hi dave,

            i too have done most of my training at home on my own and found that the best way to progress  was to practise as much as you can,  whether it be on a flat wall on on a court on your own. the routine has to be very simple. i give you an idea of my routine:

1. start on the forhand side close to the front wall and about a metre away from the side wall, hit the ball short but at a quick pace, slowly start walking away from the front wall while hitting the ball slower but higher on the wall, when you have reached the back wall start coming forward towards the front while now hitting the ball quicker and lower. when you have done this for about 10 mins non-stop turn to the other wall and do the same thing on the backhand side.

this routine helps by grooving your swing to hit the ball in the same location and teaches "feel" as you need to hit the ball only as far as to reach your present position on the court.

2. one of my favourite routine is to stand at the service line and hit down one side for about 4 strokes before hitting cross court to the other side now you turn and chase and strike the ball straight down the wall and now hit the ball down this side for 4 strokes before going cross court again. keep this up for 10 mins nonstop.

this routine is excellent for learning how to straighten the ball during a rally and as a bonus does wonders for footwork and fitness.

try these for now and if you want any more routines just ask.    

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Welcome to the forum Biz&Co - Yes, those are good points too.  I forgot about them.  The MiniSquash ball or a firm foam ball is good for inside wall stuff as it does not break the crockery etc
Here are some basic coordination development drills from the schools program:-

• With the foam ball, instead of letting the ball bounce -
•  keep the ball in the air by forehand volley pats,
  
• backhand volley pats, alternate forehand and backhand volley pats,
•  using a partner volley to each other standing about 2.5m apart.
  
• throw the ball up, catch it on the racket.
• throw the ball onto the wall, catch it on the racket.
• throw the ball onto the wall, wait for it, and volley it
• continuous upwards pats.
• continuously  bounce the ball on the floor, and then catch it on the racket.
• draw up a rectangle on the cement a bit larger than a table tennis table, put a skipping rope across to make a net, and play across the net.
• The equipment should be flexible and progressive.

Wow, you could keep going on and on.

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Hi Dave,

My girlfriend (of 15 months) has been learning to play squash for the past 11 months. As Rippa said, it can be hard to get technique right when first starting out, but there are some things you can learn at home which will give you a huge advantage over the average club player. Here's a mantra which may help to guide you in the right direction:

PRACTISE MAKES PERMANENT - NOT PERFECT

The first thing I got my girlfriend to do, was to find a flat surfaced wall (plastered or tiled are best), with an even surfaced floor. Chose a beginners ball (something that bounces reasonably well when cold). With these things in place, you're going to practise a simple forehand AND backhand drop-shot routine. Start the FOREHAND with CORRECT POSITIONING - a coach will show you how. Pick a small spot on the wall, and keep control of the ball into the same spot, over and over. Once you have begun to gain consistancy, change to using a BACKHAND shot. Once you have these shots under control, begin to vary the distance away from the wall from shot to shot. Get your movement and weighting of the shot in sync. Throughout all of this you MUST keep correct positioning of both body and feet. Remember that PRACTISE MAKES PERMANENT so make sure that you're practising the right things!

At the courts you can expand on this lesson by moving further away from the wall. The further you can get CONSISTANTLY, the better your racket control is becoming. Is this getting boring or too easy? Change to volleys! Same routine applies - start short - forehand then backhand - change your distance.

I know this really sounds easy when written down, but it makes a huge amount of difference in your control of the ball and timing - something which a lot of people struggle with at lower or average club levels.

I know of other routines for home (or garden) use, but I may have already taken up my fair share of forum space!

Adz

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Hi Dave - dmennie has given some good ideas but I am not sure, if you are inexperienced, if you can really guide yourself through the technique, eg forehand and backhand swing,  without supervision in the first instance.  Get your coach or an experienced player to assist with this.

Once having got the grip and swing under control increase that into a ghosting movement.  How?
Place some old milk cartons, say 3, in the yard to show the T, the forehand ball court position, and maybe the backhand court ball position, and move between these points, making the movement resemble a rally.  Once again get your coach to start you off on this. When you get the movement right, progress to the swinging.

Wrist and arm exercises, eg figure of eights, and forearm pronation/supination.

If you are confused, and do not understand what is required, just say so.
Good luck and enjoy it.

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Hi Dave,
There are a multitude of things to be done at home to speed your improvement.
1. Physical Training ie situps, pushups, lunges....core strength building excercises. Stretching
2. Technique ....swing the raquet. Use a mirror to work on the swing. "Groove the swing"
3. Mental- Visualisation, affirmations, goal setting.
4.Tactical-If just beginning watch Matches via Web, video,dvd learn basic game plan.

There are a lot more things for you to do specifially but it depends on how much time you want to give it as to how much improvement you will get. Input=Output.
This is very broad but a start
All the best
David M

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