S Q U A S H
A D V A N C E D
PRESSURE DRILLS COMPETITIVE DRILLS SKILL DRILLS 3 PLAYER DRILLS FOREHAND BACKHAND DROP BOAST VOLLEY SERVE WORDS OF WISDOM
Click on the technique or drills you are most interested in.
The videos below are designed to help you prepare for your county and tournament matches.
Please ensure you have read our DISCLAIMER prior to starting any of the exercises/drills shown in the videos.
Welcome to Squash Advanced
“There is no escape from the regular need to practise and, regardless of your ability, the greater the number of technically correct and well directed balls you hit the better. Proper practice will help you to fulfill your potential and even when you reach the highest standard you will have to practise to remain there.”
Pressure Drills
The following pressure drills are designed for pair work, with one player feeding and the other hitting the shots. The players swap round once a feed is completed. These drills are geared for a player working on attacking high pressure squash. It’s also a really good work out - ideally make sure your partner is of a similar level to get the most out of the practices. The player performing the drills is Ian Cox - Former 035s England Masters International and runner up in the o45s British Open 2021.
Crosscourt drive. Pairs drill. Player 1 feeds crossourt from short line. Player 2 hit crosscourt backhand drive, returns to T. Feed continuous. x amount of feed then Players SWAP. Also then do forehand side.
Straight drive. Pairs drill. Player 1 feeds short straight from short line. Player 2 hits straight forehand drive, returns to T. Feed continuous. x amount of feed then Players SWAP. Also then do backhand side.
Straight & Crosscourt drive. Pairs drill. Player 1 feeds short straight from short line , then short across court. Player 2 hits straight forehand drive, returns to T then crosscourt backhand. Feed continuous. x amount of feed then Players SWAP. Also then do other side.
Straight drive from side wall. Pairs drill. Player 1 feeds short straight from short line. Player 2 hits straight forehand drive, then back pedals to side wall. Feed continuous. x amount of feeds then Players SWAP. Also then do backhand side.
Forehand boast. Pairs drill. Player 1 feeds at front of court either short or long. Player 2 hits forehand boast off every feed, returns to T if possible. Feed continuous. x amount of feeds then Players SWAP. Also then do backhand side.
Competitive Drills
Competitive drills are a great way of keeping the fun in practice. Ideally you want a partner who is a similar level to yourself in order that you can make the drills competitive.
Crosscourt Volley Nick games. Great fun playing this with 2 players of similar standard. Have a go see what you think!
Front of Court short game 1. Working on your skills at the front of the court. The game is up to 5 (every point counts). You hit into your opponents front quarter of the court. The ball can though pass them on the full. Great for working on your crosscourt nicks and width.
Front of Court short game 2. Working on your skills at the front of the court. The game is up to 5 (every point counts). You hit into your opponents front quarter of the court. The ball must bounce in front of the short line. Great for working on your crosscourt nicks and width.
Front of Court short game 3. Working on your skills at the front of the court. The game is up to 5 (every point counts). You hit into your opponents front quarter of the court. The ball must bounce in front of the short line. You can also hit your opponents shot back to yourself and then look to hit a crosscourt volley nick off it! Great for working on your crosscourt nicks and width.
Hitting straight drive or crosscourt at the front off either a boast or drop shot from the back.
Hitting straight drive or crosscourt into a specific back quarter of the court.
Skill Drills
Skill drills are designed to help you work on different shots and to be able to hit your shots consistently.
Boast Backhand + 4 shots! This drill works really well, the feeder can also practice their shots at the same time if they want to. Once you have done x amount then you change over so the feeder is then put under pressure at the front.
Boast Forehand + 4 shots! This drill works really well, the feeder can also practice their shots at the same time if they want to. Once you have done x amount then you change over so the feeder is then put under pressure at the front.
Crosscourt forehand nick. Player attempts to hit a short crosscourt nick off every feed. The feed is varied. Hit x amount of feeds then players SWAP. Then do this on the backhand.
Straight forehand nick. Player attempts to hit a short straight nick off every feed. The feed is varied. Hit x amount of feeds then players SWAP. Then do this on the backhand.
Backhand straight & forehand crosscourt drive drill. This drill can be used for accuracy for straight and crosscourt drives from the front, whilst the player at the back can work on their boasts and dropshots.
Backhand crosscourt & forehand straight drive drill. This drill can be used for accuracy for straight and crosscourt drives from the front, whilst the player at the back can work on their boasts and dropshots.
3 Player Drills
3 Player drills are excellent as you rotate the drill so 2 people are feeding and 1 person is working hard. Ideally it’s helpful if the 3 of you are of a similar standard. It is also important that the players feeding is really consistent so that the person doing the drill has a quality practice.
The Forehand
Additional drills will be added.
Boast & Drill with targets. This can be played as a competitive game. The idea with the targets is to make the player at the front really concentrate on hitting tight drives. This works obviously for both backhand & forehand.
The Volley
The volley for county players is such an important shot as it gives you the ability to put your opponent under pressure by taking the ball early and bringing them up to the front of the court or pushing them back into the back corners.
Straight volley. The person at the front has to hit a short or long volley but it has to to straight. The feeder is near the short line and feeds either a straight volley or they can at any time feed across court. If you make a mistake you just pick up the ball and keep going. Hard work for the volleyer!
Volley deep & straight drive down the wall. Player at back feeds, player at front practices volley and drive. Swap over after x amount of feeds. Then do the same on other side of the court.
The Backhand
The Drop
The Boast
The Serve
The Serve sometimes is seen just as the start of the rally but when you see the top pros like James Willstrop and the practise they put in for their service it seems obvious that probably putting in some practice is a good idea! Why not incorporate your practice serve into a drill?
Words of Wisdom
Tips from top players to help you improve your game …
Richard talks about the importance of preparation and organising your schedule.
Advice for talented young juniors looking to break into the professional ranks.
Miles takes us through his standard squash day.
