What is boast and drive in squash?

A two-player routine. One player boasts from the back corner; the other moves to the front and drives the ball straight back down the wall to the back on the other side, where the first player boasts again. The ball goes round the court in a loop.

What is a three-quarter court game?

A condition game played on part of the court. One quarter, usually one of the front quarters, is out of bounds, so the rallies use the other three.

What is ghosting in squash?

Moving around the court without a ball, from the T to each corner and back, shadowing a shot at each one. It builds movement and fitness and needs only a court.

Squash · Guide

Squash drills and condition games

Routines, where you both know the next shot, groove technique. Condition games, where you play real points under a rule, make you use it under pressure. A good session has some of each.

Routines for two players

Boast and drive

The classic. Player A stays at the back, player B at the front.

A boasts from the back corner, say the back right.
The ball comes out at the front left. B plays a straight drive down the left wall.
A moves across to the back left and boasts again.
B moves to the front right and drives straight down the right wall. The loop continues.

What it trains: the boaster works on getting the ball out of the back corners; the driver works on length from the front and on moving back to the T between shots. Swap roles every few minutes.

Variations: the driver plays a cross-court drive instead, so the boaster stays on one side; or boast, drive, drive, where the boaster plays a straight drive before boasting.

Drop and drive

One player at the back plays a straight drop to the front corner; the other runs in, retrieves it and drives it straight back to length. Then repeat on the same wall before switching sides.

What it trains: the touch on the drop, the recovery from the front, and driving to length after being dragged forward.

Variation: boast, drop, drive. A boasts from the back, B drops straight from the front, A runs forward and drives. Three shots, three players' worth of movement.

Straight drives down one wall

Both players hit straight drives down the same wall, taking turns, trying to keep the ball tight and past the service box. Simple, and the fastest way to improve length.

Condition games

Alley games

The alley is the strip between the side wall and the inside line of the service box, running the length of the court. In an alley game every shot must land inside it: straight drives, straight drops and straight lobs only. Land outside it and you lose the point.

It punishes loose, wide shots and rewards anyone who can keep the ball tight. Play a game down each wall.

Three-quarter court games

Divide the court into quarters with the short line and the half-court line, carried on to the front wall. One quarter, usually a front one, is out of bounds, and you play normal points in the other three.

It changes the angles and forces you to use the width and length of the court. A common version gives one player the whole court and the other three quarters, which makes a handy handicap between players of different levels.

Back of the court only

Every shot must land behind the short line. It builds the patience to rally from the back without attacking too early.

On your own

Solo straight drives: down one wall, then the other. Count how many land in the alley.
Figure-of-eight volleys: stand in the middle and volley the ball into alternate front corners, so it comes off the side walls in a figure of eight.
Ghosting: no ball. From the T, move to a corner, shadow a shot, and back. Six corners, several sets, short rests.

Quick answers

What is boast and drive in squash?: A two-player routine. One player boasts from the back corner; the other moves to the front and drives the ball straight back down the wall to the back on the other side, where the first player boasts again. The ball goes round the court in a loop.
What is an alley game in squash?: A condition game where every shot must land in the alley: the strip between the side wall and the inside line of the service box, down the whole length of the court. It trains straight, tight length.
What is a three-quarter court game?: A condition game played on part of the court. One quarter, usually one of the front quarters, is out of bounds, so the rallies use the other three.
What is ghosting in squash?: Moving around the court without a ball, from the T to each corner and back, shadowing a shot at each one. It builds movement and fitness and needs only a court.