Squash Tips

Coach

Learn From The Greats...
Attack like Amr Shabana, Nick Matthew and Rodney Eyles
from Peter Nicol

How do Amr Shabana, Nick Matthew and Rodney Eyles attack the ball, play aggressively and put continual pressure on their opponents. There are some very simple coaching points that are evident and should be possible to recreate, whatever standard you are.

One of my favourites is Rodney Eyles and the way he constantly looks for the opening to exert more pressure on his opponent. Rodney would make you feel that if you hit a slightly slack shot, he would punish you. This put extra pressure on me, knowing he would be on to the next shot quickly and looking to attack ruthlessly - I know how this feels first hand having been run around the court by him on several occasions!

How Can I Implement This Tactic?

1) Start thinking about the next shot as soon as you have hit
2) Get your racquet up and be physically ready

You would be surprised to notice how big a difference this makes to your game. Sounds simple, and it is, but both mental and physical preparation is often forgotten in the mix of actually playing a match. I learnt a lot from Rodney in my early playing days and benefitted from being forced to compete with his aggressive, attacking style because if I let him control the game like this tactically it was only a matter of time before I lost.

Don't try to do exactly what these players do however - use aspects that you can realistically add to your game - this way you can feel comfortable with the changes and they will undoubtedly benefit your game. I only ever tried to learn certain shots from my opponents as first and foremost I had to play my game but also had to understand what I was (and was not) capable of actually achieving.

With thanks to Squash Skills