Introduction.

The essence of tactical play is possession of the T. This, of-course, should not come about by using the body to obstruct, push, and shove. On the contrary, control of the T comes about by clear, sound thinking, precision, racket skills, speed, and more. Before going on to explore these arguments, some erroneous ideas must be explained and put aside.

Many less experienced players believe that the main objective in this game is to put the ball away and make it bounce twice before the opponent gets there. It is a big mistake to have this in mind as the main and primary objective. Playing squash with such a philosophy will lead the player into attempting shots well beyond his own capabilities, often giving the ball to the adversary, making many mistakes, and losing.

How very true? If a player keeps hitting the nick in the front corners, he would demolish his adversary. But, how realistic is that? This perception of the game is extremely short sighted. In order to demonstrate how wrong this line of thinking is, imagine the inexperienced boxing viewer. He may think, “it all comes down to producing the big right punch, other guy on the floor, no sweat”!! Of-course, this could apply when one boxer is much bigger, more powerful, and with a “BIG” reputation. Remember how Tyson’s punches used to hurt even when he missed?!

However, this is not the norm. Usually fights are well balanced and the best tactics are seen in close matches. You will have seen how boxers try to dominate the centre of the ring. How they work the rival with the jab and weaken him with body punches too. Combinations, and deceptive body and arm movements keep the receiver guessing, and defensive. Only then, does the clever boxer look for the really big punch.

Understanding squash tactics well is easy if parallels are drawn. The only real difference, of-course, is that you do not directly hit the other person! The blows the opponent receives are those that you inflict on the ball. Dominating the centre is key. The opponent is made to run until he hurts physically and mentally. You attack the rival with effective, guaranteed (as opposed to risky) shots, which will wear him down. Your choice of shot, should not leave you exposed to counter attacks, but rather give you clues as to what his choices of response could be. In doing so, you are thinking one shot ahead and can plan the rally without momentarily giving up the hold on your prey.

If all this seems complicated, do not worry. Each aspect will be discussed, step-by-step. Other concepts will also be explained. In the end, gradual application of all these theoretical ideas will render them second nature.

    Be On the T Before the Opponent is on Your Shot

A coach could never overemphasise the importance of dominating the centre of the court, or the T, as it better known to squash players. Those who are tactically clever, retain the T as their primary and most important objective. With the right choice of shot, they are able to remain in the centre of the court, more often, and for a greater time duration, in comparison to the other player. Experienced players will also insist on using the correct shot, hit at the right speed in order to get to the T before the opponent is on their shot.. In doing so, their chances of being out-positioned are minimal. In this first

Vice versa, a player who strives to be onto his opponent’s shot before the latter is on the T, gains a huge advantage. In this video clip, see how the player in the dark shirt moves in early and occasionally volleys before his opponent has returned to the ideal spot. Eventually, the opponent is very late, over-stretched, and makes a loose return. Consequently, the attacker has created an opening and puts the ball away.    

In conclusion, even being slightly late to the T is dangerous, because after a succession of shots, the delay will be magnified and become critical. (Unless your opponent neglects taking advantage of the situation.) On the other hand, keep in mind this important objective of being on the ball before your rival is on the T. Work your opponent to make this advantage bigger and create an opening. Even if you don’t manage to conclude the rally with a “winner”, the player on the receiving end has been made to work hard and you have gained the upper hand in the long term.

The player at the frontcourt has just hit a short cross-court allowing his opponent to strike the ball before he could reach the T.  Was the poor cross-court due to bad choice, or incorrect execution?

The player at the frontcourt has just hit a deep power drive. By the time the opponent is positioned onto the ball, he will be comfortably on the T.

This section has many elements in common with the concepts explained above. However, more ideas will be introduced, together with a more detailed and specific coverage of  game situations.

“ as good as your preceding long shots.”

Use this as a rule, in order to avoid going for the short shot too early, or when the retriever is expecting it. This rule implies that if you have played effective long shots and managed to hold the adversary to the backcourt, your frontcourt shot will be effective. In other words, by adhering to this rule, even when a drop shot is not perfect, but played at the right instant, the retriever still has to make a big effort and you maintain control of the rally. Needless to say, if the short shot goes in well, a probable winner would be the result. 

It may look surprising how the player in the light shirt moves in so late. Though, seen within the context of the previous rallies, (not shown here) his reaction is quite normal. He had been under constant attack for the last few minutes and pinned to the backcourt. With his weight onto the back foot, he was no longer ready to move quickly forward. The beauty of this is that when your short shots start to create problems for the opponent, your long shots will become even more penetrating. A virtuous circle is hence created.

In this situation too, the player in the dark shirt is about to play a drop-shot. The opponent though, is not quite sure. This is evident from his hesitation to position himself further forward on the T.

The fact is, he has been pressured mostly to the back during preceding rallies and is anxious about receiving the same treatment. From this position he has a greater chance of reaching the deep shots.   He  may  feel more

secure standing there believing that hopefully the next shot will be long.  If it is, and he responds with a good length and steps well forward, then his compromised position (photo) did help. If however, the next shot is a drop (most probable), then his anxious calculations have landed him into greater trouble.

court shots are too few, too short and not tight enough, once you execute the drop shot, for example, the opponent will be well positioned and quick to the front. He is minimally worried about being pressured to the back. Instead, he is well focused on moving forward, and ready.  

So, would a coach give to a player? The importance of having a plan and managing to execute it shall be evident here. Our hypothetical coach would have this to say. Please note that the coach would not say all this to a player, for the first time just before a match!! These are guidelines, which are worked on and developed in practice games, for a long, long time.

“. Look for length and width. Your length must reach the back wall, and your cross-courts should not be intercepted. It would be better to over-hit your straight drives and send your cross-court shots onto the side wall rather than send the ball short and near the middle.  When you have achieved this, look for opportunities to power-drive (a hard drive making the second bounce in the back court nick), and go for deeper cross-courts in the nick area, especially towards your opponent’s backhand. share of staying on the T or dominating that position, search for active volleying opportunities. Go to the ball and volley it. Do not just wait for things to happen. Do not limit yourself to volleying only the balls that go past at easy reach.”  

The three photos show the effects of the power drives, and cross-court shots in the nick area, produced by the player in the dark shirt. The prime objective is to get the opponent stretching into the back corners.

Before going further, it would be best to clarify a point here. Why does the coach advise the player to first, make sure that he sends his shots onto the back wall, then try to achieve a perfect length with the power drive, and hitting cross-courts which die in the back corners?

This is to avoid the risk of hitting the ball too hard but short, or too close to the T. It is easy to make this error before getting settled into a rhythm. Hence, striking the ball with a smooth swing, and not too hard, is ideal to achieve accuracy from the start. Over-hitting the ball to start with would not put the opponent under pressure, but at least the player would find the time to return to the T. Once the player feels ready to raise the pace and attack, he should start looking for the finer details which would stretch his opponent into the back corners. 

“, even by playing a side-wall boast or drop shot from the rear court, if the opponent is hanging back. In doing so, the other player will be stretched to the front. and send him back the whole length of the court. Try to repeat the pattern and keep the opposition working. When you have volleyed well to the backcourt, try to

“So far, everything is going great for you. Now you can mount even more pressure on the other guy by

The above advice given by the coach is very good. However, the coach is taking for granted the idea that all will go perfectly well like a chain reaction, and that the opponent will be passive or overwhelmed. This scenario does not consider that the opponent is probably trying to do the same, or at least can adapt with defensive play to interrupt the attacker’s assault. A different scenario will be discussed later, taking these factors into account. For now, let us first indulge in other details, which will come in handy when the situation is more complex.