Being able to hit shots accurately and consistently is one of the most important parts of squash, however, it's a very tricky thing to master.
Being an accurate player is not just a case of practicing hitting balls over and over again (although that does help), it's a concoction of many different technical elements that all come together to allow you to execute the perfect shot.
In this article, I'll be going through 5 things that may be impacting your accuracy that you may not have thought about until now.
Making changes and working on these subtle things, rather than just going through the motions of hitting balls, could work wonders on your control and accuacy.
So, without further ado, let's dive in...
Unstable Movement
Your accuracy starts long before your racquet even makes contact with the ball.
Whether you're standing on the T, pushing off, lunging in, swinging, or pushing out to the T, how stable you are at any of these points of movement directly impacts the accuracy of the shot you're playing.
One of the biggest issues I see often is players lunging into shots without proper balance or control.
This can either mean your back foot falling in as your weight goes forward into the lunge, or, your body wobbling from side to side when you're in the lunge and trying to swing.
If your movement is too rushed or your weight isn’t properly distributed, your swing becomes inconsistent, and even the smallest misalignment can send the ball slightly off target.
This can mean the difference between guiding a ball straight down the side wall perfectly and hitting a loose shot back into the middle, giving your opponent an easy opportunity to counterattack.
Core strength is a huge part of remaining stable in squash, especially when it comes to your lunging. If you find yourself struggling to stay still and controlled during your lunge, then maybe you need to work on your core strength a little.
In fact, winding things back a little, even you T positioning ultimately effects your shot accuracy, as this dictates how far you have to move to get to the ball.
If you're hanging back and your opponent hits the ball into the front, for example, you'll be scrambling to get there on time, meaning that you might end up being off-balance when you come to take your shot.
Practicing a proper T position is vital, making sure that you're around half a step to a full step behind the T is pretty ideal.
Remember, if you're too far forward, it can also mean that you have to move further and scramble to the back of the court during length exchanges, which could again impact your ability to hit the ball accurately.
Similarly, your push-off of the T is also a big factor here.
If you explode off the T in a chaotic or unbalanced manner, you’re more likely to arrive at the ball in a compromised position.
Equally, if you're flat-footed rather than bouncing on your toes, you'll struggle to get to the ball as fast as you need to to give yourself enough time to guide your shot with control.
Instead, smooth and controlled split step and movement ensures you’re not scrambling into position but rather gliding into your shot with a stable, composed setup.
The next part of your movement that impacts accuracy is your positioning when setting to play your shot.
If your feet aren’t in the right place, it can also have a massive impact.
Whether you're too close to the ball or too far away, you may be forced to compensate with your upper body, adjusting your swing awkwardly to either reach or react to the ball.
This last-second adjustment can throw off your control, leading to mistimed or inaccurate shots. Instead, focus on staying low, keeping a solid base, and making sure the ball is a racquet's length from the front foot of your lunge.
This also where timing comes in, as taking the ball too early or too late can force you to have to maneuvre your racquet in awkward ways, making it much more tricky to hit the sweet spot and get your shot on target.
Ideally, you'll make contact with the ball when it's directly in line with the front foot of your lunge.
The you can hit your accurate shot, push back to the T and stay in control of those rallies!
If you feel like you're struggling in any of the areas of movement mentioned above, perhaps it's time to do some refining and ghosting.
Gripping The Racquet Too Tight
I thought of this one just the other day.
A friend of mine who has always had quite an urthodox short, wristy swing, has recently started trying to deconstruct the swing and develop a new, more fluid, sweeping style of swing.
I did some feeding for him a few days back so I could have a look at his new swing and it was looking really good.
He mentioned that it felt as though he could only hit the ball hard and was struggling to slow it down and take pace off.
I watched him hit a few more shots and noticed he was gripping the racquet incredibly tight. I could see the whites of his knuckles throughout his entire swing.
So, for the rest of the session, I got him to focus on loosening his grip and letting the motion of his arm do the work.
Now I think about it, it's understandable that he was gripping the racquet so tight since he was trying out a completely new swing.
