A friend of mine was coaching me between games recently and pointed out that I was playing too safely and needed to start taking a few risks.
It was quite an important match, and I think my nerves were getting the best of me. I wanted to ensure I made no unforced errors; however, without winning shots, I was putting myself under more unnecessary pressure.
Thinking about my game a little more broadly, I think that this is something I do quite often and is a bit of a habit I've gotten myself into.
I started thinking about other bad habits that are often seen in squash and decided to focus on that for this week's newsletter.
Bad habits can easily sneak into your game without you even noticing.
These small mistakes can quietly hold back your performance on court and, over time, they can make it much trickier to improve your overall game and reach the next level.
So, in this article, I thought I'd break down five common bad habits in squash that might be costing you points, games, and progression. I'll also talk about how to spot them and how to fix them so you can play your best.
I thought I'd start with the habit I mentioned in the intro, since this is an issue I had recently. I'm generally not the safest-style player, but, with the end of the season approaching, our team matches are becoming more important as we try to secure the title, so I'm definitely more nervous for my matches.
This seems to have allowed a bad habit to start to creep in.
This is something I see in a lot of other players’ games, especially at the club level.
Choosing the safest shot options available (often a medium-paced length or lob) can seem like the sensible way to play on the surface. In fact, this can be true depending on your opponent's style and your game plan.
Keeping the ball in play, avoiding risky shots, and forcing your opponent to win the rally does indeed sound like solid squash.
In reality, though, constantly playing safe can quietly make your game predictable and far easier to deal with, making it much more tricky for you to win in the long run.
When every shot is low-paced, predictable, and safe, your opponent will quickly realize they’re rarely under any real threat.
They can settle into a comfortable rhythm, patrol the T with confidence, and begin looking for opportunities to attack without feeling much pressure.
This doesn’t mean safe shots are bad, as they are definitely the backbone of good squash.
The problem arises when safety becomes your only gear.
If you never threaten the front court, never look to volley aggressively, and never test your opponent’s movement with anything different, rallies become very one-dimensional.
Your opponent knows what’s coming, and once a player can anticipate your patterns, they’re already halfway to winning the rally
A good way to spot this habit in your own game is by thinking about how often you actually challenge your opponent.
Do your rallies consist almost entirely of straight drives and cross-courts? Do you rarely attempt a drop unless the rally is already won? Do opponents seem comfortable stepping onto the T against you without much concern?
If the answer to those questions is yes, there’s a good chance you’ve drifted into overly safe play.
The solution isn’t to suddenly start going for reckless winners. Instead, it’s about introducing small moments of intent into your rallies.
Look for opportunities to volley when the ball sits up. Mix in the occasional drop when your opponent is deep. Even a well-disguised boast can shift the rally dynamic and force your opponent to start thinking rather than settling.
The key is to find a nice balance.
Solid, consistent length should still be your foundation, but every so often, you need to show your opponent that you’re willing to ask questions.
Once they know that a drop, volley, or attacking option could appear at any moment, they can’t relax quite as much on the T.
And in squash, making your opponent just a little bit uncomfortable often makes a much bigger difference than you’d expect.
Another habit that quietly undermines many players’ games is standing too far back when you move to the T.
It’s tempting to hang back, especially when you’re trying to physically preserve yourself or give yourself some extra time.
On the surface, it can feel safe in those length exchanges. The problem is, being too far behind the T often means you’re not in the most effective place to dictate or control the rally.
When you’re hanging back, your opponent quickly realizes they have space to move the ball around.
They can attack with length using the mid-court, probe the front court, or force you to have to move around them for wider shots without feeling much risk.
In other words, you’re giving up a subtle but crucial psychological and tactical advantage. Squash is a game of control, and the T is where you command that control from.
If you’re not there, you’re letting your opponent dictate the tempo and pattern of play.
You can often spot this habit quite easily.
If you notice yourself having to scramble every time the ball goes to the front of the court, you could be hanging back.
Or, if it feels like you're always behind your opponent, you may be hanging back too.
Another giveaway is the lack of volleys. If you're hanging back, it's often easier to just let the ball bounce rather than taking a volley in front of yourself.
If you feel like you’re always chasing the ball rather than intercepting it or are rarely stepping forward to take the ball early (even when it sits up nicely), you might be giving away control without even realizing it.
Fixing this habit doesn’t mean you need to stick rigidly to the T on every shot.
It’s about being proactive and thinking ahead. Aim to return to position yourself around either half a step (or a full step) behind the T line as soon as possible after each shot.
Focus on moving efficiently and smoothly if you can. This is something that ghosting can help with.
Learn to take the ball early when it’s within reach, cutting off angles and reducing your opponent’s time.
Even small adjustments in positioning can have a huge effect on your ability to control rallies and dictate play.
One drill I often recommend for improving your T-position is called 'touch the T'.
You essentially play length games to the back of the court with a partner, but you have to touch the T with either your foot or your racquet after every shot you play.
This one is quite physically demanding, so, if the intensity feels too high, you can add some more conditions, such as not being able to volley, or every length having to go above the service line.
This will help you turn the bad habit of hanging back into a good habit of moving into a more positive position on the T.
It will eventually become muscle memory.
The difference is subtle but powerful.
When you hold the T effectively, your opponent can’t settle comfortably.
They’re forced to move more, make quicker decisions, and constantly adapt to your presence. Over time, just being in the right spot can tip the balance of many rallie, and sometimes the entire match, in your favour.
It’s not surprising how often players overlook proper warm-ups and cool-downs; however, showing up on court is not enough, especially as you age.
I'm not sure what the average age of our readers is; however, I'm now at the age of 28, and, until I was around 27, I would rarely warm up or cool down.
I could kind of get away with it, although I was often pretty sore on the days following matches.
