Pace

We all know that pace is an important part of squash. If you hit the ball consistently hard it will move faster and get by your opponent faster. It's also just fun when you crush a ball and the sound it makes off the front wall. When you're in the back of the court hitting with pace can help  ensure your opponent cannot volley your length. When you're in the front, hitting with pace can again keep your opponent from cutting off your shot. Not only can pace make it harder for your opponent to volley, it can also make the ball bouncier which many people struggle with. As the ball heats up many of us have more difficulty controlling the ball and can't bring the ball short well.

Back at university I played a boy who later went on to win the CSA Individuals and he hit the ball so hard and the ball got so warm that I struggled to hit a regular serve. It was to this day the bounciest ball I've ever had to use in match and it felt like I was playing a game of racquetball. He of course was used to this pace of the ball and the bounce and was much better equipped of controlling it. If you've ever experienced something like this you know that nothing else really matters if the pace 1 player is playing at is much higher than the other person can handle or is used to.

The big question here is do you need to be able to play pace or simply handle pace? Handling pace is perhaps more important than being able to apply pace yourself. I've seen many times where someone plays at such a high pace they eventually tire themselves out as their opponent just continues to chip the ball and waits for the right time to deliver the knockout blow. See it can be quite tiring to constantly be hitting the ball hard. Just hitting the ball hard in itself is not enough of a weapon if you are playing someone who moves well and can handle/control the pace you are hitting with.

If you however play a very slow pace you will find it difficult to apply consistent pressure on someone. When you get your opponent out of position you will have trouble hitting say a low hard attacking drive before your opponent can catch up to the ball. So yes, even if your opponent can play at a higher pace than you, you still have to be able to inject pace at the right times.

Again, back at university I remember hitting with an alumni who was still quite a strong player. Back at this time I didn't get a lot of feedback on my game so I was happy to receive some from him. He told me I could do everything well, but I needed to be able to play with more pace. I'm not a big guy, about 150lbs and 5 '7. So before I did lots of solo hitting I had trouble playing against bigger and stronger men. I also remember a good drill I was told to practice to improve my pace. I was told at the end of every practice to play a game or 5 minutes of rallies where I just try to hit every ball as hard as I can. Obviously there are times where I'd be late to a shot and I couldn't' hit it very hard, but the idea is to learn how much physical and mental energy and effort it takes to play a high pace. If you are going to try this I recommend you don't swing hard when the ball is tight to the sidewall and you also need to have reasonably sound biomechanics or you could injure yourself.

So what other tricks are there for learning to generate more pace? I don't have a long lever (arm) or a lot of mass to put into my shot, but I can hit the ball with a good amount of pace pretty consistently these days. A lot of solo drills helped me a lot. I really liked midcourt short hitting drills which helped strengthen my forearm and groove my swing. Hitting with pace also has a lot to do with timing. You can have a great swing, but if your footwork is off or you can't lunge properly you are going to have trouble playing at pace within a rally.

Pace really starts from the ground up. You need to have a solid base of support and if possible being able to transfer your weight from your back hip to front hip is really key. Also learning to rotate your shoulders to connect your core makes a big difference too. When you do this it makes your backswing bigger and it engages your larger muscles. When most people try and hit the ball with more pace they use their arm to swing harder and their arm gets straighter or further from their body. But really it's about weight transfer and rotational core strength. When you link these things together into the swing it becomes part of a biomechanical link which allows small people to hit the ball hard.

Here's a clip from the Serious Squash Youtube channel demonstrating the weight transfer from back to front hip. Notice the solid foundation/base of support. 

If you are simply trying to get adjusted to handling pace and less interested in hitting with more pace you could also try and practice with a bouncer ball (red or blue dot). Doing this will allow you to learn how to control a bouncier ball. You will need to cut your drop shots more and the ball will be higher when you strike it.

Some other tips for increasing your pace: try looser strings. Some strings also are more springy and produce more natural power. Improving your rotational core strength and range of motion. Footwork to get behind the ball. Working on your lunging and squatting will help you get lower and stay balanced when you hit the ball hard even if it's low or you're slightly late to the ball. If you're not athletic and you haven't been doing any strength training you won't be able to play pace under any bit of pressure in a match. Play around weight and balance of the racquet and find which gives you more pace. Hitting a LOT of balls/solo: the more you hit the more you will improve your timing. Do some feeding drills or finish with a condition game like I mentioned above where injecting pace is the priority. Rotate your shoulders, but your racquet shoulder should lower under your chin (your shoulders don't rotate parallel to the floor). You can also play around with the angle of the racquet face; slightly closing it will allow you to hit it harder as spin from an open racquet face takes pace off of the ball.

If you want more information on solo drills to improve both your accuracy and pace, check out The Secrets Of Solo Hitting. This was the 1st Serious Squash instructional film which was released almost a year ago and has already sold close to 300 copies. It comes with a no questions asked money back guarantee. Here is the trailer and you can purchase a digital copy here: SeriousSquashShop.com/collections/coaching-videos

10 Ways To Get Your Opponent Out Of Their Comfort Zone

What is the point of a squash rally? What are you trying to do? Hit the ball away from your opponent? Hit the ball to the back? Many players have no strategy or just a very basic one and when we play someone like this you can have a certain amount of comfort in this. We know what shots we should go for and when we should play defence. Most people play pretty predictable, whether it's the right shot or not they hit shot x from position y without fault. I love playing people like this because often they are making predictable, yet poor decisions. If someone was predictable, but hit very good shots and with good choices that's a completely different beast, but we are talking about 99% of all us amateur squash players out there.

