#squash tips

The free-flowing Ali Farag is certainly one of those players who is able to punish opponents for any loose shot and he does this at pace as well, putting the ball into difficult areas with what seems like relative ease.

He explained: “The speed of the game is so fast now, with every ball being retrieved. For this reason, every fraction of a second you can take away from an opponent is a bonus.

“After a good shot, I look to anticipate the next shot. This allows me to jump on it early to apply pressure.”

Technically, Farag thinks a lot about positioning. He reasoned: “It’s tough, because you don’t know if you are going to hit the next shot on the volley, the half volley, off the bounce or on the rise.

“I make sure that my initial movement is to step up the court. If I can take the ball really early, I try to use my right leg, as this allows me to step further up the court; if the ball is through the middle of the court, then I use my back leg, but put extra focus on getting my shoulders side on.”

To practise taking the ball early, Farag stressed the importance of basic technique and having a good feeder.

“For me to take the ball early, I need to get my technique right,” he said. “I have spoken a lot about using my body and my suspension to help my shots and accuracy. The feeder plays a pivotal role in my practice, as they need to dig the returns out, so that I can work on being ready to take the ball as early as possible.”

Tips to play faster like Farag:

·        Take the ball early to reduce your opponent’s time

·        Anticipate the next shot, particularly after a good one

·        Turn your shoulders to the side in midcourt for a straight shot option

I have always enjoyed playing at a fast pace. But as I have started to play players who are more accurate and fitter, I have developed several strategies to adapt to playing the top players.

One of the strategies my coach Rob Owen and I have worked on a lot over the last year has been implementing height from different areas of the court. I have become used to varying the pace of the ball, hitting drives both cross court and straight, but now I have started to use the height on the front wall.

I feel many players only use height on the front wall when they are under pressure at the front or at the back of the court. I have tried to use this height as an attacking weapon from all areas of the court. This has enabled me to disrupt opponents' patterns of play, as well as frustrate them.

Often players want to hit the ball aggressively and hard. And if I can take the pace off the ball they are likely to not only lose their rhythm but also their accuracy. It gives me an opportunity to get in front of my opponent and put in a quick attack if their ball is either too loose or lands short of the back of the court.

I have developed this skill so that I can use the height both straight and cross court from all areas of the court and is something I practice regularly. It's part of my basic strategy now. 

Two players who have used this mix of both height and pace brilliantly in recent times are Nick Mathew and James Willstrop. They both attack with height and then push forward looking to volley the next shot, often winning the rally within the next few shots as a result of the quality of the lob they have used. 

To execute this tactic takes a lot of skill and practice. Poor use of height can lose the rally just as easily as an accurate lob can set you up to win it.

Because ElShorbagy junior is so solid, some of his strengths can go unnoticed to many viewers of the game. When I watch him play, I see two massive super-strengths that complement the rest of his game. These are his ability to dominate the length battle and his shot selection from the resulting positions.

When I asked Marwan about his shot selection, he replied: “It’s about feeling where your opponent is on the court and then thinking about where to play the shot. If I have time, I think about playing the shot to the corner furthest away from the opponent, but to be able to do this, you need an accurate length game.

“For me, it’s never been about hitting the ball fast and hard; I believe accuracy can beat speed. I back my accurate game to beat their speed. I have been developing this area of my squash for 10 years now with my coach, Ian Thomas. We wanted my game to have a mix between the Egyptian and English games. Focusing on my accuracy and length has been pivotal to achieving this.”

It seems that length can provide the base which allows you the time to work out where the opponent is and where to hit the ball next. To be aware, you need to make sure that you think externally. It is very easy to become insular and only concentrate on the shot you are playing and how you are executing it technically.

MARWAN’S PRACTICE TIPS

·      “Do lots of solo. I used to have to hit 100 good drives in a row on both the forehand and backhand sides. If I hit a bad one, I went back to zero.”

·      “Get into a good position with plenty of space and practise using cut or flattening the ball into the back corners of the court.”

Richard Eaton: Nicol David's mental edge Nicol David in seventh heaven

He specialises in burn-out and depression, and in helping athletes perform at their best mentally. He is also a clinical psychologist with his own practice and a guest lecturer at the University of Amsterdam.

Since becoming part of Nicol David's back- up team in 2009, working every week with coach Liz Irving, he has helped deal with pressures on and off court. They include coping with the expectations of others, how to remain focused during a match and dealing with losses.

During this time David produced her three best World Open performances, increasing her titles to seven, and extended her hold on the world no.1 ranking to more than six years.

Among the skills Cabooter teaches other players of different levels are goal-setting, thought training, focus training, visualisation, relaxation and personality development.

Do you have any questions for him?

Have you experienced pressure and found it hard to deal with, for example?