Like so many questions in squash, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer regarding which leg is right to lunge on on either side of the court.
Context is of course king and every situation and person is different, but, several factors can be used to decide which leg you lunge in on.
With that said, during a fast-paced game of squash, you don't always have time to think about all these factors and then make your decision. It's one of those things that has to come naturally.
So yes, making the most efficient movements you can while conserving energy, maintaining balance, and even adding disguise takes a lot of practice to get right over and over again, especially in a match situation.
It's certainly an ambiguous topic, and, it can even be considered quite controversial depending on who you speak to. Old-school traditional players were generally taught to lunge in on their left foot when hitting forehands and their right foot when hitting backhands (or vice versa for left-handers).
But, times have certainly changed now, and a more adaptive modern approach is taken by the vast majority of players.
You can almost do what you want now, lunge in on any leg, on any side, in any area of the court... if you like.
But, there still are best practices to think about as well as pros and cons for each option.
So, this week, I'm going to go through all four options when it comes to lunging (based on a right hander's perspective). These options are lunging on the forehand side with your left leg versus your right leg, and, lunging on the backhand side with your right leg versus your left leg.
Of course, for left-handers, you just need to switch and mirror each one... let's dive in!
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
Now, a bit of pretext, I've included an image of a professional squash player doing each lunge that I'm talking about.
There are two reasons for this, the first is so you can visually see the type of lunge and position I'm talking about, and the second is because they're proof that the best players in the world do go in on either leg on both the forehand and backhand sides.
It wasn't hard to find these images at all, which means that it's very common to see pros doing these 'untraditional' lunges.
As I mentioned in the introduction, when I refer to 'traditional' lunging, I mean lunging on the left leg for forehands, and on the right leg for backhands.
There is a reason that this was seen as gospel back when I was a junior (and for most of time prior to that).
As you can see in the image of Nour El Sherbini further up, she's lunging slightly forward on the forehand side with her left leg.
She looks as though whatever shot she's going to play is going to be accurate and controlled.
Dissecting that image a little more, her left arm is up in the air, she isn't too far forward over her lunging knee, her shoulders are level and facing the side wall, and, overall, she looks incredibly stable.
I think this is the main benefit of lunging on the left leg for forehands.
If you're swinging through the ball with your right arm, think about your backswing first. It will be high up and on your right side, so, it makes sense to plant the opposite leg (the left leg) on the ground to keep your centre of gravity as central as possible and use a wide base to spread your weight out a bit more while you swing.
In comparison, your weight is kind of all in one thin straight line when you lunge in on your right leg and swing for a forehand (which I'll cover next).
Now, if you think about the moment your forehand makes contact with the ball, it should be directly in front of where your lunging foot's toes are pointing on a left leg lunge. This a lot easier to time, especially since you're so planted and sturdy.
With a right-leg lunge (in comparison), you actually need to make contact with the ball before it is in line with your lunging foot's toes, which is quite difficult to time while trying to remain stable.
The angle of your shoulders also comes into play here. With a left leg lunge, your shoulders (and therefore chest) are pointing forwards and in line with your legs, keeping you even more stable.
With a right leg lunge, your chest is much more open and often faces the front wall rather than the side wall, which makes it much harder to control the ball.
Then, for the follow through, lunging in with your left leg allows you to stop your chest and upper body from twisting or moving and throwing you off balance.
Core strength comes into play here too, however, you can also cross that left arm over as you complete your swing to keep your balance.
Of course, the area of the court you're lunging in on plays a big role when choosing which leg you use for that lunge. As does the shot you would like to play.
Given the great level of stability provided by the left leg forehand lunge, I would say that this lunge should be used during steadier phases of rallies where you've got more time on the ball and really want to control and guide your shot.
So, overall, the traditional option of lunging on the left leg for forehands definitely has it's merits and I think, for players starting out, this should be taught.
