Squash Basics

Squash Skills: The #1 Worst Method To Improve Your Game

30 June, 2014 By Mick Holmes Leave a Comment

If you only ever play matches when you have a hit, you are using the #1 worst method to improve your squash skills.

It’s kind of like wasting time with long-distance jogging to improve your squash fitness.

Training cooperatively versus competitively can mean the difference between winning and losing. It can mean the difference between having no chance against an opponent and the same opponent not having a chance against you.

The Complete Opposite Of The Worst Method

At age 7, the first hits of squash I had were with my Dad. It was only 10/15 minutes at a time. All he ever did was keep hitting the ball back to me, just like in a warm-up.

What we would do is count how many we could hit to each other.

By hitting it straight back to me where I didn’t have to run frantically to the ball, it allowed me to focus on developing my racquet skills!

Squash Skills For How To Aim The Ball Like A Laser

Pretty soon I became absorbed in the challenge of seeing how many shots we could hit without making a mistake.

I still remember hitting double figures – 10 shots in a row!

Then after a while we got through the teens.

If we switched sides so I was always hitting backhands, the number of hits we could make was not as many. But we kept going.

For some reason, 27 hits in a row is stuck in my memory.

The next number that comes to mind is 63 hits in a row.

The higher we got, the more confident I became striking the ball.

The real squash skills that I didn’t realize Dad was training in me was the ability to aim the ball to hit a specific target – that is, straight back to him.

We did this every once in a while. It was casual – something fun and, obviously, a cooperative exercise.

**Learning When Not To Be Cooperative!**

By the time Dad built a new & bigger squash center, when I was 10, I began training in the same cooperative way but almost every day instead of just once in a while.

Soon after the new squash center was opened, a social inter-club weekend competition was organized with the next town over as a celebration.

From that club was a boy my age so, of course, we had a hit.

And, of course, we played rallies – a match.

I had never done that.

He thrashed me because it didn’t matter where he was on the court I would hit it straight back to him, every time!

The reason I did this was because this is how I had trained my squash skills – to be cooperative and make it easy for the other person to hit it so we could see how many we could get in a row!

On the other hand, he would hit the ball away from me because he was actually trying to win the rally.

The experience definitely gave me a specific goal to work toward.

Natural Progression Of A 6-Month Squash Skills Challenge

For the next 6 months I refocused and continued my solo-practice, making sure I was as comfortable hitting on my backhand side as my forehand, and I learned and trained how to retrieve the ball off the back wall better.

I also played the occasional social match with anyone who was willing, incorporating the idea of hitting the ball away from the opponent into my play!

Because I had spent so long practicing these basic squash skills for how to aim the ball straight back to my playing partner at a definite target, like with Dad in my first dozen or so hits, aiming the ball away from my opponent to make it difficult for them was a quick and natural progression.

Picking Fruit Of Cooperative Squash Skills Training

The next inter-club weekend competition came 6 months later and I got a chance to play the same boy.

This time I thrashed him.

It was no contest – almost ridiculously so.

The benefit of training squash skills cooperatively became strikingly apparent to me, even that early on.

Dad knew it. And now I knew it.

In my first bunch of hits, if Dad had played rallies, like in a game, I undoubtedly would have been running around the ball to always avoid hitting backhands because they were not comfortable.

I would have been rushed which wouldn’t have allowed me to develop a natural racquet swing.

My attention would have been sprayed.

With so many places on the court where Dad was not standing, having so many options wouldn’t have forced me to get the ball to bounce in an exact spot.

Good Enough For Jahangir? Good Enough For Us!

I guarantee: The benefit of training co-operatively over competitively continues as you develop your basic squash skills more and more.

The legend Jahangir Khan who once went undefeated for 555 professional matches (astonishing!) used to play matches only on Saturdays – one day a week.

Do yourself a favor – help yourself and your playing partner by cooperating with each other.

Have fun & play your own game,
Shmick Mick

The Weakest Link In Your Squash Game

29 June, 2014 By Mick Holmes Leave a Comment

What is the weakest link in your squash game?

“Everything,” is what I’ve jokingly heard from some people!

