If you’ve ever watched top players like Nour El Sherbini, Diego Elias, or Ali Farag before he retired glide around the court, you must have noticed how effortless they make it look.
In fact, they make it look so easy that many people don't even take into account of how good their movement is, because they're just focused on watching the shots.
Being able to move like that is, of course, the result of years and years of hard work and refinement.
It's pretty incredible how much of an impact good movement can have on your overall game, despite it often being overlooked.
Movement isn’t just about speed or athleticism, it’s about economy.
Efficient movement helps you do three things. You can reach more balls, you'll waste less energy, and you're able to stay balanced enough to hit your next shot with purpose.
The best players don’t sprint, stop and repeat, instead, they flow.
They use minimal effort to cover maximum ground, which allows them to maintain quality even deep into long rallies.
For this article, I thought I'd go through the four main areas of movement you can focus on to make your game more efficient, fluid, and consistent, helping you feel lighter, last longer, and take control of the rallies on your own terms.
Let's dive in ...
The Split Step and First Movement
If you don't already use a split step for pushing off, this could be the key to taking your game to a whole new level.
If you do already utilize the split step, there's always room for improvement!
The split step is that quick, controlled bounce on the balls of your feet, followed by a slight drop down and push-off motion that allows your body to explode in any direction.
Without it, you’ll always feel half a step behind (at least).
Timing is everything here. Your feet should land just as your opponent makes contact with the ball; that way, you’re ready to push off instantly in whichever direction you need.
If you do this too early, you may guess their shot wrong and be caught flat-footed. If you do it too late, you’ll be reacting and scrambling instead of anticipating.
To practice, you probably know what I'm going to suggest, and you're right, it's ghosting.
But, hear me out, it doesn't have to be hard, long, and boring. You're practicing your split step here; you don't need to tire yourself out. Take it slow and focus your mind on the motion of your feet.
Stand on the T and have a partner point out different corners of the court for you to move into.
Focus on timing your split step with their call, then pushing off explosively.
If you don’t have a partner, you can move into random corners of your own choosing.
Once you've got that down, you can introduce the ball and get a partner to do some feeding.
My favourite drill for this is anchors, where your partner stands in one corner at the back and feeds balls into different corners of the court, then you have to return every shot to them.
When doing anchors to practice your split step, make sure that your partner is giving you very light, high, and easy feeds to retrieve. You should also have time to get back to the T and reset after each shot.
Since we're talking about efficiency this week, I want to mention that the split step not only boosts your acceleration but also helps you use less energy.
Rather than taking big, harsh first steps from a heavy push off, you’ll find yourself using small, springy ones that get you to the ball faster with less effort.
It’s also worth paying attention to posture.
Keep your knees bent, core engaged, and shoulders forward, ready to drive off either leg.
Once you start nailing the timing, you’ll notice your reactions become quicker and your footwork more confident.
Flow and Rhythm
This section is why I've used Diego Elias as the feature image for this week's newsletter.
Diego is one of the smoothest movers in the world right now. It almost looks like he's walking to every shot.
His height certainly helps with that movement; however, you can tell he's spent a heck of a lot of time honing and procuring it to be pretty much perfect.
He rarely stops and starts again; instead, he floats around the court using minimal effort.
This flow comes from rhythm, the ability to link each movement into the next without unnecessary pauses or tension
If your movement feels clunky or reactive, you’re probably using too much energy on each step.
Try slowing things down in practice and focus purely on rhythm.
Again, ghosting is unfortunately one of the best ways to work on this area of movement.
Move to a corner, swing, move back to the T, and repeat in a different corner of the court each time at 50–70% pace, keeping your steps light and consistent.
The goal isn’t speed, it’s fluidity.
You can also improve rhythm through ghosting.
For example, do ghosting patterns to a steady beat (even using a metronome app or background music). You’ll start to feel the tempo of your movement, learning to accelerate and decelerate naturally rather than in jolts.
Once you've got this down, you can try introducing a ball and doing some length hitting with your partner;however, it's easy to fall into the trap of forgetting about movement when there's a ball involved.
Make sure not to score points; instead, keep your shots light and high and try to keep rallies going so that you can practice the patterns of play.
Perhaps introducing a condition of every shot being above the service line might be a good approach for this.
Watch videos of the pros too if you can.
I can't stress enough how much you can learn from watching the best players move.
You’ll notice they rarely come to a complete stop between shots.
Instead, their momentum is constantly recycled. Try to replicate that by allowing one movement to flow into the next, a small hop, a bounce, or a smooth recovery step can make all the difference.
Once rhythm becomes ingrained, you should find that your game feels more connected.
Your shots will flow out of your movement, and you’ll stop feeling like you’re “chasing” the ball.
You should also feel less tired after each rally too!
But, of course, this also depends on the style of player you're playing, the temperature of the court, and many other things.
