Having played squash for around 15 years now (and being a certified coach for around 8 of them), I've played with and coached many different players of many different standards.
However, I have a particularly good amount of experience in coaching beginners and players who are newer to the sport.
Of course, I've also been a beginner at one point too, I like to think that I know a thing or two about starting in the world of squash and taking your game to the next level.
Back when I was a beginner, I had quite a few misconceptions about the sport, how it's played, and what sort of things I should be practicing. These misconceptions may have slowed down my progression.
So, I thought it would be helpful to share these misconceptions about the sport that I (and many other beginners) often have!
In this article, I'll go through the four of the most important things I wish I knew as a beginner in squash...
1. Winning Doesn’t Always Mean You’re the Better Player
This pill can be hard to swallow, but just because you overcame your rival doesn't mean you are the better player.
However, this works the other way too.
Just because you lost, does not mean your opponent is a better player than you.
Have you ever played someone who is (in your mind) worse than you? Did you still feel quite a lot of pressure to win the match?
Well, this pressure can lead to you playing worse for several reasons.
It could discourage you from going for winners or riskier attacking shots, it could affect your mindset and distract you from the squash itself, or, it could make you start hitting more errors.
I believe that in squash (compared to other sports), the underdog does have a good chance of winning. I also think that's one of the things that's so entertaining about the sport.
I remember one match I had when I was 16 or 17 against a player I'd watched on many occasions but never actually played before.
I knew he was good and had beaten some better players than me, so when I came up against him in a tournament, I didn't feel much pressure and won 3-1. I was over the moon!
However, I played him the following week in a tournament and I was then seeded higher than he was, but he chopped me 3-0. A few weeks after that he chopped me 3-0 again.
I remember finding it hard to understand, I couldn't figure out how I'd beaten him the first time.
The fact was that he was the better player and he was consistently beating other players better than me too. But I didn't notice this because after beating him once, I just naively assumed I was better.
A tough pill to swallow!
Anyway, I'm not saying you shouldn't celebrate the wins because that's what we play for, however, make sure to stay humble and try not to think about whether or not you 'should' beat your opponent, but rather focus on playing your strategy and your own best squash.
The game isn't about being better than other people, and, this is a very subjective to focus your mind on anyway.
The game is about bettering yourself, improving your squash, striving for good results, and learning from the bad results.
So again, don't kick yourself when you lose and don't let the big wins go to your head!
2. You Don’t Need Strength to Hit the Ball Hard
I first started squash at around 8 and throughout my junior years, I was pretty skinny and quite small until I was around 17.
I remember not being very strong at all and I was very aware of that fact, so, for my first few years in the game, I always thought that I'd never be able to hit the ball hard.
Over the following years, I slowly discovered this was quite a big misconception!
Hitting the ball hard is not about muscle size, it's (nearly) all about technique.
Of course, being stronger will indeed help you to an extent, however, it's not a necessity if you get your technique right. In fact, on the other hand, you could be the strongest person in the world, if you have a bad technique, you'll not be able to hit it as hard as a well-trained player who is half your size.
But why is technique so important for hitting the ball hard?
To hit the ball hard, you need to be able to hit it cleanly. To hit the ball cleanly, you need to have good swing technique.
I see so many beginners (particularly juniors) swinging blindly and frantically at the ball trying to smack it. Usually, this results in a miss-hit, a frame, or just missing the ball entirely.
This is because they haven't developed and refined their swing yet. I could go down the route of dissecting the ideal squash swing, however, that's a whole other topic that would take me far too long to delve into.
Timing also plays a huge role in how hard the ball is hit, this can be tough for beginners. It takes some time to get used to how the ball bounces and spins in squash.
You need to make sure that you're not taking the ball when it's too close to the ground or the wall, and you need to make sure you're body isn't too close or too far from the ball.
So yeah, there's a lot that goes into a good technique and it takes some work to develop the optimum technique that works best for you, however, you'll notice that none of these factors involve you having to be muscular.
When I was starting out as that very slim junior, I remember thinking I'd never be able to hit the ball hard. However, I loved squash so much that I didn't really care too much at that point, then, fast-forward a few more years and I was hitting the ball much harder and much cleaner!
Although I mentioned I wasn't going to go into the rabbit hole of 'the perfect swing', I will say there's no such thing as perfect technique...
2(a). There’s No Such Thing as Perfect Technique
When I started squash, things were still quite traditional, especially in England.
I was taught to lunge in with my right leg if I was playing a backhand and my left leg if I was playing a forehand every single time. My coach would change tiny elements of my swing to try to get it to fit the 'generic' swing style.
Fast-forward to now, coaches try to teach a combination of the above (more traditional) style of hitting and a more creative style orientated around what works best for the players.
This allows beginners to experiment with different techniques and motions with their arms and wrists without neglecting the fundamental elements of technique that are still essential.
If you look at the professionals and compare them, the current men's World No.1, Ali Farag, has a wristy unique swing that works incredibly well for his style of play.
Please keep this in mind if anyone ever tells you your swing looks strange.
