--- title: How Did I Lose to Them? description: Why do we sometimes lose to players we feel we should beat? Here are some reasons behind these frustrating defeats and what we can learn. image: https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg?width=1120&upscale=true&name=Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg --- [![CTSPORTSLOGOsmall](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/CTSPORTSLOGOsmall.png?width=300&height=75&name=CTSPORTSLOGOsmall.png) ![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png)](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog) [![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png)](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog) - [Home](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog) - [Shop](https://controlthet.com/collections/squash) - [Testimonials](https://controlthet.com/pages/control-the-t-sports-testimonials) - [Contact Us](https://controlthet.com/pages/contact-us) - Blogs - [Pickleball Blog](https://blog.controlthet.com/pickleball) - 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[Sponsorship](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/sponsorship) - [Tear drop](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/tear-drop) - [Tecnifibre Carboflex Basaltex 130](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/tecnifibre-carboflex-basaltex-130) - [Textreme](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/textreme) - [Thermal Core](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/thermal-core) - [Thierry Lincou](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/thierry-lincou) - [Tim Garner](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/tim-garner) - [Trinity Bantams](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/trinity-bantams) - [U.S. Squash](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/u-s-squash) - [Warrior 600](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/warrior-600) - [X-FORCE](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/x-force) - [X-FORCE Black](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/x-force-black) - [X-Factor 3](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/x-factor-3) - [Xodus 7 Continent Challenge](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/xodus-7-continent-challenge) - [ames Willstrop](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/ames-willstrop) - [asics gel blast 4](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/asics-gel-blast-4) - [asics gel-blast 5](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/asics-gel-blast-5) - [back to basics](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/back-to-basics) - [basaltex](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/basaltex) - [basaltex multiaxial](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/basaltex-multiaxial) - [beginner s](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/beginner-s) - [better shots](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/better-shots) - [boast](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/boast) - [cambridge cup](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/tag/cambridge-cup) ![Alex Robertson](https://blog.controlthet.com/hubfs/CT-2.png) By [Alex Robertson](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/author/alex-robertson) on November 02, 2026 # How Did I Lose to Them? We've all been there. You walk onto court against someone you're confident you should beat. Maybe you've beaten them comfortably before, perhaps their technique looks a little unconventional, or you simply feel you're the stronger player. But things don't quite go to plan. Suddenly, you're struggling to win rallies, nothing seems to be working, and before you know it, you've lost a match you fully expected to win. So, what went wrong? The truth is, being the 'better player' on paper doesn't guarantee you'll win on court. There are plenty of reasons why these matches can slip away. This week, we take a look at five common reasons you might be losing matches you think you should be winning. ## You're Playing Their Game, Not Yours I think one of the biggest reasons we sometimes struggle against players we feel we should beat is that we end up playing the type of squash that suits them rather than us. Another phrase for this is 'getting sucked in'. Every squash player has their own style, strengths and weaknesses. Some players love hitting the ball hard and keeping rallies fast-paced, while others prefer to slow things down, play patiently and wait for their opponent to make a mistake. Then you've got the players who seem to retrieve absolutely everything, the ones who love playing boasts and drops, and those who constantly change the pace and direction of the ball. There's a huge variety of playing styles in squash, and that's part of what makes the sport so interesting. However, it also means that certain opponents can be particularly difficult to play against, even if you consider yourself the stronger player. Let's say you're playing someone who loves hitting the ball hard. They hit every drive with as much pace as possible, take the ball early whenever they can and generally try to make every rally as frantic as possible. If you're someone who prefers a more controlled, patient style of squash, you might find yourself getting dragged into a hitting contest. This is one of the most common examples, in my opinion, especially as it's very difficult to control balls that are coming at you fast. Before you know it, you're trying to match their pace, hitting the ball harder than you normally would and playing rallies that don't really suit your strengths. And that's exactly what they want. They've managed to turn the match into the type of squash they're most comfortable playing. If you flip that on its head, the same thing can happen against someone who plays a much slower game. Perhaps they're incredibly patient, happy to hit length after length and perfectly content to keep the ball in play until you make a