Squash

leigh_boy · 24 Jul 2014 at 11:54

played it for the first time yesterday, had a lots of fun, really took it out of me.
im not very good but i might take it up.

does any one else play?
any tips?

blairw · 24 Jul 2014 at 14:39

It is well worth taking a few lessons if you have never played before - also make sure you are playing with the right level of equipment for your ability. There are balls that are easier to play with for those new to the game that will make it a lot more fun for you.

bazzabear · 24 Jul 2014 at 14:54

I'd be interested in this. Things as simple as knowing where to stand in any given situation, what shots are likely to give the advantage from different parts of the court.

Similar to you, have played a couple of times, have no real idea what I'm doing, and coming from tennis is hard to get out of the mindset of 'this is my half of the court, that is theirs'.

Sunbed · 24 Jul 2014 at 14:58

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18495948

- As blairw said, play with a blue dot (beginner) or red dot (progress) ball to begin with. No where near enough people do this. 90% of people play with double yellow (pro) balls which is ridiculous considering the standard of most players. Double yellows should only really be used by club players and above, in summer when the courts are warmer. You will have more fun and get better quicker playing with bouncier balls.... :eek:

- Always return to the 'T' after playing a shot.
- Always watch your opponent's racket whilst they play their shot.
- Play shots that force your opponent off the 'T'.

Easier said than done.

Also Commonwealth squash is on BBC iPlayer now!

bazzabear · 24 Jul 2014 at 15:04

Cheers for that, very useful. I knew of the 'return to the T' suggestion. Is it also right to receive serve from centre court so you're not caught against the wall?

If you're trying to get back to the T, and the opponent has that position, are you best placed behind or ahead of them?

When serving, should you be aiming t get the ball to stick against the wall to make it awkward for them?

Sunbed · 24 Jul 2014 at 15:30

If you are receiving a serve so you're stood on the left hand side of the court, you want to be somewhere in the middle of your service box:

Most new players tend to tuck themselves up against the wall so they can get a cheeky forehand return. This works sometimes but it's not a good way of returning in the long-run. As soon as you play against someone who can place a serve properly you would never get a good return because you won't have space to swing at it properly.

Ideally you want to play your return to the back left corner. This makes the server run and a deep backhand is a difficult shot to attack. If their serve is loose then you can get a backhand volley to the front or (preferably back) of the court.

bazzabear · 24 Jul 2014 at 15:39

Lovely, that all makes a lot of sense. So I'm standing where your circle is, and trying to place my return where your crossed circle is?

Seems obvious now, but I was generally trying to play a return really short to draw him forward - a symptom again of what I was saying about being stuck in a tennis mindset.

Sunbed · 24 Jul 2014 at 15:48

Sorry, I've just realised how confusing my sketch is. I actually meant the red circle is where one should stand, ready to backhand the return and the red circle with a cross is where a lot of newer players tend to stand (which is not a good place).

However, you're right that the ideal return shot should bounce where the red cross circle is. You can 'drop shot' it to the front of the court as you mentioned but it HAS to be tight against the left wall, ideally volleyed too so your opponent doesn't have time to move across the court.

Generally, tight against the wall in the back-left corner is the hardest shot to return.

rhysduck · 24 Jul 2014 at 16:15

Sunbed said:
Generally, tight against the wall in the back-left corner is the hardest shot to return.

It's also hard to pull off when serving

OP: its a great game, it'll beat a 45min gym session any day of the week.

The Sporting Blog · 12 Jul 2017 at 20:26

The single most important thing really is getting back to the 'T' after each shot, whether short on the floor or towards the back wall/glass. The more you play the more economy of movement will become apparent, there isn't really a need to full on sprint in squash apart from a back wall to drop shot. The rest of your movement should be short steps and longish lunges so stretch out the groin and hamstrings well!
If you are just starting out check out some vids on YouTube to see how the pro's look to limit their steps whilst maintaining depth on the strokes.
It is also a great game to practice on your own, again YouTube has tons of drills to look at. enjoy!

beachBOYken · 13 Jul 2017 at 12:33

Used to play Squash a lot as a teen, was in a club and we travelled to Holland and Belgium to play mini club tournaments.

When serving I always used to float my serve in, high with enough pace to reach the back corner so it would literally drop out the air without much bounce, worked quite well.

marl · 15 Jul 2017 at 16:22

Great game. I played a lot and for local league teams until my knee gave out (bummer). As others have said get a couple of lessons to learn the basics in order to get off on the correct foot/feet (forgive the pun).

Tips... squash is unlike other racquet sports. In Tennis, Table Tennis and Badminton 9 times out of ten if you can get the ball past your opponent you've won the rally. In Squash, if you get the ball past your opponent it will usually come off the back wall and they'll return it. To win a point you'll have to manoeuvre your opponent out of position. This can be difficult because the court is quite small. Therefore, being aware of where your opponent is standing is critical. There's no point in hitting a blistering drive an inch above the tin if you're opponent is in position and waiting for the ball! So, before you play a shot, think about where your opponent is standing and try and place it as far away in the court as possible from where your opponent is standing. Try and make them work, or move to retrieve the ball and try and avoid hitting it back to them...

GSVBagpuss · 15 Jul 2017 at 18:47

Haven't played squash for years but it was great cardio. In some ways playing properly is less fun than chasing the ball around the court and then trying to knock its cover off with every shot

marl · 16 Jul 2017 at 12:24

If anyone is interested, the European Closed championships are being held in Nottingham this year. I just got an e-mail to say the Gregory Gaultier, the number 1 ranked men's player will be there. Tickets down in price as well £20.00 for semis and £25.00 for finals-
http://www.isportstore.com/iSPORTticketing/iSPORTticketing