Squash may not be the first thing you think about when considering new ways to get in shape, and it might not be something you have ever tried. Surprisingly, the health benefits of squash are something to consider if you have never played the game before.

Cardio Health

A game of squash moves faster than you think. The ball travels faster than a tennis ball and players are required to move at a pace to stand a chance of being in the right place. Your opponent’s job is to make you work, running around the court and jumping if the ball has gone high. All of these things are going to raise your heart rate which assists with your cardiovascular health.

Weight Control

All that running around and getting to the ball is also a great way to control your weight. Burning calories and working up a sweat will add to weight loss, provided, you are also following a sensible diet. The more you play squash, you will weigh less and will be evident as you find it easier to get to the ball and make the tough shots.

Strength Training

Playing squash regularly will add to your overall strength and flexibility. Your body weight acts as resistance, and you will be moving your arms and legs in new ways. This means that muscles get stretched and worked. The first few times you play, you will find that you are sore and stiff the next day, but after a while, you will be more flexible. Because you are regularly reaching for the ball your back will also be stronger and your posture better.

Releasing Stress

When you are absorbed in playing the game, you will need to have a high level of concentration. This means that you will have to leave your stress in the locker room as you cannot worry about things while you are playing. When you are intensely using the body, you are also releasing endorphins that relieve stress and intensify happiness.

Squash Health Benefits

So if you have never tried squash, why not give it a go. There are courts at most gyms and you can usually borrow the equipment needed. All you will need is loose fitting clothing and non-marking shoes so that you can move quickly, like these. To avoid injury be sure to warm up with some stretches before you start and again at the end as your muscles cool down.

Further Squash Reading

We have other articles that will help you take the next steps to play the healthy game of squash, focused on racquets, shoes, and strategy.

When you begin a new sport, you may feel out of your element and unsure. Thankfully the more we do something, the better we get. But sometimes the progress we make is slower than we would like, so we search for tips to help us get better quicker. Squash is no different; it is a fast-paced game and sometimes even after months of play you can feel way behind. Here are five tips to improve your squash game.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

New squash players all tend to make one big mistake; they fixate on the front wall. The key to improving your game is to learn to watch the ball. Now, this might sound obvious, but it is a hard skill to master. The ball moves fast, and you will need to learn to track moving objects. Another good tip is to make sure you are moving just your head and neck to watch rather than your whole body as you don’t want to risk moving out of the best play zone.

Use the Whole Space

Remember that there are four corners where you can score. By playing out to the corners, you can make your opponent work harder which gives you space to mentally regroup and potentially tires them quicker. A good rule of thumb is to hit the ball consistently deep, with shots over the service line to get your opponent behind you. Also, hit shots tight to the wall, which are called “rail” shots. This gives your opponent less space to play an angled shot, giving them fewer options and you the upper hand.

Take the Volley

When you take a shot in the air, or “volley” the shot, you are more likely to get your opponent out of position. This is because they have just hit a shot, and will still be moving to get back to the T. When they are off the T, you can place shots into the corners or parts of the court they are away from. By playing shots off the volley, this means you have to be in good position yourself, at the T and watching the ball the whole time.

Have Rules

Squash is a game where you can lose a lot of games from your own mistakes. The biggest mistake is hitting the tin. Players who realize when they are “off” can prevent unforced errors. I say that if I hit the tin 3 times, it’s not my day.

Another tip is to only go for tin shots when you are at the T. When you are at the T, you have positioning and you can use proper footwork to hit the shots.

Be Prepared to Practice

A crucial part of improving at any game is to practice. While this might sound trite, you should never underestimate the importance of regular practice. The more you hold the racket, hit the ball, move across the court, the more natural it all becomes. This means you are not having to concentrate on the basics and can shift your attention to honing your skills.

See my blog post on how to play squash alone.

Get fit

Having a decent level of fitness is essential to play squash. Any squash player in poor physical condition is likely to quickly break down on the court. So, a proper training program that targets the muscles used on the court is certain to benefit the all-round game play.

Aim to strengthen the lower back, quads, hips and glutes to help complete those deep lunges and the forearm muscles and shoulders to make it easier to tackle the repetitive striking of the ball. Plus, the core can benefit from strengthening in view of the constant turning and twisting.

A few yoga sessions per week may also help to achieve the stretching motions on the court. Combine this with a cardiovascular workout to complete the fitness program.

Get the basics

A fundamental technique of the game of squash is simply being able to grip and handle the racket in the correct manner. Once the basics have been understood and appreciated, it is that much easier to process to the tactical and technical aspects.

Basic include your backswing, your serve and your movement on the court.

Dominate the ‘T’

Aim to dominate the ‘T’ area which is the central part of the squash court. This is a great place to be on the court and drastically improves your chances of being successful. Try to create movement that includes striking the ball and instantly moving back in the direction of the ‘T’. Also, once you arrive on the ‘T’ you want to make sure your racket is prepared and ready to take that next volley to stay in control.

Overall, squash is a wonderful sport that is appreciated by players at all levels and skillsets. This is a sport that can be enjoyed for life and a great way to socialize with like-minded colleagues and friends. By practicing and following the right tips it is certainly possible to grow in confidence and become a better player in the future.

