Basic Squash Tactics & Fundamentals

[Updated on 1 July 2022] You’ve played squash for a while now and you’ve worked hard to be faster and stronger. But for whatever reason you still just can’t beat an opponent who seems to be in worse physical condition than you. The tactics and strategy may be the difference. Playing squash to outsmart your opponent helps win a rally against faster and stronger players even at a high paced game.

As a beginner, I used to play the rally to return the ball and hope that my opponent would miss the shot. I would think that since the game is fast paced, there is a slim chance of coming up with a game plan to win the rally, because I wanted to overpower my opponent. After a while I learned the fundamental tactics to take command of the game and put myself in an offensive position to have a higher chance of winning a rally.

SERVE

Vary the speed and direction of every serve.

SERVE

Volley the serve whenever possible to put your opponent on the defensive.

RALLY

Hit the ball far and wide from your opponent, creating good court length.

RALLY

Volley the ball whenever possible in the rally.

RALLY

Hit the ball to the corners to get the opponent off the “T”.

RALLY

Hit the ball early when the opponent is out of position.

RALLY

Recover to the “T” as quickly as possible after striking the ball.

RALLY

Keep your opponent running, by hitting the ball away from them.

RALLY

Vary the pace of shots to reduce predictability.

RALLY

Vary the speed when they are in position, to upset their rhythm.