Length Does Count by Alan Stapleton January 26th, 2016
The
age old argument of length vs technique will no doubt be argued
forever, and being no professional in this area of eloquence, I will
not join the debate. But climb under the covers and enter the hallowed
halls of a Squash Court, and the player with a short length is
guaranteed to be a loser. Having said that, he who is too long, and
delves too deep, is also likely to taste that sour taste of defeat,
quite frequently. And to add to the debate, there is also that question
of Tempo. Too hard, or too soft. Too fast or to slow
In much
the same way as the three little pigs who built their houses with
grass, stick and brick, the player who does not build his game around a
solid, bricked foundation of a Good Consistent Length, will find, that
against opponents who are prepared to huff and puff a little, he will
falter, and his game will come tumbling down, in tatters.
While
the modern game calls for a more attacking front-of-court tactical
approach, success will only be achieved off a foundation of a good,
solid, consistently pin-pointed length. Guaranteed. If you are losing,
this is the first place to look for a solution to your game. If you are
not too sure what to tell your team-mate, protégé’ or child in-between
games, you will never be wrong to advise on focussing on a better length
So, where is this elusive area, so geared to success, and winning satisfaction?
For
beginners, any area immediately behind the service box, is ok as it
will push your opponent into those dreaded back-corners. But as you
start improving, you need to be more targeted and be aiming for an
area, a racquet-length, length behind the Service Box. Your shot,
bouncing in this area, should then be dying in the back corner, or at
least, forcing a boasted or weak return.
As you continue to
improve, this spot gets smaller, and the margin for error becomes
bigger. The more you miss, the more, you will be punished. A
racquet-length too short, and you are giving your opponent free reign
to boast, drop or crosscourt. Your opponent is now in your ‘blind
spot”, so your reaction to his shot will be delayed, A racquet-length
too deep, and the ball will come flying aimlessly off the back-wall,
again, allowing your opponent free access to attack with lots of options
Most
people have a pretty good idea of this “spot of paradise”. The problem
is that most people aim for it .As in darts, if you aim for the Bull,
invariably, you hit just below your target. And so, if watch most games
of junior or mid-league standard, while the players know they should be
aiming for that hot spot, invariably, they are too short. A suggestion
- aim a little deeper than your visualised target, open your racquet
face, hit a little higher and you will probably find a lot more
consistency.
Aaahhh, but this game is easy!
Not
so. As your level of play improves, so that length target, now becomes
a Moving Target, based on where your opponent is. Now you need
chameleon-like peripheral awareness, and the pace, and tempo need to be
managed. With your opponent in the front of the court, a blasted, full
pace shot, smashed “somewhere” to the back will probably still be
retrieved. And probably be returned, with interest. Now you need to be
getting the ball past your opponent, behind him, at the right pace, so
that the back wall is not brought into play.
Key to finding this mysterious L-Spot is held in the two P’s
Power and Practice
One
of the many joys of squash, both physical and therapeutic, is that of
smashing that little rubber ball as hard as we can, and turning it into
a burning, bulleted missile. But as we learn via our Politician
friends, Power Corrupts, and with Power comes lack of control. So,
let’s get this monkey off our back. If we are not going to practise
hitting with power, then let’s rather go down to 4th gear, to 75%
power, to controlled power in our general play. And let us be
selective, before we let rip, and pummel that little black rubbery blob
into mindless smithereens.
The more ambitious, will, however
take themselves to courts, on their own and practise. And hopefully
practise with purpose. Most of our practice time (whether this is
correct, or not, is a separate argument) is spent driving the ball
up-and-down the walls. But, seldom do you see players practising
hitting at different pace. If we want to play with power, we need to
practise hitting with power. We need to know what relative power is
needed, and at what height on the front wall we should be aiming for
We
also need to practise hitting different length targets. Probably the
most impressive Practice Session I have seen was that of Frenchman,
Greg Gautier with his coach Regnan Lavigne. Coach fed ball to front of
court, with a plastic cone placed mid-way between the front wall and
the service box. Gautier had hit the ball to hit the cone, and push it
backwards with an end goal, of getting the cone to the back wall. It
took him less than 5 minutes!! If you want to reach the top that is the
type of precision you need to be aiming for.
Then combine the two. Power and Practice. At max pace, how many shots can you consistently hit into the service box?
Now,
go all you, Squash Sinners, who believe you are doing right while doing
wrong. Whether, you be tall, or short, rounded or gaunt. Go seek that
Holy Grail, that mysterious spot, that wondrous area, from which you
can lay a foundation and build a squash house that cannot be huffed,
puffed or panted down. Your satisfaction will be guaranteed. And once
built, you can then add all sorts of fancy frills.
