position,” McKenzie says. “Then make him run. That’s how to win.”

How to control the T

The winning player in a match is often the one who controls this central area, so you’ll find both you and your opponent will be vying to get there – and stay there.

“Once you’re in the T, make your opponent do as much work as possible by forcing them to retrieve balls in the four corners of the court,” says Jenny Duncalf, British number one and world number three. “Meanwhile, you’ll be in the central position, exerting less effort. After numerous rallies like this, your opponent will start to tire.”

Duncalf suggests players stand at the T with their legs about a foot apart and a slight bend in the knees, ready to take off quickly and chase down a ball. “The important thing is to keep your eye on both the ball and your opponent,” she adds. “That way you can anticipate what they are going to do and be ready to chase down their shot early.”

Key exercises for squash

“Amateur players tend to throw themselves around the court at high speed, running, lunging and leaping, but often failing to control their body weight well,” says Philip Newton, physio at England Squash. “Some simple exercises will help enormously.”

The first one he recommends is the double-leg squat. “Start in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart and toes slightly turned out,” he says. “Squat slowly and try to get your backside level with your knees before slowly standing up again. As your legs and hips bend, your upper body should tip forwards but your lower back should maintain its normal spinal curvature.” You can then try the single-leg squat, with one leg on the ground and one raised off it.

Also effective is the lunge exercise. “With your feet parallel, step forward on one leg, moving your body weight forward, before stepping quickly back again,”says Newton. “Your knee will of course bend, but you must keep your chest upright and your shoulders back.”

Key fitness for squash

Squash regularly features rallies lasting as long as two or three minutes. Over the course of an hour this means players can be competing intensely for as much as 40 minutes.

“Even at the amateur level, players must have both strength and endurance for these rallies,” says Mark Campbell, strength and conditioning coach for three of England’s top squash players. “A good way to work on this is to do interval training on a bike machine, a cross-trainer or a rower. Don’t worry about running – you’ll do enough of that on the court.”

Campbell suggests you alternate one minute’s hard training on the machine with 30 seconds of rest for a total of nine minutes (six sequences). “Keep your speed and resistance high throughout,” he adds, “at about 80 per cent of your maximum capacity.”

Do this workout two or three times a week and you’ll soon notice you can play more intensely and recover much more quickly between points.

Dominic Bliss is a regular contributor to FT Weekend Magazine and writes for The Squash Player

pursuits@ft.com

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