However, once someone has a feel for the game, I think this is the time to start experimenting with the right leg on the forehand side.
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
I would say that, overall, I use my right leg way too much when it comes to lunging.
I'd say around 80-90% of shots I'd lunge into using my right leg.
That's not because it has any particular benefit, it's just because my right leg is stronger and I feel more comfortable lunging on it since I've done that for so many years. However, I still think that there is a heck of a lot of benefits to lunging in with your right leg on the forehand side.
The game has gotten a lot faster over the past 10-15 years and players have found new ways to adapt. I think these 'untraditional' lunges are a result of this.
It's very clear that players now try to volley a lot more often, hit the ball with serious pace, and try to get onto the ball as fast as possible.
This has led to players improvising and getting creative with their movement to get to the ball faster and play using different angles.
When doing a lateral movement from the T to intercept a volley and apply pressure to your opponent, the right leg lunge is nearly always the best option on the forehand side in my opinion.
I talked before about the great stability that players have during a left-leg forehand lunge, however, one thing I didn't talk about was how that can actually hinder your movement.
You just need to shuffle a little bit or do one side step, and you can take that volley. In comparison, stepping across to do a left-leg lunge on the volley involves crossing your legs and turning your body 90 degrees on the stepover.
Then you've got to turn your body back 90 degrees to get back to the T as well.
It's a lot more complicated than just doing a side step, lunging with your right leg, taking the volley, and pushing straight back to the T while remaining in a very position position with your head and shoulders facing the front wall.
Now let's talk about the back corners too.
Picture yourself on the T and then moving into the back forehand corner and lunging in on your left leg. You have to kind of cross your leg over to execute this lunge which can actually mean that it takes longer for you to complete your movement too and from the T.
Yes, you can still use the momentum from your swing to return to the T with your follow-through, however, you're still twisting your body around to ensure you're facing the right away.
With a right leg lunge on the forehand side, you can make a two-step motion as the ball bounces and, not only does it then carry you back to the T while you're still facing forward, but, it's much easier to dig balls out of the back corners when your chest is facing more towards the front wall.
This leads me to the main reasons why I think being able to execute a right-leg lunge on the forehand side is essential.
It gives you access to the entire front wall, which means a lot more options for shots even when the ball is behind you. It opens up the whole court for you to utilize and it makes it a lot easier to get more width on your cross courts especially.
This also relates to disguise. One of the main elements of sending your opponent the wrong way is being able to show that you can play as many different shots as possible.
If your body is open, and positive, and you can show that your capable of a variety of shots from different positions, your opponent has a lot more shots to cover. You can use holds, fakes, and other deceptive tactics much easier and more effectively.
This is the beauty of the right leg lunge on the forehand side.
So, if you're a player who's perhaps been taught the old-school, traditional style of lunging, perhaps this newsletter is a sign for you to try out something new and make a change!
Now lets move onto the backhand...
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
When it comes to the backhand side, many of the pros and cons of the traditional and non-traditional lunging options are the same as those of the forehand side.
However, I do think it's still important to dissect the forehand and backhand sides separately because there are many differences too.
Something I haven't mentioned yet is power and how it is generated. When hitting a forehand, the power comes from the backswing and the push through the ball, however, when it comes to the backhand, most of the power comes from that whip through the ball that is carried through your follow-through.
This makes stability and balance slightly different from that of the forehand side.
Stability is essential if you want to hit any powerful shot with accuracy, especially on the backhand, and the right-leg lunge is the most stable option by far.
As you can see in the image of Lucy Beecroft above, she's doing a pretty heavy lunge on her right leg to reach a ball on the backhand side. I can't help but think that she would struggle a lot more to do a lunge like this on her left leg.
Even if she managed to do the lunge and hit the ball, it's likely that her shot would not be accurate at all since she's stretching so much, plus, another important thing I haven't mentioned yet is leg strength.
To be able to lunge in, play a shot, and push back out, puts a lot of weight and pressure on one leg, so leg strength is very important for squash.
