Tag Archives: tips

Swing Like a Pro

Posted on February 24, 2012 by mike

The swing is one of the most important and scrutinized aspects of every player’s overall game. Good technique allows a few important things to develop in your game: consistency in ball striking, ability to hit the ball from compromised positions, and deception.  It is something that cannot be swept under the carpet; you will struggle to pass a ‘C’ level of play if you have major technical deficiencies. Most errors ultimately come from some sort of technical miscue.

One of the best ways to improve your technique is by watching top players and analyzing theirs. Be wary of trying to copy the aesthetics of your favourite pro’s swing though. Ramy Ashour, for example, has a swing that no one would ever teach a beginner. He has superhuman wrist strength and racquet head speed, and takes almost no backswing. Nick Matthew is another example of someone with a slightly unorthodox swing. However, there are some key points you can take from almost any top player. I think anyone can incorporate the following five tips into their swing while maintaining some individual flair:

1)      Keep your space from the ball. Most people get far too close to the ball. This not only decreases your potential power (the arm is strongest when fully extended), but also brings your body further from the ‘T’ and deeper into the corners. Spread yourself out as much as possible, let the ball come to you, hit quickly and take a short lunge back to the ‘T’.

2)      Hit the ball with a flat racquet face. Of course, everyone is taught to hit the ball with an open face to ensure consistency. But hitting the ball flat (or even slightly topspin) will increase the heaviness of your shot, and keep the ball lower as it travels through the court. Particularly useful when hitting from a position of advantage. Jonathon Power was a master of this.

3)      Use less arm when digging out a tight ball. When the ball is buried in the back corner or glued to the wall, taking a full swing will often lead to an error (and broken racquet). You can subtly control your racquet using only wrist and hand. You might have to hit a defensive shot, but it’s better than the other option. The tighter the ball is, the shorter the swing should be.

4)      Take a longer follow through. Following through will noticeably improve your power, but it will also help keep the ball straighter. If you can limit your backswing and instead rely on your follow through for power, you will minimize the inconsistencies that cause errors.

5)      Get in position to hit early. This is also a movement tip, but even when your opponent has played a soft drive or weak boast, get your feet and racquet set early. You will feel like you have tons of time to the hit the ball, and it affords you the chance to incorporate some deception. Without any crazy fakes or flicks, simply standing with your racquet up will freeze your opponent or lead them to guess.

Try to make use of one of these tips every time you practice. A match isn’t a great opportunity to bring in a new technical element for the first time. Good luck!

 

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Squash – The cost of a bagel

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jeff

Thursday night is league night for me in our regional league.  I play B level and myself had a pretty straight forward match.  Our #1 though was in very tough playing the top player in our league, one of the top under 19 players in Canada. The junior used to play at our club until he went to University so these two have played countless time before.  The match ended with the expected player winning but not without some interesting twists and turns along the way.

The pace of play for the outset was really fast and hard.  Both players are extremely fit and their movement is astounding.  The ability to retrieve balls that look like they are not returnable is quite amazing.  The first game was tight the whole way through with rarely more than a couple of points between them.  Our #1 was able to close it out in extra points though I believe 15-13.

Games 2 and 3 went to the junior but were tightly contested.

Game 4 is where it got really interesting.  The junior got off to a quick lead and kept adding points and our #1 was having no success getting on the board. At around 5-0 there were murmurs in the crowd of a possible bagel.  The junior was digging in and our #1 looked like he could not figure how to win a rally.  Even when he was really extending the junior the ball kept coming back.  This is where the really interesting turn came.  The lead eventually got to 7-0 and there was a clear focus from the kid on getting the bagel.  He definitely knew it was possible and wanted it.  Our #1 knew it too but for the last few points had worked the kid all over the court and even though he had lost the rallies it was clear who was doing way more work.  At 7-0 a very hard and low unexpected boast ended the run and the hopes of the bagel to bring the score to 7-1.  That 1 point was huge of course but the work that our #1 made the kid do was even more important.  The game completely turned around and the score kept getting closer.  The change in the match was not only physical it was also mental.  There seemed to be a definite focus on getting the bagel and when that was lost there was a mental let down as well. The game eventually got to 10-9 for the junior.  Remarkably close considering the score had been 7-1. The kid did manage to close the game out and thus the match but it definitely looked in question.

It was a very entertaining match to watch.  The 4th game was definitely an incredible affair with a couple of lessons to be learned.  If you are the player that is struggling to win even a point against a tough opponent don’t give up hope.  Mental toughness is imperative.  If you are in the rallies and really making him work focus on that.  Don’t let the negative aspect of the score deter you.  See the positive in how you are extending your opponent and realize the work you are making him do will pay dividends later.  Look for a let down in focus. If you are the player way out in front remember the goal is to win the match not bagel your opponent.  Certainly you do not want to give up any cheap points but keep focused on the match and its outcome not on winning a personal battle, getting the bagel, and in the process risk losing the war.