mistake. If you're naturally an attacking player, you might find this incredibly frustrating, especially if their lengths are particularly tight and accurate. You want to play at a higher tempo, take the ball early and create opportunities, but your opponent keeps slowing things down and making you play another shot. Eventually, you might start forcing things simply because you're uncomfortable with the pace of the match. Again, you're playing their game rather than yours. We've all played against someone who seems to get every single ball back, no matter how good your shot is. You hit what you think is a perfect drop, and somehow they're there. You send them into the back corner with a tight length, and they manage to dig it out. You play a boast that would normally win you the rally, and they somehow get that back too. It's incredibly frustrating! But the important thing to recognise is that retrieving is their strength. They're comfortable running around the court, extending rallies and making you work for every point. If you start getting frustrated and trying increasingly difficult shots to finish the rally, you're potentially giving them exactly what they want. Of course, none of this means that you should completely abandon your natural playing style whenever you come up against a difficult opponent. In fact, I'd argue the opposite. If you're a patient player who relies on accuracy and consistency, there's no reason to suddenly start trying to hit winners from every corner just because your opponent likes playing aggressively. Similarly, if you're naturally an attacking player, you don't necessarily need to spend the entire match playing defensive lengths simply because your opponent prefers longer rallies. You still need to play to your strengths. I think this is where understanding your own game becomes particularly important. Whatever your style, it's worth recognising what makes you effective and making sure you don't lose sight of that when you're playing someone whose approach is completely different. Obviously, there's a balance to be struck here. You can't simply ignore what your opponent is doing and expect your usual game plan to work perfectly every time. Sometimes you'll need to change your approach, and we'll get onto that a little later. Next time you're struggling against someone you feel you should be beating, take a moment to think about how the rallies are actually being played. Are you playing the type of squash that normally makes you successful, or have you ended up playing exactly the way your opponent wants you to? You might find that answering that question explains quite a lot about why the match isn't going your way. ## You've Already Decided You Should Win I think this is probably one of the biggest mental traps you can fall into when playing squash. Sometimes, before you've even stepped onto court, you've already decided how the match is going to go. Perhaps you're playing someone you've beaten comfortably several times before, someone who's ranked below you in your local league, or simply someone you consider to be a weaker player. I've mentioned SquashLevels a few times in past newsletters and, here in the UK, your rating on SquashLevels is treated as gospel by many. If you're playing someone with a relatively lower score than yourself, you should win. And that's that. Except it's not! There's nothing necessarily wrong with expecting to win. If you've consistently beaten someone in the past, it's perfectly reasonable to go into your next match feeling confident about your chances. Having confidence in your game is very important, and going into a match expecting to lose certainly isn't a particularly helpful approach either. However, I think there's an important difference between being confident that you can win and expecting that you should win. The problem with the latter is that you've already created an expectation of how the match is supposed to unfold. And when things don't go according to plan, it can become surprisingly difficult to deal with. Let's say you're playing someone you've beaten 3-0 on the last three occasions you've met. You walk onto court feeling pretty relaxed, perhaps even looking forward to a relatively straightforward match. But then something unexpected happens and they win the first game. Suddenly, you're a little confused. You weren't expecting to lose a game, let alone find yourself behind in the match. Perhaps you tell yourself that you just started slowly, that you haven't quite warmed up properly or that your opponent has been a bit lucky. Surely things will return to normal in the second game? But then you find yourself 7-3 down and start to get frustrated. You start thinking about how you can't possibly lose to this person, especially after beating them so comfortably in the past. And I think this is where things can really start to unravel. Instead of concentrating on the squash you're playing, you're becoming increasingly preoccupied with the fact that you're losing. You might start getting annoyed with yourself after every mistake, questioning why you're struggling or worrying about what people will think if you lose. None of those thoughts are particularly helpful when you're trying to win a squash match. I think there's also additional pressure that comes with being the player who's expected to win. When you're playing someone considerably better than you, there's often very little pressure. You can go onto court, enjoy yourself and see what happens. But when you're the favourite, things can feel completely different. Winning is simply what's expected of you, while losing feels like a disaster. And the closer the match gets, the more that pressure can build. It's also worth remembering that previous results and rankings don't guarantee anything. Your opponent might have improved considerably since you last played, or perhaps you're simply not having your best day. Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with being confident in your ability to win, but convincing yourself that you should win can make things much more difficult when the match doesn't go according to plan. ## You're Not Adapting When Things Aren't Working I think this is something that pretty much every squash player is guilty of from time to time and actually relates closely to my first point. You go into a match with a particular game plan, or perhaps just a general idea of how you want to play. And, for whatever reason, it doesn't work. But instead of recognising that something needs to change, you just keep doing the same things over and over again. I know I've certainly been guilty of this myself! Sometimes, you can get so caught up in actually playing the match that you forget to stop and think about what's happening. You might be losing points in exactly the same way, making the same mistakes or repeatedly giving your opponent opportunities to attack. Yet you don't really do anything differently. Let's say you're playing someone who has a particularly good drop shot. Every time you hit a loose length that comes away from the side wall, they take the ball short and you're suddenly scrambling towards the front of the court. It happens again and again, yet you keep hitting the same loose lengths. Obviously, the solution isn't as simple as deciding to hit every ball perfectly tight to the wall. If it were, squash would be a much easier sport! However, you could start thinking about why your lengths are coming loose. Perhaps you're trying to hit the ball too hard, taking it too late or aiming for the wrong area of the front wall. Even a small adjustment could make it more difficult for your opponent to keep attacking you in the same way. Another example might be someone who keeps intercepting your cross-court drives. You hit what feels like a reasonable cross-court, but your opponent steps across from the 'T', volleys it and immediately puts you under pressure. The next rally, you do exactly the same thing. And then you do it again. At some point, you've got to recognise that your opponent is reading that shot and start considering your alternatives. Perhaps you need to hit your cross-courts with more width, disguise them better or simply start playing straight more often. It can be very tempting to keep cracking those cross-courts over and over until you finally get one past them, just to feel like you've got a small win under your belt. But in the scheme of things, it's not worth it! The important thing is that you're responding to what's happening rather than hoping the same shot will suddenly start working. I think this becomes particularly important when you're playing someone you don't know very well. You might go into the match with a certain idea of what they're going to be good at, only to discover that they're much stronger in some areas than you expected. Perhaps their backhand is considerably better than their forehand, or they're much more comfortable moving forwards than backwards. Those are things you might not recognise immediately. But as the match progresses, you should be trying to work out where you're having success and where you're struggling. Of course, adapting doesn't always mean making some enormous tactical change. Sometimes it's something as simple as hitting the ball a little higher, giving yourself more time to recover or being more selective about when you take the ball short. Small changes can make such a big difference. I also think it's worth mentioning that there's a difference between making an adjustment and completely abandoning your game plan. If you've lost the first game 11-9, that doesn't necessarily mean everything you've been doing is wrong. Perhaps you were actually playing pretty well and just made a couple of mistakes at important moments. In that situation, completely changing your approach might do more harm than good. However, if you've lost the first game 11-3 and spent most of it chasing the ball around the court, there's probably something worth addressing! That's why I think the breaks between games are so important too. You've got a short opportunity to collect your thoughts, get your breathing under control and think about what's actually happening. Rather than simply telling yourself to play better, try asking a few specific questions. Where am I losing most of my points? What shots are causing my opponent problems? Am I giving them the same opportunities repeatedly? Is there one thing I could change that might make the next game more difficult for them? You don't necessarily need to come up with some incredibly complicated strategy. In fact, I'd probably recommend focusing on just one or two adjustments rather than trying to change everything at once. Otherwise, you can end up overthinking every shot, which isn't particularly helpful either. And you don't have to wait until the end of a game to make those changes. If you've just lost four points in a row in exactly the same way, there's nothing stopping you from taking a moment before the next serve and thinking about what you could do differently. Ultimately, I think one of the most frustrating ways to lose a squash match is to come off court knowing that you recognised what was going wrong but never actually did anything about it. Sometimes your adjustments will work, and sometimes they won't. But at least you're giving yourself an opportunity to change the direction of the match rather than simply letting the same problems continue.  ![](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg?width=1120&upscale=true&name=Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg)  ## Better Technique Doesn't Always Mean Better Squash I think this is a particularly interesting one, especially when you start looking at the different ways people actually play squash. We're often taught that there's a correct way to do things. How to hold the racquet, how to prepare for a shot, how to swing, where to position yourself and how to move around the court. And, of course, there's a very good reason for that. Developing good technique is incredibly important, and having solid fundamentals will generally make you a more consistent and effective squash player. However, I think it's easy to fall into the trap of assuming that someone with better-looking technique is automatically the better player. And that simply isn't always the case. We've all played against someone whose technique looks a little unusual. Perhaps they have a strange swing, hold their racquet differently or hit shots that don't look particularly conventional. You watch them warming up and think that you should be able to beat them fairly comfortably. But then the match starts, and suddenly they're much more difficult to play against than you expected. They might not have the prettiest technique, but they seem to know exactly where to put the ball. They rarely make mistakes, anticipate your shots incredibly well and somehow always seem to be in the right place at the right time. And before you know it, you're struggling. I think a really interesting example of unconventional squash at the professional level is Mazen Hesham. If you've watched Hesham play, you'll know that he's not exactly someone who sticks to the most traditional approach to squash. He's famous for his incredible shot-making, unusual angles, deceptive holds and willingness to attempt shots that most coaches probably wouldn't encourage their students to play! He can produce winners from positions where you'd normally expect someone to play a fairly straightforward length. Sometimes, watching him play, you wonder how he even thought of attempting a particular shot, let alone managed to execute it. And that's part of what makes him such an entertaining player to watch. Of course, Hesham is an exceptionally talented professional with outstanding technical ability, so I'm certainly not suggesting that he has poor technique. It's more that his approach to using that technique is incredibly unconventional. He doesn't always play the shots you'd expect, and that's a huge part of what makes him dangerous. Another example that comes to mind is Miguel Ángel Rodríguez. Rodriguez has always been an incredibly entertaining player to watch, with his speed, athleticism and ability to retrieve seemingly impossible balls. His movement around the court can look completely different from the more measured, economical style you might associate with some other professional players. He's famous for diving around the court, throwing himself into difficult positions and somehow managing to keep rallies alive. Again, I'm not suggesting that Rodríguez has poor technique. Far from it. But he's a great example of how there isn't necessarily one particular way to be an effective squash player. And I think the same principle applies at club level. You might come up against someone whose swing looks awkward, but who has spent years developing an incredible understanding of where the ball is going. Perhaps they don't hit particularly hard, but their accuracy is outstanding. Or maybe they don't move around the court in the way you've been taught, but their anticipation is so good that they rarely seem to be under pressure. Those are all incredibly valuable qualities. I think it's also worth remembering that technique is only one part of being a good squash player. There's movement, fitness, anticipation, consistency, decision-making, accuracy, mental strength and plenty of other factors that contribute to how effective someone is on court. You could have a technically beautiful swing, but if you're constantly making poor decisions or struggling to read your opponent, that technique isn't necessarily going to win you many matches. Equally, someone with a slightly unconventional swing might be incredibly effective because they understand their own game and know how to make the most of what they're good at. That's not to say technique doesn't matter. It absolutely does. And I certainly wouldn't recommend deliberately developing an unusual swing just because you've seen a professional player hit an incredible winner with one! There's a reason coaches spend so much time teaching the fundamentals. Good technique can help you produce more consistent shots, improve your accuracy and give you more options when you're under pressure. However, I think there's an important distinction between having textbook technique and being able to use your skills effectively in a competitive match. Ultimately, squash isn't judged on how good your swing looks. You don't get extra points for having perfect racquet preparation or moving around the court particularly elegantly. You get points for winning rallies. And sometimes, the player who looks a little less conventional is actually much better at doing exactly that. So, the next time you come up against someone whose technique looks a little unusual, I'd be careful about making assumptions before you've actually played them. They might not look like the strongest player during the warm-up, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be easy to beat. After all, there's a lot more to being a good squash player than simply looking like one. ## Clashing Styles I think another important thing to remember is that squash isn't always as straightforward as one player being better than another. Sometimes, two players simply don't match up particularly well against each other. And I think this can explain some of those particularly frustrating losses against opponents you feel you should be beating. You might be a stronger player overall, have better results against most of the other players in your league and even be ranked considerably higher than your opponent. But for some reason, whenever you play this particular person, you really struggle. There's a phrase people often use for this: they 'have your number'. Perhaps you've played them five times and lost all five matches, despite regularly beating other players who are ranked above them. It's something you occasionally see on the PSA Squash Tour too, where a lower-ranked player can prove to be a particularly difficult opponent for someone