Okay, time to get to the good stuff. Making good choices and being more accurate, hitting harder, being faster and fitter are all areas which we can improve and will help our squash game immensely. But some of us don't have perfect techniques or the time to do these types of things. Some of us are also just not genetically gifted athletes, and although we can always get faster and fitter we know we will never outslug or outrun some teenager who has endless amounts of energy and never tires. So what else can we do? Well I like to think about making life miserable for my opponent and you an do this in a number of different ways. Let's take a look at some of these.


Getting your opponent out of their rhythm can not only help you win more points, it can also help you tire out and frustrate an opponent. Let's g through a number of ways which you can do this.


1) Don't be afraid to open up the court. Are you just playing straight dives until you get a loose ball? Is your opponent cheating with their movement because you never take any risks like playing the odd boast, drop or kill shot from the back. Even from the back of the court, if you have time and space and you pick the right time you can apply a lot of pressure by mixing things up with a short attacking ball.

2) Be super patient/disciplined. It's amazing what can happen when you get into a few 30+ shot rallies. All of the sudden your opponent could start to slow down and force mistakes. Simply extending the length of the rallies could take your opponent out of their rhythm if they enjoy the short quick fire types of points.

3) Pick up the pace. If you have the ability to do this you can really change the game. The ball gets bouncer, your opponent has less time to react to your shot. Changing the pace can definitely take an opponent out of their rhythm, especially if they like a controlled, medium or slow paced style of squash.

4) Aggressively hunt the volley. If you can volley a lot and not let the ball get to the back wall very often your opponent will tire quickly. You can hit volleys to all 4 corners and really work a player around and they will be unaccustomed to having such little time between shots and how fast they need to move. If you can do this you are most definitely controlling the points and going to win the war.

5) Use angles. Many people have difficulty covering boasts and crosscourt. It's also much harder to hit tight off of an angle than it is a straight shot. Some people also do not turn well and get caught leaning expecting the straight ball. I also love playing a few intentional shots down the middle. Even good players struggle with shots hit right at them. It's just not something practiced or expected. If you can hit a few good middle shots. disguise a boast and/or trickle boast your opponent is sure to never ask you for a rematch!

6) Slow the pace down. Some people just love a fast style of squash, so why play into their hands? If your opponent can do this better than you try and take pace away from them. This is what is known as the old lob, drop game. But if you want to play this way you have to practice it, because it takes a lot of ball control and focus to be able to play this way successfully at a high standard. It's also a style you can try for patches within a match perhaps to extend a few points or even just to keep your opponent off balanced with a blend of height and paces.

7) Vary your pace. Many players tend to get into a 1 pace hitting. Even when they go short they hit heavy. Your opponent will eventually get more comfortable with your pace of play if you never change it up. There are also times when lifting or hitting down on a ball can be more effective. Just be cautious about getting stuck playing at 1 pace for an entire match unless that's your intention.

8) Get on the ball early/hold the ball. Getting on the ball early isn't simply about volleying. It's also taking a length before the back wall when you can and jumping on short balls earlier then you normally would. If you get on the ball early you force your opponent to recover to the T quicker and this will tire them out faster. If you have the skill you can also now decide if you would like to hold the ball (as example of this to the right where I've set up nice and square for a straight drive and late in the swing I rapidly accelerate my wrist/forearm to change the angle of the shot). Messing with the timing that you hit the ball is not only fun for you, but incredibly frustrating and exhausting for your opponent. I've done a lot of short hitting over the years, so this is something I do which makes the court play quite big and can make it easy to control rallies against most amateurs.

9) Contain your opponent. This is a style you would hear all the commentators say guys should try and play like against Ramy Ashour. Hit it straight so we can't use his amazing attacking skills. Anytime you play a boast or crosscourt and it isn't hit in the perfect spot it's asking for trouble. I also find this strategy can test someones focus and fitness. If you can get an attacking player into a rotating straight drive type of rally you are taking them out of their comfort zone. Maybe they are not very fit or they try forcing the ball in short. So you see, sometimes doing nothing is a strategy and it can be highly effective.

10) Change your serves and return of serves. People get into habits at how they start a rally. Most people only play 1 type of serve to start a rally and the same 1 or 2 return of serves. Even if struck well our opponents will do better against these shots as the match rolls on simply from the repletion and practice. If you can add in alternate serve or return once in a while it can lead to a different type of rally and you might even catch your opponent asleep at the wheel.

I also suggest taking your time between points if your opponent is rolling off the points. I don't mean intentionally long stalling tactics, but you do get some time between points. Don't let them rush you if they're winning. Likewise for when your'e rolling. Get up to the service box and hit your serve and keep the momentum going when you've got it. A lot of this has to do with your opponent still mulling over their last mistake and starting the next point without refocusing. It's also highly effective when someone is upset, angry or tired. I call this fair gamesmanship, just don't be a jerk about it.

People want to feel skillful when they play and they want to look and feel good about their game. We all want consistency and we tend to play people we like competing against and whom play the styles of squash we enjoy. We basically don't like change and this is what makes us become more predictable ourselves. If you really want to expand your repertoire try and play different styles and levels of players and pick 1 of the above methods and see if it works. Try a new 1 the next time and eventually you'll find the right combination, that is if and until they adapt and you have to again make adjustments to their adjustments. This is now a chess match about adaptations. Just have fun with it and don't be afraid to experiment.

Even simply adding a condition to yourself in a match (without your opponent knowing) can be highly effective. You can even switch it up game from game. This could make it quite tough for your opponent to continually attempt to adapt to your adjustments, which also means you are the one dictating the game, not your opponent and this is what today's post is all about.

