Squash is an intense game that demands tremendous physical force from its participants. To maximize this power, players need to be physically prepared and well conditioned.
Strength training can play an invaluable role in protecting players against injury and prolonging their time on court. Furthermore, strength training helps improve squash performance by increasing muscle mass and overall power generation.
Split Step
The split step is an essential component of footwork for players, and should be practiced regularly. It enables faster movements towards the ball and faster acceleration in any direction; additionally it maintains balance while moving, decreasing risk of being knocked off-balance by an opponent’s shot.
The Split Step is a short hop performed simultaneously by both feet at once, then spreading them upon landing and pushing off in their desired direction. All players should practice this simple yet effective drill regularly as part of their ghosting and movement training regiment; key features for effective split steps include making sure feet do not touch when landing and soft landing, which allows players to feel lighter upon touching ground thus aiding easier movement.
Beginner and casual players often use large steps when moving forwards, however this can actually reduce speed as more energy must be expended with each step taken. Furthermore, using big steps could mean taking too many weighted steps forward that cause them to become unbalanced when reaching the ball and lead them off-balance when hitting it.
Instead of taking large steps, players should employ small agile movements that will enable them to get to the ball more quickly. This explains why many high-level players appear so fluid on the court; they have developed movements which allow them to move more swiftly while changing directions smoothly.
This drill is an effective way to develop split step, and should be combined with other drills to further increase footwork development. It can also be performed with partners – one player taking on the role of feeder while the other attacks. When completed successfully, players may run it again with an opposing player as an added defender in an attempt to prevent their goal scorer from scoring.
Lunges
Squash is an intense sport requiring high levels of cardiovascular endurance and agility. Cardiovascular exercises like running, cycling and swimming can help build stamina while plyometric exercises involving jumping or explosive movements at high intensity can increase speed agility and power; examples include box jumps, squat jumps and lunge jumps – which are especially useful for squash players in improving coordination and balance.
Squat jumps are an easy and effective exercise designed to increase lower body mobility and core strength, as well as leg strength for explosive movements such as squash. To properly perform this move, stand with feet shoulder width apart before slowly bending your knees down until they form a 90-degree angle; extend back up again and repeat this motion.
Strong core and lower body muscles are crucial in squash, as they help players maintain balance and control throughout a match. Weight-bearing exercises like squats and deadlifts are great way to build muscle mass while increasing stability; adding these into your weekly routine could even lower risk of knee and ankle injuries!
The COD test is an effective and straightforward assessment of change-of-direction speed. To conduct it, set up two cones – one one-metre from the back wall and half one metre from the front wall. Sprint between these cones before jogging back to start position ten times. Measure total time to find fastest change-of-direction timer.
The final lap of the SPPT showed strong correlations with both VO2max and 4 mML-1 (a proxy measure for lactate turn-point), but not average movement economy. These findings demonstrate that its results provide an accurate indicator of aerobic fitness among athletes, providing a useful metric to measure squash-specific performance assessments.
Pointing
Successful squash players possess the ability to move quickly and efficiently around the court, with agility. Being able to quickly change direction while remaining balanced and under control of movement is crucial when moving to defend a shot, and good footwork allows a player to remain light-footed; making last minute adjustments and adjustments in position on the ball possible.
To develop this ability, it is recommended that strength and conditioning exercises be included as part of any training plan. Ideally, these should include multi-joint movements that begin using bodyweight before progressing to external resistances such as dumbbells or medicine balls. In order to maximize results during strength training sessions, players should ensure they warm-up sufficiently prior to beginning any exercises and that their efforts fit within their current level of fitness.
An effective way to develop footwork and speed is through drills that replicate on-court movement. An agility ladder is an ideal tool for this, making an invaluable addition to both dynamic warm-ups and movement skills training circuits. A variety of drills ranging from basic jumping through more complex lateral/rotational speed progressions may be performed using this device, making a positive contribution towards improvement on court.
Note that circuit training must always be overseen by a certified fitness professional and that junior players must work with a coach to make sure exercises fit into their age- and ability-appropriate exercises. Furthermore, intensity levels should always be managed and controlled to avoid injury.
The SPPT offers amateur and elite squash players alike an innovative assessment of physical performance that can be enhanced through physiological data collection for personalized training prescription. By combining SPPT with assessments for RSA, COD, body composition and other key indicators such as RSA/COD ratio and body composition analysis, individuals can identify individual strengths/weaknesses against normative values for these key indicators which can then be targeted for developing squash-specific training adaptations.
Ghosting
One of the key components of squash is its speed; this comes from both good footwork and quick reactions in changing situations. A player who moves quickly can cut off an opponent’s angles quickly while maintaining dominance on court.
Ghosting (shadow practice) is an excellent way to develop both movement and endurance. The drill involves positioning yourself on the court in an attempt to mimic your opponent as a ball is thrown toward you, with specific patterns or footwork routines practiced; and can even incorporate other movements like volleying and lobs into rallies.
In this video, Stu takes you through a ghosting session designed to develop both movement and endurance. This exercise can be tailored specifically to your ability, with an end goal of being able to return 120 shots without dropping one or dropping them out altogether – an arduous yet highly beneficial training regime for replicating both internal and external work intensities during match play.
A typical session begins with a short warm-up consisting of jogging and lateral movements before beginning an SPPT session. Three efforts are conducted with three minutes’ rest between efforts and recording of fastest time from each trial is recorded for analysis. This test measures oxygen kinetics and movement economy that is consistently challenged when playing squash at its intermittent profiles.
Elite players are well known for displaying amazing balance, control and softness on the court – thanks to regular and structured strength training. Strength training also plays a pivotal role in injury prevention as its strength training strengthens and protects musculoskeletal systems from the dynamic nature of game play. High levels of power required to hit balls accurately requires both muscle mass and explosiveness which requires significant strength conditioning through weightlifting, power-based exercises or bodyweight circuits for maximum results.