To get a more specific answer to what your weakest link is and to know the one thing you can work on to improve your game with the most dramatic effect, just ask yourself one question.

How Would You Beat Your Clone In A Match?

If you’re honest, you will have an idea of what you would do if you played yourself.

At least, you should know exactly what to do to frustrate yourself on court!

If you don’t, ask someone who has enough freedom in their own game that they can be relatively objective with their answer.

Once you’ve figured out your weakest link, set the goal to work on it.

Drill That Weakest Link Repeatedly

If it’s a particular shot, give yourself 1 month to improve.

You have say 3 sessions per week – which equals 12 in the month – to drill that shot, repeating slowly to iron out the challenge.

Set the date 1 month from today, and when that day comes you can look back to see how much you’ve improved.

Don’t expect it to be perfect after a month.

But do expect to get better.

What I mean by that is clearly see yourself practicing the shot over and over so when you do get on court you mirror what you’ve been imagining off-court.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to train your mental fitness.

Is Your Weakest Link Your Physical Fitness?

Now, if you want to improve your physical fitness and/or movement around the court the same process applies.

Imagine feeling light on your feet – on your toes, ready to change direction effortlessly with fast footwork focusing on your last step before you play the ball.

Put yourself into a great position where you are balanced to cause your opponent to momentarily second-guess where you will hit the ball.

See yourself getting back to the “T” after every shot – controlling the center of the court.

Combine that with a detailed squash fitness training program and there is no way your physical fitness will ever be your weakest link.

In fact, in just a short time your weakest link can potentially become your strength.

Mending Your Weakest Link

It always makes me happy when I see someone I am coaching turn their weakest link around.

It not only baffles the same opponents the next time they play each other but it also gives them a confidence to work on and improve more aspects of their game, even if it’s just squash basics.

Find one thing in your game to work on and give yourself the time and space over the next month to turn it around and surprise your next opponent – and yourself!

Have fun & play your own game!
Shmick Mick

Squash Ghosting Drills: How To Get Fast Footwork To Dart Around The Court 2.0 [VIDEO]

3 June, 2014 By Mick Holmes Leave a Comment

One-step star sprints trained your body to take that last step before you hit the ball.

This ensures you’re in a great position to play the shot you want, with precision and power.

Now it’s time to up the ante with squash ghosting drills.

You can focus on taking that last step further away from the “T” position – that is, in the front corners on both sides, as well as the back corners.

This means you’ll be taking a few steps on your way to making that last step to play the shot. And on that last step make sure you are hinging at the hip.

Slow Your Movement Down So You Can Speed It Up

Wherever you’re heading to on the court with squash ghosting drills, it’s vital that you take time to go through the motions of working out which leg you will take the first step with off the “T”.

In the video below I lay out a couple of ways you can approach this.

Find out what works for you then practice it slowly. Slowly build up the pace until the footwork you are training starts to come out naturally.

Once you’ve built up to a moderate pace, you can start doing sets of long-form star sprints, or squash ghosting drills.

Hitting With Imagination-Practice Is Vital To Make Squash Ghosting Drills Practical

No matter what speed you’re going at though, it’s important to focus on timing that last step before you pretend to hit the ball.

And actually pretend to hit a ball.

Visualize yourself hitting it perfectly and ‘watch’ it go to where you’re aiming (one of the four corners).

Eventually, you’ll be doing all of this at match-pace.

And at this point, you can do, say, 5 repetitions to all 6 corners as one set.

Take a 45-60 second break and do another set.

Or if you’re training with a partner where they are randomly pointing to where you need to go next, take it in turns at being the ‘worker’.

Multi-Faceted Training With Squash Ghosting Drills

So all at the same time with these squash ghosting drills, you’ll be training:

Your footwork, particularly as you step in to play the shot
Your mental fitness and ability to visualise what you want to happen
Your out-of-breath conditioning to be able to move around the squash court continuously, just like you would in a match

Incorporating Movement Into A Larger Program

The 7-week squash fitness bootcamp uses these movement patterns in specific time-patterns, along with the best squash conditioning exercises, to transform your space on court.