Check out all the mech at SeriousSquashShop.com I've reduced some prices on what is left while I consider what to add to the shop next. There are also 2 instructional films which can be purchased digitally. The Secrets Of Solo Hitting and Mastering Deception both come with money back guarantees and can be streamed and downloaded here: SeriousSquashShop.com/collections/coaching-videos

Other Serious Squash updates: deciding between a sponsorship proposal or producing a Serious Squash signature limited edition frame. I'm also starting to brainstorm ideas for the 3rd instructional film. The last 2 weeks of March I'll be running full day advanced junior spring break camps. Registration is limited to 12 kid per week. If you have a child interested in attending please email me at info@SeriousSquash.com for more information. In June I'm still sorting out details about a trip to Brazil to run some clinics for a bunch of clubs. If you'd like me to do this in your country please contact me as the summer is filling up quickly. I'm hoping to play the world masters in July and I run a lot of local junior training sessions here during July and August too.

Lastly, I'm always looking for more connections with Serious Squash. If you have a company that you feel would work well with Serious Squash please feel free to contact me. If you'd like to advertise on my page, discuss endorsements or if you have a project or project that you would like to team up with me on don't hesitate to ask.

The Evolution Of Squash

I guess I'm dating myself by mentioning that when I was finishing up playing competitively I was still playing you had to serve to win a point and the games went to 9 with a set 1 or 2 at 8 all. After my last year of varsity squash the point a rally (PAR) scoring change was adapted by the College Squash Association. Once or twice a year I'll have the kids play this scoring method for a match and most of them don't like it. I don't blame them, I don't like it either, but back then it was how the game was played. The new scoring system has definitely changed the game. And although match times have gotten shorter at the amateur level, at the professional level the matches can still be nearly as long as each rally carries more importance (although I know this also has to do with how frequently they are mopping up sweat and video reviewing let decisions). The scoring, equipment and court have all contributed to the current state of the game and I'm going to discuss a few of the ways that I've noticed the change, both positively and negatively.

Back when you had to serve to get a point people generally went for more attacking play wen they were serving and played more defensive when they were returning. The idea that was you could take a bit more risk when you were serving because your opponent wouldn't actually get a point if you happened to make a mistake. It also meant that if you're serving you have at least some momentum and this is a more opportune time to play a more attacking shot. So this part of the tactics of squash has definitely changed. You'll see at the pro level players being equally aggressive when returning or serving because they can score a point at any point.

The scoring has helped and hurt beginners. It is less likely that a player will get bagled playing PAR scoring, but they can also lose a game in the blink of an eye. This is why I still encourage new squash players to play to 15. Squash is only fun when you're having rallies and you get a good workout. If a game is done in under 5 minutes it's way too short to accomplish both feats.

The scoring has changed the tactics in a number of other ways too. Currently it is much more difficult to come back in a game. Back in the day people came back from down 0-8 or 1-8 quite frequently. Nowadays you very rarely see someone lose a game when leading 10-0 or 10-1. It's simply a matter of stats in this case. The person at game ball only has to win 1 point and not 2 in a row with the old scoring method. So this can be good and bad depending on which style of player you were. If you are a slow starter you would probably do better with the old school scoring method. If you're also not as fit you're probably better suited for the current style because you find it easier mentally to push even when you're fatigued for that last point or 2 knowing all it takes is 1 good shot or lucky bounce.

Going along with the theme of fatigue is another issue that is lost on current players because of the scoring system. When you had to serve to score a point players would be more prone to lose their concentration in a match. Nowadays big points near the end of a game come up quite quickly where focus is generally not as big of an issue. You are also more likely to have adrenalin pumping to help you fight through the fatigue when the end is near. When the games were to 9 and players traded a number of handouts without scoring more than a single point it was very difficult, especially as a kid to keep your concentration for the duration of a game. Generally juniors go through more ups and downs emotionally and with their focus so the old school scoring method did not favour them for these reasons.

Many of us associate the new scoring to the more attacking style of play, but is that really the reason? Is the equipment, lowered tin and slower double yellow dot ball or glass court not more critical factors? The racquets are lighter, the grips aren't made of leather or towel and the string allows for more power and spin on the ball. Also with the wide use of video analysis and elite coaching, players are learning to add all the extra layers into their games that were probably going unnoticed many years ago. Although the scoring has made a significant change to the style of game I believe these other factors have had a larger influence.

I don't know anyone that wants to see a 100 shot rally with only length hit, but a 50+ shot rally using all 4 corners is exciting and much more physically demanding. This style of play has changed the fitness requirements required to play squash. Back in the day aerobic endurance, one's ability to tolerate pain and their mental toughness were probably the most important traits of a successful squash player. Nowadays these are all still important, but speed, agility and power are much more critical. I've noticed that Gaultier and Matthew are looking a bit slower compared to some of the young guns currently rising up on the tour. No doubt that Matthew and Gaultier would still do exceedingly well at aerobic fitness tests against any other pro payer, but naturally your body slows down just a bit when you get in your mid 30's (yes I know from experience!). I feel if the tin was raised back, the scoring was changed back to 9 and the equipment was from the 80's or 90's they would still be winning almost every title. I think Nicol David would also be more successful under these more attritional conditions. Actually, Gaultier has more problems with his concentration so maybe this wouldn't help him as much as Matthew. Although these conditions may favour certain players, I'm glad that the equipment and scoring has changed as it's made squash more entertaining to play and watch.