much further up the rankings. On paper, the higher-ranked player should be the favourite, but the matchup itself can tell a different story. And often, playing styles have a lot to do with it. For example, imagine you're a player who likes to control the middle of the court and take the ball early. You're at your best when you can step forward, volley and put your opponent under pressure before they have time to recover. But then you come up against someone who consistently hits excellent height and width on their cross-courts, keeps the ball tight to the side walls and makes it incredibly difficult for you to volley. Suddenly, one of the biggest strengths of your game is much harder to use. It doesn't necessarily mean they're a better squash player than you overall. It might simply mean that their particular strengths are very effective against yours. The same thing can happen with movement. Perhaps you're particularly good at taking the ball short and making opponents cover the front of the court. Against most players, that's a really effective part of your game. But then you play someone who's exceptionally quick moving forwards, reads your drops well and seems to reach everything comfortably. Suddenly, the shots that normally cause your opponents problems aren't nearly as effective. I think it's also worth remembering that this doesn't only apply to opponents you've played before. You could be playing someone for the very first time, look at their ranking or recent results and feel fairly confident about your chances. But once you get on court, you discover that their particular style is incredibly awkward for you to deal with. And that's one of the things I find so interesting about squash. Player A might regularly beat Player B, while Player B consistently beats Player C. But that doesn't necessarily mean Player A is going to beat Player C. There are so many different strengths, weaknesses and ways of playing that results don't always follow a predictable pattern. Of course, none of this means you should simply accept that a particular opponent is always going to beat you. Understanding why their game causes you problems is a useful starting point for finding ways to compete more effectively against them. But I think it's worth recognising that sometimes a difficult matchup is exactly that. And it doesn't necessarily say as much about your overall ability as you might think. ## Final Thoughts: Stop Thinking About Who Should Win I think the biggest takeaway from everything we've discussed is that worrying about whether you should beat someone isn't particularly helpful. It's easy to look at rankings, previous results or even someone's technique and make assumptions about how a match is going to go. And sometimes those assumptions will turn out to be correct. But they don't actually change what you need to do when you step onto court. You still need to play good squash, make sensible decisions and respond to what's happening in front of you. If your opponent is playing well, give them credit for it rather than getting frustrated that they're not playing how you expected. If something isn't working, try to understand why and make an adjustment. And if you find yourself behind against someone you expected to beat comfortably, remember that the match isn't decided by what happened the last time you played them. It's decided by what happens today. Ultimately, I think it's much more productive to focus on playing the best squash you can against the opponent in front of you, rather than worrying about whether you're supposed to be better than them. And if you do end up losing a match you expected to win, try not to get too caught up in the result. Instead of asking yourself, 'How did I lose to them?', perhaps the more useful question is: 'What did they do better than me today, and what can I learn from it?' --- *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!* Share [![Share on Facebook](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-facebook.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-facebook.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-did-i-lose-to-them%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-linkedin.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-linkedin.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-did-i-lose-to-them%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://www.lean-labs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LLv2/images/icon-blog-twitter.png?noresize&width=24&name=icon-blog-twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-did-i-lose-to-them%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.controlthet.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-did-i-lose-to-them%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=How%20Did%20I%20Lose%20to%20Them%3F) Published by [Alex Robertson](https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/author/alex-robertson) November 2, 2026 ![Alex Robertson](https://blog.controlthet.com/hubfs/CT-2.png) Comments ![CT\_Logo1](https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CT_Logo1.png?width=450&height=111&name=CT_Logo1.png) ## **JOIN OUR SQUASH COMMUNITY** ©2026 Control the 'T' Sports [Privacy Policy](https://controlthet.com/policies/privacy-policy)  [Terms & Conditions](https://controlthet.com/policies/terms-of-service) - - - ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Alex Robertson", "url" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/author/alex-robertson" }, "dateModified" : "2026-11-02T15:44:02.852Z", "datePublished" : "2026-11-02T15:44:02.000Z", "headline" : "How Did I Lose to Them?", "image" : [ "https://blog.controlthet.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg?width=1120&upscale=true&name=Handshake%20on%20squash%20court%20(No.%202522447249).jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/blog/how-did-i-lose-to-them", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.controlthet.com/hubfs/CT_with_name.png" }, "name" : "Control the 'T' Sports" } } ```