Squash players require the ability to accelerate and decelerate quickly, which requires having an excellent fitness base with excellent mobility and flexibility.
The speed/agility ladder drill can be an invaluable addition to both squash warm-ups and movement skills training circuits. Lunge and jump based agility ladder drills can be highly effective in improving linear and lateral agility as well as change of direction speed.
1. Lunges
Lunging is an effective multi-joint exercise designed to strengthen quads (front of thighs), hamstrings, calves and glutes as well as improve balance and coordination in lower body.
Stand with feet hip-width apart and toes pointed forward, engaging your core while squareing your hips. Step one leg out to the right, crossing it behind another foot and lowering your back knee until it touches the floor; repeat on other side. Lower both knees until their 90-degree angles form before slowly pushing through front foot to stand back up; repeat.
Lunges are an ideal exercise to speed up the speed of your change-of-direction movements on the court, while also speeding your air movement speed and strengthening power and explosiveness.
Add variety to your stationary lunges with traveling lunge variations! Start in the same position, but instead of stepping back with your left foot, step it forward alongside your right. Continue alternating directions between lunges until all ten reps on each side have been completed.
Lunge toe touches drill is another fun addition to lunges that focuses on improving lateral movement. To start this drill, start with feet shoulder-width apart before jumping into a lunge with arms swinging for momentum; when midair swinging stops switch foot positions midair so that landing landing with right in front and left behind then explode up! Lower into another lunge on opposite side before doing it all over again before exploding up again!
2. Lunge Toe Touches
Plyometric drills involve quick, full-body movements with short bursts of energy that accelerate both speed and strength; toe touch drills are an ideal way to increase balance and agility as part of any squash player’s training regime. Commonly referred to as tapping, this straightforward exercise requires standing with feet apart before tapping down either side of the court; you can move towards touching both walls until your toes touch either wall simultaneously if desired, before returning toward this starting position and repeating this drill until touching both walls if necessary!
Ghosting is one of the best footwork drills to help squash players move quickly and smoothly around the court, reaching balls they otherwise couldn’t reach. Professional tournament players frequently employ it.
Raneem El Welily and Nouran Gohar are renowned for contorting themselves into strange positions on the court in order to reach balls that otherwise wouldn’t come within reach. This feat is made possible thanks to their incredible flexibility which they’ve gained through stretching and conditioning work.
Ghosting can be achieved simply by moving forwards with feet shoulder-width apart and tapping. Once you’ve practiced this for some time, try progressing further so that your toes touch both walls – this provides more realistic training conditions that replicate real matches.
3. Lateral Lunges
Squash requires lateral movement for reaching shots in all directions, making the side lunge an essential exercise in building lateral strength and flexibility. You can either perform it using only bodyweight or with one dumbbell or kettlebell held in goblet position in front of the chest to build it unilaterally and develop strength. It works both the hip adductors (inner thigh muscles that aid with lower-body stability) and glute medius, in addition to targeting quads and hamstrings.
Starting with your feet hip width apart and your core engaged and shoulders relaxed backwards, take one large step to the right with both feet hip width apart, keeping the knee of the front leg above its ankle while not letting your rear leg drop as you lower yourself until your front thigh is parallel to or slightly below the floor (or slightly less than). Push strongly from your rear foot as you return to standing position and repeat on other leg; for maximum results perform 5-8 lunges on each leg in succession or for a set time as part of a circuit training routine.
The lateral lunge is an effective exercise when done alone, but can become even more so when combined with other movement patterns that target similar muscles in the frontal plane – such as curtsy lunges, pistol squats, B-stance squats or lateral sled drags.
Add a slide board to this exercise for added difficulty and increase its difficulty! Start with your legs in a slide board scissor lunge position with one leg pushing forward and the other pulling backward. As soon as your arms have reached your chest and your shoulder has moved out to create plank position, push out with both shoulders simultaneously to form plank pose – then once at its height return back down again into lunge stance and repeat.
4. Push-Ups
Physical endurance is an integral aspect of squash. Players can build up their stamina through various exercises such as ghosting drills. Furthermore, it can also help develop their entire body when working on footwork skills.
Push-up drills can be an excellent way to strengthen and develop one’s upper body, from building muscle mass and shoulder stability improvement, preventing injuries, increasing shot power and accuracy as well as increasing shot power and accuracy. There are various variations available such as elevating feet (as shown here) or placing a barbell or resistance band around one’s shoulders for a challenging workout session.
Perform push-ups on a decline for added tension that targets chest muscles specifically. Or alternatively perform them on knees to lessen leg strain for those recovering from injuries in their lower body and provide a more manageable workout session for people living with lower body ailments.
One final variation of the push-up involves adding an extra step by clapping in time with each movement – increasing intensity even further and providing an ideal way to work on hand speed and quick hands – both essential elements of squash players’ games.
As well as the above drills, there are also other squash footwork drills which can help improve overall movement on the court. Ladder drills provide an opportunity to practice moving your feet quickly and precisely across the court; sideways shuffles help develop lateral movement agility.
5. Ladder Drill
Ladder drills are an excellent way to develop footwork and quickness while increasing heart rate and getting the blood pumping. Ladder drills can be done as part of warm-up routines or throughout a session to burn calories and increase cardiovascular endurance. There are various forms of ladder drills; the basic one involves placing one foot on each square of the ladder while there are others such as two-footed versions where both feet move together along each row simultaneously as well as taking high steps in each box.
Crossover ladder drill is another effective way to increase agility. Start with feet straddled on one box and hop five times with both feet landing simultaneously before quickly transitioning into one step in each box for the rest of the ladder. This balance exercise helps develop control over your body while changing directions on court.
As part of your efforts to develop lateral movement, try engaging in the centipede ladder drill. This simple agility-focused exercise can be performed anywhere – simply stand to one side of a ladder and place both feet inside each square until your right foot takes a lateral step outside of square two on right and left feet. Continue this pattern down all rungs until coming back the other way – repeat until complete and then backtrack again.
The figure of eight is a squash specific movement drill that requires some practice to master. It incorporates both horizontal and vertical movement and can help improve ghosting skills. While learning this technique may take some effort, it’s an extremely efficient method for improving body movement on the squash court.