It's easy to see that the players have evolved because of the equipment and scoring. Do we have the right balance between attacking and attrition? I wonder how the game will evolve in the next 20 or 50 years? Hopefully it stays attacking, but also remains physically demanding. It's the balance of the technical and tactical skill under extreme duress which makes the game so challenging and breathtaking to watch at the professional level. Watching a few of the hardest hitters play I do think the ball needs to slow down just a bit or the court temperature drop. I don't enjoy watching a player like Mohamed ElShorbagy win on sheer power (he would definitely still be one of the top back on the higher tin with the old scoring). ElShorbagy once had a really solid short game, but I haven't seen it on display much this season. Gaultier too relies mostly on attritional length to win. If the ball is so fast the players can't attack short when they get an opening the ball is a too quick in my opinion and we are on the verge of bringing back attritional squash. If I was ElShorbagy I would ask for a new ball at the start of every 3rd game in his matches because I can't imagine someone maintaining the pace he can create with a fresh ball.

Maybe the men should lower the tin another inch or just use a 2 dot ball on the glass court instead of a 1 dot. Just pace and athleticism takes away from creativity and the chess tactically gameplay that I love about squash. The pace has made ElShorbagy a 2 dimensional player (court coverage/endurance and pace). I see so many kids now that only focus on hitting the snot out of the ball and don't develop other areas of their game. And what's troubling is they don't know any better because they get away with it against most other juniors. I want to see the layers develop in a players game and to all be on display at the highest level of the game. It's up to the PSA and the WSF to ensure that tactics and creativity are continually rewarded at the top of the game. I understand that speed and pace are critical factors (as they should be) they just shouldn't be the only ones in my opinion. As a coach if I want a player to attack more I simply add targets or bonus points for winning or hitting the target at the front of the court. I just hope squash doesn't fall into the grip it and rip it and the best athlete always wins as opposed to best squash player. The game scoring, equipment and tin height have all attributed to rewarding attacking players and making the game more enjoyable to watch, but have they done enough? If the PSA wants to see more Superman dives they should give players more opportunities to be out op position on the court by either lowering the tin, slowing down the ball so the ball stays shorter on drops and boasts, making the court longer or wider or adjust the scoring once again!

I can't finish off today's topic without a quick mention about the rules. This is a simple way the game must evolve to improve squash from a players and spectators perspective. There is so much inconsistency between refs and left open for interpretation. The 1 obvious rule which is always taken advantage of is giving your opponent direct access to the ball. Most players appear to think that just because their opponent has hit a loose ball around the middle and they are standing around the T that their opponent must go around them. To my knowledge this is not stated anywhere in the rule book. I also can't stand when players counter drop and don't clear out afterwards. The ref often states the shot was too good, and although that may indeed be the case, who really knows if the player doesn't have any chance of retrieving it. I don't know why they haven't made it a stroke decision every single time a player hasn't made every possible effort to get out of their opponent's direct path to the ball regardless of the quality of their shot. Good players know exactly where their opponent is coming from and they can get out of the way if they were forced too or otherwise they may choose to play a different shot when they would otherwise be unable to clear their drop. So please WSF and PSA change this rule and get rid of the blocking and reduce the number of 'lets' called in our game and clean up the flow of the game. Who's with me?

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Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off

Today I try my 2nd video blog! Some of it is better (the lighting and larger screen), but I don't like how Apple TV pauses the screen so I'll adjust again for the next one. I'm still learning how to do this so just like everything it will get better with practice. I hope that what I like in video and lighting skills I can make up for in content for the time being.

Anyways, I digress. Today I discuss when it's more ideal to hit it with pace and when it's better to take some pace off the ball. I also talk about what pace of play suits your athletic ability and body type. Here's the video. Let me know what you think.

Also, don't forget to check out my new store SeriousSquashShop.com. There's lots of cool gear and you can now also purchase video analysis and gift certificates so there's something for everyone!

Getting The Ball By Your Opponent From The Back Corners

Today is geared more towards advanced players, but a lot of it is still applicable to any skill level. Is your opponent dominating the T? All of us that have played  at a decent level of squash understand that one of the most important skills is being able to get your opponent off of the T and into the back of the court; if we can accomplish this they are furthest from the front wall and we have time to regain the T. For beginners being stuck in the back of the court is almost always the end of the rally, their only goal is to get the ball back to the front wall. When we get a bit stronger we have options from the back and unless you're under a lot of pressure you often more options than it may appear.

We know who controls the T generally wins the match. Today I'm going to talk specifically about how to get your opponent off the T and into the back of the court from the back corners. The simple theory is to hit the ball tighter or wider which of course will help, but there are others tactics we can try which can allow us to achieve the same outcome.

Hit It Tighter: we all know hitting it tighter is a goal of playing winning squash. Being able to do this under pressure with little space in the back corners is quite difficult. To hit good length when pinned in the back corners you have to know how to shorten your swing and flick the ball high and deep, and oh yes tight! It takes a lot of practice to get good at this, but it can be done. It has to be high because we don't have enough force otherwise to get the ball deep, but we also have to hit it tight because we have no other options and are opponent will be waiting to volley our shot if we don't execute it properly.

Change the height of your drives: I was guilty of this for a long time too! Many of us focus so much on hitting the ball tight that we don't think about the height of our drives. The height that most drives are hit to get to the back wall go through mid court around shoulder height. Shoulder height is comfortable for people to volley and attack especially if they are off the wall. If we hit the ball lower or higher it will be much more difficult for your opponent to handle.

Pick up the pace: the harder you hit the ball the less time your opponent has to react. The danger here is that this also gives you less time to get out of the corner and back up to the T. If you want to pick up the pace you will generally get away with being a bit less accurate.