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Control the ‘T’ Sports is pleased to introduce Mike McCue

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jeff

We are very excited to announce that Mike McCue, an up and coming PSA Tour player will be blogging for Control the ‘T’ Sports.  Mike has been playing squash since the age of 10 and is currently 18-years old.  He finished his junior career as the #2 ranked player in Canada.  His current ranking on the PSA Tour is #234.  Mike trains under Jamie Hickox and Jamie Nichols at the National Squash Academy in Toronto.

Mike’s posts will focus on squash from the perspective of someone that is turning professional and trying to make it on the PSA Tour.  You can expect posts from Mike focusing on his training, training tips for other players, life as an up and comer on the PSA Tour, coverage of tournaments he plays in and other topics related to squash.  We hope you enjoy his posts!

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Squash – Fluid movement back to the ‘T’

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Jeff

Many I am sure have seen this video from www.squashskills.com featuring the great Peter Nicol discussing moving back to the ‘T’.  Here is the video:

Squashskills.com is sponsored by Prince Sports

His discussion on not rushing back to the ‘T’ is critical and not something that I think you hear discussed that often. Most people are taught to get the back to the ‘T’ which is of course critical but with too much emphasis this can definitely lead to players rushing back to the ‘T’. This can cause a couple of problems. Getting stuck as Peter mentions and getting hit behind as well I would think is a risk too.

If you arrive back at the ‘T’ long before you opponent is going to play their shot it is very easy to get got caught flat-footed. If your opponent is very good at holding their shot as Peter Nicol noted Jonathon Power was then if you are at the ‘T’ too soon you have to wait, and wait for your opponent to hit the shot. They will definitely be trying to catch you flat-footed. Arriving back at the ‘T’ right when they actually are playing their shot will help prevent this from happening.

I think another point to this is that if you are to aggressive moving back to the ‘T’ you risk having your opponent hit the ball back to where you just left if they take the ball early. Your aggressive movement out of that corner will make it difficult to change direction and go back to where you came from.

Getting back to the ‘T’ is critical in squash but definitely take the great Peter Nicol’s advice and try not to charge back to it. Move fluidly and try and arrive when your opponent is going to play their shot so you don’t get stuck and caught flat-footed.

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Squash – Pace of play

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Jeff

In the last post we talked about deception.  In particular using a hold to add deception to your shot selection.  Another very important method to keep your opponent guessing and off balance is varying your pace of play. Varying your pace of play can be an effective method to keep or change momentum in a match when needed. Changing the pace of your shots is also effective at keeping your opponent guessing.  Squash is a very physical game as any squash player can attest to but it is also very mental. Varying your pace of play is a good strategical method to help control a match.

When should we play at a fast pace or at a slow pace?  One of the best times to vary the pace of play is when you need to change momentum in a game.  If your opponent is pressing hard and has gained the momentum trying to slow down the pace of play can often help.  You can do this playing slower paced length shots using height to get the ball past your opponent.  Lobs will work very well in this situation too.

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Squash – Clearing your drop or counter drop shot

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Jeff

One of the biggest differences between low to mid level players and higher level players is how fast they recover to the ‘T’ after playing their shot.  One the most noticeable areas I see this on court is at the front corners.

It is extremely common to see a player rush up to get a boast or drop that their opponent has played to one of the front corners, hit a drop and then get stuck in the front corner.  If their opponent gets to the ball earlier enough they can often end the point with a cross court drive as they have not been able to get back to ‘T’ to take that shot away.

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Squash Tip – Stuck in a losing pattern? Change it!

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Jeff

This is just a quick tip that I received while taking a lesson a few years ago. I was working with a much more advanced player than myself and was having problems getting drives on the backhand side past him and found myself stuck in a losing pattern. The objective of the drill was simple, hit a good enough shot to get the ball past him so that I could take the ‘T’ position away from him and then try to keep him behind me by taking the ball on the volley. I was trying to play a hard drive down the wall all of the time and I was not able to keep it tight enough to force him to let it pass. I found myself stuck in the back court and not succeeding at all with the drill. He stopped the drill and asked me what I was trying to do. I said that I was trying to drive the ball hard down the wall past him. His reponse was simple. It is not working. You need to try something different. You are not getting the ball past me with pace so why not use height to get the ball past me. Hit it high enough that I can’t volley it and will have to let it pass me.

While the example above is about trying to pass your opponent on a rail shot on the backhand side it applies to all parts of the game. If you find yourself stuck in a pattern that is not working you need to change it!

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Squash – Proper Training

Posted on May 14, 2010 by Jeff

There is a very different vision of practicing at different squash clubs. At many clubs “practice” is always match play.  I believe practice should consist of both drills and some match play.

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