Tutorial 3: How to play squash

Yes we are discussing sports, remember this tutorial series is not stereotyped to a particular line, genre or format. It’s a series of teachings on different useful vocational and non- vocational skills. This week having realized how much interest sport lovers are showing towards the sport name squash and realizing that a handful of people hardly know about the sport, I decided to talk to a sportsman who is known for his squash playing prowess. Here is what he said:

I started playing squash because I wasn’t a fan of team sports, I like sports that you play individually, you win or lose , you know its your fault not anybody’s. Asides that ,the game of squash has a lot of health and social benefits.
It improves cardiovascular health, the game can see you running, diving, lounging and leaping for the ball
It increases strength, fitness, flexibility, good eye and body coordination and agility
Gives greater confidence, opportunity to make new friends, improve concentration as well as releases stress

A lot of people ask me for the secrets to becoming an excellent player and I share with them the tips below:

Plan to play well : you don’t just say it , you plan and work towards it like every other good thing in life. Prepare for about 4-6 weeks before matches, during the first 2weeks do lots of on and off court routines for aerobic fitness. E.g on bikes, weight lifting, leg work for power around the court and upper body work to keep being symmetrical
Be consistent, get into a routine : don’t just wander through your training routines, get into a routine, know what you are doing and workout what you want to achieve in a training session

Use your basic practices to groove and improve your shots. Make time for this perhaps before you play. Concentrate on doing a few practices
My basic practice is the BOAST & DRIVE routine :
Starting from the front of the court, concentrate first on striking the ball
Turning my shoulders, staying away from the ball and making sure I open the racket face and hit the ball sweetly just in front of my front leg
After hitting, movement back to the T is crucial so that you can practice positioning for the next shot. Practice getting in the right place for your shot and try to eliminate casual shots.

Well, I hope this article has been helpful especially for squash players and if by chance you stumble on this article and you get interested , its an indoor game played with a squash ball, squash racket, squash shoe sportwears in a squash court. I will upload a video on squash immediately after this tutorial. Other types of sports and games will be discussed in the subsequent tutorials.