DECEPTION

Winners, but Mainly to Mount Pressure on Your Opponent.

One of the rare aspects of the game of squash is the possibility to frequently adopt deceptive play and shot-making. It is true that in all other sports, there are ways to mislead the adversary, but probably not as decisively. The relatively small size of the court, the use of the walls, the speed of the game, the variety of shots which could be played, and clever use of the racket, are all contributing factors. The battle to outwit the other player makes squash exciting to watch and even more, to play.

Deceptive shot play should not be thought of as a weapon exclusively used to produce a winner, but rather as a means to put more pressure on the opponent. Note the words, “more pressure”. That is, sound basic tactics and shots must first be used to put the other player under pressure, and then mount the pressure by deploying your deceptive weapons. In this way, you will force the mistake out of the other party, then go for the kill. If deception is used too often, and too early, the result could be frequent errors and loose play, which will make the opponent very comfortable on court. It is also interesting to realise that too much trickery may not puzzle the opponent at all. How is that?

An opponent who sees too many “strange” visual cues will adapt, by watching the ball carefully. He will not be prompted to move in any particular direction at the sight of the striker’s foot placed in a different manner, or variations in racket swing. He will move according to the trajectory of the ball. Yes, he will wait and observe. He will be calm and happy to do so, especially when he sees the striker’s shots becoming loose and often hitting the tin, due to overuse of deceptive technique. In the example used here, the player in the dark shirt tries to play a deceptive cross-court by flicking the ball with the wrist. The problem is, he tries it every time he goes to the frontcourt. His opponent is undisturbed.

In the end, too much of a good thing will be self-defeating. A shot will therefore, be much more deceptive when introduced as an alternative to another one which the opponent has grown accustomed to.  The player must lay the basis with an effective attacking shot – here we will identify it as the primary shot – which is accurate and puts his rival in some difficulty. Hence, the primary shot must first be a cause for some anxiety on the part of the retriever. He may be thinking,  “ Oh no, here comes that dreaded drop shot again” or “dear me, out of position once more and that wicked power drive is coming again”. In such cases, the alternative shot  - or deception- becomes most effective. An opponent, who is unable to read a player’s game, will feel tied down, slow, and expend more energy.

So, remember this rule. A deceptive shot (assuming that it is executed well) is only as good as the primary shot which precedes it. The alternative shot or variation on the primary shot shall be referred to as the secondary shot.

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The simplest way to catch the opposition unaware would be to play the same shot when the same situation reoccurs several times. The retriever may be misled to believe that he can predict the striker’s shot with ease. When the striker opts for another trajectory, the receiver is taken by surprise. This

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Sometimes, simply being onto the ball early and not hitting it straightaway may be deceptive. During this time gap, you keep the opponent thinking. If he is not calm and concentrated, or is a player of limited experience, a wrong perception could cross his mind. He may convince himself to be on the receiving end of a particular shot. Only to be left standing puzzled.

Even an experienced player, who will not be wrong-footed, may feel a sense of discomfort while waiting. His rhythm and flowing movement may be interrupted, leading to slightly more psychological and muscular tension, and more energy expenditure.

In another situation, simply waiting may lure a player who is a step late from the T, to “erroneously” correct his position at the wrong moment. If he takes the step forward while the striker hits the ball to the back, he will be wrong-footed. 

Note how the player in the dark shirt recovers late from the back corner and insists to take a last step forward when it is too late.  So, it is useful to remember this rule – be balanced on the T before the opponent is on the ball. If not, then before he moves his racket. If you still can’t make it, then stop.

of the Swing

This technique is used more frequently when the arm starts off slow as to simulate a short shot to the frontcourt, then speeds up to hit the ball hard to the back. However, this shall be discussed in the next section because it is mainly the action of the wrist, which permits the variation in pace.

In this section, the change in speed of the swing is intended as deceleration. A less used technique because of the difficulty involved. Trying out this piece of artistry, you will soon understand that it is not easy to put the brakes on your arm and still produce an accurate drop shot. The

Using The Wrist

This is the to disguise a shot. Usually it goes hand in hand with the technique of waiting, or holding the shot, which was described above. This is not necessarily the case. As the above technique was described exclusively, so shall be the case here. At a later moment, both will be merged.

The wrist in itself creates a change in direction of the ball. As has been discussed in the sections on basic technique, the ball travels perpendicular to the racket’s position on impact. On impact, the ball is in line with the racket, arm, shoulder, and player’s feet, as seen in photo 1. If the player is in this position, we can deduce that the shot will be a straight drive. If he is in the position shown in photo 2 (below left), the shot should be a cross-court.

Photo 1                                                               Photo 3

Photo 2                                                               Photo 4

The use of the wrist to change the position of the racket in respect to the body, could switch things round. The player in photo 3 is positioned as in photo 1, but the altered position of the wrist, taking the racket head beyond the player’s hand, will produce the cross-court. While in photo 2 and photo 4, the player adopts the same body position, the wrist bent back, allows the racket head to lag behind the hand. Hence, swapping the cross-court with a drive down the wall.

The following video clips demonstrate how this could be inserted into a rally. Note how the player uses this technique to make his shots less liable to being intercepted on the volley. In the  first clip the player has a natural position to drive down the wall. He then uses the wrist to send the ball to the other side.

For further illustration, the same could be achieved on the forehand. From this side view angle, it is clear that the ball has gone well past the player. From this position he would do well if he manages to get the ball down the wall. That is probably what his opponent expects and will be waiting for. However, see how he manages to cross-court by making excellent use of the wrist and deceiving his rival.   

The inverse situation is also interesting. 

The ball's position indicated by the arrow, is most favourable for a cross-court.

Bringing in the hand and bending the wrist back, delays the racket head to produce a straight drive.

The regular position used for the straight drive provides a direct comparison with the previous two photos of the deceptive shot.