Using Targets

When you practice, either in condition games, drills or solo hitting, do you ever use targets? After 30 years of playing and coaching squash, I realize how frequently people hit a shot with no given target in mind.

We all know to start with that we want to hit the ball straight and tight, at least most of the time. But you're going to be a better squash player if you can hit the ball where you want it, plain and simple. Less focused on is the weight of shot or height of the shot.

Let's start with angle/direction. One of the most common flaws when people hit length is that they use the sidewall as a crutch. I  can hear you asking me, 'Chris, what does that mean?' Well it just implies that people hit their length into the front wall and then the sidewall to hit a straighish type of drive. But hitting this sidewall too early slows the ball down and doesn't get to the back of the court quick enough and gives your opponent more time to take the ball early.

How can you improve the angle of your drives and drops? Awareness is a big part of it. At the World Juniors this summer, the top few boys hit the ball so straight. They didn't always hit the ball right on the wall, but they rarely hit the sidewall early. Doing this well means you have great awareness of your racquet face and you have fantastic control of how angled the racquet face is at contact.

When almost everyone plays a drop, they aim for the nick and the ball seems to always hit the sidewall. If you change your focus to hitting the floor before the sidewall, or getting the ball to finish tight you will improve the angle of your drops and they will be much tougher to retrieve, no matter how quick your opponent is. You can also use targets in creative ways (see the video below).

Okay, so you understand how to work on improving the angle of your shots. What about the weight of shot? A simple method is just putting a target on the floor against the sidewalls. The stronger the players, the smaller the targets should be. You could use a racquet, a shoe, a target that you get to keep if you hit it (like a $5 bill or protein bar or squash ball box). Sometimes I'll play timed games where only targets count as points. This makes it competitive. You could also use a target for simply bonus points in a game. In solo hitting you can alternate between weights of shots. If you've seen The Secrets Of Solo Hitting, you'll know that one of my favourite weights of shot targets are the back corners, but for the second bounce. This is an attacking drive and is quite difficult to hit. Again you can use various targets in the back corner.

Working on attacking drives you can either aim for them on every drive or anytime you get an opening. And this is how a lot of top players play; when you have time and space, even from the back of the court you should be aiming for a drive, second bounce into this back corner. Think back to the angle though. If you hit the sidewall too early you have no chance of getting the second bounce into the back corners.

Want to improve your squash game? Start using targets and start visualizing a target in your rallies. I know for me if I just place the ball around the court, even if it's into the right areas of the court I'm not going to be nearly as effective if I'm not hitting targets into the right areas of the court. The right weight and angle of shot makes the court play a few feet or inches larger and take time away from your opponent. What is pressure in squash? Time and spacial pressure; reducing yours by increasing your opponents.

Want to learn my most difficult solo routine using targets? Check out The Advanced Secrets Of Solo Hitting (& Movement). SeriousSquashShop.com/Collections/Coaching-Videos

Swing Within Yourself

Today is going to be a short post, but an important topic. This will especially be so for most amateur males in particular. Today I'm going to discuss the importance of swinging within yourself. Most of us really enjoy hitting the ball as hard as we can, but pay close attention to the pros game and you'll find this is rarely done. It is not an efficient way to play over a long period of time. It also leaves you off-balanced and slow recovering to the T. At the amateur level it can also be quite dangerous.

When you get stuck playing bang ball type of squash you are not really thinking anymore. You are gripping the racquet tightly and this will make it very challenging to ever develop soft hands and a good drop shot. Another big issue with swinging at maximum power is that most people's technique starts getting sloppy. When this happens the ball is hit late and the depth is also way off as well. Hitting out of trouble may work against some people at your level, but players a bit better won't have any trouble exploiting this weakness. If you aren't accurate you will be doing all of the running.

If I play someone wild and overhits I just lob the ball and hit it deep to their backhand until they pop out a loose one. Then I hit short and they will be under pressure and this is where they begin doing their court sprints. You know they want to hit it hard and the ball is going to come back deep, so I wait for it and hit the next shot back down the wall. After a few rallies or a game, they eventually punch themselves out.

If you want to learn how to hit it harder, you should focus on improving your biomechanics. This includes transferring your weight into the ball, getting your racquet set in time and having the proper spacing when you make contact. If you use your core, torso and legs you will get much more pace on your shots and more efficient power than when you swing for the fences. This is why I titled this post, 'swing within yourself.' As soon as you begin taking an excessive swing to hit it harder most amateurs technique really falls apart. Then both players are at an increased risk of injury! And we already discussed the other issues with trying to overswing.

This doesn't mean you can't hit it hard. Just don't put 100% effort into any of your shots. Try maybe 90 or 95% even and you'll find yourself having more control and your shoulder and elbow won't be sore. You may even make it through an entire match without getting completely exhausted.

Some people get nervous and overhit early in a match. It's a macho thing. We want to hit it harder than our opponent. This isn't what wins matches at a high level. Power is a weapon, but not the most important one and it certainly isn't an advantage if your swing becomes too big and loopy and you can't control your shot.