I think the thought process was if I grip the racquet tight, I'll be in full control of it, however, it's actually the opposite.
So, I think my point is that how you hold your racquet can actually have a massive impact on your accuracy, and gripping it too tightly is one of the most common, yet overlooked, mistakes players make.
It's an issue I noticed a lot with beginners and juniors back when I did a lot of coaching too.
A tight grip might feel like it gives you more control, but in reality, it does the exact opposite, it limits your wrist’s natural movement and reduces the delicate feel you need to execute precise shots.
This is why I think it's most important when it comes to taking balls into the front of the court.
When playing drops, flicks, or trickle boasts, you need a soft, relaxed grip to allow your wrist to stay loose and generate subtle, controlled movements.
If you’re holding the racquet too tightly, your wrist becomes rigid, making it harder to adjust the face of the racquet at the last second or apply the touch needed for accurate front-court shots.
Additionally, gripping too tightly dulls the connection between your strings and the ball, preventing you from feeling how the ball reacts off your racquet.
That sensory feedback is crucial when you’re making those fine-tuned adjustments in tight situations. Without that feedback, it’s easy to mistime or misdirect your shots, even if your technique is otherwise sound.
A relaxed grip, on the other hand, allows your wrist to remain fluid and adaptable, giving you more options and control when shaping your shots.
Of course, you don' want your grip too loose and floppy either.
The key is to find the balance, hold the racquet firmly enough to stay in control, but not so tight that you restrict your movement and feel.
My coach used to tell me to hold it like I was frying pancakes or shaking someones hand.
So, next time you’re on court, pay attention to your grip, especially when taking the ball into the front, and you might notice an immediate improvement in your accuracy.
It can be a very tough thing to realise you're doing, so just make a mental note to check next time you're playing!
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
Not Visualising Your Targets
One of the biggest differences between players who hit their targets consistently and those who don’t is the intent and purpose behind each shot.
Simply hitting the ball without a clear idea of what you’re trying to achieve leaves so much room for error. Without a visualized target in mind, your accuracy becomes inconsistent, and you’re relying more on hope than strategy.
Knowing exactly what shot you want to play and why is the essential first step.
Are you aiming to hit a tight length that dies in the back corner? Are you trying to move your opponent to the front with a soft drop? Or maybe you’re looking to send them scrambling with a hold followed by a cross-court?
When you have a clear objective, your body naturally aligns itself to execute that shot more effectively.
Of course, context matters a lot here.
Think about how long the match has been going, how much work you have put in, how much work your opponent has put in, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what your strengths and weaknesses are.
More immediately, think about what shot you've just hit, what shot your opponent has just hit, and where they are on the court.
You should be using all of the information at your disposal to make an informed decision is to what shot you want to play.
You should be able to justify to yourself why you want to play that shot too. Are you aiming to move your opponent around the court more? Are you trying to recover and reset after being under pressure?
All of this helps you decide what shot you want to play, and, knowing what shot you're going to play ahead of time, allows you to then take the time to make sure you hit it accurately!
The next step is to visualise where you want the ball to land, as this gives your brain and body a target to work toward.
This mental image creates a connection between your intent and your execution, improving your ability to control the ball.
When you visualise the ball dying in the back corner or gluing itself to the sidewall, your focus sharpens, and your shot selection becomes more deliberate.
This habit of visualising your targets is especially crucial when under pressure or during fast-paced rallies.
When things speed up, it’s easy to lose focus and just react to the ball, but if you’ve trained yourself to always have a target in mind, you’re more likely to stay composed and hit with purpose, even in tough situations.
This is why I always advocate to put targets down on the court during drills. When you hit them, you know for sure that you've hit a good shot.
Then, you can use this to visualise those targets during a match situations too.
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
Messy Swing Technique
The next subtle thing that can impact your accuracy is your swing technique.
Following on from the previous section, even if you know exactly where you want the ball to land, you'll struggle to get it there if your swing is messy.
Generally, when someone has a messy swing, it's quite often a big swing that flails around a lot.
