Volleying close to the sidewall is one of the key defensive shots in squash, giving you time to recover after your opponent has hit an effective attack shot.
Alternate between long volleys (straight and X-court) and short volleys (volley boast). Practice each shot multiple times until you find a feel for it.
Serve
An effective serve lays the groundwork for an effective defensive attack. Players must be able to read the direction of the pass and determine whether it will go to either of the front or back rows, in addition to noting who passed it and their passer ID numbers, setter ID, hitter IDs etc. Insight into this information allows defenders to make strategic decisions regarding how best to block it off.
An overhand serve requires the player to use a high contact point with the ball in order to gain enough power and get it over the net. Aiming for contact in front of their dominant foot may give more control and consistency to their swing. Timing the toss with peak ball height can affect speed and accuracy of serve – it is vitally important that arm swing start as soon as peak height has been reached, to ensure highest possible contact point with ball.
As players learn how to serve, drills that encourage serving in the seam are key for learning to serve correctly. By serving in this fashion, a player can challenge passers to hit high and difficult passes – which may create more difficulty for passing and offer opponents greater scoring opportunities.
Target Drill is an effective way to hone this skill, challenging players to serve to a particular spot on the other side of the court. Working in tandem with another player and competing for points by serving to different ones will encourage teamwork while improving overall serve quality. Focusing on technique such as hitting with topspin or using flat surface hands will improve consistency, power, consistency and pass-ability of serve serves.
Lob Shot
Executed properly, the lob shot can be both defensive and offensively effective. It allows you to take advantage of the large space high above the court to relieve pressure on opponents while taking advantage of any open spots high above it all. But be careful: this shot requires careful planning as its trajectory could easily end up short or out of bounds; for best results it must be hit softly so it rolls into its target corner without going short of bounds or off its target area altogether. To create an effective lob, soft hits on the ball need not go short of its target instead – which ensures its success and helps avoid accidental short outs; hit gently so it rolls to its target destination without overshoot or overshoot; success requires soft hits so the ball will bounce high up into its target corner without falling short or leaving off limits or out of bounds – when hitting this is necessary in terms of recovery from potential missed shots which otherwise easily out-of-bounds or not impacting its intended target area without becoming out-bounds or falling short/out-bounds, making recovery difficult; key to successfully lob shot success lies softly so as its trajectory rolls without dropping short or out-bounds making recovery difficult or recovering later on its intended path of course, without falling short or out-bounds and rolls into it’s target position without falling short thereby not short/out-bounds leaving no trace behind without leaving an out-bounds areas or falling short thus creating difficult recoverable later on the court due to either being hit out. Intentionally; for successful lobsing or out-bounds making recovering difficult from. Intentionality lies softly hitting it can ensure bounce high so as it rolls without falling short and rolling into back corner without falling off bounds easily out-bounds without falling off track, leaving any sorting, without becoming out-bounds leaving the courts too soon after this could easily making recovery difficult to recovers/out wasting wasted. a or out of bounds quickly due to out of bounds leaving or out of bounds after hitting short thus creating difficulties after impact so.
The basic lob shot can be executed from the forecourt using a low-to-high paddle motion. For added power, add topspin by rotating your wrist on contact point with ball. This will grip it more efficiently and prolong its flight into the air.
Use of lobs to lure opponents away from non-volley zone lines can give you time to set up defensive shots like boasts or drops, and may force your opponent into making poor returns in response. In such a case, playing an unexpected lob in response to an opponent drop can force them into rushing back towards their back wall in an effort to catch up, possibly forcing their timing off on their return shot.
A lob should always be hit on an upward trajectory to ensure it goes over your opponent’s outstretched arm and lands close to the baseline in court. Otherwise, it risks falling short or being directly hit down by an overhead smash and would become ineligible for return play.
As with any shot, lobs must be executed with an optimal mix of height and speed in order to avoid being cut off by an opponent’s volley. Unfortunately, many players fall victim to not getting their ball high enough or throwing too hard; when too hard, it will likely land short of the baseline and be easy to retrieve; when too high however, opponents could easily make use of their great height in volleying back and win points with ease.
Deep Drop
The deep drop is an effective defensive shot for keeping the ball close to the wall and controlling rallies. Although this technique requires practice to perfect, players at lower levels often overlook this tactic as an effective method for slowing down an opponent and taking control of rallies.
To execute this shot, players should stand behind their opponent and hit the ball with a full swing to reach a long distance, forcing their opponent to retreat into one of the corners and thus decreasing time spent in what’s known as ‘T’ area of court.
Additionally to using depth in their volleys, players should utilize slice to slow the ball and make it sit. This enables greater control over their shot without exerting too much energy into each stroke.
No matter how well a player slices the ball, what matters most in this shot is their ability to accurately judge speed and angle of the ball. Without being confident with this ability, losing control over it or missing completely could prove disastrous for their attempt.
Once a player can accurately judge the speed and angle of the ball, they can start using it as an offensive weapon. A deep drop is most frequently employed when an opponent plays either a lob serve that might hit off of a side wall in an inconvenient spot or makes a mistake on his return and allows the ball out of court. If players can quickly intercept and volley to front quickly when possible they have an excellent opportunity at winning points; top players often try volleying as often as they can in order to gain an edge over opponents who do not regularly volleying as often.
Sidewall Boast
This shot should be utilized when the ball has died in the back corner and you need a way to hit it high in front of your opponent. The key is using spin to hit hard so that it hits against a sidewall near the front court before dropping down onto their side and crossing over into the back corner – this technique will move their opponent around the court and reduce their options, potentially helping you secure victory! If done successfully it can be an excellent way of winning points as it limits their options while increasing your own!
This shot is often known as a three wall boast (it hits three walls: your side wall, the front and far side walls). At higher levels of squash however, many boast shots are designed to bounce twice before striking the front wall, thus making them two wall boasts.
To play a sidewall boast, stand parallel with both walls on both your forehand and backhand sides, using the same grip as regular drives. Make sure your shoulder closest to the front wall points slightly towards the sidewall while your body remains in an open position as though you were about to hit a straight drive but with your racquet face open at impact time.
Sidewall boasts can be an extremely effective defensive shot because they make it more difficult for your opponent to return volleys, especially against tall players with trouble reaching overhead lobs. By practicing this tactic regularly, it will equip you to counter many of your opponent’s weaker volleys and take control of the game in your own hands.
To develop your defensive shot skills, try including some time for practice every time you play squash. Alternating sides every minute in drills could help hone both defensive and attacking shots so you’re prepared for any situation during matches.