Most people (like myself) prefer to use their right leg for the majority of lunges just purely because their right leg is stronger than their left leg. And, to be honest, I'd say I don't see a ton wrong with that reasoning.
However, it does put a lot of extra pressure on one leg over the other which can increase the risk of injury in that leg.
But yes, similar to the forehand left leg lunge, by lunging with the right leg on the backhand, you can maintain a more stable base, ensuring you can generate power and accuracy, especially under pressure or when reaching out for a deep shot.
But, again, it does involve crossing your legs over and turning your body to face the back or side wall to execute your shot, which can mean your movement to and from the T takes longer and perhaps uses more energy as well.
With that said, I want to quickly touch on moving into the front corners too. I think using your strongest leg for this is nearly always the best option.
Movements in and out the front use the most energy and you often have to push off fast, lunge in quick, and get back to the T as fast as possible.
You need to be as stable as you can for these movements and lunges, as soon as you're off balance while your opponent has you under pressure, they just need to change the pace or the angle of their next shot and it can really put you on the back foot fast.
Lunging on the right leg in the backhand back corner can sometimes limit your ability to open up the body for certain shots. When you're on your right leg, your hips are naturally more closed off, and while this can be good for control and stability, it might restrict you when trying to hit cross-courts or disguise the shot.
But, weighing out all the positives and negatives, I do think that the right leg lunge on the backhand will be the best option to use most frequently during matches.
Stability is arguably even more important when it comes to hitting backhands due to the slightly different technique of the swing (compared to forehands). It's vital to be able to keep your body still and stable through the shot, and this is most easily done on a strong right leg lunge.
However, there are times when you could start to experiment with using your left leg to lunge in on the backhand side...
Photo credit: Steve Cubbins
You see the left leg lunge on the backhand far less than the right leg lunge on the forehand.
A bit of pretext, it's probably the hardest lunge and shot to execute out of the four and can feel unnatural for many.
But, similarly to the right leg lunge on the forehand, your ability to open up the court and flick a cross-court is enhanced.
Lunging in on the left leg naturally opens your hips and chest towards the front wall, giving you a wider range of angles to play with. This can be particularly useful when you're under pressure and need to hit a cross-court drive or drop that forces your opponent to scramble across the court.
However, it's worth mentioning that this lunge does make it harder to drill the ball straight with your drives. If you think of the direction your body is facing (the front wall), it involves a lot more wrist positioning to hit a tight straight drive which makes them harder to control.
Perhaps for your straight drives, a sturdy right-leg lunge is the better option for backhands.
Another thing I haven't touched on yet is getting underneath the ball, which is vital when it comes to lifting yourself out of trouble and digging balls that are perhaps dying in the back corners.
The left leg backhand lunge allows you to squat down with your feet apart, get underneath and behind the ball with your back to the back wall, and dig out those tricky shots easier since you're not crossing your legs over, as you would with a right leg lunge.
The wider base of the left leg lunge gives you better balance, allowing for a smoother recovery after hitting the ball.
While it does take more practice to get comfortable lunging in on the left leg on the backhand, once mastered, it can be a game-changer for adding variety and depth to your shot-making, especially when you're trying to take the ball early or escape from a defensive position.
It’s an invaluable tool for keeping your opponent guessing with a bit more disguise, and, if you do it right, it can use a lot less energy when moving to and from the T.
Just look at the image of Mostafa Asal stepping diagonally back with a left-leg lunge on the backhand side. This is exactly the type of position in which this lunge works best.
His opponent's shot isn't too tight and he wants to take it earlyish before it gets to the back corner, then, he wants to recover to the T as quickly and smoothly as possible to take the next shot early and apply more pressure.
The momentum of Asal's swing will also help him to recover to the T smoothly.
So, that left leg lunge on the backhand side does have its merits, but, I would say that it's not one that you'll be using too often.
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