While having a big swing isn’t always a bad thing, one that's large and uncontrolled can easily lead to instability and inconsistency.
A messy or overly exaggerated swing can throw off your balance, which then affects the weight distribution of your body during the shot. And as we’ve already discussed, losing balance is a fast track to losing accuracy.
When your swing is too wild or lacks control, it often results in extra, unnecessary movement.
This disrupts your positioning, making it harder to transfer your weight efficiently through the shot.
As a result, even if your contact point is solid, the lack of balance can cause your shot to drift off target. Accuracy thrives on control, and a messy swing introduces too many unnecessary variables that can harm your precision.
If you're guilty of having a bit of a wild swing, refining it could be the key to improving your accuracy. Perhaps you need to take a leaf out of my friends book, as his new swing is looking much more controlled than his previous!
With that said, his previous swing was the opposite of big, it was very compact, wristy, and not fluid at all.
Different problem, same results! This small, choppy kind of swing can really make it tough to hit consistently and accurately too.
If you've got access to a coach, they'd be the ideal person to speak to about your swing, however, even talking to training partners who have a 3rd person view of your swing style is a great option too.
If you don't want to speak to anyone, then by all means try out video analysis too.
Watching yourself play allows you to identify areas where you might be adding excess movement or losing control.
Then, once you've noted the aspects of your swing that may need to change, practice some light, low-pace solo drills focused purely on swing mechanics.
Straight length hitting, or feeding yourself and hitting lengths are great options.
Taking the time to slow things down and focus on a more compact, controlled, fluid swing can make a huge difference in keeping your shots accurate.
I'd also recommend taking a look at the pros and analysing how they swing through the ball. There's plenty of great footage on YouTube for this.
Also, the last thing I forgot to touch on, pay attention to your follow-through in particular.
A smooth, balanced follow-through helps ensure that the energy and direction of your shot stay consistent. If you notice any flaring or excessive arm movement after contact, it could be making your shots suffer!
By tidying up your swing and maintaining control throughout the shot, you’ll not only hit your targets more often but also develop a more consistent and reliable game.
Racquet Condition
It’s easy to overlook, but the condition of your racquet can have a huge impact on your accuracy.
If your strings have deteriorated over time, they’ll lose their tension and responsiveness, making it harder to control the ball.
Loose strings absorb more energy and reduce the feel you have during contact, which means your shots might not land where you intend and you might not be able to apply the pace you want, even if your technique is spot on.
Similarly, a worn-out grip can make a world of difference.
When your grip loses its tackiness, it forces you to squeeze the racquet tighter to maintain control, which, as we’ve already mentioned, limits the natural fluidity of your wrist and reduces your ability to feel the ball properly.
This extra tension can make your shots feel more rigid and less accurate, especially in those delicate front-court exchanges where precision is key.
Not to mention the fact that older, more worn grips don't absorb sweat as well as newer grips, meaning that your racquet can slip out of your hand completely during tough, sweaty matches.
Even more concerning are cracks or unnoticed damage to the frame itself.
Small cracks or slight structural weaknesses can quite easily go unnoticed, especially if you haven’t inspected your racquet closely in a while.
These imperfections can alter the way the racquet vibrates and behaves on impact, making it difficult to consistently execute clean, accurate shots.
That's not to say you should throw out your racquet if you spot a tiny crack either though! If you can, compare it to one of your spares (even better if it's the same type of racquet), and try to distinguish whether or not the crack is affecting the feel.
I've played plenty of matches with cracked racquets and felt minimal difference, however, when the crack starts to get bigger, it can change the feel of the racquet pretty drastically.
So, if it’s been a while since you’ve checked your racquet, now’s the time.
Regularly inspect your strings, grip, and frame to make sure everything is in top condition. If you haven't had your racquet restrung in a long time, then perhaps it's time. Just because they haven't snapped doesn't mean that they haven't perished.
Replacing worn-out grips and restringing your racquet at appropriate intervals can go a long way in maintaining control and accuracy.
Taking care of these small details will ensure that your equipment isn’t working against you on court or affecting your shot accuracy in any way!
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