Squash demands high levels of physical endurance when playing matches; staying on court for over 40 minutes when chasing every ball can be exhausting and strenuous.
Warming-up before playing squash is critical in order to minimize injuries and fatigue for newcomers – this will also help them feel more confident! Additionally, dynamic stretching may also prove effective at alleviating injuries.
Arm circles/shoulder rotations
Arm circles are an effective and straightforward bodyweight exercise designed to warm-up. Simply extend your arms out in front and back, making circular motions in both directions.
These exercises increase blood flow to working muscles, raise heart rate and respiration rates, mobilize and activate key muscle groups and trigger joint fluid release – all helping to lubricate and increase range of motion for key joints while decreasing injury risk.
Additionally, they help improve coordination and balance while serving as an excellent stress reliever for squash players, who often find their movement becomes compromised in later rounds of matches, impacting other aspects of their game.
As this exercise doesn’t require any equipment, it makes a perfect warm-up option for travelling players or those limited on space. With quick results that take only minutes to perform, this warm-up session provides players a quick but efficient warm up that they can do anywhere!
Before beginning their tennis matches, it is recommended that squash players warm up for at least 15 minutes to prevent energy stores being depleted unnecessarily and impair performance. A thorough warm-up routine should include both cardio exercises and dynamic stretching of key muscle groups to increase performance and avoid depleting energy stores unnecessarily. A qualified fitness professional is best qualified to advise their clients of an appropriate warm-up plan.
Studies have demonstrated the advantages of dynamic movement before engaging in strenuous activity as being significantly superior to static stretching. Static stretching involves only single-planar movements that cannot truly simulate multi-planar sports such as squash which require rapid, repetitive movement.
Static stretching may limit muscle activation during a workout, making it ineffective at prepping muscles for task at hand and potentially leading to injury due to inactive muscle movement during training sessions. Furthermore, lack of active movement during workout sessions can result in stiff and tight muscles leading to injury.
As a novice to squash, it may be tempting to dive right in without proper warming up or assistance from trained fitness professionals in their early steps. But this can put newcomers at increased risk of injury compared to veterans – so a fitness professional should guide and advise in these early steps of their journey.
Lunges
Due to the fast-paced nature of squash and its frequent stops and starts, it can put undue strain on legs – particularly groins, knees and Achilles tendon tendons. An effective warm-up routine including both aerobic exercises to raise heart rate as well as dynamic stretching exercises can reduce risk for injuries; qualified fitness professionals are best qualified to advise on an ideal warm-up plan.
Lunges are an effective exercise to strengthen and stabilize legs generally while simultaneously preparing them for many low returns made during squash matches. As such, lunges are one of the best squash specific strength and stability exercises you can perform.
RFESS (Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat) is an advanced lunge variation which allows you to load more heavily onto one leg, making it work harder and improving single leg strength, particularly for players who have significant variations between their dominant and non-dominant sides.
When performed properly, RFESS can help strengthen both quads and glutes – two key muscles for power production in squash. Integrating it into your training can also be used to develop balance as it requires one leg to work much harder than another when performing the movement.
Squash is an exciting sport and explosive power is key for successful shot execution. Plyometric exercises like jump squats, box jumps and medicine ball throws can help develop this form of explosive strength.
Many players often complain of leg fatigue during matches due to not engaging in adequate aerobic conditioning programs. By including simple jogging or shuttle runs as part of your training regimen, you can build endurance necessary for lasting the entire match.
One common misstep is failing to recognize the significance of agility and footwork drills. By engaging in ladder and cone drills, you can increase your ability to move quickly around the court and ultimately enhance performance.
Jogging/skipping
Squash is an intense game that demands short bursts of cardiovascular energy, lateral movement and full body flexibility, so warming up before hitting the ball as part of a warm-up exercise is of great significance. Jogging and skipping are excellent exercises to do before hitting the ball as warm-up exercises. They can also improve overall fitness, strength and endurance as well as help to enhance balance and co-ordination skills.
Prior to playing squash, jogging or skipping for 5-10 minutes should be completed as a means of prepping yourself physically for hitting the ball. Gradual increases in intensity should be used so as to prevent injury – this can be done on court, using stop boxes, rowers or any other form of machine – once your heart rate has been raised enough for stretching purposes it is time to begin your preparations by stretching.
Routine should include different combinations of speed and tempo combinations when it comes to jogging/skipping. Varying tempo helps prepare you for different types of play in a match while changing speed helps to improve your ability to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time, which will come in handy when chasing after your opponents.
An essential component of jogging/skipping routine is including drills that target specific movements used during matches. One effective way of improving lateral movement is through lunge toe touches – strengthening muscles in legs while increasing lateral mobility, something essential when running from back corner to front court to hit boast or volleys.
An effective way to enhance lateral movement is to place various squash balls at various positions on the court and have a rally with them. This will increase your awareness of where each stroke lands on the court as well as when and how best to position yourself for high rail boasts or high rail shots. Furthermore, this practice will prepare you to see the ball better when playing games and predict where opponents may strike it more easily.
Ghosting
Squash is an exciting, fast-paced game which demands high physical endurance from its participants. To compete at a competitive level, players must maintain movement and swing throughout an entire match without tiring themselves out. Therefore, before each match it is essential for players to warm-up properly with exercises such as jogging/skipping, arm circles and lunges in order to optimize performance.
Ghosting is another effective exercise to include as it enhances lateral movement in your body. Simply stand with feet slightly apart, lunge to each side while trying to touch toes each time – repeat until exhausted; for optimal results do this while holding a squash racket!
Players should practice lateral movement drills with their coach as part of their practice sessions, such as walking side to side or backwards-and-forwards on one leg, and hopping on spot and landing back down into lunge positions on one leg – these exercises will strengthen lateral movements needed to quickly move around the court, tracking the ball while improving balance and footwork simultaneously.
Watching the ball is a key aspect of playing squash, so training this skill should also be prioritized. A great way to do this is to shadow a coach or fellow player as this allows players to practice looking at opponents and visualising where their shots may land on court. Shadowing can be both enjoyable and educational – providing players with more practice at looking at how opponents move and visualising where their shots will land. Shadowing can also serve as a fun way of developing eye for ball awareness so players are always aware of where their opponents are on court at all times!
As squash has become more accessible to players of all ages and abilities, it has become ever more essential that players understand the significance of having an effective pre-match warm-up routine. Not only will this prevent injuries but will help players achieve their full potential during matches by keeping both physically and mentally prepared for its demands. By including elements like circuit training, jogging/skipping and arm circles/shoulder rotations with lunges into this pre-game warm up regime it is possible to develop an efficient routine which enables all squash players of all ages to achieve peak performance!