Become a student

Try to find a decent quality pro in the local area that is willing to spend a little time giving personalized pointers on the best ways to improve your all-around game. A one-on-one session with an experienced player can be very effective in learning the different techniques and tactics. Also, squash gives the option to practice solo which is entirely different to most other types of racket sports. A regular solo session can go a long way to help improve your all-around game play.

Watch the Pro’s

If you have ever watched sport on the television, you will notice how easy a professional makes it look. The same is true of any sport, so start watching how other players stage their game. You will notice that some players are excellent and you can mimic elements of their play for your own game. You will also see some bad habits and skills, which give you a chance to learn what not to do.

There are great resources to watch on Youtube like PSA Squash TV and the SDA Pro Doubles.

The fast and constant movement can make squash a very reliable cardiovascular activity. An energetic game of squash leads to diving and leaping for the ball and lots of running back and forth across the court. A benefit of this is the ability to increase strength and fitness and maintain a healthy weight. Here are five of the squash exercise benefits:

An activity for everybody

Squash is a fun activity that is easily played at any age, and the cost to enter this sport is relatively inexpensive. The game rules and techniques are quite easy to learn (but much more difficult to master). Plus, the play equipment, games and styles are easily modified to match every player’s skill-level, gender, age and size.

Studies on racket sports indicate a child is able to improve motor skills, sociability, hand-eye-coordination, and more.

Great for your heart

Squash is great for your heart because it helps to stop blood vessels from becoming clogged and strengthens the heart muscles to significantly lower the risk of heart disease. All it needs is playing squash for 3 hours per week to minimize the risk of heart complications. Also, a great aerobic workout is achieved if able to keep the rest periods short – ideally this means 1 or 2 minutes as the maximum.

Benefits your mental well-being

Squash can do a lot to benefit your mental well-being. Most fitness activities are focused on being active enough to burn calories, but with little thinking or strategy needed. But, with squash there is plenty of thinking going on. Smart thinking and well planned strategies can often outdo brute force. Plus, longer spells of concentration has the ability to benefit in other areas of your day-to-day life.

Get a full body workout

A hard practice session or game of squash with a partner has the ability to deliver a full body workout. An obvious place to benefit is the legs, which are involved in the repeated short sprints back and forth across the court and relies on the fast-twitch muscles to be working at a high level. Also, the arms are certain to get a useful workout with the regular striking of the ball across the court. This type of compound movement will work the entire arm area and also ensures the wrists and back muscles are strengthened.

Playable at any time of the year

Squash is an indoor sport which means it is fun to play at any time of the year. Many countries aren’t blessed with the best summers and the winters can be very harsh. This means it is difficult to get in the game time if only looking at the outdoor sports. Squash doesn’t have this restriction and this court-based sport is great to play no matter what is happening outside.

A specific type of training that should hold some importance in your squash training is ghosting patterns. When considering this, what squash ghosting patterns should you do? Luckily, we have you covered on that front.

Ghosting gives a perfect opportunity to replicate the burst of energy used in the game and can simulate the demands to complete a tough rally. Ghosting is done with a racquet but without a ball.

A way to improve your squash conditioning routine is to attempt to copy what is typically taken place in a match environment. A regular practice session that includes court sprints and ghosting can become a useful tool to help improve court based conditioning. This type of activity is a virtual copy of the energy used in a game and is very straightforward and simple to carry out.

Beyond the basic squash ghosting patterns, it is also possible to incorporate several different types of shot actions in the ghosting. They take place between each structured movement. It often helps to work with a partner or coach in the process of adding in the structured hitting.

A simple example of ghosting would be playing a backhand drop into the corner at the front and then to move back to strike a forehand drive at the opposite back corner. There is an endless list of squash ghosting patterns that can be used to improve the performance of players at all skill-levels.

This technique can be structured to help focus on your movement and fully understand the right techniques to complete a chosen shot. A standard method of practice is to complete the ghosting movements that are more match-specific – this can help to copy the exact elements of movement and built up fatigue noticed in a real game.

Squash Ghosting Patterns Structure

The ghost routines are easily tailored to match the different shots and movements that take place on the squash court. Here is a simple way that the ghosting grills can be structured in relation to volume.

Time – a ghosting pattern can be performed over a set period of time, which is likely to be in the region of 30 seconds to 3 minutes or more.

Shots – each of the ghost patterns performed can be counted, which is added up to a sum of 10, 25, 50 or more repetitions.

Rallies – the ghost pattern can be completed based on a set number of rallies which can last 15 to 16 seconds. They can randomly change in duration, and between each series of movements is a short rest period that lasts for 10 to 15 seconds before the ghosting continues once again.

The number of ghosting movements you complete is certain to relate to your all-round physical conditioning and level of skill. For the beginners, it may be best to start with four basic movements and gradually progress from there.

Overall, the ghost drill offers a perfect opportunity to make a training session more specific to your intended game play and techniques. It is a great way to learn the different movements on the court while also making you physically work hard.