When it comes to sports and physical activity, none gets much tougher than squash; Yep, you heard me right; squash.
Most people think of tennis when it comes to racquet sports and it’s easy to see why; Professional tournaments that are televised weekly, millions of dollars in prize money, and household names like Federer, Williams, Nadal, and Djokovic.
Here’s the thing though; not everyone likes tennis. So If you’re looking for an alternate racquet sport that offers enjoyment, fitness, social engagement, and much more, then squash is for you.
But what if you don’t have access to a club or a playing partner? Is there an effective way to practice from home? Or, maybe you play squash and want to get in a little extra practice?
In this article, you’ll learn how to improve your squash game without leaving home. And I will take you through effective drills based on footwork, racquet skills, strengthening, and stretching, that will improve your fitness and drastically improve your squash game.
Let’s get started!
Footwork
Footwork is an essential aspect of any sport, but squash, in particular, emphasizes the importance of having excellent footwork. Squash is played at a fast pace in a confined area, so being quick, agile, and nimble are of the utmost importance.
Agility Drill
The side shuffle is an easy yet effective exercise perfect for beginners through to professionals.
- Place two cones or targets 10-15 steps apart.
- Start with a shoulder-width stance with your foot in line and roughly 30cm behind the cone.
- Now, with an athletic stance, knees slightly bent and with your back nice and straight, start to side shuffle laterally until you reach the opposite side cone.
- Make sure that your shuffle is nice and controlled, and be certain your feet do not touch.
- Once you reach the target, head back in the opposite direction and repeat.
- Complete 5 sets of 15 seconds with 30 seconds rest.
Expert tip: As you become more comfortable and skilled with the lateral shuffle, slowly increase your speed, intensity, time and reduce the rest duration.
The Figure 8
The figure 8 is undoubtedly one of the best footwork drills for any racquet sport, including squash. It emphasizes agility and takes concentration to ensure you don’t knock the cones.
- To start, place a chair or large object in the middle of your workout space.
- Now, place one cone or target approximately 5 meters in front and in line with the large object in the middle.
- Place another cone a further 5 meters in front of the first cone.
- Start seated; Now, explode off the chair and sprint to the left of the 1st cone.
- After passing through the 1st cone, move to the right of the 2nd cone.
- Weave your way back towards the chair in a figure 8, making sure to face forward for the entirety of the drill. {do not turn around and move the other way, you must use a back step}
- Once you reach the chair, sit, and the drill is complete.
- Perform 5 sets with 1-minute rest between each set.
Expert tip: When first performing the drill, you’ll need to look behind as you back step, but as you gain more confidence, your goal should be to complete the exercise, only looking forward.
Racquet Skills for Home
The most critical skill in playing any racquet sport is holding and controlling the racquet, specifically the racquet head.
Learning how to improve your squash game without leaving home by controlling the racquet head allows you to hit the ball in any direction you like and gives you options that can trick your opponents. It’s important to note that the direction the racquet head faces determine the direction the ball travels.
Shadow Swing
Just as important is learning how to improve your squash game without leaving home by performing the shadow swing. The shadow swing is one of the most underrated drills in squash and other racquet sports. The importance of the shadow swing was appreciated by one of Russia’s most famous coaches. She would only let the juniors she coached practice with a ball after demonstrating a high-quality shadow swing.
In actual fact, she would walk them to different points on the court and have them shadow swing the correct stroke for that position.
At home, it’s straightforward to find some space, preferably in front of a mirror, so you can practice your stroke by shadow swinging in front of the mirror. You can even take advantage of technology and film yourself; this provides an excellent opportunity to analyze your swing path on a larger screen later on.
Coaching apps are also available, allowing you to analyze your swing in several ways, including slow motion and split screens to compare your stroke to others or an earlier video of yourself.
Increasing Swing Speed
Increasing swing speed is one of the easiest and yet most effective drills you can practice at home. Increasing swing speed allows you to hit the ball with more power and is super effective in tight spaces where you may not have time or space to take large swings and create power.
There are a number of different gadgets available online or from sports stores and pro shops that are designed to improve swing speed.
However, one of the easiest ways is getting hold of an old racquet and adding lead tape. You can add tape to the top and sides of the racquet head. As you become stronger, you can add more tape to the racquet, making it heavier.
Start by adding a small amount of lead tape to avoid injury; once you feel stronger, you can add extra tape as you go. Many players start by adding too much weight, which can lead to long-term injury.
Lead tape can be found at any good hardware store.
Expert Tip: Perform 10-15 swings on each side of the body with the heavier weighted racquet; then immediately perform 10-15 strokes with your regular racquet; By doing it this way, you gain strength and speed.
Strengthening Exercises To Perform At Home
Strengthening the body helps you get the absolute most out of your game and plays an integral part in staying injury-free; But are there specific muscles that are more important than others? Some coaches will answer yes, while others will say no; I sit in the middle.
Ensuring your entire body is strong translates into drastic improvements on the squash court; More explosiveness, increased intensity, and racquet head speed are all benefits of working out.
Here are two exercises to try at home.
Medicine Ball
A medicine ball is an excellent tool that allows you to get a total body workout in the comfort of your own home. There are countless variations of the exercise you can use that work different parts of the body.
The overhead slam is one of my favorites as it emphasizes the core and shoulders, both critical muscle groups when it comes to improving your squash game.
- Stand in an athletic position, feet shoulder-width apart.
- Start with the ball at waist height, lift it over your head and powerfully slam it to the ground.
- Pick up and repeat.
- Depending on the ball’s weight, perform three sets of 10 with 1-2 minutes rest between sets.
Box Jumps
Squash is incredibly explosive and quick, and there’s no better exercise you can do at home than box jumps.
Box jumps will improve your leg strength, power, speed, and explosiveness, along with working other muscle groups such as the core and lower back.
- Find a box or something sturdy to jump on to, preferably on soft flooring, to help soften the impact of landing.
- Stand in an athletic position, and explode jumping onto the box.
- Land on the box with a strong core.
- Repeat.
- Perform three sets of 5-8 reps with a 2-minute break between sets.
Expert Tip: To avoid injury, step back down off the box instead of “jumping” back down. Jumping back down puts unnecessary stress on the knees and ankles and increases the chance of injury.
Stretching At Home
Last but not least, stretching. The vast majority of amateur players either don’t stretch enough or don’t stretch at all.
Stretching keeps you supple, flexible, agile, strong, helps blood circulation, and most importantly, reduces the chance of injury; It doesn’t matter how good your techniques are; if you’re continually injured, or tight, you won’t play your best squash.
So dedicate 15 – 30 minutes a day to stretching, preferably after you’ve finished playing or working out; this way, the muscles are loose, and the stretch is easier.
Final Words: How To Improve Your Squash Game Without Leaving Home
Getting the most out of your squash game doesn’t require costly gym memberships, daily 3-hour squash sessions, and weekly massages. {although the latter is hard to pass on}
By starting with the exercises I have outlined above, you’ll be sure to see improvement in all the areas we’ve discussed in this article.
Remember; Focus on “all parts of your game,” paying particular attention to the strengthening and stretching.
Get out there, and give it your best; Good luck!!