Squash · Guide

Squash shots: drive, boast, drop and more

Most squash is drives: good length down the walls to push your opponent into the back corners. The boast and the drop bring the ball to the front. Mixing the two is what makes an opponent run.

The drive

The bread and butter of squash. A straight drive goes down the side wall and dies in the back corner; a good one is tight to the wall and bounces twice before the back wall, or just after touching it. A cross-court drive goes the other way, and is best aimed wide enough to hit the side wall behind your opponent so they cannot volley it.

Being able to hit length, again and again, is what separates league levels. If you only work on one shot, work on this.

The boast

Any shot that hits a side wall before the front wall. The ball comes off the front wall and heads for the far front corner.

• Two-wall boast: side wall, then front wall. The standard one.
• Three-wall boast: side wall, front wall, other side wall. Harder to control but lands near the front on the far side.
• Trickle boast: a short, disguised boast from the front of the court, shaping as if to play a drop.
• Reverse boast: hit across your body into the far side wall. Risky, and easy to hit your opponent with.

From the back, the boast is often a way out of trouble when the ball is too tight to drive. Played loosely, it gives your opponent the whole court.

The drop

A soft shot that lands just above the tin and dies in the front corner. Best played when you are in front of your opponent: they have to run the full length of the court. A straight drop is safest; a cross-court drop is a bigger target for the counter-attack.

The lob

A high, soft shot from the front of the court over your opponent's head to the back corner. It buys you time to get back to the T when you have been pulled to the front.

The volley and the kill

Taking the ball before it bounces, usually from the middle of the court, cuts your opponent's time to recover. A kill is a hard, low shot aimed to die quickly at the front. It is great if it works, and a tin if it does not.

The three-quarter shot

A drive that lands around three quarters of the way back, just behind the service box, rather than deep in the corner. It hurries a player who is camped at the back, but gives them a chance to volley if it sits up.

Where to go after the shot

Back to the T, the spot where the short line meets the half-court line. From there you can reach every corner in a few steps. Getting out of your opponent's way on the way back also keeps you clear of let and stroke trouble.

Quick answers

What is a boast in squash?

A shot that hits a side wall before the front wall. The ball angles across the court and ends up at the front on the opposite side. It is usually played from the back when you cannot play the ball straight.

What is a drive in squash?

A firm shot that travels to the back of the court, either straight down the side wall (a straight drive or 'length') or across the court (a cross-court drive). It is the shot you play most.

What is a drop shot in squash?

A soft shot that lands just above the tin and dies in a front corner, making your opponent run the full length of the court.

What is 'the T' in squash?

The spot where the short line meets the half-court line. It is the best place to wait between shots, because you can reach any corner from it.

What is a nick in squash?

The join between a wall and the floor. A ball that lands exactly in the nick rolls out flat and cannot be returned.