Before beginning to play a squash shot, all three elements – body, arm and racket – must be in their proper places. This must occur prior to swinging at the ball.
As you strike at the ball, its handle should always remain lower than its racket head for optimal results; upon impact, the ball must pass beyond both your left foot and knee while staying within arm’s reach.
Balance
Balance of a squash racket plays an essential part in how it is swing by its player. A well-balanced racket allows more power and control, as it can handle greater amounts of swing torque more effectively, as well as being easier to manoeuvre as it flies through the air more smoothly. Professional squash players with multiple rackets typically have them professionally balanced to ensure each has the same weight balance.
Racket weight can also have a dramatic effect on how a squash racket plays. Lighter rackets may be easier to maneuver but require more power; heavier ones, on the other hand, require greater efforts when moving around a court. In order to find your optimal playing style and find a racket that feels natural in your hand while offering enough force, we suggest trying various rackets until one suits both comfortably in hand and meets all desired power goals.
Some studies have examined the kinematics of highly skilled and less skilled squash players, but most studies have focused on driving ball mechanics (Chapman, 1986; Elliott et al. 1996; Woo & Chapman 1992). To properly compare stroke mechanics across skill levels it is necessary to examine all upper body kinematics.
This model was capable of accurately representing the range of motion for trunk and humerus movement during both drive and drop strokes, arm-shoulder distance at impact, shoulder/elbow movement as well as wrist rotation.
The model provides coaches and instructors with an invaluable tool for analyzing differences in kinematics between elite and non-elite squash players, and this information allows them to design training programs which maximize each athlete’s potential. More specifically, coaches and instructors can utilize this model to identify areas needing improvement while simultaneously using it to determine appropriate stroke characteristics for every athlete to reduce injuries while increasing performance across teams.
Rotation
Rotation of trunk, elbow and wrist movements during a squash racket stroke is key to producing power. A good example of this would be backhand drive: high quality drives are consistent straight shots that often run down against the side wall of the court; without this rotation you may struggle with consistency of delivery of such shots.
Studies on trunk, upper-limb and racket kinematics as they pertain to squash stroke production have examined trunk kinematics (Chapman 1986; Elliott et al 1996; Marshall & Elliott 2000). Unfortunately, most of these studies focused on elite or highly skilled players, thus missing valuable data about variations between less skilled players’ stroke mechanics.
To overcome this limitation, the present study sought to investigate variations in kinematics that distinguish highly skilled squash players from less skilled players. To achieve this objective, nine participants capable of producing high-performance squash forehand drives were observed by comparing their trunk, elbow and wrist kinematics using phase-locked Photosonics cameras and three-dimensional motion analysis software. Joint kinematics were calculated for the trunk, elbow and wrist joints; racket head angular velocity was measured upon impact. Coefficient of Variance (CoV) values were computed for three events of interest: a) the start of trunk-elbow coupling rotation; b) propulsion initiation (the instant at which propulsion began for any joint-coupling (shoulder internal rotation for shoulder-wrist coupling, wrist flexion for forearm-wrist coupling); and c) contact of racket head with ball.
Results demonstrated that, at the initial propulsion stage, highly skilled players demonstrated greater coefficient of variation values compared to less skilled groups for all three strokes. This is likely attributable to greater trunk rotation angle in forehand drive compared with drop and volley strokes; additionally, shoulder internal rotation, hand flexion and forearm pronation angular velocities were significantly faster during forehand drive stroke compared with drop or volley, suggesting these are primary contributors of racket head velocity at impact.
Position of the Racket
At impact, this affects the angle of the racket face at impact which alters its trajectory; in turn, this affects where the ball travels after impact. If a racket’s face points downwards at impact then most of its power will go downwards; otherwise it may have spin and move sideways; otherwise it may move upwards slightly while being hit between them may mean some upward movement of the ball as well as sideways spin (a spin that goes sideways), and in between it may go upwards somewhat. Although controlling this can be challenging at times but is essential in creating different types of shots such as boasts and drives.
As part of a forehand drive stroke, it is critical that both trunk and dominant upper-limb rotate and position the racket in such a way as to maximize racket head linear horizontal velocity. Achieve this feat through proper trunk rotation, shoulder rotation, forearm pronation/supination during stroke.
Studies have demonstrated that highly skilled squash players possess greater range in terms of rotations and positions of their upper-limb during shot than less experienced players; furthermore, this difference has been linked with greater accuracy of drive shot.
One way to improve hitting accurate drives is to understand how trunk, shoulder, arm, and hand movements and kinematics influence critical factors of racket speed, trajectory and position at impact (Elliott et al. 1996).
This research employed a 15-camera motion analysis system to record three-dimensional (3D) trajectories of trunk, shoulder and racket during forehand drive, volley, drop strokes. These variables were then compared between highly skilled players and less-skilled ones through within-participant analysis of variance.
The results of the study demonstrated that highly skilled squash players had greater trunk rotation angles at the top of backswing, increased shoulder internal and external rotation at front of shoulder plane, as well as greater wrist flexion/extension at cocked wrist position than less skilled players. These variables enable highly-skilled squash players to generate high racket head velocity as well as control its trajectory at impact.
Follow Through
Follow-through is essential to creating an effective squash stroke. A proper follow through ensures that the rest of the swing was executed correctly and generates more power, while maintaining contact between player and ball; otherwise it will likely result in shots missing their targets entirely – something which could prove very costly in a game of squash.
Shot accuracy is an integral skill in the sport of squash, where one mishit could displace an opposing player from leading a rally or even cost them points directly. Therefore, it is critical to understand how forehand and backhand drive, volley, and drop shots can be improved upon to maintain or increase accuracy; these may include techniques used, speed of contact with the ball hit with bat or tactics employed during match.
This study employed an optical motion analysis system to explore variations in racket orientation angle at ball impact for accurate and inaccurate squash strokes, using an optical motion analysis system. Kinematics from each shot included tracking participants’ trunk, elbow, and wrist movements while data from wand was analysed and plotted as graph representing impact angles for each shot; results demonstrated that less-skilled players demonstrated increased trunk angular velocity at drive stroke impacts while more experienced players displayed greater open trunk angular velocities during volley and drop stroke impacts respectively. The less experienced group displayed higher closed trunk angular velocity during drive stroke impacts whilst highly skilled groups demonstrated more open trunk angular velocity during volley and drop stroke impacts respectively; data showed no statistical differences between less-skilled and highly skilled groups regarding racket orientation angles at ball impacts between less skilled groups when it came to accurate or inaccurate squash shots at all.
This study’s results demonstrate that highly skilled players possess a greater grasp of the mechanics underlying different squash strokes, giving them an advantage in terms of improving performance during matches and stroke technique development programs that aim to advance players’ swing mechanics.
Squash players generate power through a combination of shoulder rotatory movement, body forward motion and driving forward to their leading foot – similar to how boxers generate force with body and forward momentum rather than with arms alone.