Digging in the Back

The Backhand & Forehand

By Chris Walker

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Chris Walker

Photo by Steve Line/Squashpics.com

The back corners of the court have frequently been referred to as the 'graveyard' areas of the court. That is not by accident! If you can get your opponents into the back corners it means that you are in front of them—and that you are in the stronger position on the court at that moment.

Time and again, you can reap the benefits of 'burying' your opponent in the back corners by following up with attacking shots to the front of the court. Most points are won as a result of this simple and effective tactic. Bury your opponent in the graveyard, then be clean at the kill at the front of the court. Beautiful!

In this article, I want to address the issue that so many people have with getting the ball out of the back corners.

Scenario: You are deep in the back backhand… how do you get the ball back safely into play?

The easiest way to explain this is to use a couple of diagrams to help visualize what you need to do.

Diagram 1

It is important to shorten your grip when the ball is deep in that backhand corner. This gives you a better, shorter lever to get the ball out. See diagram 1 below.

You should make sure that your wrist is cocked and the racquet face is open (On the side of the racquet that you want the ball to hit, the whole face of the racquet is pointing upwards toward the top of the front wall—not toward the tin!). See diagram 1.

As you approach the ball make sure that you stay away from the corner and reach in, bending as low as possible to get underneath the ball. See diagram 2. This will allow you to take at least a small swing as you hit it.

Diagram 2

As you decide where you are going to hit the ball, bear in mind that if the ball is tight on the wall your opponent has fewer options as to what shot he can play. For example, when the ball is really deep in that back corner I would rather play a high, soft, floated ball straight down the wall that hits the front wall above the service line and maybe bounces before the half-court line. This will give me ample time to recover to the 'T.' On top of that if the ball I hit is tight to the wall it is amazing how quickly I can get back into the rally after being in so much trouble. There are not many shots your opponent will be able to hit from that situation!

Playing a boast from this position should be a last resort. If you do, then get forward to the T as quickly as possible to be ready for your next amazing 'get.'

Now it's time to look at the forehand:

You are deep in the back forehand corner. How do you get the ball back safely into play?

It is important to shorten your grip when the ball is deep in the back forehand corner. This gives you a better, shorter, lever to get the ball out. See diagram 1.

You should make sure that your wrist is cocked and the racquet face is open (i.e., the side of the racquet that you want the ball to hit the strings on, that whole face, is pointing upwards toward the top of the front wall—not toward the tin!).

A good test: try to practice a short swing while you are stretched toward the back corner, using the wrist to move the racquet in order to generate racquet head speed while your body remains fairly still and balanced. (Diagram 2 shows the position in which you can test this swing until it works!)

As you approach the ball make sure that you stay away from the corner and reach in, bending as low as possible to get underneath the ball (Diagram 3). This will allow you to take at least a small swing as you hit it.

Differences between digging the ball out of the back forehand and backhand corners:

The grip changes slightly from one side of the court to the other. This enables you to get the racquet face open at such a stretch.
On the forehand side you should try to reach in on your front or lead foot (for left-handers the front foot is your right foot, for right-handers the front foot is your left foot) even though you may feel it's quicker to reach in on your back foot. Why? Because you will be able to get lower, remain more balanced at a stretch and get out of the corner quicker with your front foot.
And try to turn your shoulders to face the back wall as you go into the back forehand corner, keeping your distance from the sidewall—you will be able to reach back further if you prepare earlier.
On the backhand side it is more natural for players to go in on the front foot.

To see what I'm talking about, click for video clips:

Forehand Digging 1
Forehand Digging 2

Backhand Digging 1
Backhand Digging 2

Chris Walker, based in Greenwich, CT, is the England No. 4. He has been three-time European Champion, Captain of the English World Championship winning team, and two-time recipient of the Commonwealth Games bronze medals for doubles (1998 and 2002). Chris shares his time between coaching several Greenwich juniors and preparing for a select few major PSA tournaments on the world circuit.

This article appeared as a series in the June/July and Aug/Sept 2003 editions of Squash Magazine.