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TECHNIQUE - That’s magic |
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Watching champions or great
sportsmen at what they do best, is always a great pleasure for most of us,
even if we are not greatly interested in their sport. This may be due to
their ability to win or break records, but a great deal of the attraction is
in seeing near perfection. It is interesting and marvellous to see how they
make what is almost impossible, look so easy and seemingly effortless. We can
only appreciate their speed and skills when we try it out ourselves. |
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It is true
that years of hard work and practice lead to such performances, but not all
reach the top. Unfortunately not all of us posses the mental and physical
talents that make the difference. Plus, it is not always possible to find the
best of trainers or coaches who have the knowledge and ability to make an
athlete produce quality work instead of just hard work. |
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Therefore,
the art of performing almost
perfectly is what distinguishes between sportsmen. Apart from the state of
mind, which will be discussed later, the most important factor related to the
above-mentioned quality work is technique. To me, technique in sport is the
art of movement, and as the laws of physics govern movement, the technique
adopted in sport must give logical and measurable benefits, rather than just
an aesthetically pleasing appearance. |
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The first
time each one of us saw a good squash
player on court, one of the most impressive aspects was how hard he or she
could hit the ball without making much effort. How was that possible? And how
come beginners always complain about not being able to hit the ball hard
enough? |
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The answer
doesn’t come down to strength- even though that could help- but rather to the
ability to accelerate the tip of the racket head, and make “clean” contact
between the racket strings and the ball. Yes, the tip, because according to
the laws of physics that is the fastest moving part of the racket. In the
section that follows, a detailed description of both the forehand and
backhand swing and follow-through will be presented. For simplicity, we will
assume that the player is hitting a medium pace shot down the wall. |
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THE FOREHAND
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The forehand is the
more awkward side for a squash player despite the fact that most beginners
complain more about their backhand. Most beginners feel comfortable with the
forehand because the ball is easier to see on that side, and they are usually
able to hit the ball quite hard. The relatively powerful muscles utilised
(shoulders, pectorals, upper arm, and forearm) are responsible. However, when
it comes to executing delicate shots such as a slow boast or drops hot, or
looking for maximum accuracy, these same players start having problems. This
is because the instinctive style adopted for the forehand, is not compatible
with the various racket speeds utilised for fast and slow shots.
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When talking of
shot power or ball speed, it is most important that the effort put into the
swing is proportional to the speed of the
resulting shot. Less talented players or beginners will always make a huge
effort to hit the ball hard. This results in dangerous excessive swings, lack
of accuracy, wasted precious energy, and lack of ability in difficult
situations, i.e. when the opponent’s shot is difficult.
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In the following section, a
detailed explanation of the technique used, and a breakdown of the shot will
further explain and clarify what has been discussed above. The understanding
of proper technique, will also take us to other phases in developing our
game. |
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POSITION
AND SWING
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Let us start
from the feet upwards. This would be logical because any player must first
establish a sense of balance before attempting the swing. Without good
balance, the swing will lack power and control. |
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The photo
(right) illustrates a player facing the sidewall with the left foot forward
and back-swing completed. We will momentarily start from this position for
simplicity and later view the more complete and realistic position adopted
when starting off from the T, as during play. Note that the heel of the right
foot is off the ground and the left foot is not excessively far. That is, the
step taken by the left foot is quite short to
render the position comfortable and effortless. It is also important to note
that the feet are not perfectly in line, but rather on parallel lines in
order to ensure balance and freedom of
rotation at the waist. The heel of the right foot is raised for the
same reason. It is of vital importance to bend both knees and not just that
of the leading leg.
This allows the player to maintain the trunk upright
and the head steady while allowing maximal effortless rotation. |
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The player is
now perfectly ready for the swing. Before going on to the next image, observe
the position of the player’s head and shoulders. The right shoulder is higher
than the left at this stage. Also note the position of the racket head, the
inclination of the racket, and the position of the player’s elbow. It is this
position of the elbow and its successive movement, which is difficult and unnatural
to most beginners, but is of extreme importance to enable the player to hit
the ball hard, and for example, get the ball out of the
back corners. |
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The position
of the left arm is also important. The left arm must facilitate the rotation
of the trunk and must not get in the way of the follow-through. The left arm
must also help counter balance the rest of the body. |
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Moving onto the next photo, it is clear that the elbow, while still
bent, starts to move forward while the right shoulder goes lower as the trunk
rotates. The players head must remain perfectly still while this happens. As
the elbow moves forward, the player’s hand and racket handle get dragged
along while the racket head lags behind. |
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The next
photo (near right) consequently shows how the arm begins to straighten out
and the wrist brings in the racket head to start catching up with the
position of the racket handle. The photo (far right) illustrates what the
player is trying to achieve, and reminds us that eventually the racket must
be brought in line with the arm. |
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We now come to this photo.