Just another FYI, I'd like to note that my coach wasn't doing anything wrong by teaching things the way he did, this was just how things were at the time and it helped me get the solid fundamentals down.
This particular coach got me into the sport in the first place and has also changed and adapted his methods often to be more in keeping with the direction the sport is going.
Fast-forward to now and I'd say my swing isn't exactly traditional.
I change it from shot to shot depending on how hard I want to hit the ball, whether or not I want to add deception, if I want to add some wrist, and many other things.
3. Practicing Movement is (Unfortunately) Crucial
You can have all the shots but, without good movement, you'll struggle to overcome your opponents consistently.
I used the word 'unfortunately' in the title is because movement drills and routines aren't exactly known for being fun.
Ghosting (moving around the court from corner to corner and swinging without hitting a ball) is the most well-known movement drill and I don't know anyone who likes it.
But, I do know that nearly all experienced, advanced, and professional squash players will incorporate ghosting into their training.
I would go as far as to say that, without ghosting, you will struggle to reach the next level of your game.
Yes, you can learn and improve your movement during hitting-orientated drills and matches, however, your mind isn't fully focused on your movement so it will take much longer.
The above will help build your movement into your muscle memory, but to figure out what style of movement works best and is most efficient for you,
I'd say ghosting is vital.
Ghosting allows you to break down your movement into pieces, you can work out how many steps you need to take to get to certain areas of the court, and you can then practice this repeatedly until it feels good.
When working this out, you don't have to ghost fast, in fact, you can ghost at around 20% of your maximum speed and still be gaining a lot by dissecting the different areas you think you can improve.
Then you can build it up again and work on speed, fluidity, explosivity, and light-footedness.
So yes, without good movement, you will tire faster as you'll be burning a lot more energy, struggle to reach your opponent's attacking shots to the front of the court, and you may increase your risk of injury over time too.
4. The Mental Game is Half the Battle
Again going back to my beginner days, squash was the first sport I'd really stuck with and played regularly. Being a young junior, I was prone to getting angry and frustrated if things weren't going my way.
But, juniors aren't the only players who get like this I know a bunch of adult players who are also prone to losing their heads when the pressure of a match becomes too much.
The extent to which squash is a mental game cannot be underestimated.
It wasn’t until I’d been playing for several years that I realized how much of squash is played in the mind. The mental game is very often the difference between winning and losing, and it’s something I wish I’d understood from the very beginning.
With squash being an incredibly fast-paced sport, staying calm and composed under pressure is vital but difficult.
As you face opponents who are constantly applying pressure, it’s easy to let frustration or anxiety creep in. However, maintaining a clear mind and focusing on the next point rather than dwelling on mistakes will keep you in the game.
I’ve seen countless matches where a player with superior technical skills falters because they can’t manage their emotions or keep their concentration.
Even if they manage to regain their composure and get their head bag in the game, this often takes a few points, and, by then, they are likely to be in a deficit they can't recover from.
One of the most common mental challenges is staying focused during long rallies and intense matches.
It’s easy to get distracted, especially when you’re tired or the game isn’t going your way. Concentrating on each shot, keeping track of your opponent’s position, and anticipating their next move requires a high level of mental endurance.
This endurance (again) takes a lot of time to develop and, it could be argued that it's something that can never be perfected, but, it’s still something every player should work on from the outset.
Another critical aspect of the mental game is the ability to adapt and make quick decisions. Squash is dynamic, and every rally can unfold in many ways.
The best players can think on their feet and adjust their strategy based on their opponent's tactics. Their heads are in the present, rather than in previous points and things that may have frustrated them.
Being present in the game and having the ability to make adjustments to your game in real-time swiftly and confidently is a positive mental skill that can turn the tide in your favour.
In the lead-up to matches, managing nerves is another significant mental challenge.
Whether it’s a tournament final or a match against a longtime rival, the pressure can be immense and can tire you out before the match even begins.
Learning how to handle this pressure is key to performing at your best. Some players use breathing techniques to calm themselves, while others focus on positive self-talk or visualization.
Whatever method you choose, finding a way to stay relaxed and confident during high-stakes matches will help you up your game.
Understanding the psychological battle against your opponent is also a critical element of squash.
Just as you’re managing your mental state, your opponent is doing the same.
Lengthening rallies, varying the pace, or simply staying composed and unflustered, can wear down your opponent mentally. The ability to outthink your opponent mentally is often as important as outplaying them physically.
Now, the last thing I wanted to mention here is resilience.
You’re bound to face setbacks, whether it's losing a game, falling behind in a match, or making a few unforced errors.
The ability to bounce back from these setbacks, and keep fighting even when the odds seem stacked against you, separates good players from great ones.
Developing mental toughness and a never-give-up attitude is something I wish I had prioritized earlier in my squash journey, and, it's something I still struggle with to this day.
It's so easy to think that because you're down a game or even two games that the match is over. However, comebacks happen all the time in squash, so, you need to keep that in your head as much as possible when the going gets tough.
And I'll leave it at that!
I hope this blog post has been helpful for those of you who are perhaps newer to the sport, or, to any of you who may have some of these misconceptions yourselves.
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