Image credit: Steve Cubbins
Balance and Stability
If flow keeps your movement smooth, balance keeps it controlled and effective.
You can’t hit a good shot if you’re falling over or lunging wildly.
Balance gives you control, accuracy, and confidence under pressure; it’s also what allows top players to stay composed even when they’re stretched to the limit.
Good balance starts with body awareness.
When you lunge, your centre of gravity should stay low, with your front knee over your ankle and your chest slightly forward, not diving downward or leaning sideways.
This position lets you recover quicker and generate power from your legs instead of your arms.
Falling in (letting your back leg fall in as you lunge forward) is a very common problem I see among players I've coached in the past.
This can be due to moving in too quickly; however, it's also often just down to a lack of stability and core and leg strength.
To improve this, focus on strength and stability work off court.
Weighted lunges, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, and core stability exercises (like planks or cable rotations) all strengthen the muscles that keep you upright and controlled.
Sometimes, it's not even a case of needing to build muscle; it's just about finding the right position and technique for you that allows you to stay still and composed when in a lunge position.
You should be able to lunge in, execute your full swing, then push back out without wobbling or stumbling.
On court, yes, I'm going to say it again, but slow ghosting drills can help massively.
Try “pause lunges”, for example, which is where you freeze for a couple of seconds after each imaginary shot.
Can you stay balanced without wobbling? Are you able to push back to the T smoothly? Small details like this translate directly into more efficient rallies.
Lastly, remember that balance also comes from anticipation.
If you’re always moving late and rushing, you’ll constantly be off balance because you don't have time to settle into your movement or position.
Work on reading your opponent’s body cues so you can move early and stay stable; that’s when everything starts to feel effortless.
Recovery and Positioning
Getting to the ball is only half the battle; getting back to the T efficiently is what keeps your game tight and consistent.
Recovery is where many players waste energy, either by moving too far back, taking a long looping path back to the T, or turning and running forwards when recovering out of the front corners (rather than running backward to the T).
Efficient recovery starts the moment you hit the ball.
Think of it as part of the same motion rather than something separate.
After you strike, let your momentum carry you naturally into your recovery step, staying low and light on your feet.
The goal is to be back in a neutral, ready position before your opponent’s shot comes back at you.
Ideally, this will be about half a step (or a small step) behind the T line, and, if you're engaging in a length battle, you may want to edge a tiny bit over to the side on which your opponent is about to play their shot from (since it's more likely to be a straight drive than a crosscourt).
A great drill for this is, again, of course, ghosting!
This time, you should focus on your footwork precision rather than raw speed. Each time you get back to the T, you should stop and settle back into your ready position before moving again.
Over time, this builds the habit of returning with intent and accuracy, not just rushing.
Also, learn to use your non-playing arm during recovery (and during your lunge and swing as well, I probably should have mentioned this earlier).
It helps balance your body and keeps your shoulders square to the court.
Little tweaks like this make recovery smoother and far less tiring
When you recover efficiently, you should really notice the impact.
Rallies start feeling less chaotic, you stay fresher longer, and you should be able to reach any corner easily from the T position you move back into.
Moving For Longevity
I imagine that I may have lost a few of you when I mentioned ghosting in pretty much every section above; however, I'm hoping that I'll be able to win you back here...
Squash is brutal on the body; all the lunging, twisting, and sudden changes of direction add up over time.
That’s why learning to move efficiently isn’t just about getting to the ball quicker; it’s about protecting yourself so you can keep playing for years to come.
Smooth, controlled movement reduces stress on your knees, hips, and back, helping to prevent those small strains that eventually turn into chronic injuries.
The lighter and more balanced you are on court, the less impact you’ll absorb into your joints, muscles, and bones, and the longer your body will hold up.
Building strength through your legs and core, and staying mobile through stretching or yoga, will make your movement both safer and more powerful, and this will help you in everyday life too!
Think of it as an investment.
Every step you take efficiently now helps you stay pain-free and competitive well into the future.
Final Thoughts
Improving your movement efficiency isn’t about running faster; it’s about thinking smarter and moving cleaner.
When you’re balanced, rhythmic, and efficient, you’ll find yourself making the game look and feel easier.
If you can bring these four elements (flow, balance, split step, and recovery) together, your movement will not only become faster but far more sustainable.
You’ll use less energy, reach more balls, and maintain shot quality even deep into tough matches.
So next time you train, try dedicating a session purely to movement.
Slow it down, record yourself, analyse the small details, and build good habits deliberately.
Once your movement becomes second nature, everything else, your technique, your accuracy, and even your confidence, will start to follow.
With all that said, I can see why movement isn't really focused on among club-level players.
Nobody likes ghosting and I can fully understand why that is. However, sometimes you have to do things you don't like if you want to reach the next level.
Plus, bringing in what I talked about in the previous section about moving for longevity, if you work on moving efficiently and lightly now, your body will thank you for it in the future.
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!