The phase just before impact. Here, the shoulders have come further round,
the arm is stretched with the elbow no longer bent, and the wrist has
finished its job, allowing the racket head to catch up perfectly with the
player’s hand and arm. Now the racket is perfectly in line with the arm. Note
that the movement has been executed around the waist and not at shoulder
height. Also the head remained perfectly still throughout and the racket face
always maintained open. The heel of the right foot has also moved slightly
outwards to assist the rotation of the shoulders. |
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Impact, as demonstrate in the photo (right),
position wise is very similar to the previous photo. A most important considerations
is that at impact, the ball must be just beyond* the left foot and knee,
while in line with the arm and racket. The racket must be perpendicular to
the sidewall in order to send the ball parallel to the latter. During all
phases of the swing, the racket grip (handle) must remain lower than the
racket head.
*The photo below illustrates the position of
the ball on impact. Note how the ball remains on an imaginary parallel line
lying between those formed by the feet.
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The shot
definitely does not finish on impact. An accurate follow through is the way
to perfection. During this phase, (photo above right) the rotation of the
shoulders is very important to allow the right arm to continue its
acceleration for the longest possible duration before gradually decelerate.
It is important to guide the racket in the direction of the shot executed
while the racket head circles around the body. While discussing shots such as
the drop shot, the importance of the
follow-through will become more evident, to enhance accuracy. |
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The photos are
arranged together below to demonstrate the key stages of the swing. |
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This last image
illustrates the firmness of the head and how balance is maintained till the
very end. To see an action video clip of the swing explained above, click here. |
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THE BACK-SWING bkswng frhnd
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At this
moment, it is easier to describe and understand the back-swing.
The photo series above shows a simplified back-swing (for
simplicity, while the player is already facing
the side wall). The back-swing must be the exact inverse of the swing
discussed above. The same relationship has to be maintained between the
racket head, grip (racket handle), elbow, and shoulders. In fact, if you look
at the photos from left to right, you will see the back-swing while if you
look from right to left, it seems the player is swinging at the ball. During the
swing, the racket head lagged behind and was last to catch up. During the
back-swing, the tip of the racket must be first to move, by using the wrist,
then the elbow and then the shoulders begin to move. For accuracy purposes,
the tip of the racket must trace the same line during the swing and the back-swing.
A good suggestion would be to hold the racket still for a second or two at
the peak of the back-swing and try to feel the exact position of the racket
and all parts of the body before going ahead and hitting the ball. The
following video clip clearly demonstrates the movement. |
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So far, the technique for the forehand has been demonstrated and
explained, starting from a static position and presuming that the player is
already turned towards the sidewall. In the section to follow shortly, where
the straight drive is explained, the player starts off from a more practical
position. Hence, the following clip shows the execution of the back-swing
from a frontal position. play video
Again, note how the wrist is used and the feet move only after the
racket has been taken back. |
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CORRECT USE OF THE WRIST cuowfh |
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Wrist action is most important in squash. This is evident from what
has been explained above, in the section on technique. Wrist movement is a
reoccurring theme in this book, and a lot will be said further on. Here, it
is important to recognise that the wrist movement is a controlled action,
which is incorporated in the swing, to develop the necessary racket
acceleration. For a player to understand how to use the wrist, it is
important to first consider these two video clips and try out the action,
preferably with a racket at hand. The first clip illustrates a subtle
short-range movement, which requires a lot of sensitivity. This movement
constitutes the first part of the wrist action. play video |
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However, the main wrist movement can be seen here. play video As can be seen from the video,
in reality, the movement stems from the elbow, but the wrist is the centre of
control. To achieve the correct wrist movement, the player must combine the
two parts illustrated, to produce an action, which looks like this.
play video |
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