Squash is an athletic sport which demands many physical qualities from its competitors. To maximize fitness levels and foster improvement overall, an effective training regimen for squash should include aerobic interval training and submaximal sprint efforts.
For this article’s purpose, we will focus on honing lateral movement, footwork and agility with several drills.
Ladder Drill
The ladder drill is an exercise used in agility training that improves footwork, balance and coordination. It can be performed forwards, backwards and side to side; its versatility challenges an athlete’s ability to maintain their center of gravity as they switch foot combinations during each pattern. When used alongside our KB Quick Step Agility Ladder at its optimal speed this drill becomes an incredible cardio workout with benefits including building power balance explosive agility.
The Ickey Shuffle is one of the more challenging ladder drills, but once mastered will help improve both feet’s speed and your ability to quickly change directions and transition between forward and backward motion. To perform it effectively you begin by standing perpendicular to a ladder with your right foot moving laterally through each box starting with right and then left foot until both have moved through each lateral movement of this workout routine – keeping both balls of your feet active throughout each movement in order to increase its intensity.
A great ladder drill to develop power in the calf muscles is the double foot hop. This drill helps build power by teaching you how to effectively “spring” your feet across each rung of the ladder. For this exercise, stand with both feet together with toes down in the first square before jumping forward with each subsequent lateral step forward and upward.
Add some complexity to your ladder workouts by trying cross over fast feet. This drill requires coordination and will target muscles in your core, calves and glutes. To perform it start by standing perpendicular to one end of the ladder while placing right foot into first square, quickly crossing over and placing left foot in second square before repeating this pattern for entire length of ladder.
Lunge Drill
The lunge is an effective lower body exercise that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, including quads (front of thighs), hamstrings (back of thighs) and glutes (buttocks). To perform it properly, stand with feet hip-width apart before bending your knees to lower yourself until your front thigh touches the ground – then push back up keeping weight on heel of front foot as you return.
While traditional lunges can help develop leg muscles effectively, there are other variations which focus on specific parts of them more effectively; such as lateral lunges that target adductor muscles for inner thigh mobility and balance improvement.
Lunge exercises often lead to problems when the knee drifts inward during movement – known as knee valgus. This causes stress on the joint, which increases risk for injury; therefore it’s vital that lunge exercises train you to maintain stability with a secure back foot for proper lungeing technique.
One way of accomplishing this is through lunges with twist drills such as the butt-kicker lunge, which emphasizes knee flexion by drawing the front foot closer to the body and closing off angles at the knee joint. Another lunge variation which provides extra stability is the sliding lunge which utilizes friction by positioning a paper plate under one leg as it slides into lunge position.
One way to increase lunge stability is through banded lunges. These exercises not only strengthen leg muscles but also give feedback as to how the athlete is performing their lunge.
A simple lunge drill that improves power and agility is the Jumping Lunge. In this plyometric exercise, athletes start with a traditional lunge before suddenly jumping up into the air to switch legs midair – improving hip flexors, quads and core strength as well as speed of players by increasing power generation with each stride.
Shuttle Run
Outstanding athletes stand out from their peers due to several key characteristics: speed, strength, football IQ and the ability to quickly change directions. One test and drill used to assess these abilities among running backs and defensive backs alike is known as The Shuttle Run; this quick lateral movement drill also serves to improve sprinting speed and agility.
The basic shuttle run is an exercise consisting of sprinting and then walking or jogging between markers. Marker distance can vary depending on your desired test/drill protocol or goal; for instance, short shuttle runs can be used to assess sprinting speed; pro agility drills use similar markers but test an athlete’s acceleration and direction change abilities quickly.
Before embarking on any shuttle run test or drill, athletes must perform an intensive warm-up. This should include easy jogging, dynamic stretching and other exercises designed to prepare their muscles and neuromuscular system for testing. Furthermore, getting enough rest before beginning their shuttle run test or drill can ensure they give their best performance during test or drill.
As part of any running routine, it’s crucial to maintain a constant pace. Clocks can help athletes remain on track by keeping them aware of when to restart running and keep a steady rhythm throughout a workout. Turns are especially crucial: maintaining correct form will enable players to maintain athletic positions, maintain stride length and create momentum around each turn.
Shuttle runs are an invaluable component of any sports performance program, providing a way for athletes to gauge their progression from season to season and training phase to training phase. By including shuttle sprints as part of your routine, they will improve sprinting speed, acceleration and agility as well as cardiorespiratory endurance. Want to try this test for yourself? Create a free GMTM profile so that your best results can be uploaded for comparison against athletes competing in your sport of interest.
Ghosting Drill
Ghosting drills are an advanced technique training exercise designed to simulate the movements of real games without an actual ball, with the intention of creating a subconscious blueprint of the court in your mind so you’ll instinctively know where you stand in relation to moving ball, as well as conditioning your footwork to respond most efficiently with moving balls. Ghosting drills have proven useful in increasing players’ mental, physical, and emotional engagement with the game.
Add ghosting to your routine as an effective means of improving shot-making consistency and athletic performance. To do so effectively, incorporate structured hitting drills into each ghosting session so you are working on multiple aspects of your game as well as general movement. It is best done in collaboration with a coach, who can develop a specific plan of action and set an appropriate timeframe for this type of session.
An effective way to introduce ghosting into your game is through starting off with a short but simple session, like 2 minutes of serving with the ball followed by 1 minute of ghosting back-to-back and then short hitting drills. This will enable you to get into a rhythm while working on key relationships and sensitivities while making sure your body is warm enough for optimal performance of these drills.
As you become more experienced at ghosting, you can gradually increase the number of shots and duration of sessions. A stopwatch or similar device is recommended to track your progress – doing this will keep you motivated while simultaneously working on short burst anaerobic training.
Stepping it up one notch, you can incorporate structured shot and ghost drills into your session. For instance, ghost the backhand drop into the front corner before hitting a forehand drive off of your partners feed from back corner; and so forth. This practice can help develop both hitting and ghosting skills as well as provide you with a complete view of your game for match play.