Grip:
The grip has three major components:  hand placement, finger placement and tension.

Grip cues:
-With the racquet head perpendicular to the floor, the racquet grip is placed across the fingers, and the hand is wrapped over the top of the grip so that the knuckles of the index finger lied on the top right edge of the racquet.
-The "V" between forefinger and thumb points over the non-hitting shoulder
-The forefinger should be slightly seperated from the middle finger
-The grip tension should be tight enough that the racquet does not slip, but loose enough that the hand does not form a fist.
 

Ready Position:
Gives the students the best opportunity to cover the court and get ready for the opponent's return.  The ready position has two components:  the position the students takes on court while waiting for the opponent's return.  This is the conventional ready position, and the action the student takes a slpit second before the opponent's return is complete.  This is called the split step.

Ready Position cues:
-Straddle the centre line
-Head and eyes focus on the ball
-Wrist is cocked and the racquet is held above the wrist
-Body weight is evenly distributed over both feet
-Knees are flexed slightly for balance and anticipation

Split Step cues:
-As the opponent initiates his/her stroking action, there is a slight unweighting - and upward movement of the body through the ankles and knees
-This unweighting puts students on their toes just before they take their first step.  It allows them to turn and change direction quickly.
 
 

Forehand/Backhand Drive:

1. Preparation:

 -The racquet is brought back, high and early

 -The wrist is cocked and the arm is slightly bent

 -The body is in a closed position and the shoulders are facing sideways from the on-coming ball

2.  Movement to the Contact Point:

 -Weight is transferred towards the ball and the front wall

 -The elbow leads the arm and the wrist towards the ball (similar to the sidearm throw)

3.  Contact Point:

 -The face of the racquet meets the ball at the top of the bounce at the lead shoulder or front foot

 -The racquet moves downward then flat through a horizontal plane until contact

 
4.  Follow-through:

 -The racquet face travels through the ball and then in an upward position

 -Near the end of the swing the elbow bends and the swing is finished

 Note* The same concepts (preparation, action to contact, contact point and follow-through) are
 applied to the backhand drive & the x-court drives.  The only difference with the x-court drive is, the
 ball is taken before the hitting shoulder. The farther ahead of the front foot or shoulder the ball is
 contacted, the greater the angle the ball is going to travel.

Forehand/Backhand Volley:

 The forehand/backhand volley has the exact same Preparation, Movement to contact, Contact Point
 and Follow-through.  The only difference is the ball is contacted above the hips with no bounce.

 
Lob Serve:

1. Preparation:

 -Same racquet preparation as the drives

 -The back-foot is placed near the top of the service box

 -The feet are angle in line to the target, which is just right of center on the front wall

 -More weight is placed on the back foot with the legs bent (back leg more than the front)

 
2.  Movement to the Contact Point:

-Movement slightly towards the front wall and the ball is tossed just below the front shoulder

-The elbow leads the arm and the wrist towards the ball

 
3. Contact Point:

 -The strings of the racquet meet below the ball (4 o’clock) for loft

 4. Follow-through:

 -The head of the racquet follows the ball up towards the target on the front wall

 -The arm finishes with bending at the elbow and wrist

 
Note*  The serve will be the only shot in squash in which the server has complete control of the ball.
It is important that the student takes his/her time while performing this shot.

 Serve Return:

 1. Preparation:

 -Same racquet preparation as the drives

 -The body is positioned near the back corner of the opposite service box

 -The person returning the serve will turn and face the server, watching the ball “at all times”

 -When the serve is hit the player returning the serve will then decide what shot to play

 -The best choice for a return is a straight drive down the wall

 Note*  There is no other phases for the serve return because the shot cannot be predetermined

 Forehand/Backhand Drops:

1.  Preparation:

 -Same as the drives but slightly shorter

 -The wrist is cocked and the arm is slightly bent

 -The body is in a closed position and the shoulders are facing sideways from the on-coming ball

 
2.  Movement to the Contact Point:

 -Weight is transferred towards the ball and the front wall

 -The body is going to be lower to the floor than the drive

 -The elbow leads the arm and the wrist towards the ball

 
3.  Contact Point:

 -The face of the racquet meets the ball at the top of the bounce at the lead shoulder or front foot

 -The racquet moves flat through a horizontal plane until contact

 
4.  Follow-through:

 -The racquet face travels through the ball and slightly in an upward position

 -The follow-through is the same as the drives but slightly shorter

 
Defensive Boast:

1. Preparation:

 -The racquet is brought back, high and early

 -The wrist is cocked and the arm is slightly bent

 -The body is in a closed position and the shoulders are facing the sidewall at a 45-degree angle

 
2.  Movement to the Contact Point:

 -Weight is transferred towards the ball and the sidewall

 -The elbow leads the arm and the wrist towards the ball

 
3.  Contact Point:

 -The face of the racquet meets the ball at the top of the bounce at the lead shoulder or front foot

 -The racquet moves downward then flat through a horizontal plane until contact
 

4.  Follow-through:

 -The racquet face travels through the ball and then in an upward position

 -Near the end of the swing the elbow bends and the swing is finished

 
Note*  The Defensive Boast has the same technique as the drives.  It is useful to tell the students to
imagine hitting through the sidewall into the other court to keep the swing the same.  There is a
tendency to open the body outward changing the stoke which, results in loss of power and
development of bad habits.  Let the walls control the angle change of the ball, not the swing.