However, following an ankle injury and a back injury that lasted the entirety of last season, I now have to be very stringent when it comes to warming up, stretching, and cooling down every time I play.
Skipping this prep can quietly affect everything from shot quality to stamina, and it’s one of the most preventable performance drops in squash.
A good warm-up isn’t just about stretching or jogging a little.
It’s about priming your body and your mind for the specific movements you’ll need during the match.
Dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and a short burst of light cardio all help get your blood flowing and joints ready for sudden changes of direction.
The foam roller has been a godsend for me personally, so I'd highly recommend getting one if you don't already.
I'm no expert; however, I have heard that dynamic stretching can be better than static stretching. I do a bit of both, but I try to focus on dynamic stretches that involve moving while stretching each muscle.
Static stretching when you're cold does carry some risk of injury in itself, so it's important to be wary of that.
However, perhaps the most overlooked thing I wanted to touch on here is warming up the ball itself.
So many players just execute mindless hitting in the pre-match warm-up, whacking the ball back to themselves a few times and then over to their opponent.
That's not what the warm-up is for!
It's a crucial opportunity to prepare each of your individual shots. It should be used to groove your technique, warm your swinging arm up, find your range, and get a feel for the ball and court.
You should be mindfully working on volleys, lengths, drops, boasts, and lifts, taking those extra few moments to prepare your shots pays dividends when the match begins.
You can spot this habit in your own routine by reflecting on how your body and shots feel in the first few rallies. Do your muscles feel stiff? Are your shots inconsistent or off your usual pace? Do you often start the match slowly while your opponent seems ready immediately?
If so, your warm-up, or lack of proper use of it, might be holding you back.
This is the same with your cool down. This is arguably even harder to commit to than stretching before the match, as you're likely sweaty, tired, and just want to sit down.
But, I can promise you that you'll thank yourself the next day if you cool down and stretch/foam roll after you play, too!
It doesn’t require hours, even just a few minutes before and after you play is better than nothing.
Including using your hitting warm-up properly, these steps transform the first few minutes of a match from guesswork into control.
Your body is ready, your shots feel sharp, and you start each rally with confidence rather than playing catch-up.
This is a bad habit that I've had for a few years now. For me, some of it comes down to fitness. When I start struggling physically, I get tempted to go for silly winners from all areas of the court.
It's great when they come off, but it often just adds unnecessary risk to my game, and if my winner attempts are weak, it'll put me under even more physical pressure in the long run.
I've been working on it for a while; however, it's still definitely ingrained in my game!
Trying to force winners when it's not the right time disrupts your rhythm, invites errors, and hands momentum to your opponent.
Rallies tend to become rushed if you're guilty of this bad habit, too.
You’re trying to end points before the opportunity naturally arises, and that often leads to overhitting, lunging at awkward angles, or misjudging distances.
Squash is as much about patience and positioning as it is about deception, and forcing winners is essentially an attempt to bypass those foundations.
You can spot this habit by paying attention to your shot selection.
Do you frequently go for the “big shot” even when the ball isn’t in an ideal position? Are rallies shorter than usual because you’re constantly attempting to finish points prematurely? Do your errors spike when you feel pressured to end a rally quickly?
If the answer is yes, you might be forcing winners without even realizing it.
Fixing this habit isn’t about abandoning attacking shots altogether, in fact, there may very well be times that you get the chance to take the ball short very early in a rally, but you need to know that it's the right time.
But building a rally based on maintaining length and variation, moving your opponent around, and creating openings that make finishing shots easier and more reliable is the ideal approach.
Take the ball early when it sits up, but only execute a winner when the conditions are right. If your opponent is off-balance, out of position, or already stretched, that's usually a good opportunity.
Patience in rallies often pays off more than attempting to manufacture points.
Even if you get a good chance to go short, putting a hold on the ball to draw your opponent in a bit and then hitting another hard length can do more damage to your opponent in the long run.
The key difference is control versus urgency.
When you wait for the right moment, your winners are higher percentage, more confident, and less risky.
If your opponent catches on that you're going to the front all the time, they'll move their T position forward, adapt, and be able to apply even more pressure by counterattacking.
So, just remember that, over time, the ability to finish points intelligently rather than forcibly can dramatically improve both your consistency and match outcomes.
It’s easy to overlook, but how you move between points can quietly affect your performance.
Rushing from one rally to the next, grabbing the ball too quickly, sprinting back to the service box and hitting a poor serve isn't helpful at all.
Of course, there are times to get the next rally going quickly, especially if you think your opponent is starting to get tired. However, you should always take the utmost care with every serve.
It's your opportunity to hit a good shot from the get-go and apply the pressure. A poor serve, on the other hand, will allow the other player to get on top of you straight away.
When you rush between points, you’re also giving up a chance to reset both physically and mentally.
Your heart rate stays higher than it needs to, your breathing may remain shallow, and you're adding unnecessary pressure to yourself.
The solution is simple but effective: take a deliberate pause. Retrieve the ball calmly, walk back to the service box, and use those few seconds to reset your breathing, refocus your mind, and plan your serve.
Even a few extra seconds of purposeful preparation can improve your placement and composure. Players who consistently control matches often use this small window to their advantage, arriving at the T calm, collected, and ready to dictate the next point.
This is especially important when the previous point was a tough one.
This even applies if you lost the previous point. You don't need to rush back to return the next serve. You must take a moment to forget the previous rally and get your mind set for the next.
Remember, every moment counts.
By slowing down between points, you gain control before the rally even starts, turning what looks like a tiny habit into an extra edge in your favour.
This article was taken from our On The 'T' Newsletter, if you're interested in receiving more content like this, please feel free to sign up using the subscribe section located at the bottom left of this page (or underneath the article if you're on mobile), thanks!