The drive– The drive is the most basic of squash shots. Ensure that your feet and shoulders are facing the side wall. Bend your knees. Keep your wrist firm/ cocked and start to take your racquet back.. Open your racquet a little. At the top of your swing your elbow must be bent. Now start to swing towards the ball. Step into the ball. Your weight must be on your front foot. Right foot on left side of the court and your left foot on the right side of the court. Strike the ball when the ball is just in line with your front leg. Swing through the ball and ensure that your elbow is bent at the top end of your swing. The bigger your swing the less control you will have. Do not flick your wrist when hitting the ball.
The volley– The volley is very similar to the drive except that you are now taking the ball a little earlier and the ball must not bounce. Ensure that your feet and shoulders are facing the side wall. Bend your knees. Keep your wrist firm/ cocked and start to take your racquet back. Open your racquet a little. At the top of your swing your elbow must be bent. Now start to swing towards the ball. Step into the ball. Your weight must be on your front foot. Right foot on left side of the court and your left foot on the right side of the court. Strike the ball when the ball is just in line with your front leg and in the air. Swing through the ball and ensure that your elbow is bent at the top/ end of your swing. With the volley you must swing a little quicker as the ball is not going to bounce and therefore will be coming towards you a lot quicker. The bigger your swing the less control you will have. Do not flick your wrist when hitting the ball.
The drop– The drop is very similar to the drive except that you are now hitting the ball a little slower into the front of the court. Ensure that your feet and shoulders are facing the side wall. Bend your knees. Keep your wrist firm/ cocked and start to take your racquet halfway back. Open your racquet a little. Your elbow must be bent. Now start to swing towards the ball slowly. Your swing must not be as big as a swing for a drive. Step into the ball. Your weight must be on your front foot. Right foot on left side of the court and your left foot on the right side of the court. Strike the ball when the ball is just in line with your front leg. Swing through the ball and ensure that you guide the ball to where you want it to go. With the drop you must swing a little slower as the ball must end up in the front of the court. The more you swing the less control you will have. Try not to swing under the ball too much as that will cause the ball to go upwards.
The boast– The boast is very similar to the drive except that you are not hitting the ball into the side wall first. Ensure that your feet and shoulders are facing the back corner. Bend your knees. Keep your wrist firm/ cocked and start to take your racquet back.. Open your racquet a little. At the top of your swing your elbow must be bent. Now start to swing towards the ball. Step into the ball. Your weight must be on your front foot. Right foot on left side of the court and your left foot on the right side of the court. Strike the ball when the ball is just in line with your front leg. Hit the ball into the side wall, aiming for the front right hand corner of the court next door on the right hand side and the front left hand corner of the court next door on the left hand side. Swing through the ball and ensure that your elbow is bent at the top/ end of your swing. The bigger your swing the less control you will have.
The serve– The serve is a very important shot. The serve begins the rally and it can put your opponent under pressure or it can cause you to lose the point depending on how you have served. Ensure that when you are standing you have at least one foot in the service box and it must not be touching any of the lines on the floor. Hit the ball towards the front wall aiming just to the left of the centre of the front wall when serving from the right hand side of the court. Ensure that the ball hits the front wall above the cut line and hits the side wall just in front of your opponent. The ball must be hit hard enough to reach the back wall but must not bounce off the back wall. If your opponent is forced to play a weak shot then you have played a good serve however, if your opponent is able to hit the ball to the back with ease then you have played a poor serve.
The serve return– The serve return is a very important shot. The serve return is the second shot in the rally and it can put your opponent under pressure or it can cause you to lose the point depending on how you have returned. Ensure that you are standing just behind the service box and not too close to the side wall. Try and volley the serve rather than leaving it. Hit the ball towards the front wall aiming a little right when returning from the right hand side. The ball should hit the front wall just above the cut line and hit the floor before it hits the side wall. The ball must be hit hard enough to reach the back wall but must not bounce off the back wall. If your opponent is forced to play a weak shot then you have played a good return however, if your opponent is able to hit the ball to the back with ease then you have played a poor return.
