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By Natalie Pohrer WISPA No. 13
Photographs by Steve Line/squashpics.com
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|  The grip is crucial to digging the ball out of the backcourt. Open the face of the racquet by aligning the ‘V’ between your thumb and forefinger with the left side of the shaft. |
Playing the ball well out of the back corners is probably one of the hardest skills on court. This emphasizes the need to be able to hit a good shot from the back corners that will relieve some of the pressure your opponent is placing on you and also get you back in the rally. Although dealing with the defensive side of retrieving a shot in the back corners, this article should highlight the need to hit a deep dying length to place you in a dominating position.
Correct grip
One of the fundamental things to getting the ball out of the back corners is to have the correct grip. Hold the racquet out in front of you. Spread your fingers nicely around the grip. Run your free hand from the ‘V’ made between your thumb and forefinger holding the grip, up the shaft of the racquet—the ‘V’ should line up with the left side of the shaft. The correct grip will enable you to open the face of the racquet enough to allow you to get under the ball and make sure it has enough height and/or power to make it to the front wall.
Take a full swing
A common mistake in getting the ball out of the back corners is attempting to ‘flick’ the ball. If played correctly, you should be able to hit a full–powered shot out of the back corners. The pendulum motion of the swing starts with the racquet back and up, ready to hit the ball, the elbow leads the racquet swing coming down and through the ball, and then back up to a finishing position. You can practice this by swinging down and up and seeing how close you can get to the back wall without your racquet hitting it.
Step into the ball
With the pendulum swing, concentrate on getting your body close enough to the back wall, which will enable you to step into and strike the ball the same way you would for a typical shot. As the ball rebounds off of the back wall, attempt to strike the ball at the top of the bounce, rather than on its way down. Bend your knees to get under the ball, and have the confidence to swing through the ball completely.
Don’t get too close
Many players make the mistake of cramping their swings by chasing directly after the ball and not allowing enough room for a full swing. Practice moving off the T into a position that allows good spacing between you, the ball, and the corner walls.
Give yourself room to take a full swing in the back corners by keeping some distance from the corner walls. Also, get close to the backwall so you can step into the shot as you normally would.
Choice of shot
In a match situation you will have to make a quick decision as to which shot you can play off the ball your opponent has hit. It is important that you do not try to play a shot that is impossible; get the ball up first.
I have discussed how to hit a drive off an easier shot that rebounds off the back wall (i.e., get back as far as possible, don’t get too close, get low, step in, and hit right through the ball.) All of the above apply to hitting a defensive shot like a boast off of a very deep length. The only difference is that your shoulders will be facing the corner as opposed to being parallel to the sidewall. This allows you to get the proper angle needed to get the ball to the front wall. Once again, practice taking a full swing to see how close you can get to the back wall without hitting it. |
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June 2010
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