Lift the ball: I already mentioned changing the height of your drives above, but this is more focused on lobs and specifically crosscourts. This is how I coach kids that are smaller than their peers, but anyone with the right skill set can apply this tactic. To me it doesn't make sense to play to your opponent's strength, even if that is how you like to play. I believe this is one of the rarest ways I see people try and get their opponent off the T which I find strange because it can also be one of the most effective. Especially in the junior squash and the men's game, we often resort to pace so I find that lifting the ball can be extremely effective to get your opponent off the T and into the back. If you can hit the ball consistently high and tight or wide your opponent will have no choice but to try scarping a ball up high off the wall or will have to move back and will relinquish the T. I also like playing crosscourt lobs from the back of the court and if you hit them correctly even if volleyed they will be behind you with a difficult shot to hit accurately. Strong squash players practice hitting drives their entire careers and spend much less time trying to hit a volley drive off a lob moving backwards off the T, so I encourage you to try this for yourself. This is also an effective way to vary the pace a bit and catch a quick breath during a long point. This is something Shabana did exceptionally well. Here is a link of Shabana doing this brilliantly against Shorbagy. Skip to the 1 minute and 20 second mark to see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db4XWCHiZAo

Hit Your Crosses Wider And Deeper: many of us have heard that we should hit the ball straighter. I can't argue with this previous statement, but I do say what gets people in trouble is not always the fact that they are hitting crosscourt, but that it is that their width is not wide enough. If you don't hit the ball wide enough the ball will be able to cut it off. Most of us spend a lot of time working on our straight drives and not as much on our crosscourt length; it's no wonder most people can't hit a good width. For me a good width means that it is out of reach of your opponent so they have to move back to play it, normally this means hitting the sidewall across from where your opponent is standing, but this can change if they aren't looking to volley. Furthermore a more successful width limits what options your opponent has left.

A good rule on crosses is if you've hit a good width your opponent should not be able to hit the ball back crosscourt. Knowing you've hit a good width and your opponent is unable to hit it back crosscourt means you are now in a good position to cut down the court and look for either a straight drive or a boast. Remember that this goes both ways. So if your opponent hits a good width and you are limited with your shot selection there isn't much you can do besides try and execute the given shot to the best of your ability. The real problem was your prior shot that gave your opponent enough time and space that allowed them to hit this excellent width.

Pay Attention To Your Opponent's T Position (and yours):
Lateral T Position: many players will cheat to cut off straight or crosscourt drives. Especially when you are in the back backhand corner where we can't generate as much pace, strong players will be expecting a certain shot (straight or cross) and will be looking to cut it off. If you notice your opponent is poaching to cut off all of your straight drives hit it crosscourt; if they are always waiting for a crosscourt, keep it as straight as possible. If you do this long enough you will find a few times where you can sneak in the alternative shot to keep your opponent honest. Just make sure that you hit your crosscourt extra wide, with pace or high and soft if you are playing someone that hunts crosscourts. If you're playing someone that is overly aggressively looking to cut off your straight drives then try your best to hit at a height or pace that makes it difficult for them to volley. This of course means you need to be set with time in the back to do so. It's very difficult to hit accurately when under pressure and this is when we are slowest to clear.

Depth of T: some people hang far back and a few too high on the T. When you're too high on the T you don't have enough time to get to the back corner and hit an effective shot. When you're too far back you may block your opponent's clearing path and you are susceptible to a short shot. Finding the right depth on the T so you can cover both the front and back, clear around your opponent properly and most importantly give yourself enough time to get back to the corner and hit a decent shot is key. This is why most people drift further and further back as the match wears on; they get tired and drawn back from all the length being hit. If you are aware of this maybe you shouldn't be hitting a length from the back, but attacking short. If you find yourself too far back on the T practice your length with a small target for returning to afterwards on the T. To improve T awareness and movement, I'll often have people touch a target up on the proper T depth between shots with their foot, racquet or even racquet handle.

Become Less Predictable: I'm going to discuss predictability here in shot selection, bot disguise or deception (which is next). Amateurs normally hit crosscourt when they have to, not when they want to. This is one example of someone becoming predictable. If you watch and play enough squash you will pick up some players tendencies. Another popular one is most people hit their forehand lengths all crosscourt and their backhand ones straight. If you find this situation developing over and over you better be careful. If your opponent is guilty of this come up with a strategy to take advantage of their pattern. Learning how to exploit a predictable pattern and force someone to adjust can instantly change who has the upper hand.

Disguise Your Shot: if you arrive at the ball with enough time and space you will have option See below for a great picture of Joe Lee, who although is in the back backhand corner and the ball is only a few inches off the wall, he is prepared early and can hit the next shot anywhere. This is why his opponent's T position is neutral. I find that most people don't concentrate on disguising their length from the back of the court. If you are under pressure you don't have this luxury, but if you have some time and space you should think about your posture and prepare the same way for your straight and crosscourt drives; in fact Lee could hit to any corner from the below setup. A good condition game for working on this is 1 player can only hit to 1 of the back corners and the other can hit anything deep. The player who has to hit everything to the 1 corner will have difficulty returning a good crosscourt with a crosscourt. Learn how to watch on the T and read your opponent's body position. Most people open up their shoulders and hips earlier when they are gong to crosscourt. If you do this condition game your goal should be to get all of your crosscourt by your opponent.

Don't Give Up The T so Easily: until you get to a high level most people always prefer to let the ball bounce so they have more time prepare and decide what to do with the ball. Taking your time can have its benefits on your shot accuracy, but it also gives your opponent extra time to get to the T. Just because the rules state that the ball can bounce once, it doesn't mean it should! Learn how to dominate the mid-section of the court and you will have to worry less about how to get your opponent off the T.