Have fun & play your own game!
Shmick Mick

How To Grip A Squash Racquet With Power & Elasticity [VIDEO]

1 September, 2013 By Mick Holmes Leave a Comment

There is a common mistake made with how to grip a squash racquet.

It often comes about from a beginner player being told to ‘shake hands’ with the racquet.

The standard description goes something like make a ‘V’ with your thumb and forefinger so that the bottom of the “V” is in line with the side of the racquet…

Then the description is to keep your wrist cocked, which is often mistaken as needing to keep it locked – a firm grip of the squash racquet becomes tense.

The Idea Of Elasticity With How To Hold A Squash Racquet

You want a cocked wrist with your squash grip, yes.

But you don’t want it locked.

To be able to generate power from difficult positions (like hitting off the back wall) and to utilize deception to put doubt into the mind of your opponent, there must be mobility – or flexibility – in the wrist.

Your wrist must be firm, but not rigid…

Relaxed, but not sloppy…

Think of elasticity while keeping a cocked wrist and you will soon understand how to grip a squash racquet correctly.

The Effect Of No Elasticity

Junior players often have a tight squash grip.

Kids don’t have the same physical strength as adults so they often develop bad habits in an attempt at keeping control over the racquet.

This ignites bad habits which disqualify any chance for the appropriate articulation of the wrist.

Take a junior girl, for example, who tries to hit a backhand from out of the back corner (off the back wall or not). Often a boast is the only shot available to play for them.

And this can be a good start.

But if they are getting told to ‘keep the wrist cocked’ then there is a gap in their idea of what’s possible and the space for progression with how to grip a squash racquet with freedom.

Is Squash Grip Power A Case Of Strength?

For juniors, especially, it can be.

So what’s important is to keep in mind that strength will come.

But if any player closes their mind by trying to keep their wrist in a static position at all costs, then the process of developing the ability to articulate the wrist gets taken away.

You should be able to play any number of shots from the one position by knowing how to grip a squash racquet – even in an awkward position on court.

Keeping Your Options Open On The Squash Court

To be able to keep your opponent guessing about where the ball is going, again, think of your squash grip as firm, but not rigid, relaxed, but not sloppy – elasticity while keeping a cocked wrist.

Then it becomes easier to strike through the ball to follow through with purpose, directing the ball to where you want it to go.

Coupled with increased squash fitness, you will start to win more matches.

Have fun & play your own game!
Shmick Mick

How To Start Hitting The Squash Ball Off The Back Wall [VIDEO]

11 August, 2013 By Mick Holmes Leave a Comment

To start being able to hit the ball off the back wall, it’s assumed you are already spending time on the squash court with solo-practice.

And here’s what not to do…

It’s what most beginner players do…

Because beginners can’t get behind the ball to still strike the ball with purpose, they try to flick the ball, floating the ball to the front wall… or to the ground just before the front wall!

There are two problems with this:

It’s a weak shot because it gives your opponent plenty of space & time; and
It doesn’t lead your game anywhere.

If you continue to fudge the shot with a crappy flick, there is no progression toward playing a more attacking shot off the back wall!

However, if you approach hitting the ball off the back wall in a certain way, you can improve your game and have more fun.

From Little Things Big Things Grow

It’s important to give up trying to hit an attacking shot straight to the front wall.

Instead, aim to drive the ball into the side wall, as if you were trying to hit the ball in the far front corner of an imaginary court next to you. That is, hit a boast.

You won’t need to get behind the ball as much or have to articulate your wrist to help generate power, like you might if you were trying to drive the ball straight onto the front wall.

But you still have to bend your knees and hinge at the hip.

At first, you will just hit it one time. Celebrate!

With a little more practice you will feel more and more confident.

You won’t feel as cramped playing the shot.

Then, without noticing, you will eventually just feel like you can maintain your stroke and be able to hit it straight to the front wall, with purpose and (a little!) power.

Follow The Natural Progression

For it to happen naturally, you have to be patient and persistence.

You have to resist the urge to hit a weak, ‘flicky’ shot.

What it really boils down to is focusing on a process-oriented mindset rather than a results-oriented mindset.

Have fun & play your own game!
Shmick Mick