Squash Magazine

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Build your confidence in the back corners

One shot that comes up constantly during match play is the one that you have to dig out of the back corners. That all too familiar sound of your racquet hitting the back wall as you try to muscle the ball down the wall or crosscourt can be terribly frustrating—most players think they need to be close to the ball and try to keep their distance from the back wall. This month, work with your partner on getting out of the corners with confidence.

Overview:

The purpose of this drill is to work on getting out of the back corners with a shot that will relieve some of the pressure of being pinned in deep. The key is to get your body away from the ball so that you give yourself room to take a complete swing. To do so, you need to anticipate where the ball will end up after hitting the deepest areas of the sidewalls or back corner. In other words, think about moving to where the ball will end up rather than where the ball is going. Once you get used to giving yourself room to swing, work on getting your racquet up and hitting the ball with a complete follow through.

Execution:

Start the drill with player A hitting a boast from the backcourt and then getting into position at the T. Player B then hits a drop to himself followed by a crosscourt lob deep and wide into the back corner. Player B should try to make the ball stay near the back wall once it lands. Player A, once he/she sees where the lob is going, should move back toward the back wall but at an angle that is more directed toward the center of the back wall rather than the corner. Player A will drive the ball down the wall and then restart the drill with another boast.

Notes:

After Player B plays the lob, he/she can either move back toward the T (to make the drill more realistic), or stay up front in the corner. The point of emphasis is Player B’s ability to hit the lob deep into the corner while Player A works on taking a complete swing and driving the ball down the wall. While there are times when the ball will be so close to the back wall that flicking the ball (usually with a choked up grip) is the only option, make every effort to get your racquet up and back and follow through.