Under Pressure/Knowing When We Don't Have Options: okay, so you're under a lot of pressure and you either don't have a lot of time or space in the back corner. Here a more skilled player can play open stance or adjust their swing to produce the desired result (get it deep). But this post isn't about how to get back a shot under pressure in the back corner. Just know that if you are under a lot of pressure play the simple shot. Sometimes people try to do too much under pressure because they know their opponent has them trapped. If you're under this much pressure just try your best to hit the ball straight, high, tight and ideally deep. This is a skill set that can be achieved to a high level of accuracy if practiced.

I've discussed a lot of different ways to get the ball back deep and even 1 tactic for avoiding this situation in the first place. It's incredibly challenging learning how to move backwards to play the ball out of the back corner and to be able to hit it deep again. We need to have quick racquet preparation, proper footwork, quick feet, good balance and be able to adjust our swing and possibly our grip depending on the amount of space and time we have. If you have the technical and physical skills to hit length from the back then you may be ready to attempt some of the more advanced ways like disguising your shot.

As you can see there are a number of ways that you can improve your ability to get your opponent off of the T. The stronger the opponent the tougher this will be to accomplish, but this should still be your goal. Learn how to get your opponent off the T and your opponents will begin looking for tips like these so make sure not to share them! Enjoy your battle for the T and one you get it don't give it up so easily. Remember there are plenty of ways to improve your ability to get your opponent off the T; not simply hitting it tighter (although that does work too!).

The Six Strengths For Winning Squash

When talking about sports there are always certain qualities that stand out for the top performers. We were amazed by Tiger Woods' focus on driving distance. The iconic college basketball coach, John Wooden stated that he loved to work with speed because it never went in slumps. And Wooden liked to push the tempo and press in basketball.

When I was in Malaysia for the Penang Junior Open it was evident that pace was a major factor for each of the age groups. When someone is young they normally struggle with pace as their racquet coordination and court coverage (speed, strength and anticipation) aren't fully developed. Clearly pace is an important asset which got me thinking about what are the other strengths in our game. Not everyone is built or has the ability to overhit their opponent. So today I will get into the 6 greatest strengths a squash player can posses. If you want to improve your game spend some time working on one or more of these areas.

Pace: Eventually pace will not be enough to win at the highest level. Everyone can hit it hard and handle pace. It makes a big difference in the speed of the game and the bounce of the ball. I can't think of any other sport that the bounce of the ball is so dependent on how hard and frequently the ball is struck. The reason I don't like coaching people to hit everything hard is that it creates tension in their arm and normally this style of player has a poor short game. Hitting everything hard also means you have less time to get back to the T and physically it takes a lot out of you. So I prefer picking my spots to inject pace, but that's what works for my game, it could be completely different for you. Plus how often does Cameron Pilley hit the ball as hard as he possible can? Probably very rarely if ever (unless there is a radar gun nearby).

Speed: just as Wooden exclaimed about basketball, I agree that speed is a major asset in squash. Certainly you look at players like Miguel Rodriguez and you know this is a huge factor in his success. Speed allows you to get on the ball early and retrieve more shots. Of course you need to have the aerobic stamina to keep your speed up throughout the duration of a match.

Attacking/'Hands': someone that can attack well from anywhere in the court can be extremely difficult to play against. Even after serving you are uncomfortable. There is little rhythm and you are repeatedly having to be on guard while on the T and having to make hard lunges into the front corners. Some people have superb racquet skills. If you're not one of them you can always improve this area of your game, but you will likely never become a shooter.

Consistent: if you aren't especially quick, or hit it hard or have A+ attacking skills you almost certainly have to be consistent and grind out your wins. I always think of Peter Nicol (pictured below) when I talk abut this. Of course Nicol had good shots and was smart, but he was so consistent. A big part of doing this well is containing your opponents, hitting the ball tight, taking away angles and being fit and mentally tough. If you're not a supreme athlete you will likely have the most success playing this style; taking minimal risks and making very few unforced errors. If you are a consistent player you will need to have a high level of aerobic fitness because you will like have to have long points and wait for easy openings and errors from your opponent to get your points.

Smart/Experienced: we have all played someone that just makes more good decisions then other opponents. Some people get stuck playing in a receptive pattern and hope this is enough to win. If you've read Brad Gilbert's Winning Ugly (pictured below), you will know that tactics are underused in racquet sports and are essential to becoming a champion. If you watched Canadian tennis player Vasek Pospisil at Wimbledon recently you would have noticed him looking over notes during his match about his opponent. He may have a plan B or C, or maybe this is to refocus his thoughts on his strategy if it was starting to wander. I'm surprised more players don't do this. Especially seeing that they are not allowed to receive coaching during a match.

Some people have a natural instincts and are very tough to play against. A smart player will know how to expose your weaknesses and play into theirs. They will be able to play a variety of styles and are always a tough opponent. This style of play is encouraged through decision making practice. If you're interested more in this you should check our Dr. Joan Vickers book Perception, Cognition, and Decision Training (pictured below). When reading this book I really thought all practices should be open and random, but have since learned the importance for blocked practice and repetition which allow you to acquire new skills, groove a swing path and boost your confidence. Finding the right balance here is what's crucial.

