Strategy 101-A

Squash is a game about creating and taking advantage of opportunities.  The overall basic strategy to the game is to A) get the ball into the back corners and get up to the T, and B) hit the ball short with your opponent stuck behind you.  There are countless variations which will be discussed in the future, but they all essentially come back to A and B.  Today we will discuss A – how to most effectively get yourself out in front of your opponent. 

Strategy 101-A is sometimes referred to as the “basic game” in that it is the most essential part of any strategy – the ability to effectively put your opponent behind you.  All great players have this ability, and their shot-making skill sometimes obscures the fact that it is their superior basic game that creates for them the relatively easy opportunities to put the ball away.

To help make sense of 101-A, I am breaking up the back court into three sections along the side wall.  Position 1 is at the short line, position 2 is at the back service line, and position 3 is in the back corner.  Your goal is to get from either position 2 or 3 and get to 1.

From position 3:  deep rail.  When you are here you are in a bad position.  Too often players try to “shoot” their way out of position 3, but the best strategy is to hit a high deep rail.  A shot such as a drop or boast can be used as a surprise, especially if the opponent is hanging or leaning back, but if they are looking for one of these shots, you will be in trouble.  Cross courts can be used if your opponent is leaning your way, but in general they are very dangerous shots as they give your opponent an ideal opportunity to attack.  If you do go crosscourt, go high and break it deep off the side wall – a quasi-deep court lob.  The reason that the high rail is, for the most part, the shot to go with is that the side wall acts to protect the shot from attack and drives your opponent all the way back.

From position 2: hard crosscourt.   Good players aggressively attack the ball deep from 2 to avoid getting stuck in position 3.  The best shot is a hard crosscourt that breaks off the side wall as your opponent will invariably be leaning toward you, expecting the rail. You have the added benefits of being closer to the front wall than in position 3 which reduces the time your opponent has to react and your shot is naturally hidden from your opponent by your body when you are in position 2 and they are on the T.

From position 1: Attack! This will be the topic of the next post, but the important point is that this is the attacking position and the position from which good players win.