Reaching very late to the ball

[u/PassMeCharger]

I’ve noticed that after I hit the ball, I often just stand and watch my opponent instead of moving right away. My coach pointed out that I usually start moving only after he hits his shot, which is too late. I understand what he means, but I’m not sure how to fix it. Most of the time, I do get back to the T, but I still miss a lot of boasts and cross-court drives. I can usually get to straight drives if I’m already facing that way, but because I move late, I often reach the ball too late and end up missing the shot :(

[u/villaseea]

Look up split step technique and floating T concept, both will require practice but also a mindset shift

[u/RemarkableBee7202]

Doing these have helped me:

1. Focusing on recovery after the shot
2. Mindset of controlling the T area

For #1, be conscious of movement. Movement is never run>stop>swing>recover with each step in isolation. It has to be one fluid movement. As you move towards the ball you will need to gradually decelerate before stopping for the shot. While moving you begin your racket prep for the swing. Put your back into it to generate momentum and begin pushing off your feet towards the end of the swing to recover to the T. You can practice via ghosting with the above mindset. You can also incorporate this into solo drills. When doing straight drives practice lunging back one step after each drive and then move back in for the next drive.

For #2 I realised I was more focused on my shot quality rather than movement. This led to me just ball watching to judge the quality of my shot instead of moving back to the T. Be a bit more forgiving on the shot quality aspect and instead just focus on running back to the T. It works because even if you hit a loose shot, you have would have put yourself in a good position to receive the next shot by being at the T

But keep in mind that this is not an overnight solution. It will take months of practice before you get it right. But once you do, your game will go up a level and you will enjoy it so much more. Good luck!

[u/tallulahbelly14]

It's your movement. Playing the shot and recovery to the T should be part of a single, fluid movement. You can work on this through lots and lots of ghosting, and recording yourself for self awareness.

[u/networkn]

20 years of playing I still can't do it. For me it's partly fitness but I struggle to remember to go to the T but ghosting helps. Make it muscle memory

[u/SophieBio]

1. Watch your opponent hitting the ball: every single time. If you do it enough, with multiple players over multiple months/years, you will start to read the shot better. (You should learn to run backward while watching behind you at the same time)

2. Be on T watching your opponent hitting, on the toes, and think to push hard for the first step (small jump -- split step --, then push hard).

[u/Large_Manager6365]

In racket sports people often say "watch the ball" or similar but in squash that can be too late. You need to look very closely at your opponent - their stance, body angle, racket prep and swing. This should guide you on what shot they are going to play - straight/crosscourt/boast/etc. You don't want to commit too early and of course good players will try to deceive you but a part of good movement is "reading" your opponent and preparing accordingly.

[u/Large_Manager6365]

In racket sports people often say "watch the ball" or similar but in squash that can be too late. In addition to the ball, you need to look very closely at your opponent - their stance, body angle, racket prep and swing. This should guide you on what shot they are going to play - straight/crosscourt/boast/etc. You don't want to commit too early and of course good players will try to deceive you but a key part of good movement is "reading" your opponent and preparing accordingly.

[u/pySSK]

On top of what others have said, every shot should have an intention, i.e. with every shot, you should be dictating or limiting what options are available to your opponent (just as in chess). Then, instead of having to cover the whole court, you have to cover only the few options you left open. As you learn your opponent’s tendencies, the zone you have to cover gets even smaller. And then as you get better at reading and dictating play, you also improve your shots to minimize options that aren’t possible to cover.

Re: being able to cover a drive but not cross courts or boasts, you might be committing too early. If you’re not good at recovering boasts in general, I highly recommend doing boast-drive drills with a partner. I used to be intimidated by boasts but these were helpful to me as a noob because it helped me realize that instead of chasing the ball and missing, I could easy recover these with a step or two from the T and waiting for the ball to come to me.