Mental Strength: some of the toughest matches I've played have been against mentally tough opponents. They may not have the smoothest technique, but they are super competitive. These players are normally consistent, but there are exceptions. Playing a mentally strong opponent means they never give up, no matter what the score. This style of player runs down every ball and gives max effort. This type of person plays better in competition then they do in practice. It's hard to measure someone's mental toughness and compare to another person, but this skill is necessary to become a successful pro. I always think of Tiger Woods (in his prime) and Rafa Nadal when I talk about mental strength. In squash I feel that Nick Matthew, Nicol David, and Mohamed Elshorbagy are the most mentally tough on the circuit these days.

So which area is your strength? If you don't fit into any I suggest you focus on becoming consistent. It's hard to beat someone that doesn't beat themselves. This depends on not only your current skill set and levels, but on how you enjoy playing. How do you envision yourself playing in the future? If you hit it hard and this is your strength, what happens when you come up against someone that hits it harder or can handle your pace? Same goes for speed. This is why at the highest level most players will be highly skilled in all 6 areas.

There are other areas that are important for competing at a high level, but I feel these are the most crucial. Aerobic fitness is right up there, and unless you are a shooter or extremely smart I think that's just a necessary skill, but without something else it will never be enough to win on its own.

Lastly, just because you are really strong in 1 category this doesn't mean you shouldn't try and expand your strengths and improve in another. We can all improve our pace, shot selection, mental toughness, attacking skills, consistency and to some extent our speed. Good luck!

2015 Penang Junior Open

I'm finally back and ready to write a bunch of new posts. I know it's been a long time since my last one. In fact while I was away Serious Squash surpassed 100,000 views! Cool, glad people are reading, even if they disagree with some of my remarks.

I was in Malaysia for the Penang Junior Open at the beginning of June and then took a 3 week vacation in Thailand. I figured my first post should be about my impression of the tournament and compare it to what I see back here in Canada. So let's get right into it..

Straight away I realized how difficult it would be for anyone from here to go to this event and do well. Not that we don't have some players here that are of a similar standard, but because of hot and humid the weather was and the courts were. I was sweating just walking around the city, even when sitting in the squash club. Yes, they had an air conditioner, but this thing (pictured below) did nothing to cool down the place. It must have been 30+ degrees in the club.

The hot weather and humidity made the ball super bouncy and it's certainly a major advantage for the kids from hot areas that are use to playing in these conditions. I talked to some people from Hong Kong and they said there court are kept extremely cold so although the climate is hot and humid, the playing conditions are not similar at all.

The other thing I noticed early was how difficult it would be for people from Canada to eat similar food that they do back home. Many people I know in Canada (some would include myself in this category) are quite picky eaters. Here the ingredients are clearly lined out. In Penang, not so much. There are also many people back here in Canada that are vegans, gluten free or have food allergies. If you are one of these people you will have great difficulty finding something to eat in Malaysia. I began my trip wondering what I could possibly eat, until I finally changed my mindset and just ate whatever they were selling. But again if you're body isn't use to digesting noodles for every meal you may not feel the same on the court.

And of course this doesn't mention the 30+ hours of travel it took me to reach Penang. I felt pretty jet legged; light headed and dizzy for a few days. It definitely made me appreciate how tough it must be being a professional athlete travelling the globe.















Alright, time to get to the squash side of things. The draws for all of the ages were much very big. The tournament ran over the course of 6 days! You can see from an example of the boys under 11 draw why a facility with 12 courts needed 6 days to finish their tournament.

I tried to watch all the top kids in each division. I felt that overall there were a couple of noticeable differences in style and ability. I thought that the kids at this event generally hit the ball much harder then the kids here do and the girls and a very deceptive attacking boast from the back of the court. I didn't see much volleying which the warm courts may have attributed to. But even with the bouncy ball I thought the top kids were extremely precise at finishing off loose balls at the front of the court. Basically I think that most of the kids I watched have just played more squash then our kids have. On top of that they get the benefit of more high quality opponents. Here in Canada we have some strong kids, but they live too far apart to benefit from one another. Even if 2 or 3 strong kids are at the same club or school, it's just not the same. In Penang there were lots of different styles of play and so many strong competitors.

So if there was one thing I would recommend for juniors here it would be to get some international exposure at a young age if possible. You need to get a consistent high level of competition to become the best you can be. As for the game itself, it's simply about repetition and hitting more balls. The more squash balls you hit the more grooved your swing becomes which means you will become more accurate and you will also learn to hit with more power.

Overall I thought my trip to Penang was an excellent learning experience. I filmed a bunch of games to show some of the kids I coach. It also gave me some ideas on preparing kids to play overseas. If I took a group to this event in the future I would crank the heat up in the courts while we practice here at home and use a bouncier ball. I would also have team dinners where we would eat something similar to what we expect to eat overseas. Generally I feel we baby and overprotect our children here (like animals in a zoo) and they would have great difficulty adapting to the wild. Still I think the more we do ahead of time to prepare our bodies for what's in store the better we'll perform. But I also believe that nothing will help prepare you better than experience. I don't expect many (or any) kids would do well in their first tournament overseas. For all of the reasons I've stated, plus you would likely have no ranking and a tough draw.

I remember when I was 12 I went to the British and Scottish Junior Open. At the time I was the defending national champion back here in Canada. But when I got there I was one of many great players. I wasn't prepared for having a tough match each and every round. Although I came 5th at the Scottish I didn't do well in the British. Since I'm on the topic of Malaysia I have to take this opportunity to mention that yes, when I was 12 I beat Iskandar in the cons finals! I still reminder trading shirts with him after. I gave him a Bellville Junior Open shirt while I got some cool Malaysian team shirt. Afterwards he went one way (to the top 10 in the world) and I went another. Makes me wonder how much of that has to do with ones environment.

