Squash Skills: Squash Solo Practice - Deep Forehand Drives

Hi, In this (squash) solo practice routine we are going to be looking at deep forehand drives, if you are an American squash player you might call them rails. We are not going to go into too much depth regarding the technical aspects of the forehand squash shot as this is covered in the squash technique section of the website.
The purpose of this squash exercise is to improve the consistency of our hitting both into and out of the back corner. As a beginner squash player this is the most difficult area of the squash court to get the ball out of. You have two walls running in different directions to maneuver your forehand swing around, as well as an altered bounce of the ball depending on where the ball lands and strikes the wall. Therefore by practicing this routine not only will you improve your ability to get the ball out of the back corner but also your ability to put your opponent back in there and thus cause them problems.

Now lets have a look at the execution of this routine. In this first shot I start my swing with my racket up above the ball and an open racket face. Notice how my elbow is below than my hand at the top of the swing. As I swing through the shot I maintain this cocked wrist position and hit the backside of the ball with an open racket face putting a bit of cut on the ball. As I complete the swing my wrist has a natural tendency to roll over but I ensure that my follow through finishes up pointing towards the front wall. In between each shot I try to make sure that I step out of the channel, which allows me to step back in on my left leg transferring weight into the shot each time I hit the ball.




In order for this routine to be successful you need to hit the ball with enough pace and height off the front wall so that the ball bounces half way between the back of the service box and the back wall. This means that the ball sits up allowing us to hit the next shot comfortably. Initially we are probably aiming half way up the front wall. As you become more proficient at this exercise you can aim lower on the front wall and hit the ball with more pace resulting in a more difficult shot to return. It is important that the ball hits the front wall first, not touching the side wall until it bounces at the back of the service box.

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[squashskills]

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[zaiddagamseh]

Why the black and white video? I can barely see anything?

[NORDSTRAND83]

@NORDSTRAND83 It might be clear to you, but Im not British. :)

[2metube4]

@NORDSTRAND83 he has quite a clear English accent and the audio quality is fine. Why can't you understand?

[NORDSTRAND83]

I like this video. If I could understand what this guy is saying, I would like it even more.