Technically it should be considered as a nick, but I´ve never heard anyone use it. These "nicks" aren´t too good, because you hit them often when striking a tight length and the ball goes directly at you and you will be probably stroked.

Regarding backwall nicks, I always wonder how many times I hit them when I am training lengths and when I am playing there isn´t any !

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I know that there are 3 traditional nicks:

1. Left wall / floor
2. Right wall / floor
3. Back wall / floor

But arern't these also considered nicks?

1. Left wall / Front wall
2. Right wall / Front wall
3. Left wall / Back wall
4. Right wall / Back wall

These are vertical nicks aren't they?

That's what I meant in my earlier post.

ADZ

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Biz - the nick can be hit on either of the side walls, as well as the back wall (3 walls).

ddraver - I think the easiest nick to start practising would be:

•  on the drop shot so it hits the front wall and angles into the side wall nick.  Even if the drop goes close to the nick that is still good. (Soft shot with open racket face)
  
• then, you can try a cross court.  An ideal c/c would be to hit the front wall and then side wall behind the service box, then if it misses you are not in so much bother with it being in the middle of the court. (Hard lower drive)
  
• backhand return of service off a lob serve, aim into the forehand corner hitting the front wall and angling into the nick about half metre from frontwall/sidewall. (Soft/delicate, very open racket face)
  
• continually drive the ball from the backwall to the frontwall and see how many times you can hit the backwall nick. (These can be lobs that float or drives).

These nicks I would consider to be safe, and even if you miss the nick, you will not come to so much grief.   Kill nick shots up the front are heaps more risky and leave them to the pros for now.

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As Vitty said, it's the joining point of the floor and the wall (and two walls if I'm not mistaken?). As the ball hits this area it makes contact with both surfaces at the same time. This produced some very unexpected results - Practise it by getting a table against a flat wall and throwing a ball at the join. It's interesting that the rules now state that if a ball gets lodged in any part of the court, you have to play a let! So poorly made courts which have gaps between the floor and walls which are big enough to trap the ball allow for lets when the ball gets trapped.

 

When you have played some of the hardest games you can imagine, and run those heartbreaking steps towards a ball that you can only just about return, you will know the ecstacy of hitting a nick that win a point.

 

Alternatively, when you have run your opponent to every corner on the last point of the last game, a fluked nick by them can be enough to send you into depression!!

 

 Welcome to the agony and the esctasy that is "THE NICK"

ADZ

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Simple guide for winning squash:

Hit more nicks.

Win the last point.

Easy!

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Nick...this is what is squash all about But seriously - "the nick" is the litlle gap between the sidewall and the floor. When the ball "hits the nick", it has unpredictable (and mostly very low) bounce and it is almost unreceiveable. Advanced players aim their shots to the nick often. But if you miss it, you´ll be in big big problems - the bounce is higher and towards centre of the court. So it´s an easy shot for your opponent... So this is the nick. You will love it and hate it...

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