The week after at the BJO I lost first round, won a few matches and then lost another. But when you normally win every tournament here (and you're a kid), you're not exactly pumped up to play the consolation matches. It's something all top young juniors should experience. How they handle it will help prepare them for future tournaments and is crucial for their long term success.

It's a big world out there. There are lots of strong juniors all over the world. Don't measure yourself on a small scale within your province or even your country. If you really want to be great you need to experience squash on a  global scale.

That's it for today, but I've made lots of notes and have plenty of ideas for future posts. Glad to be back and hope you enjoyed today's post!

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.

Controlling The Weight Of Shot

Today I'm going to discuss the challenges of hitting accurate depth. Even after playing for most of my life it is still a challenge to hit the right weight of shot; why is that? And how can we improve our ability to control the weight of our shot. Let's get started.

There are a lot of reasons why it is so difficult to control the weight of our shot. The first is that there is inconsistency in the bounce of the ball. A new ball is bouncier, so is it when you play on a warmer day, or against someone that hits the ball really hard. A ball also slows down the more you use it and our muscles fatigue, so over the course of the match you will need to slightly adjust your targets. Also the pace and angle of your receiving shots are quite variable. This isn't like hitting a golf ball off a tee, where you know your distances with each club within a few yards. Our string tension also slightly changes as we use our racquet. If we change racquets or use our backup this again will make the spring much different.

I also notice many people hold the squash racquet directly in their palm, as opposed to more towards the bottom of their fingers. Holding your racquet right in your palm or squeezing your grip very tight won't allow you to have that soft feel that you need to control the weight of different shots. This means you are probably more of a 1 pace ball basher. If your biomechanics aren't repeatable or are inefficient then you will also have difficulty controlling the weight of shot.

Another reason we have trouble weighting our shot is that we are rarely hitting from the exact same spot with an identical posture. We are under various amounts of pressure throughout a rally. As you well know squash is a fast paced sport played in an open environment. This makes it very difficult to get the repetitions required to fine tune your weight. Another golf example is if you never practiced the same length of putt twice in a row on the practice green. Hmm, put that may be onto something. How we set up practice in squash is normally blocked/repetitive. Even hitting boast and drive or drop - drive we slightly vary where we hit from, but we also are always hitting the same shots and trying to find the same target over and over. But I'll get back to this topic shortly.

I find another big reason most people struggle with the weight of there shot is because they never paid mush attention to it as they developed as a player. We focus most of our efforts on hitting it hard and/or tight. Until you've played a lot of squash you don't realize how importance the weight of your shots are. Knowing when you want to intentionally overhit your drive and when you get an opening and know you have to get the ball to bounce twice before the back wall. These are the subtleties you learn as you progress in the sport, but I feel you can enhance your skills by concentrating on the weight of shot in drills.

If you play a tournament or a league match at another court, the bounce on the court will vary from what you are familiar with. Going from panel to plaster is always a challenge. Whenever I'm in these positions I always focus on finding my weight of drives at the beginning of the match. Whoever can adjust to the conditions quicker has the best chance of winning.

Here are a few methods for practicing where you can concentrate on the weight of your shots.

1) Hit rotating drives or a length game, if a ball lands in the service box the other person can go short.
2) Player 1 cannot let the ball hit the back wall on the bounce or they lose the rally. Player 2 can hit anything.
3) You have to hit 3 shots behind the service boxes before you can go short.
4) You have to hit every other shot over the service line.
5) Player 1 hits straight or crosscourt length from the front, player 2 hits straight drop or boast. You can also make a switch if player 2 volley drives player 1's shot.
6) Practice with different types of balls (make, colour of dot, etc)
7) Change to a new ball between games
8) Practice with your backup racquet. Does it have the same type and tension of string? How long ago was it strung? The tension loosens up as you play with it.
9) Game with targets for bonus points placed along the sidewalls.
10) Get the ball really warm (after doing some figure 8 volleys) and then play a game or do some drives.

I also like doing drills with targets. Not just are you trying to hit the ball tight, but also find the right height and pace to get the ball to land at the appropriate depth. If you can get your drop or boast to sty a little shorter it means your opponent will be under that much more pressure. You can try just setting up a single target or you can make things more challenging but executing 2 or 3 different targets. The could all even be for variations of the same shot.

For example, you could set up various targets for your drops to bounce depending on the angle, depth, pace and height you hit them from. Instead of having the same target regardless of where you are hitting from, it should vary slightly.

This may be more obvious if I talk about drives. Here's an example during drop - drive. Set up a target in the middle of the service box, at the bottom of the service box and then midway between the back of the service box and the back wall. The idea here is that you go hard and low for the first target and then slightly raise or hit harder as you aim for the 2nd and then 3rd target. You can imagine how this goes from an attacking drive to an overhit, rallying length.

You can also focus on your weight of shot when you're solo hitting. See how many shots in a row you can hit in the service box. Then aim for the back line on the service box and then aim for 1 bounce and off the back wall. I truly believe that if you focus more on your weight of your shot in practice you will improve your ability to hit those invisible targets in your games. Not only this but you will increase your understanding of the importance of the weight of shot.

As mentioned, not only do you need to think about your weight of shot, but also about when to play which weight. Aiming for a 'perfect' dying length may not be ideal when your out of position and under pressure. I also find most amateurs generally hit their drives too short, especially on the forehand. And then when players get to a high level they have a tendency to miss out on opportunities and overhit all of their drives.

Hopefully you can now appreciate the importance of weight of shot. It's something that great players make look so simple, but now you know is anything but.