Squash Tips Video # 4 - How to retrieve the ball from the backwall

How to retrieve a ball from the backwall

SquashTips Video #4 

The ability to retrieve the ball from the backwall is the milestone in the  great path to mastery in squash.

In order to be able to retrieve the ball from the backwall you must have already learned:

1. The Proper Grip
2. How to Open the shot
3. How to make a great swing.

Technical explanation

These are the two new skills you will need to add to the 3 mentioned before in odrder to retrieve a shot from the backwall:

1. Stay as far away from the corner and the ball as you can.
2. Hit the ball after it has bounced from the backwall
3. 
   

1)Stay in the center and keep your distance

 Extending the arm and hitting the ball as far as you can is a great way to move less, this habit must be implemented when working on your shot. The less you move the better.

To stay as far as possible from the backcorner make it a habit to stay in the center in respect to the side walls, simply keep a feet on the T line. This way you're sure to keep the distance from the ball and if needed you can extend yourself.

2)Wait for the ball to bounce before moving

Learning the proper timing to hit the ball requires a ot of practice, but with time you will be ablr to predict correctly the bounce of the ball and therefore you will be able to act accordingly to it.

As a general rule, always hit the ball at the last moment after it has bounced from the backwall.

This technique has many advantages:

1. It makes you stay away from the corner untill the last moment
2. The later you make the shot the farer the ball will be from the backwall
3. The farther away the ball from the backwall, the less you will have to move.

Step by step how to

You will need time to get used to how the ball bounces off the wall.

To start throw the ball with your hand against the backwall and try to hit the ball with the simplest shot you can make.

When you are comfortable in doing so, begin to stay on the T line and make the step toward the side wall only when the ball is bouncing off the side wall.

Learning the proper timing will require a lot of practice, but if you conciously work on it you'll soon realize that you can reduce the size of the court on which you actually have to walk on.